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https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4665#0043
mam
THE INSCRIPTIONS.
33
Sekmem4 is its name. (2) His Majesty gave an
excellent example6 in proceeding to the palace (lit.
" the palace of Life, Prosperity, and Health "). Then
Sekmem allied itself (?) with the vile Retenu ; I was
forming the rear-guard of the army when the dnkhu-
officers6 of the army joined7 in combat with the
Aamu ; (4) I caught hold of an Aamu and I caused
his weapons to be seized by two dnk/iu-off\cers of the
army. I did not turn back8 from fighting (but) I
set my face forwards and did not give my back to an
Aamu; by the Life of Usertsen (5) I speak the
truth !9 Then he gave me a staff10 of electrum into
my hand (together with) a bow11 and a dagger12
worked with electrum and his (other) weapons.
Lower part:—(6) The hereditary mayor, firm of
sandal,13 content with entering and making the way
of him who makes him perfect.14 (7) The lord of the
two lands has given his glory, and his love has
heightened his place, the Great udrtu of the (Royal)
City, Zaa. (8) He says: I made for myself this
splendid tomb and established its seat at the staircase
of (9) the Great God, lord of life within Abydos, upon
the hill-side, Neb(t)hetept upon the hill-side, mistress
of life, smelling of incense15 (10) issuing out of the
... as divine dew, the Great udrtu of the (Royal)
City, Zaa. (11) He says : I was born in the year XXVII
under the Majesty of the King of Upper and Lower
Egypt Nub-kau-Rd (Amenemhat II) justified; (12)
and when the Majesty of the King of Upper and
Lower Egypt, Khd-kau-Rd (Usertsen III) ascended
the throne and put on the white and red crowns upon
the seat of Horus of the living, His Majesty caused
4 This place-name has not been found elsewhere, and the
reading is doubtful; it ought perhaps to be read Sekemkem.
5 For the meaning of tep nefer see Proc. Soc. Bibl. Arch.
Nov. 1891, p. 8.
6 This seems to be the only possible reading here, cf. Frazer's
Scarabs, pi. 1, 1. 6 ; for the soldier sign in the next line cf.
Golenischeff, Epigraphische Resultate, &c, pi. viii, 1. 8.
7 Abekh.
8 Read nen tesh.
9 For the oath, cf. Blackden and Frazer, Het-nub Graffiti,
No. x.
10 Read sethes as in Golenischeff, Epigraphische Resultate,
&c, pi. xvi, 1. 12.
11 Read ant, and cf. Steindorff, Das Grab des Mentnhetcp,
Taf. iii, and p. 18.
12 Read mcqsu, and cf. Steindorff, Das Grab des Mentnhetep,
Taf. v. My friend Spiegelberg suggested this reading to me.
13 Read men theb, and cf. Golenischeff, Epigrapliisclie Resul-
tate, &c, pi. iv, 1. 4.
14 Cf. Golenischeff, Epigraphische Resultate, &c, pi. iv, 1. 5,
and stele of Antef, son of Sent, in Brit. Mus. 1. 4.
15 Cf. Sharpe, Egyptian Inscriptions I, pi. 18.
that I should be made to work in fighting after him
and by the side of His Majesty with seven men of
the palace. I was ever ready at his side, and His
Majesty promoted me to be a follower of the ruler
(15) and gave me sixty men. His Majesty (at
another time) went up the river to overthrow (16) the
Antiu of Nubia (and I accompanied him) ; I caught
hold of a Negro of ... at the side of my town-
(17) Then I went down the river with six followers
of the palace, and he made me an instructor of the
followers and gave me one hundred men as a
reward.16 [E. 11.]
Notes.—Sebek-khu mentions in 1. 11, that he was
born in the 27th year of the reign of Amenemhat II;
therefore, on the accession of Usertsen II he must have
been five years old. Usertsen II reigned for nineteen
years ;17 therefore, on the accession of Usertsen III,
Sebek-khu would have been twenty-four years of age,
and it was at this period of his life that he began his
military career. Unfortunately we have no means of
fixing the date of the fighting against Sekmem and
the Retenu, nor can we ascertain from the stele the
precise date of the campaign of Usertsen III against
Nubia, in which Sebek-khu distinguished himself.
Besides this Abydos stele, we have another record of
Sebek-khu in an inscription on one of the rocks at
Semneh (L.D. ii, 1396). This is dated in the ninth
year of Amenemhat III, at which time the gallant
soldier must have been about seventy years of age.
The history of Sebek-khu's career is interesting to
the student of Egyptian titles. He starts life as one
of the men of the palace (se ne khenu), is then raised
to the position of a seskemu ne heq, " follower of the
Ruler," with a command of sixty men (tep). From
this rank he is promoted to be a se-hez seshemu,
" instructor of the followers," and given one hundred
men (tep), and when the stele was set up at Abydos
this distinguished officer had attained the rank of
udrtu da ne net, " Great udrtu of the (Royal) City."
Some years later we find him mentioned in the
Semneh inscription as udrtu ne heq, "udrtu of the
Ruler."
Pl. VI. a. Stele of Amenemhat-nebuia. In the
upper register Amenemhat is seated before a table
piled up with offerings ; behind him are (1) his mother
Nefert born of Ay, and (2) his wife (?), the Lady
Senb, born of Ameny. In front of the table are his
two brothers, (3) the mer merit, "Superintendent of
the canal workers," Se-ankh born of Nefert, and (4)
16 For the word feka, cf. Bonlac Papyi'i, No. 18.
17 See Borchardt, A. Z. xxxvii, p. 92.
THE INSCRIPTIONS.
33
Sekmem4 is its name. (2) His Majesty gave an
excellent example6 in proceeding to the palace (lit.
" the palace of Life, Prosperity, and Health "). Then
Sekmem allied itself (?) with the vile Retenu ; I was
forming the rear-guard of the army when the dnkhu-
officers6 of the army joined7 in combat with the
Aamu ; (4) I caught hold of an Aamu and I caused
his weapons to be seized by two dnk/iu-off\cers of the
army. I did not turn back8 from fighting (but) I
set my face forwards and did not give my back to an
Aamu; by the Life of Usertsen (5) I speak the
truth !9 Then he gave me a staff10 of electrum into
my hand (together with) a bow11 and a dagger12
worked with electrum and his (other) weapons.
Lower part:—(6) The hereditary mayor, firm of
sandal,13 content with entering and making the way
of him who makes him perfect.14 (7) The lord of the
two lands has given his glory, and his love has
heightened his place, the Great udrtu of the (Royal)
City, Zaa. (8) He says: I made for myself this
splendid tomb and established its seat at the staircase
of (9) the Great God, lord of life within Abydos, upon
the hill-side, Neb(t)hetept upon the hill-side, mistress
of life, smelling of incense15 (10) issuing out of the
... as divine dew, the Great udrtu of the (Royal)
City, Zaa. (11) He says : I was born in the year XXVII
under the Majesty of the King of Upper and Lower
Egypt Nub-kau-Rd (Amenemhat II) justified; (12)
and when the Majesty of the King of Upper and
Lower Egypt, Khd-kau-Rd (Usertsen III) ascended
the throne and put on the white and red crowns upon
the seat of Horus of the living, His Majesty caused
4 This place-name has not been found elsewhere, and the
reading is doubtful; it ought perhaps to be read Sekemkem.
5 For the meaning of tep nefer see Proc. Soc. Bibl. Arch.
Nov. 1891, p. 8.
6 This seems to be the only possible reading here, cf. Frazer's
Scarabs, pi. 1, 1. 6 ; for the soldier sign in the next line cf.
Golenischeff, Epigraphische Resultate, &c, pi. viii, 1. 8.
7 Abekh.
8 Read nen tesh.
9 For the oath, cf. Blackden and Frazer, Het-nub Graffiti,
No. x.
10 Read sethes as in Golenischeff, Epigraphische Resultate,
&c, pi. xvi, 1. 12.
11 Read ant, and cf. Steindorff, Das Grab des Mentnhetcp,
Taf. iii, and p. 18.
12 Read mcqsu, and cf. Steindorff, Das Grab des Mentnhetep,
Taf. v. My friend Spiegelberg suggested this reading to me.
13 Read men theb, and cf. Golenischeff, Epigrapliisclie Resul-
tate, &c, pi. iv, 1. 4.
14 Cf. Golenischeff, Epigraphische Resultate, &c, pi. iv, 1. 5,
and stele of Antef, son of Sent, in Brit. Mus. 1. 4.
15 Cf. Sharpe, Egyptian Inscriptions I, pi. 18.
that I should be made to work in fighting after him
and by the side of His Majesty with seven men of
the palace. I was ever ready at his side, and His
Majesty promoted me to be a follower of the ruler
(15) and gave me sixty men. His Majesty (at
another time) went up the river to overthrow (16) the
Antiu of Nubia (and I accompanied him) ; I caught
hold of a Negro of ... at the side of my town-
(17) Then I went down the river with six followers
of the palace, and he made me an instructor of the
followers and gave me one hundred men as a
reward.16 [E. 11.]
Notes.—Sebek-khu mentions in 1. 11, that he was
born in the 27th year of the reign of Amenemhat II;
therefore, on the accession of Usertsen II he must have
been five years old. Usertsen II reigned for nineteen
years ;17 therefore, on the accession of Usertsen III,
Sebek-khu would have been twenty-four years of age,
and it was at this period of his life that he began his
military career. Unfortunately we have no means of
fixing the date of the fighting against Sekmem and
the Retenu, nor can we ascertain from the stele the
precise date of the campaign of Usertsen III against
Nubia, in which Sebek-khu distinguished himself.
Besides this Abydos stele, we have another record of
Sebek-khu in an inscription on one of the rocks at
Semneh (L.D. ii, 1396). This is dated in the ninth
year of Amenemhat III, at which time the gallant
soldier must have been about seventy years of age.
The history of Sebek-khu's career is interesting to
the student of Egyptian titles. He starts life as one
of the men of the palace (se ne khenu), is then raised
to the position of a seskemu ne heq, " follower of the
Ruler," with a command of sixty men (tep). From
this rank he is promoted to be a se-hez seshemu,
" instructor of the followers," and given one hundred
men (tep), and when the stele was set up at Abydos
this distinguished officer had attained the rank of
udrtu da ne net, " Great udrtu of the (Royal) City."
Some years later we find him mentioned in the
Semneh inscription as udrtu ne heq, "udrtu of the
Ruler."
Pl. VI. a. Stele of Amenemhat-nebuia. In the
upper register Amenemhat is seated before a table
piled up with offerings ; behind him are (1) his mother
Nefert born of Ay, and (2) his wife (?), the Lady
Senb, born of Ameny. In front of the table are his
two brothers, (3) the mer merit, "Superintendent of
the canal workers," Se-ankh born of Nefert, and (4)
16 For the word feka, cf. Bonlac Papyi'i, No. 18.
17 See Borchardt, A. Z. xxxvii, p. 92.