Garstang, John: Maḥâsna and Bêt Khallâf (London, 1903)

REMARKS ON THE INSCRIPTIONS.

21

—salvo errore—z.% follows: " One who was good in
his life, a god in commanding, a pleasant teacher
when asked for advice, the scribe Nez-neteru (Nd~
ntrw)."

K i. 3B. Private seal of an official Ra-khuf (Rc-
Kzu-f). This name, which occurs elsewhere in the
Old Kingdom (Mar., Mast., 430), is formed with the
name of the sun-god Ra in the same way as other
well-known Old Kingdom names, e.g. Khnum-khuf
(Hnm-hw-f) the name of King Cheops, and Her-khuf
(Hr-f}w-/) the famous explorer of the Sudan, which
are compounded with the names of the gods Khnum
and Horus. The name of Ra-khuf (R'-kw-f) is
repeated three times, with his titles between.

(1) Incomprehensible titles, obviously having
some connection with the ornaments fw~| and
clothing t-rp of the king.

(2)

[W]

sesh semt (si smi) " scribe of the

<e=5

desert " (cf. the titles "" ^ and-mer semt X'-nd-mr

smt] " district-chief of the desert" [L., D., II., 3,

ra —"— f^^l

100 b\, V\ <=> ^ mer semut \mr-smwi\

"superintendent of the deserts" [L., D., II., 100$]).
If the —"— s belongs to sesh (si), as in seal K 1. 3A,
the word smt would be written in its ordinary abbre-
viation ^/Kr\. If however the —"— s belongs to smt,

-------M-------

the word would then be written ft/vn, and would

and the

£££1'

differ from both the usual later writing

f\/\/]

rare C^4 of the Illrd Dynasty (L., D., II., 3) only

by the omission of the feminine termination, a
common omission in the earliest times (cf. K 1. 7).

(3) An illegible title.

K 1. 4. Official seal of an administrator of the
vineyard of King Zoser (Dsr). The Horus-name of
the king, Neter-khet (Ntr-ht) is repeated three
times; between, and in a contrary direction, are the
following words:—

(1) The name of the vineyard, and the title of
its administrator. The sealing-inscriptions from the
Royal Tombs at Abydos show that every king of the
early dynasties possessed a special vineyard, which
supplied wine to the tombs of himself, his family,
and his servants. The names of these special royal
vineyards are usually enclosed within a wall, as,
probably, were the vineyards themselves. According
to the present inscription, the name of King Zoser's

(Ddr) vineyard was ^ V^ rfTK v=^ Dua-Hor-khenti-

pet (Dwi-Hr-Kntj-pt) " Praised be Horus who is in

the front of heaven " (cf. the similar name of King
Kha-sekhemui's vineyard: Dua-bau-Hor \Dwl-b'w-
Hr] " Praised be the souls of Horus." R. T., II.,
Pl. XXIII., 199, 200). The vineyard of King Zoser
appears to have been exceptionally famous, for it is
mentioned in many instances, even in much later
times. Peh-er-nefert (Ph-r-nfrt), who may have been
contemporary with King Zoser, is called in his tomb

at Sakkara ___ and-mer ("-nd-mr) of this vineyard

(Maspero, Etudes egyptiennes, II., 267), which post
existed in the vineyards of the earlier kings (cf. jar-
sealings, R. T., I. and II.). The same title, written

without the enclosing wall,

<e=<

*

((It)

is frequently found in the tomb inscriptions of the
IVth and Vth Dynasties at Gizeh and Sakkara (see
Maspero,* ibid., 269). In the Middle Kingdom,
many of the old titles were revived, often without
being understood, and thus the name of King Zoser's
vineyard in the title above mentioned was mistaken
for an independent title, " He who praises Horus,
who is in the front of heaven," and used without the
accompanying and-mer ("-nd-mr) (cf. L., D., II., 121;
Griffith, Siut, I., 83, II., 12, etc.). Finally, wine

of this famous vineyard, (1 -AA. ( * ^ rj ") ^ J

drep Dua-Ifor-khenti-pet (irp-Dw;-Hr-l$ntj-pt), is men-
tioned in a list of wines in the temple of Abydos as
late as the XlXth Dynasty (Mariette, Abydos, I.,

35*)-

The title ft <§> za-her (dl-hr), which follows the

name of the vineyard, occurs frequently on vineyard
sealings of the earliest dynasties, often in reversed
order (R. T., I. and II.). The first sign is read
—&- hetep (hip) by Mr. Griffith and Mr. Thompson
(R. T., II., p. 52), but it should surely be | za (di)
(cf. R. T., I., Pl. X., 9). The title may perhaps
consist of the expression zay-her (dsj-hr), "to turn
the face towards," "to assent to," and thus mean an
" overseer."

(2) The name of a second vineyard, also enclosed
within a wall, Sen-Dua-Hor-khenty-pet (Sn-Dw;-Hr-
hntj-pt), "the brother or the 'fellow' of the above-
mentioned vineyard Dua-Hor-khenty-pet (Dwi-Rr-

* Maspero is mistaken in denying the identity of the titles. When
'i*K% sab (s>i) "judge" does not occur before the title, the words
following and-mer ('nd-mr) must contain the name of the place ad-
ministered by the and-mer i^nd-mr). Where not followed by such a
place-name, the and-mer ('nd-mr) title is invariably preceded by the
judge-title, sab (sib) in inscriptions of the Old Kingdom.