Perring, John Shae; Howard-Vyse, Richard William Howard: Operations carried on at the Pyramids of Gizeh in 1837: with an account of a voyage into upper Egypt, and Appendix (Band 3): Appendix (London, 1842)

APPENDIX.

115

pedestal, which resembles a doorway ; and the image on the left receives
a libation offered by the monarch, and is accompanied with an inscription
expressing " the sun—in his solar mountain, or the lord of the two solar
abodes ;"- and with the following declaration, " We grant life andpower
to Thothmes, the lord of the world, the crown of crcwns."

In the other compartment the same monarch pours a libation on an
altar, and offers burning incense to the Sphinx, which is here styled,
" Ra or Hot in the solar mountain ;" and is said " to grant power and
victory to the lord of the world; to Thothmes, the crown of crowns."

The remaining thirteen lines can scarcely be made out, but they
begin as follows, " In the first year, on the \9th day of Athyr,
under the purity of Horus, the mighty bull; the establisher of
diadems ; the lord of the upper, and lower hemispheres ; established
with dominion, like At/torn; the golden hawk; the director of the
years ; the conqueror of the (Libyans) ; the King ; the Sun ; the pre-
server of worlds ; the son of the sun ; Thothmes ; the diadem of diadems;
the giver of life, of stability, and of power ; like the sun for ever,"&c.
Any attempt to explain the rest of the inscription would require a restor-
ation of the text, which would be attended with great uncertainty; but
it appears to record an act of adoration performed by the monarch to the
Sphinx; to enumerate the benefits supposed to have been conferred by
the idol; and also the following address of the Sphinx to the king ; " /
am thy father; the god in the solar mountain; Tor, and A thorn."3
The inscription also declares, " That the king shall wear the two crowns,
which compose the royal pschent; and that he shall sit on the throne
of Scb, the youngest of the gods."

In the thirteenth line part of a cartouche occurs, which is apparently
the prenomen of the king Ra-shaa-f,ov Shafre, supposed to be Chefren ;
but the fracture in the inscription makes it impossible to determine in
what manner the name is mentioned. It is, however, to be remarked, that
the Sphinx is situated before the eastern front of the ruins, supposed to
have been a temple connected with the second Pyramid, which is said to
have been built by Chefren ; and also, that it is proved by this tablet,
which seems to have been executed in the first year of the reign of Thoth-
mes IV., that the construction of the image had then been achieved, which,
from its enormous size, could scarcely have been effected in one year.

5 A sphinx, resembling in many respects the one here represented, has
been published by Champollion, Pantheon Egyptien, 24 (F), holding in its
fore paws a figure of Truth, and called " the Sun, the lord of the two worlds,
the great god, the lord of heaven." This image is also seated on a gateway.
Salt's copy is incorrect and should apparently read "the sun, the lord of the two
worlds and of the solar abode." A sphinx, wearing on its head two plumes,
appears in the boat of the sun at the sixth hour. Cf. Rosel. M. d C. xli.

1 Solar types.