DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4689#0009
THE SOUTH CHAMBER.
Valley of the Kings; he was hardly likely to make
two of such magnificence, one at Thebes and one at
Abydos. The other hypothesis was that this was
the building for the special worship of Osiris and the
celebration of the Mysteries, and this appears to me
to be the true explanation, for many reasons. Each
reason may not be convincing in itself, but the
accumulation of evidence goes to prove the case.
There is no tomb even among the Tombs of the
Kings that is like it in plan, none having the side
chamber leading off the Great Hall. Then, again,
no tomb has ever been found attached to a temple ;
the converse is often the case, I mean a temple
attached to a tomb ; but this, as far as we can judge,
is a kind of extra chapel, a " hidden shrine," as the
mythological texts express it, belonging to the
temple. It is only to be expected that Osiris, one
of the chief deities of Egypt, should have a special
place of worship at Abydos, where he was identified
with the local god. And that it should be a part of
the temple dedicated to the worship of the dead,
and which had special chambers set apart for the
celebration of the Osirian mysteries is very natural
likewise. The building lies immediately in the axis
of the temple ; a line drawn through the temple and
the desert pylon to the Royal Tombs passes through
the sloping passage and across the centre of the
Great Hall. This is not the result of accident, the
temple being older than the hypogeum, but shows
that both were dedicated to the same worship. The
sculptures in the Great Hall are the Vivification of
Osiris by Horus, and the offering of incense by
Merenptah ; between the two sculptures is inscribed
chapter cxlii. of the " Book of the Dead," the
" Chapter of knowing the Names of Osiris." The
other chapters of the " Book of the Dead " inscribed
on the walls were pronounced by M. Maspero, when
he saw them, to be the " Book of Osiris." The
books of "Gates" and of "Am Duat," which are
sculptured and painted on the North passage, were
said by the ancient Egyptians to have had their
origin in the decorations which Horus executed on
the walls of the tomb of his father Osiris.
CHAPTER I.
THE SOUTH CHAMBER.
4. The chamber south of the Great Hall is sculp-
tured on the east, south, and west walls with the
clxviiith chapter of the "Book of the Dead." This
is a rare chapter, being known only in three papyri,
one in the Cairo Museum from the tomb of Amen-
hotep II, one in the British Museum (No. 10,478)
of the XXth Dynasty, and one at St. Petersburg.
This, however, is the only instance in sculpture of
this chapter. The papyrus of Amenhotep II has
been published in fac-simile without translation, the
British Museum papyrus has been translated by Dr.
Budge, but the vignettes are not published ; and the
St. Petersburg papyrus is still unpublished. In
none of these papyri does the king appear, nor are
the gods of the first seven Qererts mentioned.
5. At first sight the arrangement appears confused,
but a closer examination shows a very definite order.
The whole chapter is devoted to the worship of the
gods of the twelve Qerer-ts by the king. Each
section contains a vertical line of inscription, reach-
ing from the top of the wall to the bottom ; this
gives the numbers of the Qererts. On one side of
each of these vertical inscriptions are three figures
of the king kneeling and making an offering ; above
his head are three, four, or five short vertical lines of
hieroglyphs. On the other side of the long vertical
inscription are representations of the gods of each
Qerert. These generally appear in three registers,
corresponding with the figures of the king, thus the
king makes an offering to every register. (In the
description the registers are numbered 1, 2, 3,
beginning at the top ; the sections are indicated by
Roman numerals.) The word Qerert in its literal
sense is a Cavern, but it may here be taken, perhaps,
to mean a Division of the night.
6. I. The East Wall. Pl. V.—Long vertical line
of inscription : " The gods of the first Qerert in the
Duat. The gods of the second Qerert. The gods
of the third Qerert. The gods of the fourth Qerert.
The gods of the fifth Qerert,
Qerert"
On the left side of the inscription :—
1. The king kneeling and making
Above him are five vertical lines of
(1) " Yu 11den en sen a tep ta. There is offered to
them a handful (measure of capacity) upon earth.
(2) It is that the king Ba-en-Ra mer-Neteru, true of
voice, (3) son of the Sun, his beloved. Hotep-her-
Maat Merenptah, true of voice, (4) is as the lord of
offerings in Amcntet (5) and of cool water in [the
Field] of Offerings."
The gods of the sixth
an offering
inscription
2. The king kneeling
and
making an offering.
Valley of the Kings; he was hardly likely to make
two of such magnificence, one at Thebes and one at
Abydos. The other hypothesis was that this was
the building for the special worship of Osiris and the
celebration of the Mysteries, and this appears to me
to be the true explanation, for many reasons. Each
reason may not be convincing in itself, but the
accumulation of evidence goes to prove the case.
There is no tomb even among the Tombs of the
Kings that is like it in plan, none having the side
chamber leading off the Great Hall. Then, again,
no tomb has ever been found attached to a temple ;
the converse is often the case, I mean a temple
attached to a tomb ; but this, as far as we can judge,
is a kind of extra chapel, a " hidden shrine," as the
mythological texts express it, belonging to the
temple. It is only to be expected that Osiris, one
of the chief deities of Egypt, should have a special
place of worship at Abydos, where he was identified
with the local god. And that it should be a part of
the temple dedicated to the worship of the dead,
and which had special chambers set apart for the
celebration of the Osirian mysteries is very natural
likewise. The building lies immediately in the axis
of the temple ; a line drawn through the temple and
the desert pylon to the Royal Tombs passes through
the sloping passage and across the centre of the
Great Hall. This is not the result of accident, the
temple being older than the hypogeum, but shows
that both were dedicated to the same worship. The
sculptures in the Great Hall are the Vivification of
Osiris by Horus, and the offering of incense by
Merenptah ; between the two sculptures is inscribed
chapter cxlii. of the " Book of the Dead," the
" Chapter of knowing the Names of Osiris." The
other chapters of the " Book of the Dead " inscribed
on the walls were pronounced by M. Maspero, when
he saw them, to be the " Book of Osiris." The
books of "Gates" and of "Am Duat," which are
sculptured and painted on the North passage, were
said by the ancient Egyptians to have had their
origin in the decorations which Horus executed on
the walls of the tomb of his father Osiris.
CHAPTER I.
THE SOUTH CHAMBER.
4. The chamber south of the Great Hall is sculp-
tured on the east, south, and west walls with the
clxviiith chapter of the "Book of the Dead." This
is a rare chapter, being known only in three papyri,
one in the Cairo Museum from the tomb of Amen-
hotep II, one in the British Museum (No. 10,478)
of the XXth Dynasty, and one at St. Petersburg.
This, however, is the only instance in sculpture of
this chapter. The papyrus of Amenhotep II has
been published in fac-simile without translation, the
British Museum papyrus has been translated by Dr.
Budge, but the vignettes are not published ; and the
St. Petersburg papyrus is still unpublished. In
none of these papyri does the king appear, nor are
the gods of the first seven Qererts mentioned.
5. At first sight the arrangement appears confused,
but a closer examination shows a very definite order.
The whole chapter is devoted to the worship of the
gods of the twelve Qerer-ts by the king. Each
section contains a vertical line of inscription, reach-
ing from the top of the wall to the bottom ; this
gives the numbers of the Qererts. On one side of
each of these vertical inscriptions are three figures
of the king kneeling and making an offering ; above
his head are three, four, or five short vertical lines of
hieroglyphs. On the other side of the long vertical
inscription are representations of the gods of each
Qerert. These generally appear in three registers,
corresponding with the figures of the king, thus the
king makes an offering to every register. (In the
description the registers are numbered 1, 2, 3,
beginning at the top ; the sections are indicated by
Roman numerals.) The word Qerert in its literal
sense is a Cavern, but it may here be taken, perhaps,
to mean a Division of the night.
6. I. The East Wall. Pl. V.—Long vertical line
of inscription : " The gods of the first Qerert in the
Duat. The gods of the second Qerert. The gods
of the third Qerert. The gods of the fourth Qerert.
The gods of the fifth Qerert,
Qerert"
On the left side of the inscription :—
1. The king kneeling and making
Above him are five vertical lines of
(1) " Yu 11den en sen a tep ta. There is offered to
them a handful (measure of capacity) upon earth.
(2) It is that the king Ba-en-Ra mer-Neteru, true of
voice, (3) son of the Sun, his beloved. Hotep-her-
Maat Merenptah, true of voice, (4) is as the lord of
offerings in Amcntet (5) and of cool water in [the
Field] of Offerings."
The gods of the sixth
an offering
inscription
2. The king kneeling
and
making an offering.