Murray, Margaret Alice: The Osireion at Abydos (London, 1904)

THE OSIREION.

Above are five short lines of hieroglyphs : (i) " There
is offered to them a /zz'«-measure upon earth. (2) It
is that the king Ba-en-Ra mer-Neteru, true of voice,
(3) son of the Sun, Lord of Crowns, Hotep-her-
Maat Merenptah, true of voice, (4) is as the lord of
offerings in Amentet, (5) and of cool water in the
Field [of Offerings]."

3. The king kneeling and making an offering.
Above are five short lines of hieroglyphs : (1) " There
is offered to them a /zzVz-measure upon earth. (2) It
is that the king Ba-en-Ra mer-Neteru, true of voice,

(3) ......lord of Crowns, Hotep-her-Maat

Merenptah, true of voice, (4)......lord of

offerings in Amentet, (5).........in the Field

[of Offerings]."

On the right-hand side of the long vertical line are
the gods of the six Qererts enumerated in the in-
scription. In each Qerert there are three deities,
male, female, male. Those of the first, third, and
fifth Qererts are mummified figures; the others are
represented as living.

II. The long vertical line of inscription reaching
from the top of the wall to the bottom : " The gods
of the eighth Qerert." Then comes a sentence with
the hieroglyphs reversed : " Hail, O ye souls, weigh-
ing .........distinguishing righteousness from

evil." A blank space, after which the hieroglyphs
are written as at the top of the line: " The gods of
the seventh Qerert." The reason that the two
numbers, seven and eight, are in reverse order
appears to be that the gods of the seventh Qerert are
only three in number, like those immediately pre-
ceding, and that they can be fitted into the sculpture
only in that particular place.

On the right is another vertical line of hieroglyphs
reaching from the top of the wall to the bottom.
The inscription is divided into three parts, which
must be read in connection with the short lines of
hieroglyphs above the figure of the king.

On the left of the long vertical inscription :—

1. The king kneeling and making an

offering.

Above are three short lines of hieroglyphs. (From
the long line :) " There is offered to them a handful
upon earth from the Lord of offerings in Amentet,
and of cool water in the Field of Offerings."
(The short lines) (1) " It is that the king Ba-en-
Ra mer-Ptah, true of voice, (2) is as Lord of
offerings in Amentet, (3) and of cool water in the
Field of Offering's."

2. The king kneeling and making an offering.

Above are three short vertical lines of hieroglyphs.

(The long line :) " There is offered to them a handful
upon earth when the chiefs of the living ones hear."
(Short lines) (1) "There is offered to them a hin-
measure upon earth. (2) It is that the king Ba-en-
Ra mer-Neteru, true of voice, (3) is as the hearer (?)
.......of the living."

3. The king kneeling and making an offering.
Above are three short vertical lines of hieroglyphs.
(Long line) " There is offered to them a /zz>z-measure
upon earth. (Short lines) (1) "There is offered to
them a /zz/z-measure upon earth. (2) It is that the
king Ba-en-Ra mer-Neteru, true of voice, (3) is as
the hearer.......of the living."

On the right of the two long vertical inscrip-
tions :—

1. Four men, each carrying a woman on his
shoulder. Fayu hert-sen, " Those who carry their
mistresses."

Four men, each carrying a man on his shoulder.
Fayu hern-sen, "Those who carry their masters."

A vertical line of hieroglyphs : " There is offered
to them a handful upon earth at the sacred pylon of
Neb Za.tr

Four women lying on their faces with their hair
falling down. The papyrus of Amenhotep gives the
word Nenyu, here shortened to Nen, "Those who
give honour."

2. Three men and a woman lying on their faces,
making offerings. They are called Kheryu Autn,
" The possessors of food offerings." Below these
are two men and two women lying on their faces,
with outstretched hands. Mr. Criffith suggests
that the hieroglyphs may read, " The smitten of
Ra," and that what appears to be the loose hair
falling over the face is really blood pouring down, as
in the hieroglyphic sign for Death. This is a very
probable explanation, as two of the figures are of
men, for whom long hair would be quite inappro-
priate.

A vertical line of inscription: " There is offered to
them a /zz«-measure upon earth, when the body lives
in Amentet. There is offered to them upon earth
from the follower of the great God at the secret
door."

Four men bending down so that their hands
touch the ground. The hieroglyphs are partially
destroyed, but the name can be recovered from the
papyrus of Amenhotep II, Jlefiu, "The humble
ones."

3. Four men supporting tall pillar-like objects.
Kheryu hotepu, "The possessors of offerings."

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