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

THE OSIREION.

uas-sceptre, four hold an ankh also. The inscrip-
tion reads: " The gods who are in the land of
Diiat."

A bearded figure standing holding an uas-sceiptre.
His name is Maat-ta, " Truth of the earth " (?).

2. Eleven rams' heads on poles : " Those who are
with those who are in heaven and the earths."

Two vertical lines of inscription : (i) " There is
offered to them a handful upon earth. It is that (2)
the King Ba-en-Ramer-Neteru, true of voice, is as a
Glorious One, powerful in his cooling."

Two registers each containing four standing
figures : " The gods who are with the lord."

A bearded figure standing and holding an

uas-
'He

sceptre and an ankh. His name is Hcri-ta (?)
who is on the earth."

3. Four men bowing. They are called Yuutyu,
" The aged ones." Two vertical lines of inscription :
(1) " The King Ba-en-Ra mer-Neteru, true of voice,
when he enters and goes forth (2) ixovn. Amentet at all
the gates belonging thereto."

Fourteen snakes arranged in three registers; in
the coils of each snake lies a human figure: Neteru
ymyu lichen, " The gods who are with, [or, in] the
snake Mehen."

9. Pl. VI. (see also Pl. I.) The North Wall.—■
These inscriptions are on either side of the doorway,
and each consists of four lines.

Left: (1) " Speech of the Son of the Sun, Lord
of Crowns, Hotep-her-Maat Merenptah, true of
voice. I come before thee, Lord of the Sacred Land,
Osiris, Ruler of Eternity. I make what thy ka
desires in the land of the living. (2) Speech of the
king, Lord of the Two Lands, Ba-en-Ra mer-
Neteru, true of voice. I come before thee, Lord of
Eternity, Unnefer, son of Nut. I make for thee
offerings (?) very great. I know that which belongs
to thy table of offerings (?) on account of it. (3)
Speech of the Son of the Sun, Lord of Crowns,
Hotep-her-Maat Merenptah, true of voice. I come
before thee, Lord of Amentet, Osiris, great of soul
in the Duat. I have driven put evil from the earth
in order to satisfy thy heart every day. (4) Speech
of the King, Lord of the Two Lands, Ba-en-Ra mer-
Neteru, true of voice. I come before thee, Lord of
the Underworld, Lord of Eternity (ueheh), Ruler of
the Dead. I increase for thy ka the offerings con-
sisting of bread and beer, oxen and fowls."

Right: (1) " Speech of the Son of the Sun, Lord of
Crowns, Hotep-her-Maat Merenptah, true of voice.

I come before thee, Osiris, Lord of Augert. I
establish thy cycle in the cities of the nome. (2)
Speech of the King, Lord of the Two Lands, Ba-en-
Ra mer-Neteru, true of voice. I come before thee,
Osiris, Lord of Deddu. I bring unto thee breath
for thy nostril, life and strength for thy beautiful

face. (3)...........Hotep-her-Maat

Merenptah, true of voice. I come before thee,

Osiris..........[I make] for thee sacrifices

every day. I know that thou livest by means of

them. (4).............I (cast down) thy

enemies under thee."

CHAPTER II.

THE GREAT HALL.

10. The Great Hall, the floor of which was more
than forty feet below the surface of the desert, was
fifteen feet wide, thirty-four feet long, and seventeen
feet high. There were three doorways, one to the
south, leading to the South Chamber ; one to the
east, to the sloping passage ; one to the north, to
the north passage. The North and South Walls
were covered with inscriptions. The West Wall is
divided into three parts vertically; the portion to
the left hand is filled with a colossal scene of the
Vivification of Osiris ; the middle portion contains
part of the Chapter of knowing the Names of Osiris ;
the right hand portion is occupied with the figure
of King Merenptah standing before a heaped-up table
of offerings, and making an offering of incense- The
wall had originally had a frieze of the klieker
ornament painted in yellow, blue, green, and black.

The East Wall of the hall had had the facing of
stone quarried away in Roman times, so that any
decoration, either sculpture or painting, which might
have been there, had perished. The floor, as in the
South Chamber and the passages, was paved with
blocks of sandstone. The roofing stones must have
stretched from wall to wall, the entire width of the
hall, as there are no pillars or other means of
support. It is easy to see how stones of such a size
would impress the minds of visitors, and Strabo's
surprise is not to be wondered at.

Above the scene of Osiris and Horus (Pl. I) are
two rectangular holes for driving in the wedges by
which the stones were split out of the walls by the
Romans. From the weather stains and marks of
bird droppings, it seems that the place must have

i** the f*ure5
>*a"!e added

t *e arms of

>^0f the figures

((Stffall.
,11 At the south

e« Book of the

\:td is so broken t

t0 translate. «

... -Speech of tni

^Ba-en-Ra mer-Nd

., Hotep-her-Ma

•door: This i

■ Chapter of
3 It is noticeable thai
it part of the in

: driving aw;
L?made in Henensete

:' voice, Stron
; :he gods. I
0 [Abu-ur, thou say

; prepared wit'
•atodecay (?). IamRa
:;^t god within tl

"e.moresplen

: am Ra, establi

• •• going forth [wher

'--Osiris Ba-en-Ra

"UasNn,

?;(Os.nsHotep-h
"We, is as Ra

;OsinsBa.en.
^Hathor

:-;R0f0^Hotep.
-Invoice -

. ;'

^easUpui
ansBa-en-H

&::Hotep-

^CareasAnut