DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.6638#0016
6
SAFT EL HENNEH.
which can only mean " TheDestroyer." Horus the
Destroyer ,ov simply " The Destroyer" was a title
adopted by other kings before Nectanebo; User-
tesen II., for instance, when he appears before
Sopt in a tablet of Wadi Gasus.1 In a later age
it was assumed by the Emperor Tiberius. Nec-
tanebo II. calls himself Horthema, a warlike
god, another form of the god Anhur, translated
as Ares by the Greeks, and one of the divinities
of the Sebennyte nome, the birthplace of the
Nectanebos. Nekhthorheb put Anhur in his
coronation name; and Nectanebo II. put
Horthema in his standard. Horthema is gene-
rally represented bearing a lance,2 as it is said
in the inscription of pi. i. 1. 4; but in the temple
of Medinet Habu, Barneses III. takes that name
at the moment when, armed with a mace, he
smites his enemies.3 The other titles of Nec-
tanebo are only common formulas which are
nearly identical for all the kings. It is said
that he loves Sopt, the lord of the East, Ilar-
malchis the great god, the lord of the mountain of
Bahhu, the -prince, the king of the nine gods*
By far the most important monument of Saft
is the shrine of Nectanebo II., found quite
fortuitously about twenty years ago. I have
already related the misfortunes which befell this
magnificent monolith, one of the largest of its
kind. Its thickness is 6 feet 8 ^ inches, its width
6 feet; as for the height, it is not possible to
determine it exactly, but it could not have been
less than 7 feet 3 inches. The four faces were
covered with inscriptions, as well as the inside
and the ceiling. I have given (pi. i. and pi. iii.)
a restoration of the monument, both front view
and back view, with an indication of the way in
which the remaining blocks fit into each other.
It shows that the back and the right side are
1 Zeitschr. 1882, p. 204.
2 Lanzone, Dizion. Mit. pi. xv. p. 678.
3 Leps. Deukm. iii. 209 and 210.
4 *^Jy ^e__& usec' as determinative for number
nine, is frequently met with in inscriptions of that time.
Cf. pi. iii. 1, and GolenischeflF, Stele Metternich, p. 14.
fairly well preserved, while the greater part of
the left side and of the front has disappeared.
These parts probably lie in the foundations of
the bridge of Saft. ' On all four faces the lower
part is occupied by three lines of an inscription
in large characters, which I will call the dedi-
catory, or historical, inscription. In front, the
two doorposts are covered with two similar
vertical inscriptions of nine lines each, containing
hymns recited in honour of Sopt by the king
himself, who is represented on the right as
king of Lower Egypt, of which he wears the
crown, and on the left as king of Upper Egypt.
Of this last, there are but a few signs left.
On the other faces, above the dedicatory in-
scription, are six horizontal registers containing
inscriptions and mythological representations.
The cornice at the top was adorned with hawks
spreading their wings over the cartouches of
Nectanebo.
The translation of the dedicatory inscription
is not easy, on account of the many abbrevia-
tions which occur in it. The scribe seems to
have been afraid lest he might not have room
enough, and so contracted the inscription as
much as he could.
On the front side it consists of the name of
the king repeated three times, and preceded by
one of the three qualities which are generally
united in his title. He is said to love the local
god who is called Sopt, the lord of the East; the
spirit of the East, Jj- and the hawk, or
Horus of the East 4 . Above, are the
hymns pronounced by the king speaking as the
god Thoth, to whom the hymns are attributed
(pi. L).
Upper horizontal lines. ..." praise to Sopt
given by the good god, the lord of the world
Kheperkara; the son of Ba the lord of diadems
. . . (made) by Thoth himself, once when he
celebrated this venerable god.
1. ..." in his house . . . against his enemies.
He came and killed Apophis; and opened the
SAFT EL HENNEH.
which can only mean " TheDestroyer." Horus the
Destroyer ,ov simply " The Destroyer" was a title
adopted by other kings before Nectanebo; User-
tesen II., for instance, when he appears before
Sopt in a tablet of Wadi Gasus.1 In a later age
it was assumed by the Emperor Tiberius. Nec-
tanebo II. calls himself Horthema, a warlike
god, another form of the god Anhur, translated
as Ares by the Greeks, and one of the divinities
of the Sebennyte nome, the birthplace of the
Nectanebos. Nekhthorheb put Anhur in his
coronation name; and Nectanebo II. put
Horthema in his standard. Horthema is gene-
rally represented bearing a lance,2 as it is said
in the inscription of pi. i. 1. 4; but in the temple
of Medinet Habu, Barneses III. takes that name
at the moment when, armed with a mace, he
smites his enemies.3 The other titles of Nec-
tanebo are only common formulas which are
nearly identical for all the kings. It is said
that he loves Sopt, the lord of the East, Ilar-
malchis the great god, the lord of the mountain of
Bahhu, the -prince, the king of the nine gods*
By far the most important monument of Saft
is the shrine of Nectanebo II., found quite
fortuitously about twenty years ago. I have
already related the misfortunes which befell this
magnificent monolith, one of the largest of its
kind. Its thickness is 6 feet 8 ^ inches, its width
6 feet; as for the height, it is not possible to
determine it exactly, but it could not have been
less than 7 feet 3 inches. The four faces were
covered with inscriptions, as well as the inside
and the ceiling. I have given (pi. i. and pi. iii.)
a restoration of the monument, both front view
and back view, with an indication of the way in
which the remaining blocks fit into each other.
It shows that the back and the right side are
1 Zeitschr. 1882, p. 204.
2 Lanzone, Dizion. Mit. pi. xv. p. 678.
3 Leps. Deukm. iii. 209 and 210.
4 *^Jy ^e__& usec' as determinative for number
nine, is frequently met with in inscriptions of that time.
Cf. pi. iii. 1, and GolenischeflF, Stele Metternich, p. 14.
fairly well preserved, while the greater part of
the left side and of the front has disappeared.
These parts probably lie in the foundations of
the bridge of Saft. ' On all four faces the lower
part is occupied by three lines of an inscription
in large characters, which I will call the dedi-
catory, or historical, inscription. In front, the
two doorposts are covered with two similar
vertical inscriptions of nine lines each, containing
hymns recited in honour of Sopt by the king
himself, who is represented on the right as
king of Lower Egypt, of which he wears the
crown, and on the left as king of Upper Egypt.
Of this last, there are but a few signs left.
On the other faces, above the dedicatory in-
scription, are six horizontal registers containing
inscriptions and mythological representations.
The cornice at the top was adorned with hawks
spreading their wings over the cartouches of
Nectanebo.
The translation of the dedicatory inscription
is not easy, on account of the many abbrevia-
tions which occur in it. The scribe seems to
have been afraid lest he might not have room
enough, and so contracted the inscription as
much as he could.
On the front side it consists of the name of
the king repeated three times, and preceded by
one of the three qualities which are generally
united in his title. He is said to love the local
god who is called Sopt, the lord of the East; the
spirit of the East, Jj- and the hawk, or
Horus of the East 4 . Above, are the
hymns pronounced by the king speaking as the
god Thoth, to whom the hymns are attributed
(pi. L).
Upper horizontal lines. ..." praise to Sopt
given by the good god, the lord of the world
Kheperkara; the son of Ba the lord of diadems
. . . (made) by Thoth himself, once when he
celebrated this venerable god.
1. ..." in his house . . . against his enemies.
He came and killed Apophis; and opened the