DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4142#0014
PLATES IX.-XYI.
THE CHAPEL OF THOTHMES I.
Plate IX.—End Wall. This plate shows how
complete were the erasures and the defacement from
which this part of the temple has suffered. In the
Chapel and on the walls of the Middle Colonnade
the work of destruction has been most thorough,
more so than in any other part of the temple. Every
figure of a god except that of Turn of Heliopolis, and
every human figure except that of Thothmes I. and
that of his queen Aahmes, has been obliterated.
In dealing with the inscriptions of the Middle Plat-
form, I shall give my reasons for concluding that the
greatest share in this vandalism must be attributed to
Khuenaten.
To the left is a shrine, in the middle of which stood
a skin on a pole, one of the usual emblems of the god
Anubis, who is here called -JLq^\, -j[-_^„ Amut,
lit. " he who is in his bandages." Before the shrine
stood the queen, whose figure is now completely de-
stroyed, and behind her Thothmes I., her father—
1
C
o
u]
neter nefer neb dr khet Aa keeper Tea Ra
the good god the lord pious Aakheperkara
He is in the act of adoration, , | neter tua, four times
repeated, sep aft. Anubis Amut is supposed to
speak only to the queen-
A
CD
**k
tu n(d) nt art hehu m Set Jieb ash urt
give (I) to thee tomato millions of Sed-periods numerous very
" I will give thee millions of Sed periods in great
number." The Sed period is a period of time of
which the length is not exactly determined. In front
of the god is a text containing the usual promises :
" He gives all life, all stability and purity, all health
and joy which is within him as to Ra."
In the upper part of the scene were two jackals,
each couchant on a shrine; they also were emblems
of Anubis—one for the east, the other for the west.
The eastern jackal is called—
Amut
tep tu-f
Amut on his mountain
In the middle was the cartouche of Ramaka between
the sceptres of the north and of the south.
Plate X.—East Wall. The design of the frieze is
identical with that carved originally on every sculptured
wall of the temple. Evidently it had a symbolic
meaning, although one that is not quite clear to us.
The design, it will be observed, is composed of
a horned asp, crowned with a disk, and bearing
before it the seal-ring Q. Below, and as it were
embracing the asp, is the sign (_J. The latter sign,
whenever occurring in this frieze-design, has been
defaced, a fact which proves that it does not form
part of a mere ornament. The asp I consider to
be an emblem of the goddess Hathor. Between
the different asps are alternately an ■¥■ and a ^.
Now I believe that this representation of the goddess
Hathor as an asp with the Q has the same significance
as the hawk or vulture with outspread wings and claws
resting on the Q. The latter representation (pis. vi.,
vii., &c.) is always accompanied by the same promise
of life and stability as we find here. These promises
were made to the |_], to the Double of the queen; and
as Thothmes III. wished not only to wipe out the
memory of his aunt, but also to annihilate whatever
remained of her personality even in the other world,
he defaced the |__) sign, with which the existence of
the ha itself was intimately connected.
Both side walls of the chapel were covered with
scenes of offerings, in which the queen, as sovereign,
is supposed to be herself the officiating priest, as is
usual in all Egyptian representations of the same
kind. Everything has been erased, except a few of
the inscriptions.
In the first scene the queen stood before Amon,
holding towards the god two vases containing a kind
of incense called J cs> 3 bet, in the form of round
grains or balls—
o o o
o o
*5?
I I
bet za (ud za uk tet r ro tot rer
bet grains five grain one taken to mouth hand goes round
:, m :, n :
sep aft inez sep aft uab sep sen
four times said four times pure pure
ha
behind
" Five grains of bet and one grain are taken to the
mouth and to the hand (of the god). He (the king)
goes round (the god) four times, saying pure, pure."
In the second scene the same offering is made, but
D
THE CHAPEL OF THOTHMES I.
Plate IX.—End Wall. This plate shows how
complete were the erasures and the defacement from
which this part of the temple has suffered. In the
Chapel and on the walls of the Middle Colonnade
the work of destruction has been most thorough,
more so than in any other part of the temple. Every
figure of a god except that of Turn of Heliopolis, and
every human figure except that of Thothmes I. and
that of his queen Aahmes, has been obliterated.
In dealing with the inscriptions of the Middle Plat-
form, I shall give my reasons for concluding that the
greatest share in this vandalism must be attributed to
Khuenaten.
To the left is a shrine, in the middle of which stood
a skin on a pole, one of the usual emblems of the god
Anubis, who is here called -JLq^\, -j[-_^„ Amut,
lit. " he who is in his bandages." Before the shrine
stood the queen, whose figure is now completely de-
stroyed, and behind her Thothmes I., her father—
1
C
o
u]
neter nefer neb dr khet Aa keeper Tea Ra
the good god the lord pious Aakheperkara
He is in the act of adoration, , | neter tua, four times
repeated, sep aft. Anubis Amut is supposed to
speak only to the queen-
A
CD
**k
tu n(d) nt art hehu m Set Jieb ash urt
give (I) to thee tomato millions of Sed-periods numerous very
" I will give thee millions of Sed periods in great
number." The Sed period is a period of time of
which the length is not exactly determined. In front
of the god is a text containing the usual promises :
" He gives all life, all stability and purity, all health
and joy which is within him as to Ra."
In the upper part of the scene were two jackals,
each couchant on a shrine; they also were emblems
of Anubis—one for the east, the other for the west.
The eastern jackal is called—
Amut
tep tu-f
Amut on his mountain
In the middle was the cartouche of Ramaka between
the sceptres of the north and of the south.
Plate X.—East Wall. The design of the frieze is
identical with that carved originally on every sculptured
wall of the temple. Evidently it had a symbolic
meaning, although one that is not quite clear to us.
The design, it will be observed, is composed of
a horned asp, crowned with a disk, and bearing
before it the seal-ring Q. Below, and as it were
embracing the asp, is the sign (_J. The latter sign,
whenever occurring in this frieze-design, has been
defaced, a fact which proves that it does not form
part of a mere ornament. The asp I consider to
be an emblem of the goddess Hathor. Between
the different asps are alternately an ■¥■ and a ^.
Now I believe that this representation of the goddess
Hathor as an asp with the Q has the same significance
as the hawk or vulture with outspread wings and claws
resting on the Q. The latter representation (pis. vi.,
vii., &c.) is always accompanied by the same promise
of life and stability as we find here. These promises
were made to the |_], to the Double of the queen; and
as Thothmes III. wished not only to wipe out the
memory of his aunt, but also to annihilate whatever
remained of her personality even in the other world,
he defaced the |__) sign, with which the existence of
the ha itself was intimately connected.
Both side walls of the chapel were covered with
scenes of offerings, in which the queen, as sovereign,
is supposed to be herself the officiating priest, as is
usual in all Egyptian representations of the same
kind. Everything has been erased, except a few of
the inscriptions.
In the first scene the queen stood before Amon,
holding towards the god two vases containing a kind
of incense called J cs> 3 bet, in the form of round
grains or balls—
o o o
o o
*5?
I I
bet za (ud za uk tet r ro tot rer
bet grains five grain one taken to mouth hand goes round
:, m :, n :
sep aft inez sep aft uab sep sen
four times said four times pure pure
ha
behind
" Five grains of bet and one grain are taken to the
mouth and to the hand (of the god). He (the king)
goes round (the god) four times, saying pure, pure."
In the second scene the same offering is made, but
D