DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4146#0018
THE OLD SANCTUARY.
PLATES CXXXVII.-CXLVII.
THE OLD SANCTUAEY.
The Sanctuary which Hatshepsu built to the temple
consisted of two consecutive rooms. The first was
by far the largest. Judging from the inscriptions, it
must have contained the sacred boats of Amon. At
the end opened a smaller room, in which probably
stood a shrine hiding the emblem of the god, and
perhaps also of the queen. This seems to me the room
where the ebony shrine, of which we found a panel,
was deposited.
Both rooms have been very badly treated by the
('opts. The smoke of their candles has destroyed the
colours ; and besides, as the walls occasionally needed
some repairs, they have inserted pieces of stone,
without any regard for the sculptures which they
wished to eradicate. As the Sanctuary has been
opened for years, both Champollion and Lepsius saw it
and published parts of the sculptures. Since their
time it has suffered much at the hands of travellers;
many fragments have been cut out and sold: for
instance, the interesting representations of Thothmes II.
A comparison of the present publication with Lepsius's
book shows the extent of the destruction.
Plate CXXXVII.—The entrance to the Sanctuary
consists of a granite doorway with inscriptions on both
faces. As usual, the name of the door and of the
chamber to which it leads is engraved on the foot of
the door-post, " the door of Thothmes III. [Ramaka]
where Amon rests in her buildings." This name
shows that the god himself or his emblems had his
dwelling in those chambers.
On both door-jambs stood the queen, whose names
have been altered to that of Thothmes III., seen above.
On one side she is wearing the head-dress of Lower
Egypt, and opposite that of Upper Egypt. Nothing has
been erased and restored except the cartouches and the
name of Amon. All the titles of the queen have been
preserved.
On the lintel were two scenes of offering of wine to
the god Amon, who was represented twice, seated, and
who lias been completely erased. Owing to the height
of the scenes, the restorations are very incomplete ; the
god's plumes and his name have been summarily
cm;raved, as well as the cartouche of Thothmes III.
instead of that of the queen. In both scenes, which
differ only in the head-dresses, the queen, and behind
her Thothmes III., are seen kneeling and holding up
vases of wine.
Plate CXXXVIII.—The ceiling of the Sanctuary
being a false arch, the inner face of the doorway has for
lintel an arched slab, where we again see two scenes of
offerings to Amon : on the south side Thothmes III.
presenting cakes to the god ; on the north side the
queen, who again brings him some wine.
The erasures have not been very deep ; no restora-
tion has been made; therefore no name has been
inscribed instead of that of the queen.
Plate CXXXIX.—The blocks of which the doorway
is made being very thick, there was room to engrave
some inscriptions, right and left of the people going in.
These sculptures are divided into two parts, the upper
one where the queen is kneeling, and making an
offering to the god who is in the sanctuary. This part
is incompletely preserved on the north side, but it has
disappeared opposite. The lower part is a speech
made by Thoth to Amon.
We begin on the south side : the first three lines are
nearly destroyed.
......to thee, she salutes thee, she speaks,
. . . life, she cools thee with fresh water, she gives thee incense ;
thy ha is satisfied when she fumigates thee with the eye of
thine own body,' her incense.
.....the scent.....which comes out of thy limbs. She
presents to thy head the nemt vases ; she purifies thee with
natron, with grains of nitre.....she clothes thee
with .... with the baud of the goddess Tait .... she gives
thee to widen .... thou art exalted, thou art born like
Khepra ! . . .
Her Majesty anoints thee with paint which has been prepared (?)
by a god for Amon, the lord of the two lands,
her hands bring her gifts ; she increases the cake offerings which
have been made by . . .
for Amon, the lord of the thrones of the two lands, when thou
restest in thy building where thy beauties are worshipped,
give her life, duration and happiness
........this building, fine, very great, pure, lasting, well
made, which she made for thee.
On both sides of this speech to Anion made by
Thoth have been represented two fragments of the
decoration of the inner face of the doorway ; they both
1 A sentence drawn from the Ritual, where the incense, like
many other offerings, is called | \j\ , the eye of Horns.
I
PLATES CXXXVII.-CXLVII.
THE OLD SANCTUAEY.
The Sanctuary which Hatshepsu built to the temple
consisted of two consecutive rooms. The first was
by far the largest. Judging from the inscriptions, it
must have contained the sacred boats of Amon. At
the end opened a smaller room, in which probably
stood a shrine hiding the emblem of the god, and
perhaps also of the queen. This seems to me the room
where the ebony shrine, of which we found a panel,
was deposited.
Both rooms have been very badly treated by the
('opts. The smoke of their candles has destroyed the
colours ; and besides, as the walls occasionally needed
some repairs, they have inserted pieces of stone,
without any regard for the sculptures which they
wished to eradicate. As the Sanctuary has been
opened for years, both Champollion and Lepsius saw it
and published parts of the sculptures. Since their
time it has suffered much at the hands of travellers;
many fragments have been cut out and sold: for
instance, the interesting representations of Thothmes II.
A comparison of the present publication with Lepsius's
book shows the extent of the destruction.
Plate CXXXVII.—The entrance to the Sanctuary
consists of a granite doorway with inscriptions on both
faces. As usual, the name of the door and of the
chamber to which it leads is engraved on the foot of
the door-post, " the door of Thothmes III. [Ramaka]
where Amon rests in her buildings." This name
shows that the god himself or his emblems had his
dwelling in those chambers.
On both door-jambs stood the queen, whose names
have been altered to that of Thothmes III., seen above.
On one side she is wearing the head-dress of Lower
Egypt, and opposite that of Upper Egypt. Nothing has
been erased and restored except the cartouches and the
name of Amon. All the titles of the queen have been
preserved.
On the lintel were two scenes of offering of wine to
the god Amon, who was represented twice, seated, and
who lias been completely erased. Owing to the height
of the scenes, the restorations are very incomplete ; the
god's plumes and his name have been summarily
cm;raved, as well as the cartouche of Thothmes III.
instead of that of the queen. In both scenes, which
differ only in the head-dresses, the queen, and behind
her Thothmes III., are seen kneeling and holding up
vases of wine.
Plate CXXXVIII.—The ceiling of the Sanctuary
being a false arch, the inner face of the doorway has for
lintel an arched slab, where we again see two scenes of
offerings to Amon : on the south side Thothmes III.
presenting cakes to the god ; on the north side the
queen, who again brings him some wine.
The erasures have not been very deep ; no restora-
tion has been made; therefore no name has been
inscribed instead of that of the queen.
Plate CXXXIX.—The blocks of which the doorway
is made being very thick, there was room to engrave
some inscriptions, right and left of the people going in.
These sculptures are divided into two parts, the upper
one where the queen is kneeling, and making an
offering to the god who is in the sanctuary. This part
is incompletely preserved on the north side, but it has
disappeared opposite. The lower part is a speech
made by Thoth to Amon.
We begin on the south side : the first three lines are
nearly destroyed.
......to thee, she salutes thee, she speaks,
. . . life, she cools thee with fresh water, she gives thee incense ;
thy ha is satisfied when she fumigates thee with the eye of
thine own body,' her incense.
.....the scent.....which comes out of thy limbs. She
presents to thy head the nemt vases ; she purifies thee with
natron, with grains of nitre.....she clothes thee
with .... with the baud of the goddess Tait .... she gives
thee to widen .... thou art exalted, thou art born like
Khepra ! . . .
Her Majesty anoints thee with paint which has been prepared (?)
by a god for Amon, the lord of the two lands,
her hands bring her gifts ; she increases the cake offerings which
have been made by . . .
for Amon, the lord of the thrones of the two lands, when thou
restest in thy building where thy beauties are worshipped,
give her life, duration and happiness
........this building, fine, very great, pure, lasting, well
made, which she made for thee.
On both sides of this speech to Anion made by
Thoth have been represented two fragments of the
decoration of the inner face of the doorway ; they both
1 A sentence drawn from the Ritual, where the incense, like
many other offerings, is called | \j\ , the eye of Horns.
I