DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4191#0026
w
■?."■*?>)/*- ~^3£*
'
'
18
EL BERSHEH.
Ohabas,1 who in 1873 made the first attempt
to translate it. In 1878, Professor Maspero2
improved considerably on the first version;
Professor Errnan3 printed a partial translation
in 1885; Professor Brugsch did the same in
1891 ;4 and Maspero revised his own trans-
lation last year for his Etudes de Mythologies
The text is extremely difficult, so that at
present it is impossible to fix the sense satis-
factorily. The copy given by Lepsius appears
to be absolutely correct as far as it goes : we
have compared it with copies by Nestor de
l'Hote, Bonomi (Hay), and with Major Brown's
photograph, without finding any error. The
inscription is now all destroyed, excepting a
scrap of the first line. The earlier copies show
lacunae at the tops of the lines, due to the
earthquake; fortunately, in clearing the tomb,
we found amongst the debris two inscribed
fragments, which complete the text from the
second to the eighth line. These fragments
have been presented, with others, to the British
Museum. The text in the plate is from an
enlargement of Major Brown's photograph
collated with Lepsius's excellent copy.
1. shems tut ne meh xill em dner ne Het-neb. dsth
sheta urt uat dt-nef her-es er Met neb[t\. dsth
sheta 2. her db en reth clteh hat her-es ma (sic) dner
sheta ne sent em dner-ne-rudet. erdd-hud iut
3. zamu ne hunu neferu er art nef uat hena. sau
ne Mertiu-neter ne dim Merpu hena 4. rekhu zed
reth net nekht-a d-n [a] er dnt-ef db-d fu netiu
demdet hat nefer urt maa 5. er Met nebt
dau dm rehen-nef her Mred nekht-a em ah sedan 6 (?)
1 Melanges Egyptologiques, IIP serie, Tome ii., p. 115
et seq.
2 Transactions of the S. B. A,, vol. vii., pp. 7-10.
3 JEgypten, ii., pp. 633-4.
4 JEgyptologie, pp. 293-5.
5 Tome i., pp. 55-61.
6 This seems to be some form of the word
perhaps written simply
spelling be possible,
n
\£ l or, if such a
l : the last is favoured
by all the copies and the photograph.
db-sen Meper 6. hui-sen neMt ua dm her drtpeht
se Ma
dsth tut-pen dfd em per em du aa em 7. shau er Met
neb[t\. h'auu aper meh em shepsesu dep maa ne
meshau-d ne neferu zamu (for neferu ne zamu?)
8. k/ier seTtu dep ma'a-ef dept re-sen em duaut-d em
hesut-d ent kher seten mesu-d 9. \ k/iau ?] 7 khelcer
mekhet-d heseptiu-d, her nds duaut. seper-na er
dema en net-ten 10. [pat ?] demdet hat nefer urt
maa er Met nebt hau dru em hat sab-dd-mer ami
ne 11. \_mekhet ?] em Menu net-ten semen-n [d] em
khaut dep dteru. en ha db-sen nen dr-nd drt-d nd
12. \Mertneter T\ semenMt en zet zet mek/iet
hetep ds-d pen em hafu-ef ent zet zet
Following3 the statue of 13 cubits in stone of Het-
nub9 (alabaster quarry). Behold, very wonderful1(l
was the road upon which it came, more than any-
thing. Behold, wonderful 2. to the minds of men
was the dragging of valuable stone along it on
account of the stone (the rocky way from the
quarry?), (and) difficult (would it have been even)
for a mere square block (or "foundation block") of
sandstone. I caused to come 3. troops11 of goodly
youths in order to make for it the road, together
with the guilds (or "orders") of tomb-sculptors
and quarrymen, the foremen with them 4 knowing
how to point out (lit. "say") the strong-armed.12
7 The remains of a sign shown on the new fragment are
very strange, and do not readily connect themselves with
any known hieroglyph.
8 Bringing a statue in procession is expressed as " follow-
ing " it.
9 On the quarry of Het-nub see p. 23.
10 sheta, "secret," "mysterious," almost in the sense of
" difficult," or of " wonderful."
11 The word zamu, which we translate " troops " and which
occurs so many times in the inscriptions referring to the
transport of the colossus, seems to mean (1) able-bodied
youths fit for training, almost " subject to conscription";
(2) trained gangs. In order to accomplish their great
undertakings, the Pharaohs must have had at their command
enormous bodies .of disciplined men accustomed to united
labour. The word zamu appears always to be used with
reference to this kind of discipline. " I trained the zamu
of my nome," or " the zamu of Egypt," is a phrase frequently
found in the mouths of princes and Pharaohs. They would
probably be employed not only in the construction of
pyramids or temples, but also in warfare on occasion,
in keeping in order the dams, &c.
18 This was Professor Maspero's translation before the
discovery of the new fragment confirmed in a remarkable
way his suggested restoration of the line : yet even with
that confirmation of his reading we cannot feel sure that
me to briD
1 all *]<*»
Id oBe ^
iearis rose, »•
as a rock (or,
ofstone"),*;
bad been eq™
tlie foreheads i
troops ^re
Their spee^
my ^
splendour {<)
shouted praii
this town.
iUasexceec
that the h
within this
bases upon
devised the:
for myself
and ever, i
work of etc
3, The colons
The statu*
must have b
ite, and is I
01
13 cubits, i
picture it is
and artifici
The right
holding a
'he meaning
part " oversi
We come t
tow willingl
1 Cf, Cal
P' 66, where
ls extremely
20r«th<
Placed beh:
^ed at b.
V
■?."■*?>)/*- ~^3£*
'
'
18
EL BERSHEH.
Ohabas,1 who in 1873 made the first attempt
to translate it. In 1878, Professor Maspero2
improved considerably on the first version;
Professor Errnan3 printed a partial translation
in 1885; Professor Brugsch did the same in
1891 ;4 and Maspero revised his own trans-
lation last year for his Etudes de Mythologies
The text is extremely difficult, so that at
present it is impossible to fix the sense satis-
factorily. The copy given by Lepsius appears
to be absolutely correct as far as it goes : we
have compared it with copies by Nestor de
l'Hote, Bonomi (Hay), and with Major Brown's
photograph, without finding any error. The
inscription is now all destroyed, excepting a
scrap of the first line. The earlier copies show
lacunae at the tops of the lines, due to the
earthquake; fortunately, in clearing the tomb,
we found amongst the debris two inscribed
fragments, which complete the text from the
second to the eighth line. These fragments
have been presented, with others, to the British
Museum. The text in the plate is from an
enlargement of Major Brown's photograph
collated with Lepsius's excellent copy.
1. shems tut ne meh xill em dner ne Het-neb. dsth
sheta urt uat dt-nef her-es er Met neb[t\. dsth
sheta 2. her db en reth clteh hat her-es ma (sic) dner
sheta ne sent em dner-ne-rudet. erdd-hud iut
3. zamu ne hunu neferu er art nef uat hena. sau
ne Mertiu-neter ne dim Merpu hena 4. rekhu zed
reth net nekht-a d-n [a] er dnt-ef db-d fu netiu
demdet hat nefer urt maa 5. er Met nebt
dau dm rehen-nef her Mred nekht-a em ah sedan 6 (?)
1 Melanges Egyptologiques, IIP serie, Tome ii., p. 115
et seq.
2 Transactions of the S. B. A,, vol. vii., pp. 7-10.
3 JEgypten, ii., pp. 633-4.
4 JEgyptologie, pp. 293-5.
5 Tome i., pp. 55-61.
6 This seems to be some form of the word
perhaps written simply
spelling be possible,
n
\£ l or, if such a
l : the last is favoured
by all the copies and the photograph.
db-sen Meper 6. hui-sen neMt ua dm her drtpeht
se Ma
dsth tut-pen dfd em per em du aa em 7. shau er Met
neb[t\. h'auu aper meh em shepsesu dep maa ne
meshau-d ne neferu zamu (for neferu ne zamu?)
8. k/ier seTtu dep ma'a-ef dept re-sen em duaut-d em
hesut-d ent kher seten mesu-d 9. \ k/iau ?] 7 khelcer
mekhet-d heseptiu-d, her nds duaut. seper-na er
dema en net-ten 10. [pat ?] demdet hat nefer urt
maa er Met nebt hau dru em hat sab-dd-mer ami
ne 11. \_mekhet ?] em Menu net-ten semen-n [d] em
khaut dep dteru. en ha db-sen nen dr-nd drt-d nd
12. \Mertneter T\ semenMt en zet zet mek/iet
hetep ds-d pen em hafu-ef ent zet zet
Following3 the statue of 13 cubits in stone of Het-
nub9 (alabaster quarry). Behold, very wonderful1(l
was the road upon which it came, more than any-
thing. Behold, wonderful 2. to the minds of men
was the dragging of valuable stone along it on
account of the stone (the rocky way from the
quarry?), (and) difficult (would it have been even)
for a mere square block (or "foundation block") of
sandstone. I caused to come 3. troops11 of goodly
youths in order to make for it the road, together
with the guilds (or "orders") of tomb-sculptors
and quarrymen, the foremen with them 4 knowing
how to point out (lit. "say") the strong-armed.12
7 The remains of a sign shown on the new fragment are
very strange, and do not readily connect themselves with
any known hieroglyph.
8 Bringing a statue in procession is expressed as " follow-
ing " it.
9 On the quarry of Het-nub see p. 23.
10 sheta, "secret," "mysterious," almost in the sense of
" difficult," or of " wonderful."
11 The word zamu, which we translate " troops " and which
occurs so many times in the inscriptions referring to the
transport of the colossus, seems to mean (1) able-bodied
youths fit for training, almost " subject to conscription";
(2) trained gangs. In order to accomplish their great
undertakings, the Pharaohs must have had at their command
enormous bodies .of disciplined men accustomed to united
labour. The word zamu appears always to be used with
reference to this kind of discipline. " I trained the zamu
of my nome," or " the zamu of Egypt," is a phrase frequently
found in the mouths of princes and Pharaohs. They would
probably be employed not only in the construction of
pyramids or temples, but also in warfare on occasion,
in keeping in order the dams, &c.
18 This was Professor Maspero's translation before the
discovery of the new fragment confirmed in a remarkable
way his suggested restoration of the line : yet even with
that confirmation of his reading we cannot feel sure that
me to briD
1 all *]<*»
Id oBe ^
iearis rose, »•
as a rock (or,
ofstone"),*;
bad been eq™
tlie foreheads i
troops ^re
Their spee^
my ^
splendour {<)
shouted praii
this town.
iUasexceec
that the h
within this
bases upon
devised the:
for myself
and ever, i
work of etc
3, The colons
The statu*
must have b
ite, and is I
01
13 cubits, i
picture it is
and artifici
The right
holding a
'he meaning
part " oversi
We come t
tow willingl
1 Cf, Cal
P' 66, where
ls extremely
20r«th<
Placed beh:
^ed at b.
V