Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (14.2002(2003))

WEST SAQQARA

EGYPT

the past.17) If this is the case in the present
text, one of the two suffixes of the 3 m.
must be considered omitted in writing.
However, D. Silverman notes a single
occurrence of the wn sdm.f form in an
inscription dated to the early Sixth
Dynasty.18) Therefore, the lection wn dj
hm.f cannot be excluded in the case of the
present text, although this verbal form
would have been extremely rare, if not
inexistent,19) and therefore the first
interpretation seems more plausible.
The following translation of the text
now as a whole seems appropriate:
[The one who do}es what is praised
by his Lord. As for every mission that
the Majesty of my Lord has sent me
to,20) I have accomplished it that
I would be praised by [the Majesty] of
my Lord for this, (and) because I was
efficient by His Majesty, more than
everyone equal to me. His Majesty used
to give me gold21) because he has praised
me, (namely) the director of [...] of the
Great House [...]

LATERAL SIDE
The lateral side of the block, forming
originally the southern (left) wall of the
niche containing a false door, is decorated
with representations of offering bearers,
executed in very low raised relief and
arranged in three or four registers, each of
them being occupied by a single figure of
an offering bearer turned towards the false
door. Preserved are traces of three striding
male figures and there is enough space
below them for a fourth one, which has not
been preserved. The uppermost figure
holds a calf, one of its legs still being
visible. The figures in the second and third
register hold birds, most probably geese.
Above the representations of the offering
bearers, traces of an inscription are visible.
Its meaning, however, is not clear. It seems
that it contained the title of the tomb
owner (a fragment, [...] nj pr-c3, is well
preserved). As should be expected, it was
followed by his name, and possibly
preceded by a phrase spht stpt XX n NN
(bringing the choice of XX for NN).

INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE TOMB OF IKHI

Exploration in 2002 of two rock-cut tombs
(Chapels 13 and 14) discovered in square
171522) brought to light in Chapel 14
inscriptions on architectural fragments2^
containing the name and titles of the tomb
17) Edel AAG, §§ 895-896; Doret, op. cit., 111-112
18) D. P. Silverman, The Threat-formula and Biographical Text in the Tomb of Hesi at Saqqara, JARCE 37 (2000), 8, note 41;
cf. also, N. Kanawati, M. Abder-Raziq, The Teti Cemetery at Saqqara V. The Tomb of Hesi (Warminster 1999), 37, pi. 59 b.
19) See: Edel, AAG, §§ 894-897; Doret, op. cit., 111-112 and 119.
20) Cf. Urk. I, 134.1-2: mh nb.j jb.fjm.j m wpwt nbt hlbt.n.f jm.s (biography of Heqaib).
21) Cf. e.g. references to royal rewards in the biography of Merptahankhmeryre: Urk. I, 221.1-2, 9-10.
22) Cf. report by K. Mysliwiec in this volume.
23) The fragments are: a false door still standing in situ (cf. contribution by K. Mysliwiec in this volume and fig. 3); two
jambs — CH14-FR-02-4 and 5, probably framing a niche in the rear part of Chapel 14, in which the false door is set;
and a block — CH14-FR-02-2, which was found in the debris filling the partly excavated shaft 14/1 and which has yet to
be attributed to a specific place in the decoration of the chapel.
24) For/fy, cf. Ranke, PN I, 45, no. 10.
25) For Mrjj, cf. Ranke, PN I, 160, no. 1.

owner, as well as those of his son, both
bearing the same name — Ikhi24) — and rn nfr
Mery (for the false door, see Fig. 3 below,
also in situ Fig. 13 on page 126 in this
volume).25)

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