DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.1350#0015
THE ROCK INSCRIPTIONS OF ASSUAN.
n
I saw the top line of this, naming Rameri, on the
rock, with some heads of further inscriptions below,
as this was then buried as far up as the topmost
signs in the tablets. After getting a couple of
men to clear away the dust for two or three feet
beneath, the whole came to light. The earliest
inscription has been a band along the top (309),
afterward usurped by Rameri, who altered the
cartouche and the prefixed title. That this must
be originally before Pepi Rameri is therefore certain ;
and it runs rather sloping, diverging from the top
of the Unas tablet below it, in a way which it
would not do if cut later than that. Unas could
not conform to it, as such a line would have
tipped his figures over backwards. Hence it is
probably before Unas. The traces of signs left
in the cartouche show. Ra, then a flat-based sign,
and then nefer at the end. The only king to
whom this can agree is Ra-kha-nefer, Hor-a-kau,
in the middle of the Vth dynasty, a most likely
period for it. This is the more interesting, as the
king is hitherto only known by this name in the
list of the tomb of Tunari at Sakkara. The only
other mentions which have been supposed to belong
to this same king are in the table of Abydos,
where he is called Ra-nefer-f, and on scarabs bear-
ing Ra-nefer; both of these are, however, referred
to another king, Ra-ases-ka, by other writers, leaving
the table of Sakkara as our only instance hitherto
of the name Ra-kha-nefer. He is supposed to be
the same person as Hor-a-kau, whose name twice
appears in land names on tombs of the Vth dynasty.
This line of inscription projects in the original
beyond the Unas tablet, but its position is here
shifted a little for the convenience of drawing. The
next inscription placed here was that of Unas (312),
and it is remarkable for several details. The king
is represented standing, with 'the hud, so familiar
in later sculptures, above him. This is, so far as
I remember, by far the earliest representation of
this symbol; yet it appears with all the details
as in later times, the disc, flanked by serpents,
amid the outstretched wings. Beneath the cartouche
is a fresh title, "lord of the mountains," referring
to the sovereignty of Unas over this rugged region.
The line at the bottom gives a curious mode of
spelling the name of the god Khnumu; first the
vase khnum, and then the u expressed as a plural
by three rams. Khnumu is often followed by the
ram-headed god as a determinative (see 76, 77, 84,
106, &c), and in one case (36) is expressed by
the god with the vase khnum on his head; but
the appearance of the three rams here as a plural
is strange, and may be of importance mytho-
logically. The next inscription here is of Pepi
Rameri (309), appropriating the older inscription
of Ra-kha-nefer. Unfortunately the latter part of
this band is weathered away. Then Pepi . II.,
Ra-nefer-ka, engraved another tablet (311), using
the side of that of Unas. Among the inscriptions
known of him there is a fragment from Girgeh, now
at Bulak, which mentions the sed festival that appears
on this tablet. This festival occurred at the sed or
"tail" of each period of thirty years, or week's
change of the rising of Sirius in the Sothis period.
Next Antef-a engraved his tablet (310), which shows
us that the Horus-name (or Ka-name) Uah-ankh,
given by Lepsius (Kgsb. 156a) belongs to this Antef,
apparently the second of Lepsius; thus showing
the- second -and fourth Antef of Lepsius to be
probably the same person, with or without the
suffix of "great." We shall further consider this
period in dealing with the tablet No. 489 further
on. Lastly, Amenemhat I. has carved on the
opposite side of the block a tablet (308) with
his Horus-name and throne name. This block,
with its successive inscriptions, shows plainly the
decadence of Egyptian art. The details of the
hawks in each inscription are enough; in that
of Unas the claws are clearly shown, the legs are
naturally bent, and the head is expressive; under
Antef the legs and claws are sticks, and the head
is conventional; while under Amenemhat the bird
is a mere travesty. This series of tablets, for their
age, their historic interest, and their size, are among
the finest rock inscriptions of the district; and it
seems strange that no archaeologist walking into the
village of Elephantine had noticed them before.
We have now noticed the positions and most
striking points of the multitude of rock inscriptions
of Assuan and its neighbourhood. Those of the
island of Sehel, having been already largely copied
by Mariette, we did not visit that place. This
collection must be looked on as a supplement to
the small number of the most important inscriptions
which have been published before; but it will give a
large quantity of fresh matter on both the subjects
of titles and also of names, as will be seen on
referring to the index, of names. Those in'the
index with L prefixed are already published in
Lieblein's Dictionary; those with a spot are vari-
ants of those in the Dictionary; the unmarked
ones are fresh. The light thrown on family re-
lationships has also to be considered; and in these
and other ways this long series will afford material
for study.
n
I saw the top line of this, naming Rameri, on the
rock, with some heads of further inscriptions below,
as this was then buried as far up as the topmost
signs in the tablets. After getting a couple of
men to clear away the dust for two or three feet
beneath, the whole came to light. The earliest
inscription has been a band along the top (309),
afterward usurped by Rameri, who altered the
cartouche and the prefixed title. That this must
be originally before Pepi Rameri is therefore certain ;
and it runs rather sloping, diverging from the top
of the Unas tablet below it, in a way which it
would not do if cut later than that. Unas could
not conform to it, as such a line would have
tipped his figures over backwards. Hence it is
probably before Unas. The traces of signs left
in the cartouche show. Ra, then a flat-based sign,
and then nefer at the end. The only king to
whom this can agree is Ra-kha-nefer, Hor-a-kau,
in the middle of the Vth dynasty, a most likely
period for it. This is the more interesting, as the
king is hitherto only known by this name in the
list of the tomb of Tunari at Sakkara. The only
other mentions which have been supposed to belong
to this same king are in the table of Abydos,
where he is called Ra-nefer-f, and on scarabs bear-
ing Ra-nefer; both of these are, however, referred
to another king, Ra-ases-ka, by other writers, leaving
the table of Sakkara as our only instance hitherto
of the name Ra-kha-nefer. He is supposed to be
the same person as Hor-a-kau, whose name twice
appears in land names on tombs of the Vth dynasty.
This line of inscription projects in the original
beyond the Unas tablet, but its position is here
shifted a little for the convenience of drawing. The
next inscription placed here was that of Unas (312),
and it is remarkable for several details. The king
is represented standing, with 'the hud, so familiar
in later sculptures, above him. This is, so far as
I remember, by far the earliest representation of
this symbol; yet it appears with all the details
as in later times, the disc, flanked by serpents,
amid the outstretched wings. Beneath the cartouche
is a fresh title, "lord of the mountains," referring
to the sovereignty of Unas over this rugged region.
The line at the bottom gives a curious mode of
spelling the name of the god Khnumu; first the
vase khnum, and then the u expressed as a plural
by three rams. Khnumu is often followed by the
ram-headed god as a determinative (see 76, 77, 84,
106, &c), and in one case (36) is expressed by
the god with the vase khnum on his head; but
the appearance of the three rams here as a plural
is strange, and may be of importance mytho-
logically. The next inscription here is of Pepi
Rameri (309), appropriating the older inscription
of Ra-kha-nefer. Unfortunately the latter part of
this band is weathered away. Then Pepi . II.,
Ra-nefer-ka, engraved another tablet (311), using
the side of that of Unas. Among the inscriptions
known of him there is a fragment from Girgeh, now
at Bulak, which mentions the sed festival that appears
on this tablet. This festival occurred at the sed or
"tail" of each period of thirty years, or week's
change of the rising of Sirius in the Sothis period.
Next Antef-a engraved his tablet (310), which shows
us that the Horus-name (or Ka-name) Uah-ankh,
given by Lepsius (Kgsb. 156a) belongs to this Antef,
apparently the second of Lepsius; thus showing
the- second -and fourth Antef of Lepsius to be
probably the same person, with or without the
suffix of "great." We shall further consider this
period in dealing with the tablet No. 489 further
on. Lastly, Amenemhat I. has carved on the
opposite side of the block a tablet (308) with
his Horus-name and throne name. This block,
with its successive inscriptions, shows plainly the
decadence of Egyptian art. The details of the
hawks in each inscription are enough; in that
of Unas the claws are clearly shown, the legs are
naturally bent, and the head is expressive; under
Antef the legs and claws are sticks, and the head
is conventional; while under Amenemhat the bird
is a mere travesty. This series of tablets, for their
age, their historic interest, and their size, are among
the finest rock inscriptions of the district; and it
seems strange that no archaeologist walking into the
village of Elephantine had noticed them before.
We have now noticed the positions and most
striking points of the multitude of rock inscriptions
of Assuan and its neighbourhood. Those of the
island of Sehel, having been already largely copied
by Mariette, we did not visit that place. This
collection must be looked on as a supplement to
the small number of the most important inscriptions
which have been published before; but it will give a
large quantity of fresh matter on both the subjects
of titles and also of names, as will be seen on
referring to the index, of names. Those in'the
index with L prefixed are already published in
Lieblein's Dictionary; those with a spot are vari-
ants of those in the Dictionary; the unmarked
ones are fresh. The light thrown on family re-
lationships has also to be considered; and in these
and other ways this long series will afford material
for study.