DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.11365#0042
32
THE JAR INSCRIPTIONS.
THE JAR INSCRIPTIONS.
Year.
Wine.
Oil.
Meat.
Shedh.
Honey.
Fat.
Bak.
25
i
steadily to what must be the end of Akhenaten's reign
CHAPTER V. in his 17th year. The few dates previously known
reached only to the 12th year.
The date of the year 2 must then belong to a
By F. Ll. Griffith. different reign : as the series should be continuous,
75. The jars, of which Mr. Petrie brought back so we must endeavour to explain how the three speci-
large a number of the inscribed fragments, held a mens of the year 2 can have been written in the year
variety of liquids and solids, wine, oil, honey, pre- following the six specimens of the year 17. This can
served meat, etc. Most of the inscriptions contained be accounted for plausibly in either of two ways,
dates of the reigning kings : and although the king's Akhenaten may have associated his successor on the
name is never stated, it is possible to supply the throne with himself for a year before his death, so
omission with considerable certainty, and therefrom that the year 2, the first of his successor's sole reign,
to draw valuable historical inferences. (See PLS. would follow immediately on his own 17th year—or,
XXII to XXV.) Akhenaten may have died towards the end of one
The whole series may be tabulated thus :— year, after the vintage had taken place, so that there
was no wine bottled in the four months which re-
mained for his successor's first year. But this is
unlikely, as the regnal years appear to have started
Reign of Akhenaten's successor, Rasmenkh-ka. from the day of accession. A single sherd appeared
to have a date of the year 1, but as the numeral was
indistinct and might possibly have been either 5 or 10
Reign of Amenhotep IV. it could not be accepted as evidence.
4 J 3 Akhenaten was followed on the throne by his
son-in-law, Ra-smenkh-ka-ser-kheperu : it is to him
Amenhotep IV. under the name Akhenaten. c , , , , , r
fi 1 fi therefore that we must attribute the date of the year
2 on the wine potsherds. At the same time oil, of
which there is no trace previously, was in great
demand here. No less than twenty-five jars of the
second year and one of the third are represented in
the collection, as well as two jars of fat of the third
year after the storage of wine there had ceased.
These dates are the only evidence that we have of
the duration of Ra-smenkh-ka's reign.
Such, I venture to think, is the most valuable part
The wine series, being the most complete, is the of the information to be obtained from the potsherds,
first to engage our attention. The numbers for the Their fragmentary condition, and the indistinctness
10th, 13th, and 15th years happen to fall very low for of the writing, rob us of much that would probably
some reason that is probably no longer discoverable ; be of considerable value.
perhaps the wine of those years was scanty or bad of 76. The wine series extending from the fourth year
quality, or the jars may have been thrown away in of Akhenaten to the second of Smenkh-ka-ra, consists
places which the Arabs have not yet plundered. of a very large number of extremely fragmentary
But the most remarkable feature is the absence of specimens : a complete inscription (No. 28) runs—
the first and third years, leaving the second isolated. v
When it is remembered that the building of Tell el ^ 7 , ,. JN ,t. ,
a , . . _t>. Wine p-ood o-ood (i.e., very Sfood) of the house of
Amarna was begun in the 6th year of Akhenaten, it g b K ' y fa
becomes clear that this is no accident. Aten
The dates of the reign of Amenhotep IV., afterwards The insPector Tu'
called Akhenaten, evidently begin with the three Another (No. 27)—
examples of wine of the 4th year—already perhaps Year 9
two years old when Amenhotep IV. commenced the Wine of the house of Aten
building of his new capital—and thence continue Brought by the inspector Ab ?
6
6
7
8
1
8
11
1
1
9
5
2
10
3
3
1
11
8
1
1
12
5
1
1
13
3
14
7
1
15
2
1
16
9
17
6
18
0
THE JAR INSCRIPTIONS.
THE JAR INSCRIPTIONS.
Year.
Wine.
Oil.
Meat.
Shedh.
Honey.
Fat.
Bak.
25
i
steadily to what must be the end of Akhenaten's reign
CHAPTER V. in his 17th year. The few dates previously known
reached only to the 12th year.
The date of the year 2 must then belong to a
By F. Ll. Griffith. different reign : as the series should be continuous,
75. The jars, of which Mr. Petrie brought back so we must endeavour to explain how the three speci-
large a number of the inscribed fragments, held a mens of the year 2 can have been written in the year
variety of liquids and solids, wine, oil, honey, pre- following the six specimens of the year 17. This can
served meat, etc. Most of the inscriptions contained be accounted for plausibly in either of two ways,
dates of the reigning kings : and although the king's Akhenaten may have associated his successor on the
name is never stated, it is possible to supply the throne with himself for a year before his death, so
omission with considerable certainty, and therefrom that the year 2, the first of his successor's sole reign,
to draw valuable historical inferences. (See PLS. would follow immediately on his own 17th year—or,
XXII to XXV.) Akhenaten may have died towards the end of one
The whole series may be tabulated thus :— year, after the vintage had taken place, so that there
was no wine bottled in the four months which re-
mained for his successor's first year. But this is
unlikely, as the regnal years appear to have started
Reign of Akhenaten's successor, Rasmenkh-ka. from the day of accession. A single sherd appeared
to have a date of the year 1, but as the numeral was
indistinct and might possibly have been either 5 or 10
Reign of Amenhotep IV. it could not be accepted as evidence.
4 J 3 Akhenaten was followed on the throne by his
son-in-law, Ra-smenkh-ka-ser-kheperu : it is to him
Amenhotep IV. under the name Akhenaten. c , , , , , r
fi 1 fi therefore that we must attribute the date of the year
2 on the wine potsherds. At the same time oil, of
which there is no trace previously, was in great
demand here. No less than twenty-five jars of the
second year and one of the third are represented in
the collection, as well as two jars of fat of the third
year after the storage of wine there had ceased.
These dates are the only evidence that we have of
the duration of Ra-smenkh-ka's reign.
Such, I venture to think, is the most valuable part
The wine series, being the most complete, is the of the information to be obtained from the potsherds,
first to engage our attention. The numbers for the Their fragmentary condition, and the indistinctness
10th, 13th, and 15th years happen to fall very low for of the writing, rob us of much that would probably
some reason that is probably no longer discoverable ; be of considerable value.
perhaps the wine of those years was scanty or bad of 76. The wine series extending from the fourth year
quality, or the jars may have been thrown away in of Akhenaten to the second of Smenkh-ka-ra, consists
places which the Arabs have not yet plundered. of a very large number of extremely fragmentary
But the most remarkable feature is the absence of specimens : a complete inscription (No. 28) runs—
the first and third years, leaving the second isolated. v
When it is remembered that the building of Tell el ^ 7 , ,. JN ,t. ,
a , . . _t>. Wine p-ood o-ood (i.e., very Sfood) of the house of
Amarna was begun in the 6th year of Akhenaten, it g b K ' y fa
becomes clear that this is no accident. Aten
The dates of the reign of Amenhotep IV., afterwards The insPector Tu'
called Akhenaten, evidently begin with the three Another (No. 27)—
examples of wine of the 4th year—already perhaps Year 9
two years old when Amenhotep IV. commenced the Wine of the house of Aten
building of his new capital—and thence continue Brought by the inspector Ab ?
6
6
7
8
1
8
11
1
1
9
5
2
10
3
3
1
11
8
1
1
12
5
1
1
13
3
14
7
1
15
2
1
16
9
17
6
18
0