DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4391#0016
12
KOPTOS.
the whole title with the name (XI, i). "Live Horus,
great of spirits, king of Upper and Lower Egypt
[Ne-maat-ra], beloved of Sekhemt, mistress of
Ankhtaui." This goddess was the consort of Ptah
of Memphis, and mother of Imhotep ; and it is
singular that the maternal emblem, the vulture, should
have been dedicated to this fierce goddess, so well
known in the lion-headed form. It is one of the
earliest sculptures of divine animals that we know.
(Ghizeh Museum.)
A few undated fragments of the middle kingdom
are also published here. A piece of a funeral stele
(XI, 4) shews offerings of three kinds of deer.
Another piece of a stele is engraved on both sides
(XI, 5, 6), and shews the truly Xlth dynasty taste
for dogs ; on No. 5 the dog is named Hemu-ma, and
on No. 6 there is a turn-spit. The inscription is part
of a formula known at El Bersheh, naming the deceased
as " a boon companion, loving frankincense, partaker
of a happy time." This was found laid down in the
pavement with the Antef blocks. (Univ. Coll.)
Another slab, apparently from some tomb, has a
sketch-outline of a boating procession : a dog is again
shewn here, apparently named dep-nefer. (Univ. Coll.)
These are probably all before the Xllth dynasty.
After the Xllth dynasty there is a piece of a basalt
stele (XII. 1) referring to officials of the temple and
naming the month Epiphi. Also a piece of a lime-
stone stele (XII. 2) with the following inscription, for
a man who was son of Amena and a royal wife Ha-
ankhs, and his wife, " (1) the joy of her husband . . .
(2) satisfying the heart of her consort, the king's
daughter Sebekemheb (3) (born of?) the principal
(royal wife ?) Nubemhat. He says, Oh ye who live
upon earth, scribes (4) (lectors etc.) . . . priests of the
house of Nub who enter into (this) temple, (5) (and
worship this image ?) of Hathor which I have placed
at the staircase of the mistress of. . . (6) (as ye
praise your goddess and follow her processional) bark
that raises her beauties aloft; and as ye love to see
the beauties of Hor-sma-taui (7) (and desire that your
children may sit) upon your seats and that ye may
pass on your offices to your sons, so (8) (say ye, a
royal oblation to Nub ?) in Dendera, Ra Har (akhti ?)
and the gods in the upper (mansions) (9) . . . may they
give thousands of all things) good and pure (on which)
a god lies, and pure bread of the House of Nub (10)
(to the ka of. . . ) son of the uartu of the royal table
Amena, born of the royal wife Ha-ankhs." In trans-
lating this Mr. Griffith remarks that the goddess Nub
(I. 4) is a form of Hathor at Dendera from which the
temple was named the House of Nub. Hor-sma-taui
(1. 6) was the son of the Hathor of Dendera. The
" upper mansions" (1. 8) are connected with the solar
worship especially at Heliopolis. The reference to
this stele in History i. 218, should be corrected, for
this does not relate to Sebekhotep IV as Hor-sma-
taui, though it is closely of that period.
22. Deep down under the sand-bed of the Ptolemaic
temple, in a hole in the basal clay were found the
pieces of a stele of king Rahotep. It is carved on a
local limestone, like that of Pepy, with many flint
nodules. The whole of the scene at the top is lost,
excepting just some feet ; but the full breadth and
height of the inscription remains, though with many
gaps. The scene represents Rahotep, with a son
behind him, offering to Min. The inscription reads :
"(1) [Year . . . under the] Majesty of Horus pro-
longing life, wearer of the two diadems rich in years,
hawk of gold flourishing . . . [king of Upper and
Lower Egypt Sekhem-uah-khau-ra, son of the] Sun
Rahotep giving life (2) . . . [proclamation was made
by] his majesty to his nobles, the courtiers who were
with him ... in the temple ...'... my majesty
has found my father (3) [Min, who is at the] head of
all the gods ; and his gates and his doors have gone
to decay.' They did obeisance before his majesty
and said, 'Let thy ka command that (4) they be
done oh ! king, our lord. Hu (god of taste) is he who
dwells in thy mouth, and Sa (god of intellect) is he
who [dwells in thy heart]. Ptah Sokar [begat thee
and] (5) the gods fashioned thee ; thou workest for
them to provide their temples ... (6) thou hast
united the south and the north ; thy heart is enlarged
upon the Horus-throne of the living . . . thou rulest
the circuit of the sun ... (7) good ... of the en-
lightened, an asylum for all people ; thou sleepest not
at night nor resteth in the day in serving (8) the gods
and seeking the good of this land. Ra makes thee as
his image to bring forth what is ... (9) ... as it
was in the time of thy forefathers, the kings who
followed Horus.' Never were things destroyed in
my days (10) . . . of the things that existed aforetime.
I made monuments for the gods. . . ." The remainder
is too fragmentary to translate. (XII. 3, Univ. Coll.)
Rahotep appears from this to have been a pious
king, preserving and repairing where he could not
afford to build. The monuments of this king are so
rare that we may notice a stele (yet unpublished) in
the British Museum. It is about 18 inches high and
17 wide. The globe, wings, and uraei, in the tym-
panum. Below, two lines containing the name of
KOPTOS.
the whole title with the name (XI, i). "Live Horus,
great of spirits, king of Upper and Lower Egypt
[Ne-maat-ra], beloved of Sekhemt, mistress of
Ankhtaui." This goddess was the consort of Ptah
of Memphis, and mother of Imhotep ; and it is
singular that the maternal emblem, the vulture, should
have been dedicated to this fierce goddess, so well
known in the lion-headed form. It is one of the
earliest sculptures of divine animals that we know.
(Ghizeh Museum.)
A few undated fragments of the middle kingdom
are also published here. A piece of a funeral stele
(XI, 4) shews offerings of three kinds of deer.
Another piece of a stele is engraved on both sides
(XI, 5, 6), and shews the truly Xlth dynasty taste
for dogs ; on No. 5 the dog is named Hemu-ma, and
on No. 6 there is a turn-spit. The inscription is part
of a formula known at El Bersheh, naming the deceased
as " a boon companion, loving frankincense, partaker
of a happy time." This was found laid down in the
pavement with the Antef blocks. (Univ. Coll.)
Another slab, apparently from some tomb, has a
sketch-outline of a boating procession : a dog is again
shewn here, apparently named dep-nefer. (Univ. Coll.)
These are probably all before the Xllth dynasty.
After the Xllth dynasty there is a piece of a basalt
stele (XII. 1) referring to officials of the temple and
naming the month Epiphi. Also a piece of a lime-
stone stele (XII. 2) with the following inscription, for
a man who was son of Amena and a royal wife Ha-
ankhs, and his wife, " (1) the joy of her husband . . .
(2) satisfying the heart of her consort, the king's
daughter Sebekemheb (3) (born of?) the principal
(royal wife ?) Nubemhat. He says, Oh ye who live
upon earth, scribes (4) (lectors etc.) . . . priests of the
house of Nub who enter into (this) temple, (5) (and
worship this image ?) of Hathor which I have placed
at the staircase of the mistress of. . . (6) (as ye
praise your goddess and follow her processional) bark
that raises her beauties aloft; and as ye love to see
the beauties of Hor-sma-taui (7) (and desire that your
children may sit) upon your seats and that ye may
pass on your offices to your sons, so (8) (say ye, a
royal oblation to Nub ?) in Dendera, Ra Har (akhti ?)
and the gods in the upper (mansions) (9) . . . may they
give thousands of all things) good and pure (on which)
a god lies, and pure bread of the House of Nub (10)
(to the ka of. . . ) son of the uartu of the royal table
Amena, born of the royal wife Ha-ankhs." In trans-
lating this Mr. Griffith remarks that the goddess Nub
(I. 4) is a form of Hathor at Dendera from which the
temple was named the House of Nub. Hor-sma-taui
(1. 6) was the son of the Hathor of Dendera. The
" upper mansions" (1. 8) are connected with the solar
worship especially at Heliopolis. The reference to
this stele in History i. 218, should be corrected, for
this does not relate to Sebekhotep IV as Hor-sma-
taui, though it is closely of that period.
22. Deep down under the sand-bed of the Ptolemaic
temple, in a hole in the basal clay were found the
pieces of a stele of king Rahotep. It is carved on a
local limestone, like that of Pepy, with many flint
nodules. The whole of the scene at the top is lost,
excepting just some feet ; but the full breadth and
height of the inscription remains, though with many
gaps. The scene represents Rahotep, with a son
behind him, offering to Min. The inscription reads :
"(1) [Year . . . under the] Majesty of Horus pro-
longing life, wearer of the two diadems rich in years,
hawk of gold flourishing . . . [king of Upper and
Lower Egypt Sekhem-uah-khau-ra, son of the] Sun
Rahotep giving life (2) . . . [proclamation was made
by] his majesty to his nobles, the courtiers who were
with him ... in the temple ...'... my majesty
has found my father (3) [Min, who is at the] head of
all the gods ; and his gates and his doors have gone
to decay.' They did obeisance before his majesty
and said, 'Let thy ka command that (4) they be
done oh ! king, our lord. Hu (god of taste) is he who
dwells in thy mouth, and Sa (god of intellect) is he
who [dwells in thy heart]. Ptah Sokar [begat thee
and] (5) the gods fashioned thee ; thou workest for
them to provide their temples ... (6) thou hast
united the south and the north ; thy heart is enlarged
upon the Horus-throne of the living . . . thou rulest
the circuit of the sun ... (7) good ... of the en-
lightened, an asylum for all people ; thou sleepest not
at night nor resteth in the day in serving (8) the gods
and seeking the good of this land. Ra makes thee as
his image to bring forth what is ... (9) ... as it
was in the time of thy forefathers, the kings who
followed Horus.' Never were things destroyed in
my days (10) . . . of the things that existed aforetime.
I made monuments for the gods. . . ." The remainder
is too fragmentary to translate. (XII. 3, Univ. Coll.)
Rahotep appears from this to have been a pious
king, preserving and repairing where he could not
afford to build. The monuments of this king are so
rare that we may notice a stele (yet unpublished) in
the British Museum. It is about 18 inches high and
17 wide. The globe, wings, and uraei, in the tym-
panum. Below, two lines containing the name of