DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4200#0009
THE TEMPLE OF AMENHOTEP II.
5
The position of the back wall is shown by the great
door sill B. At C was the grey granite statue of
Amenhotep II, swathed in osiride manner, and holding
the crook and flail—a type unusual in a seated statue
such as this. The head was broken off, and could not
be found anywhere in the whole site. From the
position it seems that the statue was one of a pair on
either side of the entrance to the temple beyond the
court. Such was also the position of the statues of
Ramessu and of Merenptah in their temples. Beyond
this there are fragments of foundations left, but not
enough to indicate a plan. The proportion of the
front court to the length of the site behind it is more
like that of Tahutmes IV than like the longer temples
of the XlXth dynasty.
10. The foundation deposits were of two classes.
There were the usual pits in the rock, containing
rough alabaster vases, inscribed in ink with the
cartouche (PL. Ill, 5), corn grinders (III, 1) of sand-
stone, oval pieces of alabaster (III, 2, 3, 4), copper
models of adzes (III, 6), chisels (III, 8, 9), axes (7),
and knives (10) ; with these were a large quantity of
rough pottery vases (IV, 9-29). These deposits are
marked D in the plan, and it is remarkable how they
are scattered about the site, and not in the usual
positions ; the three under the line of column bases
are strangely close together. The other class of
deposits were the small limestone tablets with the
cartouches (III, II, 12) ; these were found in pairs,
face to face, on the ground surface under the ruins.
Of miscellaneous objects found here were some
bronze rosettes, gilt, and pierced with holes for sewing
on to a garment (III, 17). Many pieces of finely-
carved statuettes of wood were scattered about, and a
headless kneeling figure of alabaster (II, 3), probably
of Amenhotep II, as other figures in this attitude are
known of him at Paris, Berlin, and Turin, and are
drawn in a tomb at Qurneh. The portion of an
osiride statuette of Tahutmes I (II, 2) is most
unexpected in such a position ; it seems more likely
to have come from his temple or tomb.
11. The broken altar of Ra, high priest of
Tahutmes III (I, 4), was found in the ruins (see
"History" II, 162, 163), as also the large unfinished
stele of Duaui-er-neheh, reproduced in photograph
PL. XV. This man cannot be the same as Duaui-
neheh of Qurneh, tomb 22 (in Champollion, Notices, I,
515, 844), whose mother was Tarounet ("the virgin "),
as this man's mother was Mesut. But as both men
have the same hereditary titles, and each has a brother,
a uab priest, named Neb-mes, it seems likely that this
man was grandson of the owner of the Qurneh tomb,
son he cannot be, as his father was Benaa. We
might therefore restore the family thus :—
-*r=Tarounet
* ' j., J Duaui-neheh Uab Neb-mes
Benaa=Mesut
_________________I
Erpa-ha, bat-sahut Uab User-aah Ra Nefert Sen- Ruti Nefer- Anni Aahmes
Duaui-er-neheh Neb-mes senb renpit
This would agree well in date. The Qurneh tomb
bears the names of Hatshepsut and Tahutmes III,
about 1500 or 1490 B.C.; and this tablet was left
unfinished and used in the building of Amenhotep II,
about 1440 B.C., thus leaving 50 or 60 years between
the two for the two generations that elapsed. The
main interest of the stele is its unfinished condition.
The position of all the figures and signs has been first
sketched in red ; then the final outlines have been
drawn in delicate black line over all the figures and
the inscription at the top, the names of the brothers
and the first line of lower inscription being in solid
black. Lastly a beginning of cutting has been made
between the seated figures, just to show which part
was to be sunk. The mode of writing the hieroglyphs
is instructive, as a lesson in such writing, apart from
hieratic forms. The exact formation of the strokes
has been carefully copied and published by Miss
Murray, in ' Proc. Soc. Bib. Arch.,' xix. JJ. The
discussion of the inscription is given in Dr. Spiegel-
berg's chapter here. The stele is now at University
College, London.
12. Beside the pottery in the foundation deposits
(IV 9-29), there were also found some jars lying in
the ruins. One of these is of great value historically
(V, 3), as it bears the name of Amenhotep II (V, 5),
and a date of the twenty-sixth year (V, 6), with the
name of the vine-dresser, Panehsi ' the negro,' who
stored the wine. Hitherto no date of this king
above the fifth year had been known, and the assign-
ment of 25 years 10 months to this reign by Manetho
was generally discredited. The latest writer, Maspero,
asserts that the " reign was a short one, lasting ten
years at most," (" Struggle of the Nations," 292). Yet
from the generations in the royal genealogies, and the
finishing of the Lateran obelisk after 35 years of
abandonment, it seemed that Manetho's period must
be correct (" History " ii. 153). Now there is absolute
evidence for the whole length of reign named by
Manetho, in this date of the 26th year, and we have
a wholesome warning against rejecting his statements,
except under the strongest pressure. Some other jars
5
The position of the back wall is shown by the great
door sill B. At C was the grey granite statue of
Amenhotep II, swathed in osiride manner, and holding
the crook and flail—a type unusual in a seated statue
such as this. The head was broken off, and could not
be found anywhere in the whole site. From the
position it seems that the statue was one of a pair on
either side of the entrance to the temple beyond the
court. Such was also the position of the statues of
Ramessu and of Merenptah in their temples. Beyond
this there are fragments of foundations left, but not
enough to indicate a plan. The proportion of the
front court to the length of the site behind it is more
like that of Tahutmes IV than like the longer temples
of the XlXth dynasty.
10. The foundation deposits were of two classes.
There were the usual pits in the rock, containing
rough alabaster vases, inscribed in ink with the
cartouche (PL. Ill, 5), corn grinders (III, 1) of sand-
stone, oval pieces of alabaster (III, 2, 3, 4), copper
models of adzes (III, 6), chisels (III, 8, 9), axes (7),
and knives (10) ; with these were a large quantity of
rough pottery vases (IV, 9-29). These deposits are
marked D in the plan, and it is remarkable how they
are scattered about the site, and not in the usual
positions ; the three under the line of column bases
are strangely close together. The other class of
deposits were the small limestone tablets with the
cartouches (III, II, 12) ; these were found in pairs,
face to face, on the ground surface under the ruins.
Of miscellaneous objects found here were some
bronze rosettes, gilt, and pierced with holes for sewing
on to a garment (III, 17). Many pieces of finely-
carved statuettes of wood were scattered about, and a
headless kneeling figure of alabaster (II, 3), probably
of Amenhotep II, as other figures in this attitude are
known of him at Paris, Berlin, and Turin, and are
drawn in a tomb at Qurneh. The portion of an
osiride statuette of Tahutmes I (II, 2) is most
unexpected in such a position ; it seems more likely
to have come from his temple or tomb.
11. The broken altar of Ra, high priest of
Tahutmes III (I, 4), was found in the ruins (see
"History" II, 162, 163), as also the large unfinished
stele of Duaui-er-neheh, reproduced in photograph
PL. XV. This man cannot be the same as Duaui-
neheh of Qurneh, tomb 22 (in Champollion, Notices, I,
515, 844), whose mother was Tarounet ("the virgin "),
as this man's mother was Mesut. But as both men
have the same hereditary titles, and each has a brother,
a uab priest, named Neb-mes, it seems likely that this
man was grandson of the owner of the Qurneh tomb,
son he cannot be, as his father was Benaa. We
might therefore restore the family thus :—
-*r=Tarounet
* ' j., J Duaui-neheh Uab Neb-mes
Benaa=Mesut
_________________I
Erpa-ha, bat-sahut Uab User-aah Ra Nefert Sen- Ruti Nefer- Anni Aahmes
Duaui-er-neheh Neb-mes senb renpit
This would agree well in date. The Qurneh tomb
bears the names of Hatshepsut and Tahutmes III,
about 1500 or 1490 B.C.; and this tablet was left
unfinished and used in the building of Amenhotep II,
about 1440 B.C., thus leaving 50 or 60 years between
the two for the two generations that elapsed. The
main interest of the stele is its unfinished condition.
The position of all the figures and signs has been first
sketched in red ; then the final outlines have been
drawn in delicate black line over all the figures and
the inscription at the top, the names of the brothers
and the first line of lower inscription being in solid
black. Lastly a beginning of cutting has been made
between the seated figures, just to show which part
was to be sunk. The mode of writing the hieroglyphs
is instructive, as a lesson in such writing, apart from
hieratic forms. The exact formation of the strokes
has been carefully copied and published by Miss
Murray, in ' Proc. Soc. Bib. Arch.,' xix. JJ. The
discussion of the inscription is given in Dr. Spiegel-
berg's chapter here. The stele is now at University
College, London.
12. Beside the pottery in the foundation deposits
(IV 9-29), there were also found some jars lying in
the ruins. One of these is of great value historically
(V, 3), as it bears the name of Amenhotep II (V, 5),
and a date of the twenty-sixth year (V, 6), with the
name of the vine-dresser, Panehsi ' the negro,' who
stored the wine. Hitherto no date of this king
above the fifth year had been known, and the assign-
ment of 25 years 10 months to this reign by Manetho
was generally discredited. The latest writer, Maspero,
asserts that the " reign was a short one, lasting ten
years at most," (" Struggle of the Nations," 292). Yet
from the generations in the royal genealogies, and the
finishing of the Lateran obelisk after 35 years of
abandonment, it seemed that Manetho's period must
be correct (" History " ii. 153). Now there is absolute
evidence for the whole length of reign named by
Manetho, in this date of the 26th year, and we have
a wholesome warning against rejecting his statements,
except under the strongest pressure. Some other jars