DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4221#0031
22
ROYAL TOMBS OF THE 1st DYNASTY
would agree with their undoubtedly astronomical
origin, by the shift of the moveable calendar
one week every 30 years, and one month every
120 years at the Great Sed festival. I have
also already shown (History, ii. 32) how these
festivals do not fall on the 30th year of the
reigns, and often were in reigns of less than 30
years. Noav we have this again illustrated.
Those festivals are named on the tablet of
Setui (xiv. 12), on vases of Mersekha (vii. 5,
6, 7, 8), and on vases of Qa (viii. 6, 7), but
never by Azab.
Now in Manetho the reigns of these kings are
20, 18, and 26 years, not one reaching 30 years.
Moreover, we can test whether a series of 30-
year intervals will fall in these reigns. Taking
approximately the dates given in my History,
i. 27*, we have :—
Hesepti = Setui
Merpaba
b.c. 30-year intervals.
4604
. . 4588-4
4584
4558
Semenptah......4558-4
4540
Kebh = Qa......4528-4
4514
So there is only a range of 4 years left possible
for the 30-year cycle to fall upon within these
reigns ; and if Merpaba had a Sed festival, it
would have upset the series. As it is—crediting
Manetho's reigns—we have the Sed cycle fixed
to within 4 years in the 1st Dynasty. We see
then that all the evidence from these inscriptions
is in favour of a fixed cycle of 30 years, quite
independent of the kings' reigns. This cycle
implies the loss of the day in leap years, which
causes the shift of the calendar; and hence
implies the calendar of 365 days being in use as
early as the middle of the 1st Dynasty, and the
known loss of a clay in four years.
14 (pi. xv.) is a piece of a finely cut ivory
tablet (see xi. 9), which shows part of the
palace name, nub hat and the man pounding, as
in No. 16.
15 is a chip of an ebony tablet, with part of
the palace name, and the hawk and sahu biti
(see xi. 3).
1(> is the most important tablet, though the
lower edge has not been found (see xi. 14).
The scene of the king dancing before Osiris
seated in his shrine is the earliest example of a
ceremony which is shown on the monuments
down to Roman times; he bears the hap and
a short stick instead of the oar ; the three semi-
circles on each side are, even at this early stage,
unintelligible. The inscriptions below, referring
to the festival, will be dealt with by Mr. Griffith;
but we should note that the royal name Setui
occurs in the lower register, so this tablet is
good evidence for that king being Den, besides
the clay sealings not yet published. Beyond
there is the name of Den, and that of the royal
seal-bearer Hemaka, which occurs so often on
the jar sealings. The palace name is -written
with nub, apparently a hatchet, and the man
pounding, for which see Nos. 5 and 14. The
two signs after sutev look like different forms of
hatchet, see also Nos. 15, 26, 29. For the
numerals " 1200 " at the bottom edge compare
also Nos. 10, 11, 18. This tablet was crusted
Avith melted resin, harder than the wood; and
the only way to clean it Avas by poAvdering the
resin with a needle, Avhilc watching it with a
magnifier : so it is possible that some point may
not have been fully cleaned out.
17 is a piece of another ebony tablet, a
duplicate of the previous one (see xi. 15) ; but
it is useful as shoAving a different grouping
of the signs, Avhich helps the explanation of
them.
18 is another ebony piece, someAvhat like the
previous pieces (see xi. 4) ; but it sIioavs a
place name beginning Unt . . . , and also the
royal name of King Setui.
V\. xvi. 19. A piece of a very thick ivory
tablet, much burnt: see xi. 1 6.
#*,v01
*"1 refer *<
■ °fl
ill*
i is
- to show tt
is show
fet is apparel a
t stairway of th«
jiagramofthew
the tomb, wit!
„r over the grav<
jreoftlegraves, asin j
,r it, must ha\
.Reappearance of th
I Fragments photogi
,1; 24 in xi 17.
of apparent!
js, work, an
piece of Setui is sh
is the edge ofi
mi. 26. This ivory in
-iWoorwayofhi
¥ycut, and coloiu
^wninthedrawi:
* that on the Pa
^ginto the interf
*fte remarkablerea
^ three ha.
****** (Bea
T^Tahutise
b°ft^ab(
r> in thee
"fi^ which'
^atontl
%This 4
So give
ROYAL TOMBS OF THE 1st DYNASTY
would agree with their undoubtedly astronomical
origin, by the shift of the moveable calendar
one week every 30 years, and one month every
120 years at the Great Sed festival. I have
also already shown (History, ii. 32) how these
festivals do not fall on the 30th year of the
reigns, and often were in reigns of less than 30
years. Noav we have this again illustrated.
Those festivals are named on the tablet of
Setui (xiv. 12), on vases of Mersekha (vii. 5,
6, 7, 8), and on vases of Qa (viii. 6, 7), but
never by Azab.
Now in Manetho the reigns of these kings are
20, 18, and 26 years, not one reaching 30 years.
Moreover, we can test whether a series of 30-
year intervals will fall in these reigns. Taking
approximately the dates given in my History,
i. 27*, we have :—
Hesepti = Setui
Merpaba
b.c. 30-year intervals.
4604
. . 4588-4
4584
4558
Semenptah......4558-4
4540
Kebh = Qa......4528-4
4514
So there is only a range of 4 years left possible
for the 30-year cycle to fall upon within these
reigns ; and if Merpaba had a Sed festival, it
would have upset the series. As it is—crediting
Manetho's reigns—we have the Sed cycle fixed
to within 4 years in the 1st Dynasty. We see
then that all the evidence from these inscriptions
is in favour of a fixed cycle of 30 years, quite
independent of the kings' reigns. This cycle
implies the loss of the day in leap years, which
causes the shift of the calendar; and hence
implies the calendar of 365 days being in use as
early as the middle of the 1st Dynasty, and the
known loss of a clay in four years.
14 (pi. xv.) is a piece of a finely cut ivory
tablet (see xi. 9), which shows part of the
palace name, nub hat and the man pounding, as
in No. 16.
15 is a chip of an ebony tablet, with part of
the palace name, and the hawk and sahu biti
(see xi. 3).
1(> is the most important tablet, though the
lower edge has not been found (see xi. 14).
The scene of the king dancing before Osiris
seated in his shrine is the earliest example of a
ceremony which is shown on the monuments
down to Roman times; he bears the hap and
a short stick instead of the oar ; the three semi-
circles on each side are, even at this early stage,
unintelligible. The inscriptions below, referring
to the festival, will be dealt with by Mr. Griffith;
but we should note that the royal name Setui
occurs in the lower register, so this tablet is
good evidence for that king being Den, besides
the clay sealings not yet published. Beyond
there is the name of Den, and that of the royal
seal-bearer Hemaka, which occurs so often on
the jar sealings. The palace name is -written
with nub, apparently a hatchet, and the man
pounding, for which see Nos. 5 and 14. The
two signs after sutev look like different forms of
hatchet, see also Nos. 15, 26, 29. For the
numerals " 1200 " at the bottom edge compare
also Nos. 10, 11, 18. This tablet was crusted
Avith melted resin, harder than the wood; and
the only way to clean it Avas by poAvdering the
resin with a needle, Avhilc watching it with a
magnifier : so it is possible that some point may
not have been fully cleaned out.
17 is a piece of another ebony tablet, a
duplicate of the previous one (see xi. 15) ; but
it is useful as shoAving a different grouping
of the signs, Avhich helps the explanation of
them.
18 is another ebony piece, someAvhat like the
previous pieces (see xi. 4) ; but it sIioavs a
place name beginning Unt . . . , and also the
royal name of King Setui.
V\. xvi. 19. A piece of a very thick ivory
tablet, much burnt: see xi. 1 6.
#*,v01
*"1 refer *<
■ °fl
ill*
i is
- to show tt
is show
fet is apparel a
t stairway of th«
jiagramofthew
the tomb, wit!
„r over the grav<
jreoftlegraves, asin j
,r it, must ha\
.Reappearance of th
I Fragments photogi
,1; 24 in xi 17.
of apparent!
js, work, an
piece of Setui is sh
is the edge ofi
mi. 26. This ivory in
-iWoorwayofhi
¥ycut, and coloiu
^wninthedrawi:
* that on the Pa
^ginto the interf
*fte remarkablerea
^ three ha.
****** (Bea
T^Tahutise
b°ft^ab(
r> in thee
"fi^ which'
^atontl
%This 4
So give