DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4221#0051
42
ROYAL TOMBS OF THE 1st DYNASTY.
very early times. In No. 11, at about the
corresponding place occurs ~ yry Nhn, a
very common title later; it means "he who
belongs to Nekhen," and Nekhen is the Egyptian
name of Hieraconpolis, the importance of which
at the beginning of Egyptian history is shown
by Quibell's finds, and is implied by its mytho-
logical significance. Perhaps one may conjecture
that Avhile Abydos was the metropolis of the
1st Dynasty, Hieraconpolis was its southern
capital, and H't-stii its northern capital in Upper
Egypt. Lower Egypt would doubtless have its
oavii separate traditional capital, of which the
(above p. 37) suggests a probable
name
situation.
On 16 we further see
"royal smith" or "axe-maker,'
' 1 I In 18 "
tr
ligible groups y | J .
, perhaps meaning
and unintel-
the corresponding place are not to be inter-
preted at present.
PI. xvi. 20 = x. 11. The royal name Semty,
followed by an inscription the first part of
which Professor Petrie conjectures to mean
" the great chiefs come to the tomb": one
might complete this translation with the words,
" that he may give them i, the reward of long-
service." But this is more than doubtful.
I would at this period have a definite numerical
significance; ^\ for -^ is possible, but not
likely; and .—a for "give" is very rare, even
later. Professor Petrie's rendering of the first
words is very plausible. The repetition of signs
three times for the plural is interesting, though
to be expected for this period, and recurs in
x. 9. The sign which is compared by Prof. Petrie
to the plan of a tomb is allied to the sign for
0 < (Pyr. M. 15= P. 12), sometimes
meaning " the two (?) aisles" of an audience
chamber, and to the determinative of Pr-wr,
" Great House" or " Great Chamber," and
other words in the texts of the Pyramids.
PL xvi. 21 = xi. 11, like the last, is well en-
graved and noteworthy. We recognise upon
it a good instance of a form of D that is common
on the monuments of the 1st Dynasty. The
typical form is mat-like, but it has been hitherto
open to more than one interpretation. Here it
is seen to consist of crossed fibres, without any
edging or hard outline. Evidently it is here
no packet, or stool, nor even a finished mat,
but simply represents platting or mat-work.
This corroborates the suggestion in Hieroglyphs,
pp. 3, -17, that a represents pictorially the name
of a city called /' as being the city of Matwork,
and so obtained its alphabetic value p (cf. the
probable history of _j. = Nhb, Bieroijlijpltx, p. 29).
Following the D there may be x^, and the signs
representing the last Wo joints of a finger with
the nail, and perhaps intended for e^ cn't, "nail "
"claw," unless it be ?.//, "finger," " 10,000."
PL xvi. 22. With ^^. Cf. xvii. 26, 2!).
PI. xvii. 26 = xii. 1. This is a perfect tablet
of the type of those just dealt with (xv. 10, &c).
On the right half, which is bounded by the
large < sign, is a boat on water, and above
it the legend □ V^. sms-Urw, "follower of
Horns"; another boat is at the base, containing
a bird. Above it is a figure of an ape seated
on a stool, probably representing Thoth, and
perhaps pj Ifes "palace of the great ones." On
the other half are the dual kingdom and
Nebty titles, followed by the name which
seems to correspond to Semempses in Manetho
and to | [^ | in Sety's list. Here the man wears
a wig, and appears to be wrapped in a long cloth
wound round the body, with the end projecting
in front of his waist. The figure bears a curious
resemblance to some late linear forms of the siim
^ sms, " folloAv," as written in many texts, but
this may be only accidental, the example of
the simple form n on this tablet being very
different. It has been suggested that the sign
in Sety's list (recurring in Mar., Mad., 198)
represents a sm priest of Ptah, sm-n-Pth, and so
^e/xefn/;^? ; but the regular dress of the se/w-priest
is very different from the dress of that figure and
of its earlier prototype (11.II. IV., pi. xiv.andp. 3).
are
• JtitleS
fossil
l5lJ' L Hie Pool (
travel
,p.niaker
jd80
(cf. *v.
-ired co
of
% The injur
' give a kit
.niakeV (•)
-wouldbe against the
The rest ot
^uniujured: |0-*
Ration, cf, 2b ai
.*Hs to some
the rieht the ,th<
ve, On left, Hoi
name
Sen,i
iis^jjiw^
?]ingiiishing (?), roj
.Theword designating
A Sty, "the As
of land.
reach the
;4 from cylindc
f Petrie has so ca
'essions, each
-The Horus r
same with
pe
H Sovereign."
6")
%'slist(
With I I j
may htT
'•Ji and a
-% ttle othe:
ROYAL TOMBS OF THE 1st DYNASTY.
very early times. In No. 11, at about the
corresponding place occurs ~ yry Nhn, a
very common title later; it means "he who
belongs to Nekhen," and Nekhen is the Egyptian
name of Hieraconpolis, the importance of which
at the beginning of Egyptian history is shown
by Quibell's finds, and is implied by its mytho-
logical significance. Perhaps one may conjecture
that Avhile Abydos was the metropolis of the
1st Dynasty, Hieraconpolis was its southern
capital, and H't-stii its northern capital in Upper
Egypt. Lower Egypt would doubtless have its
oavii separate traditional capital, of which the
(above p. 37) suggests a probable
name
situation.
On 16 we further see
"royal smith" or "axe-maker,'
' 1 I In 18 "
tr
ligible groups y | J .
, perhaps meaning
and unintel-
the corresponding place are not to be inter-
preted at present.
PI. xvi. 20 = x. 11. The royal name Semty,
followed by an inscription the first part of
which Professor Petrie conjectures to mean
" the great chiefs come to the tomb": one
might complete this translation with the words,
" that he may give them i, the reward of long-
service." But this is more than doubtful.
I would at this period have a definite numerical
significance; ^\ for -^ is possible, but not
likely; and .—a for "give" is very rare, even
later. Professor Petrie's rendering of the first
words is very plausible. The repetition of signs
three times for the plural is interesting, though
to be expected for this period, and recurs in
x. 9. The sign which is compared by Prof. Petrie
to the plan of a tomb is allied to the sign for
0 < (Pyr. M. 15= P. 12), sometimes
meaning " the two (?) aisles" of an audience
chamber, and to the determinative of Pr-wr,
" Great House" or " Great Chamber," and
other words in the texts of the Pyramids.
PL xvi. 21 = xi. 11, like the last, is well en-
graved and noteworthy. We recognise upon
it a good instance of a form of D that is common
on the monuments of the 1st Dynasty. The
typical form is mat-like, but it has been hitherto
open to more than one interpretation. Here it
is seen to consist of crossed fibres, without any
edging or hard outline. Evidently it is here
no packet, or stool, nor even a finished mat,
but simply represents platting or mat-work.
This corroborates the suggestion in Hieroglyphs,
pp. 3, -17, that a represents pictorially the name
of a city called /' as being the city of Matwork,
and so obtained its alphabetic value p (cf. the
probable history of _j. = Nhb, Bieroijlijpltx, p. 29).
Following the D there may be x^, and the signs
representing the last Wo joints of a finger with
the nail, and perhaps intended for e^ cn't, "nail "
"claw," unless it be ?.//, "finger," " 10,000."
PL xvi. 22. With ^^. Cf. xvii. 26, 2!).
PI. xvii. 26 = xii. 1. This is a perfect tablet
of the type of those just dealt with (xv. 10, &c).
On the right half, which is bounded by the
large < sign, is a boat on water, and above
it the legend □ V^. sms-Urw, "follower of
Horns"; another boat is at the base, containing
a bird. Above it is a figure of an ape seated
on a stool, probably representing Thoth, and
perhaps pj Ifes "palace of the great ones." On
the other half are the dual kingdom and
Nebty titles, followed by the name which
seems to correspond to Semempses in Manetho
and to | [^ | in Sety's list. Here the man wears
a wig, and appears to be wrapped in a long cloth
wound round the body, with the end projecting
in front of his waist. The figure bears a curious
resemblance to some late linear forms of the siim
^ sms, " folloAv," as written in many texts, but
this may be only accidental, the example of
the simple form n on this tablet being very
different. It has been suggested that the sign
in Sety's list (recurring in Mar., Mad., 198)
represents a sm priest of Ptah, sm-n-Pth, and so
^e/xefn/;^? ; but the regular dress of the se/w-priest
is very different from the dress of that figure and
of its earlier prototype (11.II. IV., pi. xiv.andp. 3).
are
• JtitleS
fossil
l5lJ' L Hie Pool (
travel
,p.niaker
jd80
(cf. *v.
-ired co
of
% The injur
' give a kit
.niakeV (•)
-wouldbe against the
The rest ot
^uniujured: |0-*
Ration, cf, 2b ai
.*Hs to some
the rieht the ,th<
ve, On left, Hoi
name
Sen,i
iis^jjiw^
?]ingiiishing (?), roj
.Theword designating
A Sty, "the As
of land.
reach the
;4 from cylindc
f Petrie has so ca
'essions, each
-The Horus r
same with
pe
H Sovereign."
6")
%'slist(
With I I j
may htT
'•Ji and a
-% ttle othe: