DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4102#0055
46
ABYDOS I.
38. PL lxvii. 4. Two fragments from small
basalt statuettes of Un-nefer, High Priest of
Osiris in the reign of Rameses II. The first
inscription reads (1) neter hen dep ne Usdr
Un-nefer mad Icheru (2) sem het Sekeri Un-nefer
mad Icheru ' The High Priest of Osiris, Un-nefer,
true-voiced; the sem-priest of the Temple of
n
sem-
Seker, Un-nefer, true-voiced.' The
priesthood is very little understood, but it
was evidently of a mystical character. The
sem-priest officiated at the most solemn cere-
monies, such, for instance, as the ' opening of
the mouth' of a mummy, where he performed
the chief part; and at many other of the more
occult services he took a leading place. The
Temple, or Sanctuary, of Seker was that
portion of the Temple of Sety known in
Mariette's Abydos as Salle T. In the inscrip-
tions upon the temple walls we find it con-
stantly mentioned, being sometimes Avritten
Once the
and sometimes
cm | ,
following invocation occurs j ^j ^^ ^ ^ ^
A—D ■£■ j L/ Co r"""! yjj Usdr Un-nefer her db het
Seker de-f dnleh usr ne Bd-men-madt 'May
Osiris-Unnefer within the Sanctuary of Seker
grant life and power to Ra-men-maat [Sety I].'
The second fragment gives an extremely inte-
resting title. It appears to read mer zazanut ne
mad Icheru Un-nefer mad Icheru i Superintendent
of the judicial court of the true-voiced, Un-nefer,
true-voiced.' The word 1 ®, I i ®, or 1 )
zazanut signifies a court or office, usually of a
judicial character; and Unnefer's title ' Super-
intendent of the court of the True of Voice
[mad Icheru, i.e. the dead]' seems to be to some
extent the religious equivalent of the judicial
title ' Superintendent of the royal zazanut
court of the deliberating upon all words' (vide
Mar., Mast, 109; Erman, Life in A. E., 138).
Osiris Temple. Pyn. XIX.
As we have thus had three inscriptions of this
Unnefer, who was perhaps the most important
of the inhabitants of Abydos of all ages, it may
be as well to mention a few points with regard
to his life and family. Unnefer was born pro-
bably in the reign of Sety I, as he appears to
have been an elderly man in the reign of
Ramessu II. He began his sacerdotal career as
a priest of Osiris, in which position he appears
on the shrine found this year by the Egyptian
Research Account, near the Sety Temple. Later
lie became, as Ave have seen, the sem-priest of
the Sanctuary of Seker in that building ; and
also received the position, which we have just
discussed, in connection with the Mad Kheru.
He finally became High Priest of Osiris at
Abydos, and caused himself to be remembered
by filling the temple with statues, statuettes,
and steles, inscribed with his name and titles.
With regard to his father there Avas evidently
an unpleasant mystery. On nearly all his later
monuments Avhen his parentage is given he is
said to be the son of the High Priest of Osiris,
Meri, and of his wife the Singer of Osiris,
Ma-aa-nuy. But on one or tAvo statues his
father is said to be the High Priest of Osiris
Yu-yu, and on the aboA-e mentioned shrine the
name Meri is, in each of the three places Avhere
it occurs, erased, and the name Yu-yu sub-
stituted. Unnefer married the lady Thiy whose
second name Avas ISTefert-ari; and by her he had
several children, Avhose names are given [?] on a
monument found in his tomb at Abydos, and
not yet published. His tAvo step-brothers are
to be noticed : the one is Pa-ra-hetep the Vizir,
and the other Min-mes, the High Priest of
Anhur, mentioned on pi. lxvi. They were the
sons of Ma-aa-nuy by Hera, High Priest of
Anhur, the son of Un-nefer, High Priest of
Amen. The base of a statuette of this Hera
was found this year at Abydos, but was stolen
almost immediately by some loafers from the
village. A portion of the extensive genealogy
of Unnefer may be given here, as it illus-
trates also the family positions of Min-mes and
Heni.
$*
.fc of IsiB and I
= Ut
of
ile Granaries.
Tl
also:
Ncfe
5. Upon this plate tl
^options to be disc
p natural limestone
lisert, between the villi
ie site of the Royal Ton
'uhwi-Ri
■'mMedknthu-em-i
i Priest of Amen-Ra,
iptendent of Thebes
it, true-voiced.' The
■ ' i«-Ba, seten
^■ai-Ut 'The 4th
%oftheGods, Super
It would s
%dos to insj
-d had his
■ rocb
Dame rough]
near by:
flea
: )k
toon of
maa
"fcmhat, it ■
-t Prince \
^1
entn
°f 11
Seriate
** He.
ABYDOS I.
38. PL lxvii. 4. Two fragments from small
basalt statuettes of Un-nefer, High Priest of
Osiris in the reign of Rameses II. The first
inscription reads (1) neter hen dep ne Usdr
Un-nefer mad Icheru (2) sem het Sekeri Un-nefer
mad Icheru ' The High Priest of Osiris, Un-nefer,
true-voiced; the sem-priest of the Temple of
n
sem-
Seker, Un-nefer, true-voiced.' The
priesthood is very little understood, but it
was evidently of a mystical character. The
sem-priest officiated at the most solemn cere-
monies, such, for instance, as the ' opening of
the mouth' of a mummy, where he performed
the chief part; and at many other of the more
occult services he took a leading place. The
Temple, or Sanctuary, of Seker was that
portion of the Temple of Sety known in
Mariette's Abydos as Salle T. In the inscrip-
tions upon the temple walls we find it con-
stantly mentioned, being sometimes Avritten
Once the
and sometimes
cm | ,
following invocation occurs j ^j ^^ ^ ^ ^
A—D ■£■ j L/ Co r"""! yjj Usdr Un-nefer her db het
Seker de-f dnleh usr ne Bd-men-madt 'May
Osiris-Unnefer within the Sanctuary of Seker
grant life and power to Ra-men-maat [Sety I].'
The second fragment gives an extremely inte-
resting title. It appears to read mer zazanut ne
mad Icheru Un-nefer mad Icheru i Superintendent
of the judicial court of the true-voiced, Un-nefer,
true-voiced.' The word 1 ®, I i ®, or 1 )
zazanut signifies a court or office, usually of a
judicial character; and Unnefer's title ' Super-
intendent of the court of the True of Voice
[mad Icheru, i.e. the dead]' seems to be to some
extent the religious equivalent of the judicial
title ' Superintendent of the royal zazanut
court of the deliberating upon all words' (vide
Mar., Mast, 109; Erman, Life in A. E., 138).
Osiris Temple. Pyn. XIX.
As we have thus had three inscriptions of this
Unnefer, who was perhaps the most important
of the inhabitants of Abydos of all ages, it may
be as well to mention a few points with regard
to his life and family. Unnefer was born pro-
bably in the reign of Sety I, as he appears to
have been an elderly man in the reign of
Ramessu II. He began his sacerdotal career as
a priest of Osiris, in which position he appears
on the shrine found this year by the Egyptian
Research Account, near the Sety Temple. Later
lie became, as Ave have seen, the sem-priest of
the Sanctuary of Seker in that building ; and
also received the position, which we have just
discussed, in connection with the Mad Kheru.
He finally became High Priest of Osiris at
Abydos, and caused himself to be remembered
by filling the temple with statues, statuettes,
and steles, inscribed with his name and titles.
With regard to his father there Avas evidently
an unpleasant mystery. On nearly all his later
monuments Avhen his parentage is given he is
said to be the son of the High Priest of Osiris,
Meri, and of his wife the Singer of Osiris,
Ma-aa-nuy. But on one or tAvo statues his
father is said to be the High Priest of Osiris
Yu-yu, and on the aboA-e mentioned shrine the
name Meri is, in each of the three places Avhere
it occurs, erased, and the name Yu-yu sub-
stituted. Unnefer married the lady Thiy whose
second name Avas ISTefert-ari; and by her he had
several children, Avhose names are given [?] on a
monument found in his tomb at Abydos, and
not yet published. His tAvo step-brothers are
to be noticed : the one is Pa-ra-hetep the Vizir,
and the other Min-mes, the High Priest of
Anhur, mentioned on pi. lxvi. They were the
sons of Ma-aa-nuy by Hera, High Priest of
Anhur, the son of Un-nefer, High Priest of
Amen. The base of a statuette of this Hera
was found this year at Abydos, but was stolen
almost immediately by some loafers from the
village. A portion of the extensive genealogy
of Unnefer may be given here, as it illus-
trates also the family positions of Min-mes and
Heni.
$*
.fc of IsiB and I
= Ut
of
ile Granaries.
Tl
also:
Ncfe
5. Upon this plate tl
^options to be disc
p natural limestone
lisert, between the villi
ie site of the Royal Ton
'uhwi-Ri
■'mMedknthu-em-i
i Priest of Amen-Ra,
iptendent of Thebes
it, true-voiced.' The
■ ' i«-Ba, seten
^■ai-Ut 'The 4th
%oftheGods, Super
It would s
%dos to insj
-d had his
■ rocb
Dame rough]
near by:
flea
: )k
toon of
maa
"fcmhat, it ■
-t Prince \
^1
entn
°f 11
Seriate
** He.