DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4102#0059
mm
50
ABYDOS I.
many of the groups of signs bearing but a faint
resemblance, if any at all, to known words.
Although there are some thirty specimens in the
various museums, a comparison of these with
the present ones does not help much in their
decipherment; and it would therefore be very
undesirable to offer even a conditional trans-
lation. Such an one, however, giving an idea of
the style of the texts should be referred to in Dr.
Budge's Egyptian Magic, page 119. Of the three
hypocephali the third alone bears the name of
the person for whom it was made. This reads
f)
^sn>~
rni^
n i
o
Usdr neter hen Zed-her mad hheru mes nebt per
Uza-du madt Ichera ' The Osirian priest Zed-her,
true-voiced, born of the Lady of the House
Uza-au, true-voiced.'
The hypocephalus appears to have had its
origin in connection with chapter clxii of the
Boole of the Bead. From the rubric of this
chapter we learn that a figure of the cow
Hathor was to be fashioned in gold, and placed
upon the neck of the mummy; and that an-
other was to be drawn upon papyrus, and
placed under the head, the idea being to give
" warmth" to the deceased in the underworld.
After the XXVIth Dynasty the cow-amulet fell
into disuse, and the drawing upon papyrus
developed into the hypocephalus, upon which
the cow always remained an important figure.
Papyrus was almost entirely abandoned in
favour of more durable material, such as linen,
stucco, and rarely bronze. The fashion, how-
ever was not long-lived, and did not survive
the fall of the XXXth Dynasty.
Taking the largest specimen as an example,
the figures are as follows. First line : Neheblca
holding the uzat eye. Although here pictured
as an ape, Xehebka is in reality the serpent-god
whose worship was carried on at Heracleopolis.
He stands, here, in front of the seated figure of
Horus-Min, behind whom is an uzat-he&ded
goddess. Then follow the cow of Hathor, and
the four genii of the dead. Behind these there
is an interesting group, consisting of a lotus,
a lion, and a ram, which occurs in chapter
clxii of the Booh of the Bead [line 5] in the
form \ ^f^~ ( V>W, Following this group is
a pylon croAvned with the head of Khnemu;
the god Horus-Ra holding the •¥■ milch; and
finally the Irfieper or scarabeus. Second line:
the Sun-boat navigated by Horus and two apes,
Isis and Nephthys being conspicuous among the
occupants; the youthful Horus seated above
the |Mr tempest [?]; the Moon-boat steered by
Harpocrates; and the goddess Xut and scara-
beus. Turning the hypocephalus round we
notice the Four-headed ram-god, in whom the
spirits 3^\ ' °f ^ne f°ur elements, Ra [fire],
Shu [air], Geb [earth], and Usar [water] were
said to be united.1 In this form the god was
worshipped at Mendes; and an inscription2
speaks of him as the 3___a J—- ' Fourfold
god in the land of Mendes,' £—- Auep being
his shrine in that city. Tavo small apes, the
final degradation of the eight adoring cyno-
cephali may be noticed. These represent the
four primeval pairs of gods of chaos, whose
names were Nun and Xunt [moisture], Hehu and
Hehut [air], Kekui and Kekuit [darkness], Gereh
and Gereht [rest]; being called collectively
0
1111
Khemeim,3 a misAvriting of i n i
Above, there arcthree boats : the first contains
Horus, the second Horus-Sept, and the third
Khepera. Finally there is the double god
Avho personified the rising and setting of the
sun. Figures such as these just described
are to be found on nearly all the known
hypocephali, however erratic the inscriptions.
Nevertheless, as may be seen from the two
1 Brugsch, Thes. 4te Abt. 734 et seq.
2 Ibid., Oase, pi. xxvi. 1. 27.
3 Ibid,, Thes. 4te Abt. 672-3.
!, Limestone stele
^ureisrepre-
seated stand-
ing before a
jofoffer-
t and the
10
accompany111? ^
inscription,
above and in front
silk ftff ™ter
I nj&r dbt •
. em4
■Ike King gives ar
Lord of Mu....
tie mat god. . .
C u
things, for the k o
the Chiefly Compani
I Limestone stele
«two lower are
three ficm
i. The firs'
WWl
1w,
Ht, horn of
' Terence should 1;
, (few,
50
ABYDOS I.
many of the groups of signs bearing but a faint
resemblance, if any at all, to known words.
Although there are some thirty specimens in the
various museums, a comparison of these with
the present ones does not help much in their
decipherment; and it would therefore be very
undesirable to offer even a conditional trans-
lation. Such an one, however, giving an idea of
the style of the texts should be referred to in Dr.
Budge's Egyptian Magic, page 119. Of the three
hypocephali the third alone bears the name of
the person for whom it was made. This reads
f)
^sn>~
rni^
n i
o
Usdr neter hen Zed-her mad hheru mes nebt per
Uza-du madt Ichera ' The Osirian priest Zed-her,
true-voiced, born of the Lady of the House
Uza-au, true-voiced.'
The hypocephalus appears to have had its
origin in connection with chapter clxii of the
Boole of the Bead. From the rubric of this
chapter we learn that a figure of the cow
Hathor was to be fashioned in gold, and placed
upon the neck of the mummy; and that an-
other was to be drawn upon papyrus, and
placed under the head, the idea being to give
" warmth" to the deceased in the underworld.
After the XXVIth Dynasty the cow-amulet fell
into disuse, and the drawing upon papyrus
developed into the hypocephalus, upon which
the cow always remained an important figure.
Papyrus was almost entirely abandoned in
favour of more durable material, such as linen,
stucco, and rarely bronze. The fashion, how-
ever was not long-lived, and did not survive
the fall of the XXXth Dynasty.
Taking the largest specimen as an example,
the figures are as follows. First line : Neheblca
holding the uzat eye. Although here pictured
as an ape, Xehebka is in reality the serpent-god
whose worship was carried on at Heracleopolis.
He stands, here, in front of the seated figure of
Horus-Min, behind whom is an uzat-he&ded
goddess. Then follow the cow of Hathor, and
the four genii of the dead. Behind these there
is an interesting group, consisting of a lotus,
a lion, and a ram, which occurs in chapter
clxii of the Booh of the Bead [line 5] in the
form \ ^f^~ ( V>W, Following this group is
a pylon croAvned with the head of Khnemu;
the god Horus-Ra holding the •¥■ milch; and
finally the Irfieper or scarabeus. Second line:
the Sun-boat navigated by Horus and two apes,
Isis and Nephthys being conspicuous among the
occupants; the youthful Horus seated above
the |Mr tempest [?]; the Moon-boat steered by
Harpocrates; and the goddess Xut and scara-
beus. Turning the hypocephalus round we
notice the Four-headed ram-god, in whom the
spirits 3^\ ' °f ^ne f°ur elements, Ra [fire],
Shu [air], Geb [earth], and Usar [water] were
said to be united.1 In this form the god was
worshipped at Mendes; and an inscription2
speaks of him as the 3___a J—- ' Fourfold
god in the land of Mendes,' £—- Auep being
his shrine in that city. Tavo small apes, the
final degradation of the eight adoring cyno-
cephali may be noticed. These represent the
four primeval pairs of gods of chaos, whose
names were Nun and Xunt [moisture], Hehu and
Hehut [air], Kekui and Kekuit [darkness], Gereh
and Gereht [rest]; being called collectively
0
1111
Khemeim,3 a misAvriting of i n i
Above, there arcthree boats : the first contains
Horus, the second Horus-Sept, and the third
Khepera. Finally there is the double god
Avho personified the rising and setting of the
sun. Figures such as these just described
are to be found on nearly all the known
hypocephali, however erratic the inscriptions.
Nevertheless, as may be seen from the two
1 Brugsch, Thes. 4te Abt. 734 et seq.
2 Ibid., Oase, pi. xxvi. 1. 27.
3 Ibid,, Thes. 4te Abt. 672-3.
!, Limestone stele
^ureisrepre-
seated stand-
ing before a
jofoffer-
t and the
10
accompany111? ^
inscription,
above and in front
silk ftff ™ter
I nj&r dbt •
. em4
■Ike King gives ar
Lord of Mu....
tie mat god. . .
C u
things, for the k o
the Chiefly Compani
I Limestone stele
«two lower are
three ficm
i. The firs'
WWl
1w,
Ht, horn of
' Terence should 1;
, (few,