DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3349#0015
EARLY MONUMENTS AND EAR TABLETS
erased. It names a vizier {mer nut thai) Ameny,
endowments of offerings to Amenemhat I, and the
pyramid-temple (khnum-asui) of Senusert I.
A portion of a stele of quartzite sandstone, PI. VI,
lies in front of the pylon. The king's name is lost,
but from the work it seems to be of about the period
of Amenhotep III.
19. Beneath the foundation bed of sand of
Ramessu II, in the West Hall were found many
tablets and fragments, which had been thrown away
from a temple of the XVIIIth dynasty. About 40
perfect tablets and 150 fragments have been so far
recovered. But only a small area of the ground has
yet been cleared so deep. If a large number of objects
are broken in two, and a chance group of the whole
is examined, the number of pieces that can be joined
is to the total of the group, as the group total is to the
original total number. So as not a tenth of the pieces
yet found will fit together, probably not a tenth of
the whole number has yet been found. The earliest
is a large tablet (PI. VII, 46) of Tahutmes I offering
to Ptah and Sekhmet. (For the reading Sekhmet
see PI. XV, No. 36). At the base, adoring Ptah, is the
offerer, the guardian of the gate, Bak-ne-ra. The
space after Bak-ne is only half a sign high, and Ra
is the only name likely to fit that; Turn and Sebek
though low signs, would be improbable. We shall
now refer to the tablets in their numbered order.
PL VIII. Nos. 1 and 2 and 3, probably of
Tahutmes IV, like No. 4. The hawk giving the
deadly power of the uraeus to the king is unusual.
The ears are considered below. No. 3 is dedicated
by the overseer of the serfs Rames and his sister
Uaat. No. 4 is dedicated by Rames, perhaps the
same man. The use of the crown instead of the bee
in the royal titles is rare.
20. PL X. The subject of the figures of cars on
tablets is partly explained by the instances found this
season. Previously sculptures or models of ears
were thought to be ex voto offerings for recovery of
complaints. Spiegelberg published {Rec. Trav., 1904,
p. 56) an example with a prayer to Ptah to hear.
Now we have several such, Nos. 10, 15, 22, 25, 30;
and with the ears on each side of the head of Ptah,
14. Whether these phrases are requests to Ptah to
hear prayer, or titles, as " Ptah hearer of prayer,"
is not certain. We see, however, that the neha
" prayer," or spert " petition," is always in the singular,
so it does not refer to many different prayers, but
only to one, and so probably it is specific and not
general and titular. Again, the word prayer or
petition is always followed by "made by so-and-so" ;
and though this might refer to the tablet and not
to the prayer, yet it is only twice found on other
tablets (33, 42) apart from the word prayer, and
hence it probably refers to the specific prayer. We
must translate, then, " Ptah listen to the prayer made
by so-and-so."
The exact meaning of the ears has been looked
at in different ways. One view is that they are ears
of the god, to receive the prayer ; the other view is
that ears are put on to encourage hearing by
sympathetic magic. Now it is difficult to see the
use of a tablet with only an ear, and no figure or
inscription (as 5, 6, 7, 8), for promoting a petition
not recorded ; but if regarded as the ear of the
god, and prayed into, it might be thought to retain
the prayer for the attention of the god. The ob-
jection that a god would not have so many ears
(there are 376 on No. 49, PL IX) is met by an
account of a god with 77 ears and 77 eyes. It
seems more likely, then, that these were the models
of the god's ears made to receive and preserve the
prayers breathed into them.
Some of these tablets were found in the south-
west corner of the building site which is cut away
by the pond ; such are Nos. 6, 7, 10, and 38. No. 11
has the two ears placed on stands as sacred objects,
and presided over by the winged disc.
PI. XI. No. 15 has a " suten da liotep to Ptah
that he may listen to the prayer made by . . ."
No. 19 is offered by the "Inspector of the flesh
offerings of Amen, Piy." No. 20 is by a scribe and
his sister Thent-ant.
PL XII. No. 21 is by the door-keeper Huy, and
the deputy Aay. No. 25 shews that such tablets
were made ready for purchase, with the name left
blank, as it has not been filled in here.
PL XIII, 30 is interesting for naming the ka of
Ptah as adored, reminding us of the name of
Memphis, " the dwelling of the ka of Ptah." It
proves that gods had kas which were worshipped.
This is dedicated by the scribe of Ra, Mahuati.
Among ear tablets should be noted No. 48, PL IX,
which had over no ears, and bears an " adoration to
the ka of Ptah, lord of truth." No. 49, below it, has
had about 376 ears, and is most delicately engraved.
The inscription (see PL XIII) accounts for the
beautiful work, by stating that it is for the chief
artist Ptahmes. A rare title of Ptah is mes uba,
probably to be rendered "producing Art."
erased. It names a vizier {mer nut thai) Ameny,
endowments of offerings to Amenemhat I, and the
pyramid-temple (khnum-asui) of Senusert I.
A portion of a stele of quartzite sandstone, PI. VI,
lies in front of the pylon. The king's name is lost,
but from the work it seems to be of about the period
of Amenhotep III.
19. Beneath the foundation bed of sand of
Ramessu II, in the West Hall were found many
tablets and fragments, which had been thrown away
from a temple of the XVIIIth dynasty. About 40
perfect tablets and 150 fragments have been so far
recovered. But only a small area of the ground has
yet been cleared so deep. If a large number of objects
are broken in two, and a chance group of the whole
is examined, the number of pieces that can be joined
is to the total of the group, as the group total is to the
original total number. So as not a tenth of the pieces
yet found will fit together, probably not a tenth of
the whole number has yet been found. The earliest
is a large tablet (PI. VII, 46) of Tahutmes I offering
to Ptah and Sekhmet. (For the reading Sekhmet
see PI. XV, No. 36). At the base, adoring Ptah, is the
offerer, the guardian of the gate, Bak-ne-ra. The
space after Bak-ne is only half a sign high, and Ra
is the only name likely to fit that; Turn and Sebek
though low signs, would be improbable. We shall
now refer to the tablets in their numbered order.
PL VIII. Nos. 1 and 2 and 3, probably of
Tahutmes IV, like No. 4. The hawk giving the
deadly power of the uraeus to the king is unusual.
The ears are considered below. No. 3 is dedicated
by the overseer of the serfs Rames and his sister
Uaat. No. 4 is dedicated by Rames, perhaps the
same man. The use of the crown instead of the bee
in the royal titles is rare.
20. PL X. The subject of the figures of cars on
tablets is partly explained by the instances found this
season. Previously sculptures or models of ears
were thought to be ex voto offerings for recovery of
complaints. Spiegelberg published {Rec. Trav., 1904,
p. 56) an example with a prayer to Ptah to hear.
Now we have several such, Nos. 10, 15, 22, 25, 30;
and with the ears on each side of the head of Ptah,
14. Whether these phrases are requests to Ptah to
hear prayer, or titles, as " Ptah hearer of prayer,"
is not certain. We see, however, that the neha
" prayer," or spert " petition," is always in the singular,
so it does not refer to many different prayers, but
only to one, and so probably it is specific and not
general and titular. Again, the word prayer or
petition is always followed by "made by so-and-so" ;
and though this might refer to the tablet and not
to the prayer, yet it is only twice found on other
tablets (33, 42) apart from the word prayer, and
hence it probably refers to the specific prayer. We
must translate, then, " Ptah listen to the prayer made
by so-and-so."
The exact meaning of the ears has been looked
at in different ways. One view is that they are ears
of the god, to receive the prayer ; the other view is
that ears are put on to encourage hearing by
sympathetic magic. Now it is difficult to see the
use of a tablet with only an ear, and no figure or
inscription (as 5, 6, 7, 8), for promoting a petition
not recorded ; but if regarded as the ear of the
god, and prayed into, it might be thought to retain
the prayer for the attention of the god. The ob-
jection that a god would not have so many ears
(there are 376 on No. 49, PL IX) is met by an
account of a god with 77 ears and 77 eyes. It
seems more likely, then, that these were the models
of the god's ears made to receive and preserve the
prayers breathed into them.
Some of these tablets were found in the south-
west corner of the building site which is cut away
by the pond ; such are Nos. 6, 7, 10, and 38. No. 11
has the two ears placed on stands as sacred objects,
and presided over by the winged disc.
PI. XI. No. 15 has a " suten da liotep to Ptah
that he may listen to the prayer made by . . ."
No. 19 is offered by the "Inspector of the flesh
offerings of Amen, Piy." No. 20 is by a scribe and
his sister Thent-ant.
PL XII. No. 21 is by the door-keeper Huy, and
the deputy Aay. No. 25 shews that such tablets
were made ready for purchase, with the name left
blank, as it has not been filled in here.
PL XIII, 30 is interesting for naming the ka of
Ptah as adored, reminding us of the name of
Memphis, " the dwelling of the ka of Ptah." It
proves that gods had kas which were worshipped.
This is dedicated by the scribe of Ra, Mahuati.
Among ear tablets should be noted No. 48, PL IX,
which had over no ears, and bears an " adoration to
the ka of Ptah, lord of truth." No. 49, below it, has
had about 376 ears, and is most delicately engraved.
The inscription (see PL XIII) accounts for the
beautiful work, by stating that it is for the chief
artist Ptahmes. A rare title of Ptah is mes uba,
probably to be rendered "producing Art."