DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.3350#0020
10
THE SUBJECT OF THE PYLON SCENES
" chiefs of the palace." The hea mace in the palace
probably denotes the palace of Memphis, the mace
being apparently the emblem of Memphis (Qurneh,
PL XLIV, p. 13). Next is the "festival of Upuati"
mentioned. Below much is lost, but the palanquins
of the royal children were there; the carved feet
are made in the form of couchant ibexes. Below
these is the goddess Nut supporting the heaven, and
calling "Come and bring, come and bring." Compare
the speech of the Osiris-king " Come in peace"
addressed to the crown prince before him [A.Z.
XXXIX, VI).
The title along the top is apparently " The good
deity of the place Nekhebt and of the place Hezt
with the vulture head-dress, mistress of the southern
palace." For the place Hezt see Lanzone, Diz, Mitol.
CCCXLIX, 3, and CCCL ; and for the head-dress
see the same, p. 1022.
The king is called " Son of Ra beloved by the
gods." His attitude and objects are those seen in
his dance before the Osiris-king. Before him is
Uazit the serpent goddess of the north in conjunction
with the hawk name. The base of the northern
plant is seen to be really copied from the scales or
horny plates which surround the stems ; it is often
confounded with water lines in later times. Below
that is the title of Tahuti "lord of Khemennu,"
apparently over the figure of the god. Parts of
other signs remain below the king's elbow.
27. Behind the king is carried the strange object
which we noticed in the first scene. This is frequently
represented, along with the emblems of the fan and
half heaven, behind the kings, as for instance on the
lintel of Merenptah PL XXI. It has been generally
thought to be a scorpion, and connected with the god-
dess Selket. But no meaning has been discovered
for it. In the exquisitely delicate carvings of this
pylon, the details of it plainly shew that it is certainly
not a scorpion, but that the arms and shoulders
are clearly those of a man. In this instance it has
a cylinder seal hanging from one arm ; this is never
borne by the gods, but belongs to royalty or deputies
of a king. In other cases it has an ankh hanging
from each arm [Dew el Bahari XI, XLV, XCIII)
and sometimes two ankhs on each arm [D.B. CX).
This shews that it is a potent agent, having or
giving life. A further step is gained when we see
the same emblem appear as a standard in the scene
of Sety I (Abydos i, 28 d). This shews that it
belongs to a nome; and it occurs between the
standards of Sais and Letopolis. Probably therefore
it belongs to a neighbouring nome, Prosopis, Libya,
or Metelis. Being part of a body it is likely that
it is a relic of Osiris ; and of all those the only
one that it can be is the zeruu preserved in the
Metelite Serapeum (De Rouge, Ghgraphie 41). This
word, denoting limits or boundaries, appears to mean
sides of the body or chest, but it is also applied to
other limits such as the soles of the feet or the
temples. Now the chest and arms which appear
here would agree well to such a meaning. We reach
the position then that this is a human chest and arms,
possessing authority and life ; that it therefore belongs
to a deified king, and that it therefore is probably the
relic of the king Osiris preserved in the Metelite
nome.
Of what use was this in the investiture of the heir
to the throne ? Here we turn to a survival of custom
in Christianity. In the Metelite nome was Alexandria,
with its great seat of Osiris-Serapis worship in the
immense Serapeum. The high priest was called
the patriarch (Philostratos, Life of Apollonios, V, 25),
whence the title seems to have been assumed for the
bishop on taking over the Serapeum to Christianity.
And each Christian patriarch was consecrated by
laying on him the dried hand of the first patriarch
(Stanley, Lectures on the Eastern Church, I,iii, 7). We
can hardly doubt that this was a custom taken over
with the Serapeum, and with the title of Patriarch,
from the older worship. If then in the principal
Serapeum of the Metelite nome an arm was used
for consecration, it seems to descend from the arms
of Osiris which were preserved there, and which
were used in the investiture of the ruler from early
times as we see in these scenes.
These arms therefore were perhaps at first the
actual dried arms of the Osiris-king, preserved when
his body was cut up in far prehistoric times. In
historic ages they were probably a cartonnage model
of a chest and arms which were carried to the in-
vestiture, and laid on the shoulders of the new ruler
to confer the virtues of the royal office.
28. PL VI. Most of these figures we have
already described in previous parts. The main group
is the cluster of six palm trees around a lake, with
shrines between the palms. The two left shrines
are drawn in broken line, as being mostly destroyed.
The locality of this group is shewn by the bennu bird
on a stand, which belonged to Heliopolis. Further,
the bennu occurs, with the same place name Deba-
kheru, in the entry on the Palermo stone under king
Userkaf, and in connection there with Heliopolis, as
THE SUBJECT OF THE PYLON SCENES
" chiefs of the palace." The hea mace in the palace
probably denotes the palace of Memphis, the mace
being apparently the emblem of Memphis (Qurneh,
PL XLIV, p. 13). Next is the "festival of Upuati"
mentioned. Below much is lost, but the palanquins
of the royal children were there; the carved feet
are made in the form of couchant ibexes. Below
these is the goddess Nut supporting the heaven, and
calling "Come and bring, come and bring." Compare
the speech of the Osiris-king " Come in peace"
addressed to the crown prince before him [A.Z.
XXXIX, VI).
The title along the top is apparently " The good
deity of the place Nekhebt and of the place Hezt
with the vulture head-dress, mistress of the southern
palace." For the place Hezt see Lanzone, Diz, Mitol.
CCCXLIX, 3, and CCCL ; and for the head-dress
see the same, p. 1022.
The king is called " Son of Ra beloved by the
gods." His attitude and objects are those seen in
his dance before the Osiris-king. Before him is
Uazit the serpent goddess of the north in conjunction
with the hawk name. The base of the northern
plant is seen to be really copied from the scales or
horny plates which surround the stems ; it is often
confounded with water lines in later times. Below
that is the title of Tahuti "lord of Khemennu,"
apparently over the figure of the god. Parts of
other signs remain below the king's elbow.
27. Behind the king is carried the strange object
which we noticed in the first scene. This is frequently
represented, along with the emblems of the fan and
half heaven, behind the kings, as for instance on the
lintel of Merenptah PL XXI. It has been generally
thought to be a scorpion, and connected with the god-
dess Selket. But no meaning has been discovered
for it. In the exquisitely delicate carvings of this
pylon, the details of it plainly shew that it is certainly
not a scorpion, but that the arms and shoulders
are clearly those of a man. In this instance it has
a cylinder seal hanging from one arm ; this is never
borne by the gods, but belongs to royalty or deputies
of a king. In other cases it has an ankh hanging
from each arm [Dew el Bahari XI, XLV, XCIII)
and sometimes two ankhs on each arm [D.B. CX).
This shews that it is a potent agent, having or
giving life. A further step is gained when we see
the same emblem appear as a standard in the scene
of Sety I (Abydos i, 28 d). This shews that it
belongs to a nome; and it occurs between the
standards of Sais and Letopolis. Probably therefore
it belongs to a neighbouring nome, Prosopis, Libya,
or Metelis. Being part of a body it is likely that
it is a relic of Osiris ; and of all those the only
one that it can be is the zeruu preserved in the
Metelite Serapeum (De Rouge, Ghgraphie 41). This
word, denoting limits or boundaries, appears to mean
sides of the body or chest, but it is also applied to
other limits such as the soles of the feet or the
temples. Now the chest and arms which appear
here would agree well to such a meaning. We reach
the position then that this is a human chest and arms,
possessing authority and life ; that it therefore belongs
to a deified king, and that it therefore is probably the
relic of the king Osiris preserved in the Metelite
nome.
Of what use was this in the investiture of the heir
to the throne ? Here we turn to a survival of custom
in Christianity. In the Metelite nome was Alexandria,
with its great seat of Osiris-Serapis worship in the
immense Serapeum. The high priest was called
the patriarch (Philostratos, Life of Apollonios, V, 25),
whence the title seems to have been assumed for the
bishop on taking over the Serapeum to Christianity.
And each Christian patriarch was consecrated by
laying on him the dried hand of the first patriarch
(Stanley, Lectures on the Eastern Church, I,iii, 7). We
can hardly doubt that this was a custom taken over
with the Serapeum, and with the title of Patriarch,
from the older worship. If then in the principal
Serapeum of the Metelite nome an arm was used
for consecration, it seems to descend from the arms
of Osiris which were preserved there, and which
were used in the investiture of the ruler from early
times as we see in these scenes.
These arms therefore were perhaps at first the
actual dried arms of the Osiris-king, preserved when
his body was cut up in far prehistoric times. In
historic ages they were probably a cartonnage model
of a chest and arms which were carried to the in-
vestiture, and laid on the shoulders of the new ruler
to confer the virtues of the royal office.
28. PL VI. Most of these figures we have
already described in previous parts. The main group
is the cluster of six palm trees around a lake, with
shrines between the palms. The two left shrines
are drawn in broken line, as being mostly destroyed.
The locality of this group is shewn by the bennu bird
on a stand, which belonged to Heliopolis. Further,
the bennu occurs, with the same place name Deba-
kheru, in the entry on the Palermo stone under king
Userkaf, and in connection there with Heliopolis, as