DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9510#0010
viii
PREFACE.
Meanwhile, in spite of all its defects, this mode of fixing
dates is certainly the safest mode of all; and I have there-
fore used it here. Possibly, I may have missed a few inscrip-
tions that I should have quoted; and I may have quoted
others incorrectly, for I have not looked at many of them
myself. As a rule, I have assumed that, wherever an in-
scription has been published, the publication is correct;
though the result of some enquiries has made me doubt the
wisdom of taking all this on trust .
In default of information in inscriptions or other con-
temporary sources, there is Manetho's history, or what is
known as such. But this is really of very little value as it
" For example, in the Museum at Gizeh there is a slab of stone, no. 292, with
a Greek inscription on one side, and some cartouches on the other. Prof. Curtius
published the Greek inscription in the Philologische tmd historische Abhandlungen
der k. Ahademic der Wisscnschaftcn zu Berlin for 1854, p. 287; and he described
the cartouches as " Koenigsschilder der 24Sten Dynastie." Seeing that Bocchoris
was the only king of the 24th Dynasty, this seems to be a scholarly way of saying
that the cartouches are those of Bocchoris. Subsequently, Prof. Wachsmuth
published the Greek inscription in the Rheinischcs Museum, Neue Folge, xxviii
(1873), p. 581, not knowing that it had been published before—see his note, xxx
(1875), p. 640—and he said that the cartouches were those of Apries. As a
matter of fact, there are two sets of cartouches placed alternately; and Prof.
Curtius seems to have read the cartouches in one set as Ba-ka-Ra, and made them
refer to Bocchoris, while Prof. Wachsmuth read the cartouches in the other set as
Uah-ab-Ra, and made them refer to Apries. But Uah-ab-Ra is the pranomen of
Psammitichos as well as the nomen of Apries, while Ba-ka-Ra is the prtznomen
of Nut-Amen. And Dr Wiedemann in his Aegyptische Geschichte, p. 597, has
treated the cartouches as those of Psammitichos and Nut-Amen, without even
mentioning any other view as possible. Yet in M. de Morgan's Gizeh Catalogue
(1892, page 94) and previously in M. Maspero's Bulaq Catalogue (1883, page 381)
and Mariette's Bulaq Catalogue (1876, page 91, and 1869, page 62) the cartouches
are treated as those of Psammitichos and Sabakon ; so that Ba-ka-Ra must be
replaced by Nefer-ka-Ra, the prcenomen of Sabakon. In reply to an enquiry
about the reading, M. Maspero very kindly sent me a note to say that Mariette
and he both recognized Sabakon's name sous les martelages. The hieroglyphics
being defaced, this reading may be questioned: but it certainly is not without a
parallel, for the Berlin Museum possesses a handle of a sistrum, no. 8182, with
cartouches which the catalogue describes as those of Psammitichos and Sabakon.
Prof. Erman has been so good as to send me a copy; and this gives Uah-ab-Ra
and Nefer-ka-Ra quite plainly. Dr Budge, however, when he was last in Egypt,
did me the favour of examing the stone at Gizeh in company with Brugsch Bey;
and he tells me that they both of them read the cartouches there as Uah-ab-Ra and
Haa-ab-Ra, the nomcn and prrznomen of Apries.
PREFACE.
Meanwhile, in spite of all its defects, this mode of fixing
dates is certainly the safest mode of all; and I have there-
fore used it here. Possibly, I may have missed a few inscrip-
tions that I should have quoted; and I may have quoted
others incorrectly, for I have not looked at many of them
myself. As a rule, I have assumed that, wherever an in-
scription has been published, the publication is correct;
though the result of some enquiries has made me doubt the
wisdom of taking all this on trust .
In default of information in inscriptions or other con-
temporary sources, there is Manetho's history, or what is
known as such. But this is really of very little value as it
" For example, in the Museum at Gizeh there is a slab of stone, no. 292, with
a Greek inscription on one side, and some cartouches on the other. Prof. Curtius
published the Greek inscription in the Philologische tmd historische Abhandlungen
der k. Ahademic der Wisscnschaftcn zu Berlin for 1854, p. 287; and he described
the cartouches as " Koenigsschilder der 24Sten Dynastie." Seeing that Bocchoris
was the only king of the 24th Dynasty, this seems to be a scholarly way of saying
that the cartouches are those of Bocchoris. Subsequently, Prof. Wachsmuth
published the Greek inscription in the Rheinischcs Museum, Neue Folge, xxviii
(1873), p. 581, not knowing that it had been published before—see his note, xxx
(1875), p. 640—and he said that the cartouches were those of Apries. As a
matter of fact, there are two sets of cartouches placed alternately; and Prof.
Curtius seems to have read the cartouches in one set as Ba-ka-Ra, and made them
refer to Bocchoris, while Prof. Wachsmuth read the cartouches in the other set as
Uah-ab-Ra, and made them refer to Apries. But Uah-ab-Ra is the pranomen of
Psammitichos as well as the nomen of Apries, while Ba-ka-Ra is the prtznomen
of Nut-Amen. And Dr Wiedemann in his Aegyptische Geschichte, p. 597, has
treated the cartouches as those of Psammitichos and Nut-Amen, without even
mentioning any other view as possible. Yet in M. de Morgan's Gizeh Catalogue
(1892, page 94) and previously in M. Maspero's Bulaq Catalogue (1883, page 381)
and Mariette's Bulaq Catalogue (1876, page 91, and 1869, page 62) the cartouches
are treated as those of Psammitichos and Sabakon ; so that Ba-ka-Ra must be
replaced by Nefer-ka-Ra, the prcenomen of Sabakon. In reply to an enquiry
about the reading, M. Maspero very kindly sent me a note to say that Mariette
and he both recognized Sabakon's name sous les martelages. The hieroglyphics
being defaced, this reading may be questioned: but it certainly is not without a
parallel, for the Berlin Museum possesses a handle of a sistrum, no. 8182, with
cartouches which the catalogue describes as those of Psammitichos and Sabakon.
Prof. Erman has been so good as to send me a copy; and this gives Uah-ab-Ra
and Nefer-ka-Ra quite plainly. Dr Budge, however, when he was last in Egypt,
did me the favour of examing the stone at Gizeh in company with Brugsch Bey;
and he tells me that they both of them read the cartouches there as Uah-ab-Ra and
Haa-ab-Ra, the nomcn and prrznomen of Apries.