Egyptian Archaeology: The Journal OF
Egyptian Archaeology: The Journal OF
Egyptian Archaeology: The Journal OF
Egyptian
Archaeology
VOLUME 96
2010
PUBLISHED BY
THE EGYPT EXPLORATION SOCIETY
3 DOUGHTY MEWS, LONDON WC1N 2PG
ISSN 03075133
The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology
All rights reserved
ISSN 0307-5133
website: http://www.ees.ac.uk/publications/journal-egyptian-archaeology.html
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Roland Enmarch, Editor
Chris Eyre, Editor
Cary Martin, Editor
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Glenn Godenho, Editorial Assistant
editorial email address: [email protected]
The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 96 (2010), Brief Communications, 20754
ISSN 0307-5133
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
Four Middle Kingdom stelae
from the National Archaeological Museum, Athens *
Publication of the Middle Kingdom stelae National Museum, Athens L128, L131, L132, and L155 including
comments on style, iconography, palaeography, and dating criteria.
The monuments with the inventory nos L128, L131, L132, and L155 of the National
Archaeological Museum, Athens, were acquired with the Rostovitz collection in 1874.
1
Their provenance is not recorded.
Registration number: L128 (g. 1)
2
Origin: unknown, but probably Abydos Date: early Middle Kingdom
Material: white limestone Measurements: 35 23 cm
This rectangular stela is divided into two areas (A and B). The gures and hieroglyphs are
depicted in black paint. The side edges of the stela are marked with painted square borders.
The right half of the upper area A is covered by the standing gure of xnyt facing left.
3
She
wears a long wig, with all the hair falling over the back of her shoulders, as well as a close-
tting long skirt suspended by two shoulder-straps, and a bracelet on her wrist. Opposite
her stands a man (her son, or servant?), depicted on a smaller scale, and holding an ofering.
The upper part of his body is naked, and he wears a short kilt with its girdle marked by a
double line. nyt is embracing the ofering bearer. Above the scene is one horizontal line of
inscription, and a depiction of oferings:
$
.
Htp rxt
4
xA t xA Hnqt xA kA(w) xA Apd(w) xA Ss
Ofering(s) of the list: a thousand of bread, a thousand of beer, a thousand of oxen, a thou-
sand of fowl, a thousand of alabaster.
*
I thank Nikolaos Kaltsas, Director of the National Archaeological Museum, for permission to publish the
stelae and for providing both the photographs and the technical data (courtesy of and National Archaeological
Museum, Athens).
1
O. Tzachou-Alexandri, The World of Egypt in the National Archaeological Museum (Athens, 1995), 20;
V. Chrysikopoulos, Lhistoire des collections dantiquits gyptiennes du Muse National dAthnes: Les
donateurs Ioannis Dimitriou et Alexandros Rostovitz, in J.-C. Goyon and C. Cardin (eds), Proceedings of the
Ninth International Congress of Egyptologists: Grenoble, 612 September 2004 (OLA 150; Leuven, 2007), I, 333.
2
B. Prtner, Aegyptische Grabsteine und Denksteine aus Athen und Konstantinopel (Strasbourg, 1908), pl. v.16;
Tzachou-Alexandri, The World of Egypt, 10607; D. Stefanovi, The Feminine Stelae of the Middle Kingdom:
Stela Leiden 35, GM 218 (2008), 8192.
3
For the deceased facing left see H. G. Fischer, The Orientation of Hieroglyphs (New York, 1977), 205, and
L. M. Berman, The Stela of Shemai, Chief of Police, of the Early Twelfth Dynasty in The Cleveland Museum
of Art, in P. Der Manuelian (ed.), Studies in Honor of William Kelly Simpson (Boston, 1996), I, 97.
4
For Htp rxt I have not been able to nd any further parallels. The other possibility is that sign $ (R4) is used
instead of (Y2). In this case the text would just be rxt list (Wb. II, 448.1318).
208 BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS JEA 96
Fig. 1. National Archaeological Museum, Athens L128
(courtesy of the National Archaeological Museum, Athens).
The space between xnyt and the ofering bearer contains a caption with the name of the
latter:
..
L kAy
5
Area B, below this scene, comprises two lines of inscription, written from left to right,
with an ofering-formula on behalf of xnyt:
5
Ranke, PN I, 341.20; see F. Colin, Les Paneia dEl-Buwayb et du Ouadi Minayh sur la piste de Brnice
Coptos: Inscriptions gyptiennes, BIFAO 98 (1998), 100.
2010 BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS 209
s
$
.
.
. .
(1) Htp di nsw xr
6
wsir nb Ddw
7
(2) nTr aA
8
nb pt prt-xrw
9
t Hnkt
10
imAx(yt)
11
xnyt
12
(1) An ofering which the king has given and (which was given) from near Osiris, lord of
Busiris, (2) the great god, lord of heaven: an invocation ofering (consisting of) bread and
beer (for) the venerated xnyt.
The general shape of the stela, the appearance of the gures,
13
as well as the form of the
ofering formula, point to an early Middle Kingdom date. Note the remarkable and probably
unique motif of the female owner of the stela embracing the ofering bearer.
Registration Number: L131 (g. 2)
14
Origin: unknown, probably Abydos(?) Date: early Middle Kingdom
Material: white limestone Measurements: 32 23 cm
A rectangular horizontal stela, with a large gural eld in sunk relief, and two lines of incised
inscription at the top. On the left stands a couple facing right toward an ofering table. The
oferings represented are disproportionately large. The man wears a short wig, leaving the
ear uncovered, with a simple broad necklace and a triangular protruding kilt. The left hand
holds a long staf, the right hand a sceptre. The woman wears a full length, close-tting
dress suspended by two shoulder straps, and broad collar. Her right hand hangs down by her
side, while the left holds a lotus blossom up to her nose.
15
The inscription, running right to left, contains no ofering formula, instead only identifying
the gures depicted:
.
.
. .
6
For the early Twelfth Dynasty ofering formulas using the preposition xr before the gods name, see D. Franke,
The Middle Kingdom Ofering Formulas: A Challenge, JEA 89 (2003), 44 n. 28, and G. Lapp, Die Opferformel
des Alten Reiches: Unter Bercksichtigung einiger spterer Formen (SDAIK 21; Mainz, 1986), 51.
7
For the spelling of Ddw Busiris as a part of the Osiris epithet nb Ddw, see C. J. C. Bennett, Growth of the
@tp-di-nsw Formula in the Middle Kingdom, JEA 27 (1941), 78.
8
For nTr aA referring to Osiris, see most recently H. G. Fischer, Marginalia II, GM 128 (1992), 725.
The vertical arrangement of the aA-sign in nTr aA nb pt points to the early Middle Kingdom; see W. Schenkel,
Frhmittelgyptische Studien (BOS 13; Bonn, 1962), 4b. The later horizontal arrangement of the aA-sign within
the sequence of the Osiris epithets is already attested at the end of the reign of Mentuhotep II; see J. Allen, Some
Theban Ofcials of the Early Middle Kingdom, in Der Manuelian (ed.), Studies Simpson, I, 10 n. 43.
9
The absence of di.f after the Htp di nsw formula is an indication of the early Twelfth Dynasty; see C.
Obsomer, _i.f prt xrw et la liation ms(t).n/ir(t).n comme critres de datation dans les textes du Moyen Empire,
in C. Cannuyer and J.-M. Kruchten (eds), Individu, socit et spiritualit dans lgypte pharaonique et copte:
Mlanges gyptologiques oferts au Professeur Aristide Thodorids (Brussels, 1993), 163201, and H. Satzinger,
Beobachtungen zur Opferformel: Theorie and Praxis, LingAeg 5 (1997), 17788.
10
Sign 6 (W23) is used instead of 5 (W22).
11
Bennett, JEA 27, 79, pointed out that during the early Middle Kingdom (from the reign of Senwosret I),
the owner of the inscription is designated simply as imAx(y) the venerated one; see also D. Doxey, Egyptian Non-
royal Epithets in the Middle Kingdom: A Social and Historical Analysis (Pd 12; Leiden, 1998), 94.
12
Ranke, PN I, 270.3.
13
R. Freed, The Development of Middle Kingdom Egyptian Relief Sculptural Schools of Late Dynasty XI with
an Appendix on the Trends of Early Dynasty XII (20401878 B.C.) (PhD thesis, New York University; Ann Arbor,
1985), 20001.
14
Prtner, Aegyptische Grabsteine und Denksteine, pl. i.2; Tzachou-Alexandri, The World of Egypt, 107.
15
See R. Freed, Representation and Style of Dated Private Stelae of Dynasty XII (Masters thesis, New York
University; New York, 1976), 59; K. Pger, The Private Funerary Stelae of the Middle Kingdom and their
Importance for the Study of Ancient Egyptian History, JAOS 67 (1947), 130.
2
1
0
B
R
I
E
F
C
O
M
M
U
N
I
C
A
T
I
O
N
S
J
E
A
9
6
Fig. 2. National Archaeological Museum, Athens L131 (courtesy of the National Archaeological Museum, Athens).
2010 BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS 211
(1a) imAx(y) xr ptH-skr
16
mrw
17
(2a) ms.n amryt
18
mAa-xrw
(1b) imAx(y)t mrrw
19
(2b) ms(t).n snt
20
mAat-xrw
The venerated before Ptah-Sokar,
21
mrw born of amryt, true of voice.
The venerated mrrw born of snt, true of voice.
The layout, inscription, and style of the stela date it to the early Middle Kingdom, and
it may belong to the cluster of stelae labelled by R. Freed as Colorful Theban Group
(workshop no. 1: New York, MMA 16.10.333; Cairo, JE 45626; Cairo, JE 45625; New York,
MMA 16.10.327; Florence 6364 and Vienna, KHM S 202).
22
Registration Number: L132 (g. 3)
23
Origin: unknown, but probably Abydos Date: late Middle Kingdom
Material: white limestone Measurements: 37.5 24.5 cm
A rectangular stela divided into three areas (A, B, C), with incised gures and hieroglyphs.
Area A at top contains four lines of inscription running right to left, with an ofering-formula
on behalf of the overseer of labourers sanx-mnTw, (who is probably the gure standing on the
left in register B):
s $
K
5
-
L
.
. L
-
K
. : K
K
sA.f mr.f wHA
32
His son whom he loves, wHA.
Behind wHA there is the tiny standing gure of his brother named in a vertical line of
inscription above him, here reorganised into horizontal line:
-
K
sA.f mr.f sA-mnTw
33
His son whom he loves, sA-mnTw.
Register C displays two standing female gures facing each other, with an ofering table
between them. They wear long tripartite wigs, leaving their ears uncovered, with close-
tting long skirts. Both of them are holding a lotus blossom up to their noses. Above the
scene, there is a horizontal line of inscription, running right to left:
.
. .
.
imAx(y)t Hmt.f snyt
34
imAxt Hmt.f it-anx
35
The venerated, his wife snyt. The venerated, his wife it-anx.
The design, layout, style, the detailed ofering formula, and the use of di.f prt xrw and n kA
n date the stela to the late Middle Kingdom, probably to the second half of the Thirteenth
Dynasty.
Registration Number: L155 (g. 4)
36
Origin: unknown, probably Thebes Date: late Middle Kingdom
Material: white limestone Measurements: 35 23 cm
A round-topped stela with incised gures and hieroglyphs divided into three elds (A, B,
and C), with a painted squares border around the edge. At the top, in the lunette (A), are
two jackals reclining on shrines.
37
Below this are three lines of inscription running right to
left (B), with an ofering-formula on behalf of the master of the tm, nfr-Htp, who is depicted
standing on the left in the eld below (C). The text reads:
s $
K
5
-
.
( .
.
214 BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS JEA 96
38
For the mutilation of the bird hieroglyphs, see M. Mare, A Remarkable Group of Egyptian Stelae from
the Second Intermediate Period, OMRO 73 (1993), 13; H. G. Fischer, Archaeological Aspects of Epigraphy
and Palaeography, in R. Caminos and H. G. Fischer (eds), Ancient Egyptian Epigraphy and Palaeography (New
York, 1976), 32 n.19; G. Miniaci, The Incomplete Hieroglyphs at the End of the Second Intermediate Period,
in P. Kousoulis (ed.), Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists, Rhodes 2229 May 2008. Abstracts of Papers
(Rhodes, 2008), 1678.
39
For Hry n tm, see Ward, Index of Titles, no 1087; see also S. Quirke, Titles and Bureaux of Egypt 18501700
BC (GHE 1; London, 2004), 956, who suggests that the Hry n tm was perhaps the main security ofcial for the
enclosures of the temporary labour system (xnrt). For a possible military meaning of the title, see R. Leprohon,
Stelae, I: The Early Dynastic Period to the Late Middle Kingdom (CAA Museum of Fine Arts Boston 2; Mainz,
1985), 161. However, H. G. Fischer, Varia Nova: Egyptian Studies, III (New York, 1996), 129 pointed out that
the variant writing
attested on stela CGC 20430 suggests that tm refers to land. The title is restricted to
the late Middle Kingdom.
40
Ranke, PN I, 198.14; the phonetic complement p of Htp resembles the hieratic form: G. Mller, Hieratische
Palographie, I (Leipzig, 1909), 36 (no. 388).
41
Ranke, PN I, 95.16.
42
See Satzinger, LingAeg 5, 17788; Franke, JEA 89, 4550.
43
Reading anxti as the prospective relative fem. sing.
44
The male bag wig, with exposed ears, occurs most frequently during the Late Middle Kingdom. See Freed,
Representation and Style, 59.
45
Prtner, Aegyptische Grabsteine und Denksteine, pl. iii.8.
46
See W. Barta, Aufbau und Bedeutung der altgyptischen Opferformel (F 36; Glckstadt, 1968), 72, 81, 85,
107, 139, and 162.
47
Schenkel, Frhmittelgyptische Studien, 30 n. c.
(1) Htp di nsw wsir nb Ddw
38
nTr aA nb AbDw di.f (2) prt-xrw t Hnqt kAw Apdw xt nbt nfrt wabt
anxti nTr im n kA n (3) Hry n tm
39
nfr-Htp
40
ms.n bbi
41
(1) A boon which the king has given to/and
42
Osiris lord of Busiris, great god, lord of
Abydos, that he may give (2) invocation oferings of bread and beer, cattle and fowl, all
things good and pure on which a god may live,
43
for the ka of (3) the master of the tm, nfr-
Htp born of bbi.
Field C is divided in its right half into two sub-registers. The left half of eld C is covered
by the standing gure of the deceased nfr-Htp, facing right. He wears a short bag wig that
leaves his ears uncovered,
44
as well as a plain collar and a triangular protruding kilt with belt
and knot marked. His right arm is held to his chest, his left arm is at his side.
The upper sub-register on the right shows an ofering-table, but does not depict the tables
stand. The lower sub-register displays the kneeling gure of a woman facing left, with her
left hand resting on her leg, the other held to the chest. She wears a long wig with all the
hair falling over the back of her shoulders, as well as a close-tting dress suspended by one
shoulder strap, and a broad necklace.
The layout, the execution of the human gures, and the style of the hieroglyphs in
the ofering-formula of this stela are very similar to four other stelae: National Museum
Athens 8,
45
Florence 6372, Florence 6373, and Florence 6377. These four stelae have so
much in common with stela L155 that they can all be considered as products made by one
and the same workshop. With the partial exception of Florence 6373, the ofering formulae
on these stelae are composed in an almost identical manner, all mentioning the same god,
epithets, and gifts in the same order. Other shared features include: the identical writing of
the Htp di nsw group, with the t above Htp and no phonetic complements after the Htp sign;
46
the consistent spelling of
(