5. DISCUSION
5.6 Función Orientadora
M.1.5.P.18.1
Place
The funerary temple of Sahure, possibly blocks in the southern part of the temple most probably connected with the cult of Sakhmet. Context of New Kingdom stelae. No scale the original tracing.
Dating
This graffito has the advantage of a sufficiently preserved dateline, indicating Thutmose III, 18th dynasty.
Text
Transcription
Transliteration
1. [HA.t sp ? Abd sw ? xr Hm n nswt bitj]
mn-xpr-ra anx wDA snb, sA ra DHwtj-ms.w anx wDA snb, nfr-xpr.w anx wDA snb, anX D.t r nHH 2. [iw.t pw ir n sS X. sA sS [?]Y] r mAA tA Hw.t nTr n.t nswt bitj sAHw-ra mAa xrw gm.n-f st mi p.t ...
3. [aHa n Dd.n-f hwj p.t n an]ti.w wAD DfDf-s m sntr Hr tp n.t Hw.t nTr n.t sAHw-ra mAa xr[w]
4. [///////////////////////////////////] .w wD kA [?] wdn.tj sj n sAHw-ra mAa xrw [////////]
5. ÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖ..
Translation
1. [year Ö, month.., dayÖ under the Majesty of] King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Menkheperre, L.P.H., Son of Re, Thutmose, L.P.H., Neferkheperu, L.P.H., living forever and ever
2. [there came the scribeÖÖÖson of scribeÖ] to see the temple of the King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Sahure, justified. He found it like heavenÖ..
3. [and thus he said: ìLet the heaven] drip fresh myrrh and pour incense onto the roof of the temple of Sahure, justifiedÖ
4. ÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖsuppose/see68(?) offering it to Sahure, justified69 5. ÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖÖ.
Commentary
The graffito may have been fitting into the cultic re-use of the funerary temple of Sahure for the cult of Sakhmet of Sahure. Sakhmet is, however, not mentioned in the preserved text. Sahure, in addition, is not reduced to an epithet as it is the case later with the 19th dynasty graffiti like M.1.5.M.19.1.1; Sahure is represented as a king with titles of nswt bitj, and a cartouche. The author probably completed his admiration of the temple by a prayer for the proprietor of the temple, King Sahure, but unfortunately we do not know whether he also wanted some reward ñ such as a good burial, from the king. If not, then it is very tempting to agree with Megally, that the real reason for the visit was r mAA tA Hw.t nTr n.t nswt bitj sAHw-ra mAa xrw, to see the temple of the king Sahure, the justified70. An offering formula which most probably might have been closing this graffito is known from examples of similar inscriptions in the complex of King Djoser, which include besides offering formulae for the owner also prayers for the authorís own benefit.
The scribe, whose name is not preserved, used the popular formula of calling for the dripping myrrh and the raining incense for the temple of Sahure, which he most probably found impressive.
This formula is found in a number of the 18thdynasty graffiti.
Personages
The name of the graffito author is not preserved.
Documentation
Tracings by G. Mˆller, Gardiner Mss, AHG 29.60/B ñ with a note ìprobably graffito Mˆller 6î on the backside.
References
Baines, The destruction of pyramid temple of Sahure, GM 4, 1973, 9ñ13 Megally, M., Graffiti from Abusir, CdE 56, 1981, Fasc. 112, 218ñ240 Peden, Graffiti, 59
PM III, part 1, 2nded., 333ñ334
Borchardt, L., Das Grabdenkmal des Kˆnigs S`a3-hu-recI, Leipzig 1903, 120ñ121, finds on 131ñ135.
68 Either kAi, ìthinkî, or kA ìseeî.
69 Megally, Two Visitorsí Graffiti, Fasc. 112, transliterated consulting also Megallyís transcription on p. 229.
70 Megally, op. cit., 227. As Megally himself pointed out, that there are later graffiti that say just iw.t pw ir.n N Ö.r wdn n NN, the sightseeing element is then absent. Megally, op. cit., 227.
M.1.5.P.18.2
Place
The funerary temple of Sahure, possibly blocks in the southern part of the temple most probably connected with the cult of Sakhmet. Context of New Kingdom stelae. According to the tracing, the inscription was spread over four pieces of stone. No scale (see also Plate 4).
Dating
The 18th dynasty dating can be considered plausible also because of strong similarities to the hieratic script of M.1.5.P.18.1, which is dated under Thutmose III. Megally suggested even Amenhotep II or Thutmose IV.71
Text
71 Megally, Two Visitorsí Graffiti, 224 and 230, Peden, Graffiti, 59.
Transcription
Transliteration72
1. HA.t sp 2, Abd 3 Ax.t, [sw] 7, xr Hm [n] nswt bitj [/////////////////////////////] anx wDA snb 2. iw.t pw ir.n sS imn-m-[HAt sA sS an]ti-mnti73
3. r mAA tA Hw.t nTr n.t Hm n nswt bitj sAHw-ra mAa xrw 4. gm.n-f sj nfr Hr ib-f r aA.t wr sj m Hr-f
5. mi tA p.t sSp iaH aHa.n Dd.n-f nfr.wj
6. [tA hw.t nTr n.t kA] Hm n nswt bitj sAHw-ra mAa xrw 7. [///////] nA n ka.w Apd.w t.w ... ///////////////////////////
Translation
1. Year 2, month 3 of Akhet, day 7, under the Majesty of King of Upper and Lower Egypt, ÖÖ L. P H.
2. there came the Scribe Amenemhat, [son of Scribe Anat]-menti
3. to see the temple of the Majesty of the King of Lower and Upper Egypt, Sahure, justified 4. he found it beautiful in his heart, in his eyes [lit. face] [it] was great
5. as heaven lit in white by the Moon. Thus he said: This is beautiful
6. [the temple of ka of the Majesty ] of King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Sahure, justified 7. [////////] of bulls, fowl and bread loaves
Commentary
The graffito of the Scribe Amenemhat is of similar composition to another Sahureís graffito M.1.5.P.18.1.74The name Amenemhat does appear in the context of the complex of Sahure twice: in this graffito and on a stela Berlin. Mus. 19807 (Borchardt, Das Grabdenkmal des Kˆnigs S`a3-hu-rec,
72 Transliteration reflects also the reading by M. Megally.
73 See Peden, Graffiti, 60, note 12, and further Schneider, T., Asiatische Personennamen in ‰gyptischen Quellen des Neuen Reiches, Wiesbaden 1992, 72ñ73.
74 See Megally, Two Visitorsí Graffiti, hieroglyphic text on p. 229, his translation on p. 227ff., and Peden, Graffiti, 60.
Abb. 167, 123). On the stela one Amenemhat adores Sakhmet of Sahure. However, the style of the stela is that of late 18thdynasty, and the name of Sahure is misspelled (Borchardt, op. cit., 122, visible on the stela, l.c.). These two Amenemhats therefore cannot be identified as one person.
Graffito mentions the temple of the king; the king himself, except for being defined nswt bitj, Hm and mAa xrw, bears no special nominations or epitheta. The preserved text concentrates on Sahure, not on Sakhmet. The author of the graffito asks for an offering for Sahure, but there is no identifiable wish for some benefits for the author, which, however, might have been at the damaged end of the graffito. This graffito mentions specifically the offering, asking the usual composition of beef, fowl and bread for the deceased. The graffito is similar to graffiti in the complex of Djoser.
It is noticeable that both Sahure temple graffiti (both M.1.5.P.18.1 and M.1.5.P.18.2) use the titles, and even the definition ìmajestyî(or ìIncarnation), the same Hm, as can be seen for a contemporary sovereign in the first line, for a king who had died long ago.75
Personages
Amenemhat: Ranke, PN I, 28.8, ìsehr h‰ufigî for the New Kingdom. Other information on the scribe Amenemhat presently not known. The prosopography of dignitaries of the New Kingdom made by W. Helck includes several Amenemhats, but no one fits this period and scribal title exactly.76
Anat-menti = Anat-manata ñ West-Semitic name. It has been suggested that the scribes were part of the community of foreigners living in Memphis.
Documentation
Tracings by G. Mˆller, Gardiner Mss, AHG/29.60/A References
Baines, The destruction, 9ñ13.
Megally, Graffiti from Abusir, 227ñ229.
Peden, Graffiti, 60
PM III, part 1, 2nded., 333ñ334 Borchardt, Das Grabdenkmal, 120ñ121.
75 See even Megally, The Visitorsí Graffiti, 225. No conclusion is drawn from it, only that the scribes were aware of correct writing of Sahureís name. Which they were not in some of the later materials of the cult of Sakhmet of Sahure, cf. Borchardt, Das Grabdenkmal des Kˆnigs S`a3-hu-rec, 121f.
76 Imn-m-HAt, a scribe, in Helck, Verwaltung, 523 ñ grandson of Seni, time of Amenhotep I to Thutmose II. His grand-father ñ tomb in Western Thebes No. 317, text from the tomb in Urk. IV, 135; another one is a priest, p. 435B (fami-ly of the vizier Tetinefer), another priest, p. 525 from a Theban fami(fami-ly.
M.1.5.P.18.3
Place
The funerary temple of Sahure, possibly blocks in the southern part of the temple, probably connected with the cult of Sakhmet. No scale on the original tracing.
Dating
The 18thdynasty dating might have been defended also because of strong similarities to the hieratic script of M.1.5.P.18.1, which is dated under Thutmose III, unfortunately, the number of preserved signs is very small.
Text
Transcription
Transliteration
Fragments of inscriptions
1. ////////////////////////////////// sj mi //////
2. Ö///// ? [sign A17] //////////////////// mAa ?Ö /////////////? [fragments of signs]///////////////////////
Translation
1. ///////////////////// it as ////////////////////////////
2. //////////////// see ? ///////////////////////////////////
Commentary
Remnants of the graffito of possible Besucherinschriften character, showing probably traces of phrase [gm.n-f] sj mi[t] and mAa [xrw]. The text is too fragmentary to allow further discussion.
Personages Not identifiable.
Documentation
Tracings by G. Mˆller, Gardiner Mss, AHG 29.60/A References
Megally, Graffiti from Abusir, 226ñ230.
PM III, part 1, 2nded., 333ñ334 Borchardt, Das Grabdenkmal, 120ñ121.