ancient Egyptian stelae

In season 2021, the  Egyptian-Spanish archaeological mission at Oxyrhynchus discovered two tombs from the Saite Period: Tomb no. 53, which was damaged and spoiled, and Tomb no.54, which was found sealed and intact. This article deals with the inscription written over the mummified remains of the owner of the Tomb no. 54

The Stela of Hr-tAy-s-nxt CG 22069, discovered in Akhmim and currently preserved in the Cairo Museum basement, is a clear Ptolemaic example of funerary stelae. Despite its bad state, it visibly illustrates the litany of Re englobed in Chapter 15 of the Book of the Dead and its vignette. Yet, some other chapters of the Book of the Dead, the Book of Breathing, and the Book of Traversing are interwoven together. Indeed, the daily solar cycle is strongly manifested in the text, beside the Heliopolitan dogma, presented in the names of the mentioned gods. The stela presents the Akhmimic local features of linking some gods, such as Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Rehorakhty, to the region, as well as showing aspects of the cult of the local god Min and his festival. The name and the titles of the owner are explicitly expressed in more than one line, showing her relationship with the local cult. It encompasses some old funerary motifs, such as the appearance of the sun god, following the god's parade along with some old grammatical structures, such as the vocative and prepositional adverb clause.

Lecture. `Rethinking the materiality of Abydos stelae´. Current Research in Egyptology CRE, University of Alcala, Alcala de Henares, Spain. June 17-21.
The historical-archaeological analysis of a site artifacts propose conceptualizations and classifications -from selected theoretical-methodological frameworks- for the ordering and creation of databases, among other contributions. Throughout this process the artifacts are included in categories (and subcategories) that in many cases become diffuse. This presents different problems; on one hand that of defining objects as actors of a particular technological, social or ideological function; when they are supposed inseparable in practice. On the other hand that of differentiating features that have utility value from those that do not. The use of functional terms for certain artifacts supposes an analytical functionality by providing categories of analysis that suppose and presuppose a direct relation between their form and function.
In the field of Egyptology, the case of the Abydos site is a good example of an uncritical application of the stelae concept. Since the first excavarion works started in the mid-nineteenth century by Auguste Mariette and Flinders Petrie, and more recently by the University of Pennsylvania research group, hundreds of these objects have been found, rendering it an important case study. In this paper, we first present the multiplicity of categories and the absence of clear theoretical frameworks that allow to systematize and problematize the stelae. Secondly, we will consider the theory of materiality, allowing us to advance in new theoretical-methodological proposals for the reconceptualization of the stelae of Abydos.

According to the Oxford dictionary the lap is defined as the flat area between the waist and the knees of a seated individual and used to hold a child or anything else. In ancient Egypt the attitude of lap sitting expresses in particular from the earliest times the relation between two individuals; an adult woman and a child, the mother the seated individual and the child sitting on her lap. The divine model for this attitude relation is the mother goddess Isis in her image holding her son the child god Horus on her lap. Another distinguished relation was also expressed in the attitude of lap sitting that also gathers between two individuals but this time between an adult man the seated one and another individual sitting on his lap. This relation is the focus of the research that deals with the motif of sitting on the lap of a man in ancient Egypt. Through the descriptive and analytical methodology for all the scenes and statuary that depict the motif, the research will conclude cer...

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Contribution to: "Thot -  Infoheft  des Collegium Aegyptium e. V.; Förderkreis des Instituts für Ägyptologie der LMU München", No. 27, September 2021.

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The Family of Pa-di-Amun-neb-nesut-tawy from Thebes (TT 414) revisited provides fresh material about the identity of one of the key figures of the family that reused the Saite tomb of Ankh-Hor (TT 414) in the Asasif from the 4th century BCE onwards. It is the woman Kalutj/Nes-Khonsu, who was previously listed in the genealogical register of TT 414 as Pa-di-Amun-neb-nesut-tawy’s daughter and wife of one of his sons, Hor. By examining objects found by the agents of the consuls in the 19th century CE and those found by the Austrian mission in the 1970s in TT 414 and in wider Theban contexts, the authors are able to identify Kalutj/Nes-Khonsu, wife of Hor, as another, until now overlooked individual, separate from his sister with the same name. The examination of the funerary assemblage of Kalutj/Nes-Khonsu and of objects belonging to her husband, daughter and sons reveals not only details of Late Dynastic and Ptolemaic burial customs in Thebes but also additional information on the priesthood of Khonsu and of the sacred baboons in this era.

This new identification of a previously overlooked person, the mistress of the house and daughter of the first prophet of Amun, Kalutj/Nes-Khonsu (G108 + G137), demonstrates that the finds from TT 414 are still far from being processed in their totality. This material has the potential to provide answers to some of the open questions regarding Late Dynastic/Ptolemaic Thebes and to contextualise funerary assemblages.

Weiss, Lara. ‘Ägyptische Religion in der Alltagswelt: Ein praxistheoretischer Zugang.’ In Sociality – Materiality – Practice. Cologne Contributions to Archaeology and Cultural Studies / Universitätsforschungen zur prähistorischen Archäologie edited by Tobias L. Kienlin and Richard Bußmann. Bonn: Habelt, 2022, 203-224.

According to the Oxford dictionary the lap is defined as the flat area between the waist and the knees of a seated individual and used to hold a child or anything else. In ancient Egypt the attitude of lap sitting expresses in particular from the earliest times the relation between two individuals; an adult woman and a child, the mother the seated individual and the child sitting on her lap. The divine model for this attitude relation is the mother goddess Isis in her image holding her son the child god Horus on her lap. Another distinguished relation was also expressed in the attitude of lap sitting that also gathers between two individuals but this time between an adult man the seated one and another individual sitting on his lap. This relation is the focus of the research that deals with the motif of sitting on the lap of a man in ancient Egypt. Through the descriptive and analytical methodology for all the scenes and statuary that depict the motif, the research will conclude certain points: the main classifications for the scenes and statuary depicting the motif of lap sitting according to the identity of the man, upon whose lap another individual is seated; the type of relation between the two individuals depicted in the motif; and the differences and characteristics of the depicted ways of sitting on a man's lap according to the type of relation between the two depicted individuals in the motif.

The modern and occidental perception of friendship can be perceived as clear and understandable to all: it is a notion that is often associated with loyalty, love, patience and mutual comprehension. Was the ancient Egyptian view of friendship the same as ours? Did friends adopt the same behaviour with one another that characterises our own relations?

The word we can translate as “friend” in Egyptian is ḫnms(w), found in documents from the Old to the New Kingdom, mostly on funerary monuments such as stelae or in literary texts, but also in some other types of documents, although in much rarer occurrences. Only a few works have analysed the word ḫnms(w), mostly on Middle Kingdom stelae. These documents led us to the conclusion that the notion of friendship cannot be studied from our modern vision but should be analysed within an emic perspective. In this regard, adding literary texts to the debate allow us, through a renewed information, to explore this relationship in further details.

Funerary monuments manifest a degree of hierarchy concerning this relationship, even if the so-called “friend” is generally represented iconographically with or after the family. That fact is also noticed in some literary texts such as the Instruction of Ptahhotep or the Prophecies of Neferty. Other literary texts such as The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant or some other instructions clarify some aspects of the interaction between friends in Ancient Egypt as affection, generosity and reciprocity.

Basing our presentation on various sources, we will define how ancient Egyptians behaved as friends, the ways in which they had to act to maintain this relationship, as well as the aims of this “friendship”.

"'Spend a perfect day' - Hospitality for the Living and the Dead in Ancient Egypt" - Chapter (p. 34-47) and object entries (p. 170-179) concerning Ancient Egypt in the catalogue of the exhibition "Being a Patron - 4000 years of Hospitality" at Museum August Kestner, Hannover / Germany (14 May - 30 August 2009), Stadtmuseum Erfurt and Deutsches Klingenmuseum Solingen. Since there were no restaurants in Ancient Egypt - unlike e.g. in Roman cities - due to the fact that travelling was done on Nile boats on which the traveller used to eat and drink, the focus of the article were the mass bakeries and common eating halls which were discovered and excavated by Mark Lehner at Giza in 1988 - probably the world's oldest preserved "workmen's canteen". - (in German)

Il lavoro, di natura filologica e storico-culturale, indaga il silenzio e la figura dell’ “uomo silenzioso” come concetti-chiave dell’etica egiziana e come attori di processi culturali fondamentali per questa civiltà. Attraverso la traduzione, l’analisi e il commento critico di testi sapienziali, narrativi, poetici, religiosi, autobiografici, e altre fonti documentarie, datati dal Primo Periodo Intermedio alla conquista romana, sono qui osservati la permanenza e l’evoluzione del tema lungo l’intero arco cronologico dell’Egitto faraonico. L’elaborato comprende un’analisi del lessico e della fraseologia collegata al tacere nella letteratura egiziana, lo studio delle menzioni significative del “silenzio” nelle maggiori opere letterarie, e una raccolta di più di 160 record dal corpus dei testi biografici su statue, stele, oggetti di corredo e pareti delle tombe, che registrano l’aggettivo “silenzioso” tra gli epiteti esornativi dei membri delle élite.
La documentazione viene esaminata, oltre che dal punto di vista filologico, anche nelle sue implicazioni socio-culturali, come elemento ritenuto necessario alla convivenza civile e al buon funzionamento di molti apparati dello stato, nonché come possibile soluzione nei momenti storici di crisi, in cui la comunicazione è corrotta dalla violenza.
Frequenza, rilevanza e coerenza delle occorrenze fanno del tacere, inteso quale virtù attiva, utile alla comunità e apprezzata dagli dèi, una peculiarità singolare della cultura egizia, che a tutt’oggi manca di una trattazione esaustiva.

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- Eloquent Silence. Socio-cultural perspectives on the value of silence in ancient Egyptian literature and autobiographies-     

The dissertation is aimed to assess the meaning of silence and of the figure of the “silent man” as key features of the ancient Egyptian concept of morality, and as performing forces in some of the most significant cultural processes related to this civilization. Through the critical analysis of wisdom texts, narratives, hymns, autobiographies and other written sources, dating from the First Intermediate Period to the Roman era, the thesis evaluates the permanence and the evolution of this attitude throughout the Pharaonic age. The work includes a study of the lexicon related to silence, a linguistic and historical survey of the mentions of this topic in all the major works of ancient Egyptian literature, and a database of over 160 records attesting the epithet “silent” in the personal autobiographies on statues, stelae, and in funerary inscriptions of all kinds pertaining to the literate élites.
The selected documents are considered not only with from a philological point of view, but also in their socio-cultural implications. These texts paint a picture where silence is deemed necessary for a peaceful and fair coexistence, and for the correct functioning of many state institutions; it also arises as a form of solution for historical moments of turmoil, when the power of communication is corrupted and dissolved by violence.
The frequency and coherence of said evidence make silence an active and central virtue, fundamental for the society and appreciated by the gods; this fascinating peculiarity of the Egyptian mindset still lacked a comprehensive treatise.

denn -In der Entwicklungsgeschichte irdischen Lebens muß irgendwann der Augenblick gekommen sein, dass Primaten, Menschenaffen, begannen auf die Hände zur Fortbewegung zu verzichten, sich stattdessen aufzurichten, sozusagen auf eigenen Füßen zu stehen. Ein unheimlicher Evolutionssprung, denn dabei rutschte das Stammhirn nach hinten, der vordere Schädelraum wurde frei für die weitere Ausbildung des Großhirns als Voraussetzung für Lernfähigkeit und für "Bewusßsein", der Kehlkopf rutschte nach vorn, so dass sich die Stimmbänder differenziert ausbilden konnten -die Voraussetzung für Sprache, die Hände wurden frei zum -nunmehr nicht alleine instinktiv sondern bewußt -gesteuerten Sammeln, Jagen -Malen. Vielleicht kann/muß man dies als den Augenblick der biblischen Vertreibung aus dem Paradies ansehen: "und ihnen wurde bewußt, daß sie nackt waren" -das Feigenblatt als Beginn der Textiltechnik, aber auch der Beginn von Totenkult und Körperbemalung, die im Tierreich nicht vorkommen, aber zurückgehen bis in die Ältere Steinzeit und aktuell geblieben sind bis heute. Boden-und Deckenanstriche in Ocker 2a) , (erste Zeugnisse von Civil Engineering), die Einbettung von Toten in Rötel (Eisenglanz, Roteisenstein, Roteisenerz, roter Ton, roter Ocker, chemisch α-Fe 2 O 3 , in der Mineralogie als Hämatit bezeichnet), Körperbemalungen mit roten, gelben, schwarzen Naturfarben waren offenbar in der Älteren Steinzeit, also zur Zeit des Seite 3 von 56

Der schottische Anwalt Alexander Henry Rhind (1833-63), der in den 1850er Jahren aus gesundheitlichen Gründen nach Agypten gereist war, entdeckte dort sein Interesse für die pharaonische Kultur. Er stellte einige Einheimische an und begann mit Ausgrabungen auf den Friedhöfen des alten Theben. Über die Entdeckungen in einem Grab schrieb er: "Among the ddbris, however, were several painted funeral tablets of wood of the usual character, ...".2 Diese Aussage macht deutlich, dass schon damals hölzeme Totenstelendenn darum wird es sich bei den "bemalten Grabtafeln" gehandelt habenals typischer Bestandteil des altägyptischen Grabinventars galten. Daher verwundefi es umso mehr, dass diese hölzernen Totenstelen in der Agyptologie bislang nur vergleichsweise geringe Aufmerksamkeit erfahren haben. Was genau muss man sich nun unter altägyptischen Totenstelen vorstellen? Unter Stele versteht man ein (frei) hochragendes Mal, ein Gedenk-Mal oder einen Denkstein. Wichtige Eigenschaften dieses Objektes sind dabei ein dauerhaftes Material (meist Stein), dass es aufrecht und frei steht, was wiederum die Form beeinflusst, dass es dekoriert, also ein Informationsträger ist, und schließlich-der sich daraus ergebende Denkmalcharakter. Das deutsche Wort Stele ist griechischen Ursprungs (orq),q) und hängt vom Verb ot6)")"0r, "aufstellen, senden" ab. Im Agyptischen kannte man diverse Bezeichnungen für Stelen, die sich auf verschiedene Eigenschaften bezogen, z.B. den Charakter des Informationsträgers (w8 von "Befehl, Dekret", srh vom Verb "wissen lassen"), die aufrechte Form (chcw vom Verb "stehen, aufgerichtet sein") oder auch die Funktion als Kennzeichnung der Opferstelle (cbl, v.a. "Opferstein", vom Verb "darbringen"). K. Martin hat in seinem Artikel im Lexikon der Agyptologie die altägyptischen Stelen in drei große Gruppen unterteilt: A Gedenk-Male für Personen, was in erster Linie die Totenstelen umfasst, B Gedenk-Male für Sachen oder Ereignisse, wozu Grenzstelen, Teile der Tempelarchitektur, in Tempel gestiftete Stelen und die Stelen zu Einsetzung und Tod heiliger Tiere zählen, und C "Andere", z.B. Benben-Steine, Hausaltäre, magische Stelen, bes. Horusstelen, und Amulettbzw. Miniaturstelen.3 Totenstelen sind in Agypten seit der 1. Dynastie belegt, die ältesten an den Königsgräbern in Abydos. Sie bestehen aus Stein, sind oben abgerundet und tragen den Namen des Königs. Während des Alten Reiches waren Stelen in der königlichen und privaten Sphäre nur selten in Verwendung, als Markierung Zum Thema ist vom Verfasser an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin eine Dissertation mit dem Titel ,,Thebanische Totenstelen der Dritten Zwischenzeit: Ikonographie und Typologie" in Vorbereitung. "Im Schutt waren jedoch einige bemalte Grabtafeln aus Holz von der üblichen Art, ...". Rhind, 4.H., Thebes, Its Tombs and Tenants, Ancient and Present. A Record of Excavations in the Necropolis, London 1862,93.

t'u, i.],r, , i-,, , Third Intermediate Period Period, Twenty-second to Twenry-third Dynasty (c. 800 nco) Limestone Height: 42.5 cm, width: 33 cm, depth: 9 cm Kestner-Museum Hannover Acq. No. 1935.200.210 (Provenance: Baron von Bissing Collection)

This article deals with the consequences of dating the Banishment Stele (Louvre C. 256) to the period immediately  following the suppression of the High Priest of Amun, Amenhotep. It is postulated that the suppression was ended by a coalition of Ramses XI Menmare with Psusennes I, normally thought to have reigned much later. The latter sent his general/High Priest, Menkheperre, who temporarily took over the Theban high priesthood but had to withdraw when Amenhotep returned from exile.  When order was restored, a new era was proclaimed: the wHm mswt. The lower date on the stele is interpreted as year 1 of this era, allowing the stele's year 25 to become part of the 48-year reign of Psusennes I. It is shown how the events described in the Banishment Stele ultimately led to the political compromise that was the Oracle of Herihor (see: ZÄS 132): Ramses XI was not succeeded by Herihor, but by a king whose name (Khakheperre Pinuzem) suggests links with both Akheperre Psusennes I and HPA Menkheperre.

"From the late 21st through the 22nd Dynasty there was a visible decrease in the quantity and deterioration of quality of the funerary ensemble of private citizens in Thebes, Egypt. These changes correspond to the new rule by the Libyan-Bubastite kings of the 22nd Dynasty, and the imposition of tighter controls on the funerary ensemble for Theban citizens. This coincides with extensive transformations within the cult of the dead, such as, the abandonment of over-ground tomb structures, the
placement of stelae, changes in format and function of the stelae. The second section of this paper, deals with the grouping of stelae into workshops based on predetermined  characteristics. The workshops from the early 22nd Dynasty exhibit a standardization of format and style. The iconography is restricted to the employment of a few symbols. The stelae
from the late 22nd Dynasty display deterioration in the quality of
execution. However, there is a noticeable enrichment of the iconographic repertoire, and a shift back towards the emphasis on Osiris. This is in keeping with political changes of time, namely, the acceptance of the 23rd
Dynasty by the denizens of Thebes."

The 21st and 22nd Dynasties are characterized by major changes within the Egyptian political, social, cultural and economic arenas. There appears to be a general improvement in the status of women within the Theban social structure during the 21st Dynasty. A relationship was noted between the representation of gender on the funerary ensemble and the prosperity of the women in the 21st and 22nd Dynasty. It was observed that during the 21st Dynasty, there does not appear to be any difference in funerary paraphernalia and decoration between males and females in the 21st Dynasty. However, by the 22nd Dynasty, it was seen that there was a trend back to the “traditional” canon of gender differentiation and representation, indicating a link to the declining importance and prosperity of the Theban priesthood of Amun as a result of the centralization of power by the ruling Libyan dynasty at Tanis.