Studien zur altägyptischen Kultur Band 51

Abstract

Hartwig Altenmüller: Neues zu den Schutzsymbolen der magischen Ziegel von Totenbuch Spruch 151

Der Beitrag geht der Frage nach, welche Bedeutung die Schutzsymbole haben, die in der Vignette des Totenbuchspruchs 151 abgebildet sind. Die abgebildeten Schutzzeichen sind der Djedpfeiler, die Fackel, der Schakal und eine Statuette (twt). Ein Vergleich mit dem Bildprogramm der Zaubermesser ergibt, dass annähernd die gleichen Schutzsymbole auf dem Zaubermesser [21] Berlin ÄM 14207 aus dem Mittleren Reich abgebildet sind. Die Analyse der Zeichenfolge des Berliner Zaubermessers ermöglicht eine genauere Bestimmung der vier Schutzgottheiten von Tb151d-g, die nun erstmals für das Mittlere Reich nachgewiesen werden.

Marianne Eaton-Krauss: The Mamur Zapt Mystery Series with a postscript on Gaston Maspero’s acquaintance with Ibrahim Nasif al-Wardani, the assassin of Boutros Ghali

This summary survey of the nineteen books comprising Michael Pearce’s Mamur Zapt mystery series, which present an admittedly fictionalized version of life in Egypt ca. 1908–1920, is intended to provide contemporary Egyptologists with a perspective on the colonial environment in which their predecessors at the beginning of the last century lived and worked. The post-script, as its title indicates, is devoted to documentation for Maspero’s relationship with the assassin of the Coptic prime-minister Boutros Ghali.

Mohamed El-Seaidy: The Anthropoid Coffin of Wennefer. A study of a sample from the Saqqara hoard of coffins Supreme Council of Antiquities

Publication of the coffin of Wennefer from the Late Period, which was one of more than 300 coffins uncovered recently in the necropolis of Saqarra. In addition to the archaeological context, the decorations, that represent vignettes from the Book of the Dead, are described in detail and the texts are translated with comments. Finally, the proposed dating is discussed.

Mahmoud A. Emam / Ehab Abd el-Zaher: Head of Statue (JE 91392) for a Vizier from the Temple of Behbeit el-Hagar

In August 1969, a head of a statue had been found during digging a shaft for Muslim burials in the southern mudbrick wall of the temple of Behbeit el-Hagar. Since then, this statue head was registered (JE 91392) and stored in the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir, but had not received any further studies. The aim of this paper is to present a full description of this head for the first time and includes an investigation of the fragmentary inscriptions. The investigation’s findings are supported with a cross-comparison of the inscribed titles on other comparable artefacts, such as statue base no. 2298 in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon. The resulting analysis proposes that this head belonged to Horsiese (Hr-s#-#st), son of Wennefer, who was a Priest of Isis, a Chief Justice, and held the role of Vizier during the 30th Dynasty.

Rolf Krauss: The morning star of PT and CT on the move, up or down the arcs of the ecliptic

Spells of the Pyramid Texts (PT) and Coffin Texts (CT) describe activities of the morning star – crossing the Bending Canal from north to south; going to the Field-of-Rushes and sitting there enthroned; travelling towards ¤AH or the southern Field-of-Offerings. Astronomically, the morning star is Venus in the planet’s morning phase, appearing north or south of the ecliptic, crossing the ecliptic, moving up or down the arcs of the ecliptic, attaining maximum altitude above the horizon, and passing Orion, among other constellations.

Elisabeth Kruck: Die Überlieferung der sieben Salböle als Beispiel epistemischer Beschleunigung

Salböle spielten eine zentrale Rolle in altägyptischen Bestattungsritualen und sind in dieser Funktion auch in der Spruchfolge zu den sieben Salbölen (PT 72–78) genannt. Diese Spruchfolge ist erstmals in der Pyramide des Unas belegt, taucht aber auch ca. 150 Jahre später noch auf dem Kopfteil von Särgen und Sarkophagen auf, wo sie mit Darstellungen von Ölgefäßen und zum Teil auch weiteren Ritualutensilien gezeigt wird. Anhand einer Analyse textlicher und bildlicher Darstellungen von Salbölen beschreibt der Beitrag das Zusammenspiel dieser unterschiedlichen Darstellungsformen rituellen Wissens und identifiziert Beschleunigungsmomente im Hinblick auf den Transfer dieses Wissens.

Kacper Laube: The Sacred Landscape of Leontopolis (Tell el-Moqdam) in an Unpublished Manuscript of Auguste Mariette

After the establishment of the Service des Antiquités, its creator, Auguste Mariette, started numerous large-scale excavation works, which, except for Upper Egypt, also included lesser-known sites located in the Nile Delta. The archaeological site of Tell el-Moqdam, where Mariette started his works in 1860, is among those sites. Until recently, the results of his works at this site were almost completely unknown, which can now change due to the discovery of an unpublished manuscript that sheds new light on the topography of the site, including the presence of long-lost temple enclosure walls along with different features of the site that are no longer preserved.

Alexandra von Lieven : Eine bisher unerkannte bildliche Umsetzung des Menuliedes in Dendara

Auf der Außenmauer hinter dem Neujahrskiosk auf dem Dach des Tempels von Dendara befindet sich ein bislang weitgehend ignoriertes Relief. Es wird gezeigt, dass es sich dabei um eine zum ursprünglichen Plan des Kioskes gehörende direkte Illustration des Menuliedes handelt.

Elena Mahlich / Christoffer Theis: Ein ägyptischer Siegelabdruck aus Tunesien

Der vorliegende Beitrag bietet eine neue Deutung eines 2008 im tunesischen Al-Ğamm gefundenen Siegelabdrucks. Durch die Entzifferung des in einer Kartusche befindlichen Könignamens ist eine zeitliche Einordnung des Skarabäus in die Hyksoszeit möglich. Entweder stammt der Siegelabdruck ursprünglich aus der Nekropole von Karthago oder aus einem bisher unbekannten Grab in Al-Ğamm, das eventuell noch weitere ägyptische Funde beinhalten könnte.

Antonio J. Morales / Rawda Abd El-Hady / Sergio Alarcón / José M. Alba / Ella J. Andrews / Marta Arranz / Bettina Bader / Marina Camacho / Manuel F. Carrillo / Flavio Celis / Carmen Díaz / Enrique Dorado / Ernesto Echeverría / Alberto González / Carlos Gracia / Lily A.B. Griffin / Reed I. Hudson / Nisha Kumar / David Laguna / Inmaculada López / Andrés Martín / Óscar Martínez / Patricia Mora / Beatriz Noria / Mohamed Osman / Sika Pedersen / Mario Ramírez / Raúl Sánchez / Hazem Shared / Iria Souto / Daniel Spinelli / Jaume Vilaró / Elsa Yvanez: The Middle Kingdom Theban Project: Preliminary report on the University of Alcalá Expedition to Deir el-Bahari (Fifth and Sixth Seasons and Study Season – 2020/2021)

The present report presents the archaeological, epigraphic, conservation, and landscape works carried out by the Middle Kingdom Theban Project – a project under the auspices of the University of Alcalá (UAH, Madrid) Expedition to Deir el-Bahari and Asasif – in three campaigns (Fifth Season 2020, Study Season 2021, Sixth Season 2021). After the abrupt interruption of the Fifth Season due to the outbreak of the SARS-COVID 19 pandemic, the team organized a (summer) Study Season (Summer 2021), mainly to complete the analysis and documentation of required materials, and the Sixth Season (Fall 2021), where the focus stood on: i) the excavation of the courtyards of Henenu (TT 313) and Ipi (TT 315); ii) the excavation of the inner sections of TT 313 and E1; iii) the epigraphic analysis of hundreds of relief blocks retrieved from TT 313; iv) the implementation of new conservation protocols for the findings as well as the analysis of the conservation conditions and problems in Dagi’s tomb (TT 103); and v) the detailed analysis of textiles, ceramics, and human remains from TT 315.

Aurore Motte / Hana Navratilova: A pyramid casing stone with the opening passage of Kemyt Dahshur, pyramid precinct of Senwosret III

The secondary epigraphy in the pyramid precinct of Senwosret III in Dahshur has revealed a new excerpt of Kemyt (reg. no. 03.467). This paper offers the edition of this new dipinto and provides a discussion of its context. It also highlights parallels between royal and non-royal secondary epigraphy.

Rune Nyord: From crypt to cult. Pyramid Texts on Middle Kingdom mortuary stelae

In the late Middle Kingdom a number of cult stelae dedicated to ancestors (in tombs and Abydos shrines) are inscribed with ritual spells first known from the tomb chambers of royal pyramids in the 5th and 6th Dynasties over half a millennium earlier. This paper begins by tracing this phenomenon in terms of the contents and cultural context of the spells in question, and discusses the significance of the occurrence of the ‘same’ text in rather different surroundings: First, in the sealed burial chamber of the royal family, and later as displayed on the focal point of the ancestor cult performed for private individuals. While some of the texts are clearly offering spells and thus fit quite seamlessly into the context of the mortuary cult, others look like texts usually read as dealing with the deceased’s manifestation in the next world, which raises important questions concerning the understanding (by the ancient Egyptians as well as Egyptologists) of the subject matter of the spells. In turn, such considerations can provide input to ongoing discussions about the relationship between myth and ritual in ancient Egypt.

Wahid Omran: Akhmim in Durham: Investigating the Mummy Coffin DUROM.1999.32

The article studies a mummy and coffin exhibited on the entrance level of Durham University’s Oriental Museum with a registration number DUROM.1999.32. In 1964, x-ray analysis of the mummy revealed what appeared to be a prosthetic hand. This has attracted considerable academic attention and been the focus for the majority of research ever since. This article presents a more holistic study of the mummy and coffin. It addresses a range of issues including coffin’s potential provenance in Akhmim, whether or not it could have been excavated by Maspero in his investigation of the site (1884–1888) and the possibility that mummy, and coffin were exhibited in the old Boulaq Museum. The dating and gender of the mummy, which have also been a source of some debate, are also addressed using both scientific and art historical methods.

Julian Posch: Some Interesting Copies of the Kemit

Since 2018, the IFAO mission at Deir el-Médina started to document and study the objects that are still stored on site within magazine 25. This article provides a first edition of the found Kemit-ostraca. These ostraca have been examined in more detail with the help of DStretch. Based on the text carriers available here, some considerations on the writing practice are made.

Carolina Teotino: Die Horussöhne als Gabenbringer. Zur Überlieferung und Texttradierung auf Sarkophagen der ptolemäischen Epoche

On selected sarcophagi from the Ptolemaic period, the area between the chest and the knees of the lid is occupied by a scene depicting the four children of Horus with various gifts. They bring substances and return the components of the body and aspects of the person to the deceased so that he can use all his abilities in the afterlife. Special attention is paid in this paper to the transmission of this scene, known since the New Kingdom, with the associated texts on the late sources.

Andreas Winkler: The First Zodiac Sign and the Daimon: The Advent of an Astrological Tradition and Seven Elaborate Horoscopes

Known as the cradle of astrology in antiquity, Egypt has produced an astonishing amount of evidence for its practice. The multifaceted sources at our disposal show the widespread popularity of astrology during the Graeco-Roman period. The material includes monumental zodiac depictions, astrological manuals, and horoscopes of various levels of sophistication in both Greek and Demotic. While the majority of the published horoscopes in Egyptian are regarded as so-called simple horoscopes, the Greek examples are a more varied lot. Nevertheless, elaborate horoscopes were also compiled in the native language. Here seven horoscopes on ostraca written in demotic and hieratic are presented and discussed. The texts are among the oldest sources for natal astrology from ancient Egypt, recording nativities between the years 48 BC and AD 1. They are also the most elaborate horoscopes in Egyptian known to date. The positions of the planets in the zodiac signs are given in degrees of longitude, and these are correlated to the so-called system of terms. The astrologers compiling the horoscopes, furthermore, calculated the position of the lots, such as the Lot of Daimon and the Lot of Fortune. In total, eight such points are mentioned. Other astrologically relevant phenomena that are mentioned include prenatal syzygies, which were established by correlating the lunar and civil calendars. The date of the nativity is connected to a year in the 25-year lunar cycle seemingly following the system laid out in P.Carlsberg 9.