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The Osireion at Abydos
CHAPTER 3. THE PASSAGES (Sections 18- 21; plates 12-15).
18.
Pl.12. The sloping passage leading from the hall towards the Temple of
Sety was inscribed on the South side with the 17th chapter, on the
North side with the 99th chapter, of the Book of the Dead. Above the
inscription on each side was a frieze of figures of which it was
possible to copy only one, from the north side. The rapid silting
up of the passage by heavy falls of sand and stones made it impossible
to copy more than a few lines of the inscriptions, which are only
enough to show the chapters from which they are taken.
The 99th chapter is the Chapter of bringing the Makhent boat; the 17th
is one of the most ancient chapters, of which the meaning was so
obscure, even in the earliest times of which we have any knowledge of
it, that it is accompanied by a running commentary by ancient
theologians. By degrees, the commentary became confounded with the
text, which (p.21) then required a fresh commentary. In Renouf's
translation (P.S.B.A.) the original text, so far as it can be
ascertained, and the commentaries, are printed in different type,
enabling the reader to distinguish between them at a glance.
The
lintel or roofing stone, which still remains in position, was painted
in black on a grey ground. It was probably the intention of the
builders to engrave the hieroglyphs, but it was left, like the east
side of the North passage, merely sketched in.
The names,
which are determined with the sign of a star, are those of the dekans,
and are interesting as none have hitherto been found of the time of
Merenptah. The earliest known are in the tomb of Seti 1, and in the
Ramesseum of the reign of Rameses II; these now continue the
consecutive series for another reign.
The whole roof of the
passage was probably covered with the names of stars, and possibly with
astronomical data, of which not a vestige remains except this one small
section.
19. Pl.13. The passage leading northwards out of the hall is sculptured and painted with scenes from the "Book of Gates."
On
the East wall is the representation of the sunrise, on the West wall is
the sunset. The latter was considered more important, for the West wall
is sculptured, the East wall being merely painted.
Surrounding
the whole scene is the pathway of the sun, with the disk of the sun
placed half-way. The disk has been painted red, and was scribbled over
with a half-legible Greek graffito.
The first scene shows the
Boat of the Sun upheld by Nu, the primaeval Waters. The hieroglyphs
explain that "These two arms go forth from the water; they raise this
god." In the centre of the boat is the beetle, emblem of the
resurrection, supporting the sun's disk. On either side are Isis and
Nephthys, whose headdresses are the hieroglyphs which form their names;
towards the stern of the boat and behind Isis, are five divinities,
Geb, Shu, Heka, Hu, and one unnamed;the two last manage the great oars
by which the boat is steered. Above is the sentence "The god [? gods]
of the Atet-boat following this god [when he] sets." On the other side
of the beetle, and behind Nephthys, are three gods named Sa. Above them
are the words, "Those who are with him." In the prow kneels the king
with upraised hands in an attitude of worship, with his name and titles
above his head, "Lord of the Two Lands, Ba-en-Ra mer-Ptah, true of
voice." This is the only instance I know of the king appearing in the
boat of the immortals.
Over the boat is a straight line, above
which are two figures upside down. The upper one is represented with
the feet turned back till they almost touch the head. According to the
hieroglyphs this is "Osiris encircling the Duat; "the Duat being the
other World through which the sun passed at night. Osiris with raised
arms supports the goddess Nut on his head. The hieroglyphs beside her
read, "Nut receiving Ra; "the theory being that the sun was born of Nut
every morning, and died in her arms every evening.
This scene
of the circular Osiris is very rare; it occurs on the sarcophagus of
Sety I and in the tomb of Rameses VI. The explanation of the peculiar
position appears to me quite simple; the straight line above the boat I
take to be the line of the horizon, Osiris and Nut being below the
horizon. It was impossible to represent both sides of the horizon on an
upright wall without having some of the figures wrong way up. The
artist was forced to sacrifice truth to the exigencies of the case; the
boat and its passengers, being the most important, are placed
correctly, therefore Osiris and Nut, who are merely subordinate
characters, are reversed.
The sunset is separated from the
next scene by five lines of hieroglyphs. In the line nearest the boat
are two serpents; the one at the top is upside down, and wears the
head-dress of Isis; that at the bottom wears the head-dress of
Nephthys.
The inscription between the two reads, "They are the
guard of the secret gate of the souls who are in Amentet, after
entering this gate."
Between the other lines of hieroglyphs
are two serpents standing on their tails, the one called Sbny, "He of
the gate "[or perhaps Duay, "He who praises"], the other called
Pckkery, "He who surrounds."
The hieroglyphs read from right
to left, the inscription therefore begins on the right-hand side. "(1)
He [who] is on this door, he opens unto Ra. Sa [says] unto Pekhery,
Open thy gate unto Ra, unbolt thy door for the Horizon-god. It is that
he makes light the thick darkness. (2) The gate it is of entrance (?)
before the souls who are in Avientet, after entering this gate. (3) He
[who] is on this gate, he opens unto Ra. Sa [says] to Pekhery, Open thy
gate to Ra, unbolt thy door to the Horizon-god. He is accustomed to
make light the thick darkness. (4) (p.22) The Gate it is of entrance
before the souls who are in Amentet after entering this gate of
Amentet. He rises behind this great god.
The long line of
inscription at the extreme right of the page begins the next
scene: "This great god arrives at this pylon. The gods, who are
in it, worship him."
Then comes the picture of a structure
which has given the name of "Book of Gates" to this portion of the
religious literature of Egypt. The Duat was divided into twelve parts,
corresponding with the twelve hours of the night;at the end of each
hour was a gate through which the sun passed in his nightly journey
through the Duat. The gate itself was a narrow passage between high
walls, on the tops of which was the kheker-ornament forming a sort of
chevaux-de-frise. The name of this gate, which is partly obliterated,
can be restored as Zesert-bau, "Sacred of souls," from the sarcophagus
of Seti I. A human guardian stands at the entrance and the exit, the
one at the top holds a knife and is called Bay; the rest of the
hieroglyphs read, "He stretches out his two hands unto Ra, kindling a
spark for Ra." At the angles are two serpents, from whose mouths flow a
continuous stream of poison. Beside the gate are two tall poles
surmounted hy human heads; these are respectively Khepera and Atum, the
morning sun and evening sun; their names being inscribed above their
heads. The line of hieroglyphs between them reads: "They stand
upon their heads. They are upon their long poles, standing upon them at
the gate in the earth."
20. Pl.14. This scene shows the
eleventh division of the Duat or Other World. It occurs in other
places, but perhaps one of the best representations is on the
sarcophagus of Sety I. The scene is divided, as is usual, into three
registers; the middle one (B) representing the way of the solar boat,
which is preceded by various divinities, the upper (A) and lower (C)
registers represent the banks of the river on which the boat floats.
A.
A crocodile-headed god leads the way; he holds an uas-sceptre in his
right hand, and in his left, which is behind his back, is a serpent
with its head erect. His name is Sebek-er, or, according to M. Lefebvre
(Rec. of Past, xii, ii), Sebek-Ra. Eight women seated on coiled
serpents, one hand resting on the serpent's head, the other holding a
star. These are the stars of dawn, and are called "All the stars which
are in Nut."
*Three hawk-headed figures standing. Their names
are Sopd, an almost obliterated word, which reads Shenebt on the
sarcophagus of Sety, and He who is in the Double Boat. Four ram-headed
figures standing, called respectively, Khnum, Peneter, Dend, and Ba.*
[1] The inscription is the same as that on the sarcophagus of Sety, which
has been translated by M. Lefebvre (Rec. of Past, xii, 12). ".... not
arrives Ra. Those who are in this scene, their sceptres are in their
hands, it is they who make firm the shrine, their two arms being at the
side of the body which is in the Double Boat of the god, after issuing
from the gate of the land of Sma. They place the oars in heaven [when]
the hour which is in front [i.e. the future] comes into being ....
Those who are in this scene, their serpents being under them, their
hands holding stars, they issue from the double sanctuary of this great
god, two to the east and two to the west. It is they who worship their
souls of the east. They offer praises to this god, they worship him
after his gomg forth, and Sedeti [when] he issues in his shapes. It is
they who lead this god, they adore this god, they .... to them, their
serpents rising upwards behind him in this scene. He advances at their
advance, they take their station before this god. They turn round the
gods at this gate .... of Amentet.' The meaning of the concluding
sentence is not clear; I have therefore not translated it.
B.
A god standing, holding an uas-sceptre in one hand and an ankh in the
other. His name is Sebekhti, "He of the Pylon." Two women standing,
wearing the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. Their names are not at all
clear in meaning, and the sarcophagus of Seti gives no help.
Four
monkeys, each holding a gigantic hand, Mesu uaut, "The children of the
roads." Then comes a snake chained to the earth with four chains
fastened with hooks shaped like the hieroglyph for S. This is Apep, the
serpent of evil, the enemy of Osiris and the gods. *Advancing towards
him are eight figures, four jackal-headed and four human-headed, each
carrying a knife and a hook of the shape like the hooks which fasten
Apep.* [1] The inscription reads: ". . . . the children when they
strike him, they rest in Nut. Those who are in this scene, they spread
out his chains. It is that his teeth are in heaven,
(p.23) and his poison goes down to
Amentet. Those who are in this scene, it is they who establish Ra in
the eastern horizon of heaven. They direct this god, their staves (?)
in (?) their hands, two to the left and two to the right, in the two
sanctuaries of this god. They go forth behind him, praising his soul
[when] they see it. It is they who make firm his disk. Those who are in
this scene, they turn themselves towards this pylon of Duaty [Him of
the Duat], opening the caverns and making firm their secret pylons. The
souls, they arise behind him."
C. A cat-headed god holding an
uas-sceptre in his right hand; in his left, which is behind his back,
is a lotus. On the sarcophagus of Sety the god holds a serpent. The
name is Mauty, "He of the cat." Four men bowing, called Auityu. *Four
women standing, [Ke]byut, "The mourners." Four women wearing the crown
of Lower Egypt, and four wearing the crown of Upper Egypt.*
The
inscription reads: "behind him, their bodies are in their place.
Those who are in this scene, naming Ra; great are the names of his
transformations. Their souls, they ascend behind him, when their bodies
remain in their place. Those who are in this scene raise up truth and
make it firm in the shrine of Ra when he sets in Nut. Their souls, they
ascend behind him, their bodies remain in their place. Those who are in
this scene, it is they who fix the duration of time, and make the years
to come into existence for the guardians of the desolate ones in the
Duat and for the Living Ones in heaven, namely, they who follow this
god. Those who are in this scene in this pylon, they are uncovered as
to their hair before this great god in Amentet. They turn themselves
towards this pylon, entering not into heaven. Those who are in this
scene they worship Ra, they offer praises to him, they adore him when
they worship the gods who are in the Duat and the gatekeepers of the
secret places. They remain in their place. The doorkeeper of the cavern
{Qerert) remains in his place."
21. Pl.15. The sunrise is
shown on the east wall of the north passage. It had been painted in red
and black, but is now greatly faded, and in places the figures and
hieroglyphs are barely visible. I think that it is still unfinished,
and that the painting was merely a temporary decoration put up until it
was possible to sculpture the scenes in the same way as on the opposite
wall. Otherwise I cannot account for the first draft of the inscription
being still visible here and there, as is shown by the signs in dotted
lines, which were as distinct as the other hieroglyphs. Only two
colours, red and black, were used here, whereas four colours, red,
black, white, and blue, were used on the sculptured walls. It seems
probable then that this East wall shows us merely the artist's sketch,
which was never finished.
The scene has the pathway of the
sun, as in the sunset, with the solar disk in the middle. From the disk
issue Horus the Child, emblematic of the youthful Sun, and the
ram-headed Beetle, emblematic of creation and resurrection. Two
pathways diverge from the disk diagonally across the scene, defining
the limits of the celestial river. Above the upper diagonal path are
seven bowing figures, turned upside down. They are called, Sheta
Kheperu, "Secret of transformations; "Sheta yru, "Secret of forms;" As
(?) mesut, ".... of births;" Ymy ta, "He who is in the earth;
"Khenti-ta, "Chief of the earth; "Meny, "He who establishes; "Khesny.
Between them and the sun's path are three lines of hieroglyphs:
"These gods who are in this scene, they give praise (?) to Ra.......
companion (?) when he enters (?) from the womb of Nut."
Between
the diverging paths are eight lines of hieroglyphs: (i) "We draw
Ra, we follow this only lord, (2) Khepera, chief lord. Hail to thee,
the great one, (3) ye are glorious. Living soul of my transformations.
(4) Peace, peace, within his disk. Ra rests within (5) his disk. This
great god enters into his eastern hill, chief of the (6) gods, seeing
the past generations (pat), shining on the present generations (rekhyt)
(7) blessed is the face of him upon earth by these gods." The last line
is too obscure to translate.
CHAPTER IV. THE SMALL OBJECTS (sections 22-25; plates 17 + 19).
22.
A few small objects were found in the filling of the passages and
halls, apparently having been thrown away as mere rubbish. The building
itself had evidently been rifled, and every object removed, whether of
value or not.
Plate 17: Small objects found in the Osireion.
Pl.17- 3. A tall pottery stand of a form characteristic of the XlXth Dynasty.
Pl.17-4 and 5. Sculptor's Trial Pieces (p.24).—There seems to have been a school of
sculpture in the Temple of Rameses, for on the plain surface of the
walls below the decoration in that temple are sketches of figures
roughly incised. These trial pieces probably belonged to the same
school. The first exercise of the youthful sculptor was invariably the
neb sign, giving, as it did, a straight line, and a semi-circular
curve. It is interesting to see the sign engraved by the master's hand
at the top of the stone, below are the student's attempts in every
degree of badness. Another piece which was found showed part of a
little scene of the worship of Osiris;it was unfinished, one figure
only having been sculptured, the rest being merely sketched in in
black. This piece is now at South Kensington. The two pieces shown in
this plate must have been done by advanced students. No. 4 is the more
interesting, as it is not completely finished, the original drawing in
black ink is still visible at the shoulder. The serpent seems to have
been added so as to fill up the blank space and not waste the stone.
Pl.17-6.
Plaster Casts.—These are casts of the eyes of statues and of details of
decoration ;which, as the cartouche shows, were probably from the
temple of Rameses. They must therefore belong to the same school of
sculpture as the trial-pieces, and served the same purpose as the
plaster casts in schools of art at the present day.
Pl.17-7. A Surveyor's Mark.—This is of the Roman period.
All these objects were found at the North end, and in the North passage.
23.
In the Hall and South Chamber were found the Coptic ostrakon (Pl.37,
p. 43), and a small squatting statuette (Pl.19) of limestone. The
statuette was without a head, and was inscribed both back and front.
From the style and workmanship it belongs to the 26th Dynasty.
Plate 19: Statuette of Osiris.
Down the back
of the statuette are five rows of hieroglyphs, the top part being
slightly broken away, (i) "May the king give an offering unto
Osiris-Khenti- Amentiu, the great god, Lord of [Abydos] ;(2) may he
give funeral offerings of bread and beer, oxen and fowls, incense (?)
and ointment, wine and milk ;that which heaven gives, which earth
produces, and which the Nile brings (3) from his cavern, and on which
the god lives, for the ka of the divine father, the hen-ka priest of
the mysteries of the book of eternity in his month, (4) of the second
class and of the fourth class of priests ;of the first class and the
second class of priests in the place of decrees, the uab-priest of the
Boat of the second class, Hor-se (5)..... son of one of the same rank,
Hornekht, true of voice, son of one of the same rank, Hor-se-ast, true
of voice."
The inscription round the base gives the same name
and title as before: "... of the same rank, Hor-nekht." Another
fragment shows that the mother's name was given, but nothing remains of
the name.
24. Hieratic ostraka. A few limestone ostraka,
inscribed in hieratic, were found. Of nine of these Mr. Griffith has
kindly given the following translations and notes : —
1.
"Sunre, son of Shesuaf (?), his mother being Yua, of Pa-shes (?)"
"Amu-nefer, son of Rui, his mother being Huta, of Pa-shes (?)" A
memorandum of the two people named.
2. "How hast thou forgotten the business that I told thee !" The text is complete, perhaps only a trial of the pen.
3. "220 nails (?) worth 9 kite."
4. Possibly a bargain of some sort concerning sandals. The first word appears not to be sunt.
6. The ape of Thoth seated on a base, a lotus flower (?) before him, and an obscure inscription behind.
7. A list of names, Sun-re, Pen-dua, Sety, Amenemapt, and amounts, 14, &c.
8. A list of words or names and numbers.
9. Memoranda, with others added, after the stone had been turned upside down.
25.
Demotic ostraka. A very few demotic ostraka were found, chiefly on
potsherds. Professor Spiegelberg kindly read them, and says that they
are all accounts, (1) oil, (3) wine, (4) salt, (5) gives measures, but
no material is mentioned.
Footnote:
[1] All figures which occur between asterisks * are put in from notes, the
inscriptions on this plate are also from a hand copy and are not in
facsimile.
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