Texts from the Pyramid AgeRonald J. Leprohon Ancient Egypt is well known for its towering monuments and magnificent statuary, but other aspects of its civilization are less well known, especially its written texts. Now "Texts from the Pyramid Age" provides ready access to new translations of a representative selection of texts ranging from the historically significant to the repetitive formulae of the tomb inscriptions from Old Kingdom Egypt (ca. 2700-2170 B.C.). These royal and private inscriptions, coming from both the secular and religious milieus and from all kinds of physical contexts, not only shed light on the administration, foreign expeditions, and funerary beliefs of the period but also bring to life the Egyptians themselves, revealing how they saw the world and how they wanted the world to see them. Strudwick's helpful introduction to the history and literature of this seminal period provides important background for reading and understanding these historical texts. Like other volumes in the "Writings from the Ancient World" series, this work will soon become a standard with students and scholars alike. Paperback edition is available from the Society of Biblical Literature (www.sbl-site.org) |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Annals and Lists of Kings | 65 |
Three Annalistic Vessel Inscriptions from Elephantine | 74 |
Annals on the Sarcophagus of Ankhesenpepy from South Saqqara | 75 |
A Writing Board from Giza | 78 |
Texts from Temples | 81 |
From the Temples of Sneferu at Dahshur | 82 |
Block from the Mortuary Temple of Userkaf at Saqqara Reused at Lisht | 83 |
Text on Offering Basin of Hebi from Giza | 240 |
Text over the Entrance Doorway of the Tomb of Iy at Giza | 241 |
Texts relating to Payment of Workmen | 251 |
Inscriptions of Nymaatre from His Tomb at Giza | 255 |
Text on the False Door of Nysuredi from Giza | 256 |
Inscriptions of Remenuka from His Tomb at Giza | 257 |
Inscription of Zeftjwa in Berlin | 258 |
Scenes of Visiting the Tomb from Giza | 259 |
Festival Offerings Calendar for the Sun Temple of Niuserre at Abu Gurob | 86 |
Blocks from the Causeway of the Pyramid of Unas at Saqqara | 91 |
Texts of Pepy I and Teti from Tell Basta | 92 |
A Sed Festival Monument of Pepy II | 93 |
Building Inscriptions from Temples | 94 |
Royal Decrees | 97 |
Decree of Neferirkare from Abydos | 98 |
Two Decrees from the Abusir Papyri of Neferefre | 101 |
Decree of Teti from Abydos | 102 |
Decree of Pepy I from Dahshur | 103 |
Decree of Pepy I from Koptos Koptos A | 105 |
Decree of Pepy II from Abydos | 106 |
Decree of Pepy II from Koptos Koptos B | 107 |
Decree of Pepy II from Koptos Koptos C | 109 |
Decree of Pepy II from Koptos Koptos D | 112 |
Decree of Pepy II ? from Koptos Koptos G | 114 |
Decree of Pepy II from Dakhla Oasis | 115 |
Decree of Horus Kha from Koptos Koptos H | 116 |
Decree of probably Neferkauhor from Koptos Koptos I | 117 |
Decree of Neferkauhor from Koptos Koptos J | 118 |
Decree of Neferkauhor from Koptos Koptos K | 119 |
Decree of Neferkauhor from Koptos Koptos L | 120 |
Decree of Neferkauhor from Koptos Koptos M | 121 |
Decree of Neferkauhor from Koptos Koptos O | 122 |
Decree of Horus Demedjibtawy from Koptos Koptos R | 123 |
Lists of Offerings for Cults from Koptos | 124 |
Objects Bearing Royal Names | 129 |
Sistrum of Teti | 130 |
Objects of Merenre | 131 |
Vessels of Pepy II | 132 |
Rock Inscriptions of Kings and Expedition Leaders 48 Inscription of Unas at Elephantine | 133 |
Quarry and Constructional Marks and Phyle Texts | 153 |
Quarry Marks from Private Tombs at Giza | 156 |
Phyle Texts from the Sun Temple of Userkaf at Abusir | 158 |
Graffiti | 161 |
A Graffito from Hindallab | 163 |
State Administrative Texts 90 Selections from the Abusir Papyri from the Neferirkare Temple | 165 |
List from the Abusir Papyri from the Neferefre Temple | 172 |
Letters 92 Letters in the Abusir Papyri from the Neferirkare Temple | 175 |
A Sixth Dynasty Letter Probably from Saqqara | 176 |
A Protest to the Vizier from Saqqara | 177 |
Part of a Letter regarding Work on a Pyramid Probably from Saqqara | 178 |
A Letter about Complaints over Farming | 179 |
Fragments of Letters from the Elephantine Archive | 180 |
Letter from Izezi in the Tomb of Reshepses at Saqqara | 181 |
Two Letters to the Dead | 182 |
Private Legal Texts | 185 |
A Dispute over an Inheritance from Elephantine | 186 |
Legal Text from the Tomb of Akhethotep Hemi Nebkauhor at Saqqara | 187 |
Inscription above a Shaft in the Tomb of Idu Seneni at elQasr wa esSayed | 188 |
Block Bearing a Legal Text of possibly Kaiemnefret | 189 |
Provision of a Doorway by Khenemti in the Tomb of Iarti at South Saqqara | 191 |
Decrees Setting Up the Estates of Metjen from His Tomb at Saqqara | 192 |
Agreement with Soul Priests from the Tomb of Nyankhkhnum and Khnumhotep at Saqqara | 194 |
Texts of Nykaiankh from Tehna | 195 |
Record of the Disposal of the Estates of Nykaure in His Tomb at Giza | 200 |
Part of the Dispositions of Pepi Possibly from Giza | 201 |
Instructions for the Cult of Tjenti and His Family from Giza | 202 |
Wepemnefret Grants His Son Rights to Use Parts of His Tomb at Giza | 203 |
Fragment of a Document relating to a Mortuary Estate from Saqqara | 204 |
Sale of a House Found at Giza | 205 |
A Selection of Offering Formulae and Titles | 209 |
Formulae from the False Door of Mereri at Saqqara | 210 |
Formulae in the Tomb of the Physician Nyankhre at Giza | 211 |
Formulae from the False Door of Ptahhotep II | 212 |
Formulae on the Sarcophagus of Sedjefaptah Called Fefi from Giza | 213 |
From the Tomb of Sekhemka at Saqqara | 214 |
Formulae from the False Door of Tepemankh at Saqqara | 215 |
Appeals to the Living and Warnings to Evildoers | 217 |
Texts from the Tomb of Ankhwedja Itji at Giza | 218 |
Lintel in the Tomb of Herymeru at Saqqara | 219 |
Offering Table of Ishetmaa from Saqqara | 220 |
Text of Khenu from Saqqara | 221 |
Text of Khuit Perhaps from Saqqara | 222 |
Architrave of Mehi from Saqqara | 223 |
Inscriptions over the Entrance to the Tomb of Mereri at Saqqara | 224 |
Text of Meru Called Bebi from Saqqara | 225 |
Texts from the Tomb of Nenki from Saqqara | 226 |
Texts at the Entrance to the Tomb of Nyankhpepy at Saqqara | 227 |
Texts on the Pillars of the Tomb of Nyhetepptah at Giza | 229 |
Inscriptions at the Entrance to the Tomb of Nykauizezi at Saqqara | 231 |
Text of Pehenwikai from Saqqara | 232 |
Texts on False Door of Sekhentyuka and Nyankhsheret from Giza | 233 |
Texts from the Tomb of Tjetu at Giza | 234 |
Inscription in the Tombs of Tjy and Mereruka at Saqqara | 235 |
Stela of Nipepy from Abydos | 237 |
Commemorative and Dedicatory Texts | 239 |
A Nameless Tomb from the Teti Pyramid Cemetery at Saqqara | 260 |
Biographical Texts from the Memphite Region | 261 |
False Door Inscriptions of Ankhkhufu from Giza | 262 |
Text of Ankhmahor from Saqqara | 264 |
Texts of Ankhmeryremeryptah Called Nekhebu from Giza | 265 |
Text of Bia from Saqqara | 269 |
Text of Debehen from Giza | 271 |
Inscription on the False Door of Geref from Saqqara | 272 |
Texts from the Tomb of Hetepherakhet at Saqqara | 273 |
Pillar Text from the Tomb of Hetepherenptah | 274 |
Inscriptions of Hezi from Saqqara | 275 |
Facade Text from the Tomb of Idu at Giza | 277 |
Text of Ipi from Saqqara | 279 |
Lintel from the Tomb of Iyenhor at Saqqara | 280 |
Inscription of Izi from Saqqara | 281 |
Texts from the Tomb of Kaiaper at Saqqara | 282 |
Texts from the Facade of the Mastaba of Kaigemni at Saqqara | 285 |
Part of a Lintel of Kaihap Tjeti | 287 |
Texts from the Tomb of Kaikherptah at Giza | 288 |
Text of Khenu from Saqqara | 291 |
Text of another Khenu from Saqqara | 292 |
Inscriptions of Khuiwer from Giza | 293 |
Architraves from the Tomb of Mehu at Saqqara | 294 |
Text of Mersuankh from His Tomb at Giza | 296 |
Texts of Metjetji Probably from Saqqara | 297 |
Texts from the Tomb of Neferseshemptah at Saqqara | 299 |
Texts from the Tomb of Neferseshemre at Saqqara | 300 |
Inscriptions of Nyankhsekhmet from Saqqara | 302 |
False Door of Ptahshepses from Saqqara | 303 |
Inscription of Rewer from Giza | 305 |
Inscriptions of Sabu Ibebi from Saqqara | 306 |
Inscriptions of Sabu Tjeti from Saqqara | 309 |
Inscriptions of Sekhemankhptah from Giza | 310 |
Texts from the Mastaba of Senedjemib Inti at Giza | 311 |
xxiv | 312 |
Texts from the False Door of Seshemu at Giza | 316 |
Inscriptions of Seshemnefer IV and His Son Ptahhotep from Giza | 317 |
Inscriptions of Washptah from Saqqara | 318 |
A Fragment of a Biography from West of the Step Pyramid at Saqqara | 320 |
Anonymous Biographical Fragment of the Reign of Teti from Saqqara | 321 |
Block from Giza | 322 |
Biographical Texts from the Provinces | 327 |
Texts on the Facade of the Tomb of Harkhuf at Qubbet elHawa | 328 |
Inscriptions of Pepynakht Called Heqaib from His Tomb at Qubbet elHawa | 333 |
Inscriptions on the Facade of the Tomb of Sabni and Mekhu I at Qubbet elHawa | 335 |
From the Tomb of Another Sabni at Qubbet elHawa | 339 |
Text of Khnumhotep in the Tomb of Khui at Qubbet elHawa | 340 |
Inscriptions of Meryrenefer Qar from Edfu | 342 |
Stela of Hekenu Perhaps from Moalla | 345 |
Inscriptions of Idu I from Dendera | 347 |
Inscriptions of Idu II from Dendera | 348 |
Slab of Djadjay from elQasr wa esSayed | 349 |
From the Tomb of Idu Menza from elQasr wa esSayed | 350 |
Architrave of Pershenay from Abydos | 351 |
Inscription of Weni from Abydos | 352 |
Inscription of Djau from Abydos | 357 |
Ideal Biography from the Tomb of an Unknown Person at Abydos | 358 |
Stela from Tomb 253 at Sheikh Farag | 359 |
Fragments of the Biography of Iy Mery at Hawawish | 360 |
Text of Nehutdesher at Hawawish | 361 |
Inscription of Mery II at Hagarsa | 362 |
Texts from the Tomb of Ibi at Deir elGebrawi | 363 |
Inscription of Djau at Deir elGebrawi | 365 |
Fragment from the Tomb of Nebib at Deir elGebrawi | 366 |
Inscription of Pepyankhheryib at Meir | 368 |
Inscriptions of Inti at Deshasha | 371 |
On the Architrave of Khnumnedjem from Busiris | 373 |
Stela from the Chapel of Khentyka at Balat | 374 |
Stela from the Chapel of Khentykawpepy at Balat | 375 |
Texts of Women | 379 |
Texts in the Mastaba of Khamerernebty II at Giza | 381 |
From the Tomb of Nyankhkhnum and Khnumhotep | 408 |
From the Tomb of Sekhemankhptah at Saqqara | 414 |
Scenes of Pulling Papyrus | 420 |
Objects in Tombs | 423 |
Hieratic Texts on Pots from Qubbet elHawa | 426 |
Long Offering List from the Chapel of Ankhmeryre | 432 |
Addendum | 437 |
Warning and Biographical Texts of Merefnebef | 438 |
List of Sources | 443 |
410 | 458 |
Bibliography | 465 |
490 | |
Glossary | 503 |
Indexes | 511 |
519 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
accordance acted Anubis appear beer beloved biography boat bread brought buried Cairo carried Cemetery chapel controller decree divine document duty Egyptian example excellent False Door father favored festival fifth foreign funerary estate given gives Giza haty-a Horus House imakhu Inscriptions inspector invocation offerings judge khenty-she king gives king of Upper king’s known Koptos land later lector priest Left live lord loves Lower Egypt majesty matter Middle month mother necropolis never noble nome notes occasion officials Old Kingdom ordered Osiris overseer Pepy perfect perhaps period person PM III2 present probably pyramid refer regard reign relation Residence royal royal acquaintance Saqqara scene scribe seal-bearer season secrets sight sixth dynasty Sneferu sole companion soul priests speaks stone temple Teti Text things thousand titles tomb town translated Upper and Lower Upper Egypt West Western wife
Popular passages
Page 474 - Rolf Bergmann, Die althochdeutsche Glossenüberlieferung des 8. Jahrhunderts, Nachrichten der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen. I. Philologisch-Historische Klasse. Jahrgang 1983. Nr. l, Göttingen 1983 Rolf Bergmann, Liste der in dem Verzeichnis der althochdeutschen und altsächsischen Glossenhandschriften nachzutragenden Handschriften, in: R.