LO
CM CO
CM co
CO
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA EGYPTIAN DEPARTMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM
ECKLEY B. COXE JUNIOR EXPEDITION TO NUBIA:
VOL. VI
KARANOG
THE MEROITIC INSCRIPTIONS OF SHABLUL
AND KARANOG
BY
F. LL. GRIFFITH
READER IJU EGYPTOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM PHILADELPHIA
MCMXI
KARANOG
THE MEROITIC INSCRIPTIONS OF SHABLUL
AND KARANOG
OXFORD
LETTERPRESS AND PLATES PRINTED BY HORACE HART AT THK UNIVERSITY PRESS
UNIVERSITY\)F PENNSYLVANIA EGYPTIAN DEPARTMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM
ECKLEY B. COXE JUNIOR EXPEDITION TO NUBIA:
VOL. VI
KARANQG
THE MEROITIC INSCRIPTIONS OF SHABLUL
AND KARANOG
BY
F. LL. GRIFFITH
READER IN EGYPTOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY MUSEUM PHILADELPHIA
MCMXI
IN THE SAME SERIES
Vol. I. AREIKA.
By D. RANDALL-MAC!VER and C. LEONARD WOOLLEY.
Price $5.
Vol.. II. CHURCHES IN LOWER NUBIA.
By G. S. MILEIIAM. Edited by D. RANDALL-MAC!VER.
Price $5.
Vols. Ill £ IV. KARANOG: THE ROMANO-NUBIAN
CEMETERY. By C. LEONARD WOOLLEY and D. RANDALL-MAC I VER.
Price $20.
Vol. V. KARANOG: THE TOWN. By C. LEONARD WOOLLEY.
Price $5.
Vol. VI. THE MEROITIC INSCRIPTIONS OF SHAB-
LUL AND KARAN6G. By F. LL. GRIFFITH. Price $10.
Vols. VII & VIII. BUHEN.
By D. RANDALL-MAC!VER and C. LEONARD WOOLLEY.
r
PL
65G232
PREFACE
IN this volume will be found not only the edition of the inscriptions announced on the title-page, but also an Introduction in which proofs are given for the readings and decipherment of Meroitic writing so far as they have proceeded to the present time, together with some evidence of the age of the inscriptions and the nature of the Meroitic language. This Introduction is the outcome of more than four years' special research. In 1907 I began to pay attention to the Meroitic texts published by Lepsius, hoping to find some connexion with Egyptian demotic on the one hand and with Christian Nubian (as deciphered by Heinrich Schafer) on the other. The vast accession of material since then, and the encouragement of friends and scholars, have made these researches more fruitful than at first seemed likely. It was early in 1907 that Dr. Randall-Mad ver began his excavations in Nubia. His invitation to me to work upon the inscriptions from Shablul was quickly followed by the great discoveries of altars and stelae at Karanog which were also put into my hands.1 In 1909 a commission from the Egypt Exploration Fund to collect Meroitic inscriptions from all available sources enabled me to explore the rich treasures in originals and copies at Berlin, and to visit the inscribed temples and pyramids of Naga and Meroe. Lastly, in 1910, Professor Garstang's important finds of inscriptions at Meroe were entrusted to me for editing. All these masses of material, together with a few miscellaneous texts communicated by scientific colleagues or otherwise collected for the memoirs of the Egypt Exploration Fund, have kept me occupied with Meroitic from year to year until now. In other publications since Areika I give readings for the most part without proofs, reserving the latter for this volume.
It may help the reader to realize the drift of the long discussions and analyses which follow, if the steps in the progress of the decipherment are first briefly recorded. A clear starting-point was furnished by the bilingual hieroglyphic cartouches of King Natakamani and Queen Amanit£re. and by the name of Ammon accompanying the figure of the god in the hieroglyphic inscriptions of Naga.- The importance of these had long ago been recognized by Lepsius ; they indicated the sounds of seven or eight letters, and proved that the values of the Meroitic hieroglyphs were in part taken from Egyptian. But the poverty of the hieroglyphic inscriptions seemed to bar further progress in this direction until the comparatively numerous ' cursive ' or ' demotic ' inscriptions could be correlated with the former.
The discovery at Berlin, in 1908, of a funerary text in Meroite hieroglyphic (Inscr. 60), parallel to those in demotic, gave several exact equations, letter for letter, between the hieroglyphic and the demotic signs. Unfortunately, the hiero- glyphic text was so badly engraved that it could be accepted as authoritative for only a dozen different signs,3 although much study eventually 4 revealed almost every character the engraver had tried to cut upon the hard and pebbly stone with
1 The two collections together fully equal in * See below, p. 6.
extent the whole of the Meroitic inscriptions known s Areika, pp. 46, 48, 49.
outside them.
* Zeils.f. aeg. Spr.t 48/67 (1911).
VI
PREFACE
inadequate tools. It was recognized also that, contrary to the rule in Egyptian, Meroite hieroglyphic was always to be read in the direction towards which the signs faced l ; this observation fixed more closely the reading of the bilingual cartouches.2 The equations between hieroglyphic and demotic were confirmed and extended by a demotic inscription (Inscr. 126 communicated to me by Professor Golenischeff) naming Natakamani and Amanitere, and by various convincing coincidences. Close comparison and analysis of the texts from Karanog showed of what sentences or phrases the funerary inscriptions were composed, and established the position of proper names and filiations and the different phrases of description in them.3 After examination of many inscriptions, originals, photographs, and squeezes, it appeared that the hieroglyphic and demotic alphabets each consisted of twenty-three characters,4 and it became evident from the recorded Ethiopian pronunciation of the name of Ammon and the orthographic grouping that four of the letters in the alphabet were vocalic.5 Next, among the treasures found by Garstang at Meroe, a demotic inscription accompanying the figure of the lion-god (Meroe i) provided equations with hieroglyphic inscriptions on the temple of the lion-god at Naga, and quickly led to complete correlation of the two alphabets ; upon which another of Garstang's texts (Meroe 7) was made to speak clearly ; though at first it only named ' Isis in Philae' with Osiris and Horus, its utterance was enlarged6 on bringing into comparison with it the Meroitic graffiti from Philae itself, where parallels with Egyptian demotic graffiti at once became apparent.
Such was approximately the course of the decipherment down to the autumn of 1910. It is still in an early stage. Even in the alphabet the vowels are extremely obscure, and, among the consonants, the value attributed to the letter ^§ may be more or less wide of the mark ; while of the Meroitic vocabulary, apart from personal names, place-names, and words borrowed from Egyptian, almost nothing is known. But it is hoped that the material here provided has been so far verified, classified, and dealt with that any further spark of light will quickly spread its illumination. If new eyes, whether of trained decipherers or of scholars expert in North African philology, will exert themselves upon it, the secrets of Meroitic should soon be yielded up.
In conclusion, I beg to thank Mr. Eckley B. Coxe for the liberality which has made it possible to publish all the Shablul and Karanog inscriptions together in a form corresponding to their importance ; Dr. Randall-Maclver and his assistant Mr. C. L. Woolley for the help and encouragement which they have given me in carrying out their proposition ; Sir G. Maspero and M. Daressy for facilitating my study of the original inscriptions in the Cairo Museum ; E. Brugsch-Pasha for admir- able photographs ; the staff of the Clarendon Press for excellent and careful printing ; and last, not least, my wife for making nearly all the drawings for the volume.
1 Areika, pp. 49-50. 6 Meroe, pp. 65-7. The year that has elapsed
2 Ib., pp. 51-52. since the chapter was written on Garstang's inscrip-
3 Below, pp. 32 et seqq. (Chapters II-V). tions has not brought any substantial improvement
4 Cf. pp. 3. 4. in their interpretation, though many points have
5 p. 7. become clearer in other directions.
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION: THE MEROITIC WRITING AND LANGUAGE
CHAPTER I
PAGE
THE MEROITIC ALPHABET ... 3
The Equivalence of the Hieroglyphic and Demotic Alphabets ... 4
The Phonetic Values of the Signs 5
CHAPTER II
THE AGE AND SUCCESSION OF STYLES OF MEROITIC WRITING . 17
CHAPTER III
THE MEROITIC LANGUAGE 22
Phonology, Vocabulary ...... 22
Inflexion, &c 23
Gender and Number ..... 25
MEROITIC INSCRIPTIONS FROM SHABLUL AND KARANOG
CHAPTER I THE INSCRIBED FUNERARY MONUMENTS 29
CHAPTER II THE SCHEME OF THE INSCRIPTIONS 32
CHAPTER III THE INITIAL WORDS OR INVOCATION .... 33
CHAPTER IV
THE NAME AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSON COMMEMORATED . . 35
The phrase naming the deceased 35
The phrases of the parentage (B and C names) 36
The parentage on the mother's side . . 37
The parentage on the father's side 37
Other descriptive phrases .... 38 The meaning of the titles and phrases describing the deceased ... 39
Vlll
CONTENTS
CHAPTER V
PAGE
THE TERMINAL FORMULAE OR BENEDICTIONS 42
Formula A 4^
„ B • 46
C . ... 49
D 5I
E ? 53
» F . 52
.. G 52
H . . . • ... 53
1 • • • 53
J • « 53
Special Stele-text . • • 53
CHAPTER VI
CATALOGUE OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS 54
Karanog 1-132 54
Shablul 1-20 75
CHAPTER VII
THE OSTRACA AND JAR GRAFFITI 79
CHAPTER VIII
GENERAL RESULTS 81
TABLES AND INDICES
TABLE OF NAMES AND PARENTAGE 87
INDEX A. TITLES AND DESCRIPTIVE PHRASES IN THE ORDER OF THE INITIAL WORDS 95
INDEX B. TITLES AND DESCRIPTIVE PHRASES IN THE ORDER OF THE FINAL WORDS . 102
INDEX C. MEROITIC WORDS AND GROUPS . . no
INDEX D. THE FUNERARY MONUMENTS IN THE ORDER OF THE TOMB NUMBERS . 123
INDEX E. THE FUNERARY MONUMENTS IN THE ORDER OF MUSEUM NUMBERS, &c. 124
HAND COPIES OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS
INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN&G 1-132 • .
„ SHABLUL 1-19
129 175
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
PALAEOGRAPHICAL TABLES . pp. 18, 19
HAND COPIES OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS pp. 127-181
PHOTOGRAPHS OF FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS Pis. I-XXIX
PHOTOGRAPHS OF OSTRACA PI. XXX
ABBREVIATIONS
Areika. RANDALL-MAClVER and WOOLLEY, Areika. AZ. Zeitschrift fur Aegyptischc Sprac/ie.
Inscr. GRIFFITH, Meroitic Inscriptions, Parts I, II, vols. xix and xx of the 'Archaeological Survey' of the Egypt Exploration Fund. Individual inscriptions are quoted by their numbers as Inscr. 29.
Kar. = the present volume of Karanbg : individual inscriptions are quoted by numbers as Kar. i, Sh. i, &c., according as they come from Karandg or Shablul.
K.C., Karanbg Cem., Karanbg Cemetery. WOOLLEY and RANDALL-MAClVER, Karanbg, the Romano-Nubian Cemetery.
Menas. Old Nubian MS. published in BUDGE, Texts relating to Saint Mena of Egypt. Meroc. GARSTANG, SAYCE, and GRIFFITH, Meroe, the City of the Ethiopians. Sh. i. e. Shablul, see Kar.
In the course of passing this memoir through the press concurrently with the volumes of Meroitic Inscriptions of the Egypt Exploration Fund, new facts have appeared necessitating frequent modifications of reading or view. It is to be feared that, in spite of the patience of printers and frequent revision, sundry unexplained contradictions and other oversights must remain in the copies, discussions, and indices.
INTRODUCTION THE MEROITIC WRITING AND LANGUAGE
CHAPTER I
THE MEROITIC ALPHABET
Tilt alphabet has two principal forms, hieroglyphic, used for monumental purposes, in which each sign is a picture of some object, and demotic, in which the picture signs are conventionalized by the pen for ordinary writing. In the known examples of the latter, the signs are always spaced apart, except y, so that the term 'cursive' is hardly appropriate.
In Areika, pp. 49-50, it was shown that Meroite hieroglyphic is usually written from right to left, like the demotic, and that whichever way it may be written, it must be read in the direction towards which the figures face. On p. 48 were enumerated the hieroglyphic signs which could be gathered from the published documents ; thirty-one (with variants) were distinguished, but it was anticipated that a further reduction of the number would be made.
Subsequent study and comparison of a certain number of originals have shown how this is to be done.
Sharply engraved and well-preserved hieroglyphs are seldom met with on Meroitic monuments. Some are to be seen on the ram of Soba and in the inscriptions of the temple of Ammon at Naga, but for the most part, even if well preserved, the hieroglyphs are ill designed and wretchedly executed. In copying and to some extent standardizing or conventionalizing such, errors may easily occur : Lepsius's draughtsmen, on whom we had to depend for our knowledge of the inscriptions, conventionalized the signs. It appeared, for instance, that whereas the ram ^} occurs in well-engraved texts, the bull ^ took its place only in copies of the worst texts, such as those of the lion-temple at Naga. From the original I was able in some cases to recognize the ^31 as intended where Lepsius gives ^, and in others where the original too suggested ^ it was quite possible to interpret it as a bad rendering of ^} with the horns in a simple crescent. It is indeed difficult to decide what is the standard and correct form of hieroglyphs where all the texts are of such rough execution and admit so much variety of shape.
The hieroglyphic alphabet now appears to consist of the following signs, here arranged according to their pictorial significance.
(«•) P-
m.
(15) c=J, in later writing -a, perhaps sometimes written IT) .
(16) as, perhaps sometimes written IT). ('7) «•
(18) m-
(19) A or ^J, sometimes copied as a.
(20) ^, in bad writing £, /-, ~.
(1) $, sometimes ^fr7, and in bad writing confused with )§, and miscopied as f, &c.
(2) $, in inferior writing sometimes the figure is standing $ when H7 is used for (i).
(3) 7$rd> m inferior writing it sometimes resembles *>£&, see above.
(4)S*.
(5) S^.' tne ears are sometimes marked, and bad examples have been misread as ^ .
>
as
(8) <=>, bad examples have been copied -a*-, •=>.
(9) a.
(10) c=7, in bad writing sometimes J[.
fl- (23) O-
li 2
4 INTRODUCTION
Besides these there is the mark of division |, rarely : or . ; -f or ^f -f occasionally occurs, and other Egyptian signs ,Q,, &c, are written over the cartouches in royal titles.
The list of captive countries at Meroc (Meroc i) tends to Egyptian forms of letters and contains
The demotic alphabet, classified according to the forms, is as follows:— (i) I 03)
(2) ///, (//)
(3) <///
(4) w
(5) A-
(6) /C
(7) A
(8) 4
(9) 9
(10) ?
(11) J
(M)
(16) (•7) (i»)
(19) (20)
(21)
(22)
(23)
There are also the mark of division .*, rarely .*, and various rare signs which appear to be numerical.
A sign I/ was admitted into the alphabetic table in Areika. // occurs commonly in the group //j?, but this is to be divided into 13 and /; in the rare cases where it is found otherwise it is a variant of ///. On the other hand, a sign /^ is included above, which in Areika was taken to be only a ligature of / with ^ or with ^, according to the form.
The writing is often careless and there may be considerable difficulty in distinguishing accurately between J and }, ) and /, and / } and 13 even in good texts. *r and 9 too are often ill differentiated, and when the dot is omitted from £ it may sometimes be confused with ^.
The forms of some of the signs vary considerably in inscriptions of different ages : the parallel texts of the funerary inscriptions make it an easy matter to identify varieties of the same sign. The earlier ones can be distinguished by their greater resemblance to the hieroglyphs as well as by the style of the monuments on which they occur.
THE EQUIVALENCE OF THE HIEROGLYPHIC AND DEMOTIC ALPHABETS.
1. The funerary formula on altars and stelae usually begins with the two groups .'^^9(A//J.'y^/3 (see below, p. 33); the hieroglyphic altar from Meroe, Inscr. 60, begins with « HlJUIlpsJ&m ! ^LLI^-jfV T*16 equivalence is obvious and gives equations for seven distinct signs.
2. The equations are confirmed and extended by two other groups which are found towards the middle of the great majority of funerary texts, separated by one or more groups, namely .•^/^5^/C/^-.* and V&/45 £¥W/+- (see below, p. 36). They are recognizable in the fifth and seventh groups of Inscr. 60 as • $ [•£)] £? .£a> (} <s> ^ j=g \ and j $ <£| [£?] .£A (I ^. $ [=] ru : giving five new equations, namely for s^} <=>, ^^, ro, and ^, and indicating that fg corresponds to the double sign /^-.
1 See the collection of forms on pp. 18, 19, in which this list is represented by col. 8.
THE ALPHABET, HIEROGLYPHIC AND DEMOTIC 5
3. A variable group following the two words of i and separated by one or more groups from one of the two groups in 2 almost always ends with the signs .'&&/ 13 (see below, p. 35) ; on the hieroglyphic altar from Meroc the third group ends with :^-f|if A. / 13 is a very common combination like the hieroglyphic £f A, to which it thus corresponds.
4. On the columns of Amara and Naga (/user. 34, 84) between the cartouches of the
queen and the prince we find two groups • £x> « p ^ ^ : £* 1 } fa ^ t3 % ; in the great inscription of Kalabsha (Inscr. 94) the third and fourth groups are /^^/C^-'^A^-^HV?^. The identifications already made prove the equivalence ; only the final 3^ is absent, a termina-
tion which is dropped also in other cases. We thus learn /the equivalents of », 11, and $. The last in demotic is 9^, which like $ constantly occurs at the beginning of groups.
5. The name of Ammon, the god of Napata and Meroc and the representative god of Ethiopia, is very common in the temple inscriptions and in the cartouches, both in Egyptian and in Meroite hieroglyphic. Its form in the latter was recognized by Lcpsius and others to be : $ 2£ ^ or j $ ££ ^ ^> (see Areika, p. 51). The ££ alone has not been shown in the foregoing equations of hieroglyphic and demotic : the only group in the demotic inscriptions from Meroe which can correspond to the hieroglyphic name is tH^J •> Wl^J?3^, e-g- Inscr. 49, 59, Meroe 8/1.
6. The demotic form of the name of Ammon is well illustrated by another equation.
On many monuments a king and queen are found named respectively f^ ££ ^ V ^ 2S j and SS^. On the granite stela of the GolenischefT col lection at Moscow (Inscr. 126)
the groups remaining in the first two lines are (i) '-*M $J %J /(^ (a) ;Jl(A/^y^/. These, which may safely be restored as (i) : W^J %Jf /^, (2) .*9U/^-y^/, add two valuable equivalents : £ = > and *r- = ^ •
7. The central line of the legend attached to the triple-headed lion-god at Naga, Inscr. 18, consists of the group ^ V !k. P ^ P fflB $ • This occurs on the plaque of the lion-god, MeroS $t and other inscriptions from the same temple at Meroe, as ^-^} 9/i9 ^9 ^-
8. The equation of ^ with fffl is confirmed by the group j j=g ^f7 c=j -f| ra j , common with the divine figures at Naga, Inscr. 7, 13, 15, 16, &c., occurring on the plaque of the lion-god as .'/^-^A/3^.'
9. The cartouches appended to the name of a prince in Meroe 2 contain the epithetal
phrases & ,£a& tt^-a^M -cnzlffl and « S-a £? Saa J) LLI p ffl . These begin respectively with the commonly paired words U//^^ and ^^-J?^, and the first ends with the word (^)/^v//y^///-?> cf. Kar. 3, W being often omitted in such expressions.
In all twenty-one of the cursive signs are thus identified with hieroglyphic. A few of the
identifications may so far be considered a little uncertain, notably A =4^4V> as »l depends on a single instance in which there is a reasonable possibility of essential differences of form between the demotic and hieroglyphic words quoted. The proofs will be strengthened and the equivalents for the remaining signs of the alphabet pointed out in the notes to the list of the alphabet.
THE PHONETIC VALUES OF THE SIGNS.
The only equations hitherto known for fixing the values of the signs in the Meroitic alphabet are the parallel Meroitic and Egyptian cartouches found by Lepsius on a sculptured stand at Wad Benaga, which he removed to the Berlin Museum, Inscr. 41 (PH. XXIV, XXV). These with the variant spellings are dealt with in Areika, pp. 51-2.
6
INTRODUCTION
and only unimportant variants
The king's Meroitic cartouche is
are found elsewhere: in the Egyptian it is
S for ^n^>. The two letters S and '^z^ frequently interchange in base Egyptian and demotic
' a vai'iant on a pyramid substituting
spelling. The name is thus Ntk-^Mn, the second element being the name of the god Ammon, piously written first in the Egyptian. In Diodorus (iii. 6) we hear of an Ethiopian king 'E/>ya//e'n/s of the third century 15. c. ; his name has long since been recognized in the Egyptian
cartouche f{] <=rQ ^ | ^Rq-^Mn on buildings at Dakka and Philae. In this cartouche likewise
VM A ^ /WVNJI
appears JMn, the name of Ammon, the god of Napata and Meroe, and its Greek equivalent would imply some pronunciation like Amene or Amene for it. But it seems at first sight doubtful whether 'E/jy-a/oieVrj?, which is in fact a pure Hellenic name 'Epya-^cV»js, has fairly represented this name of Ammon, in Egyptian Amon, Amun. Precisely the same pro- nunciation, however, is indicated by an Assyrian transcription dating from the seventh century B. c. : Urd-amane,1 the name of the son of Shabako and nephew of Taracus (compare the Egyptian cartouche Tnwt-^Mn of Taracus' successor), gives Amane as the equivalent of ?J/«. From these two transcriptions we gather that the name of Ammon was pronounced Amane or Amene in official Ethiopian down to the Ptolemaic age. 'E/yya/*fVrjs indeed may
probably be counted as a Meroite king ; hence in the Meroitic \ $ ZZ J^ V 3> ~£ J the last
element is probably to be read somewhat like Amane.2 The initial vowel is not represented in the writing, nor the medial vowel, but $ appears to mark the terminal vowel. ^ = n (Eg. /ww), > = t (Eg. s=»), j^.= 111 (Eg. |^) are obviously from Egyptian values ; moreover ^> =• g, k can be explained as acrophonic from Eg. V J V = ^ &&> KT?& and $ = e (?) from $ = HI in
Old Coptic.3
The queen's Meroitic cartouche on the stand is \ P Q Vs 1 ££ j^. J, also with unimportant
variants elsewhere. In the Egyptian it is
•MO4J' Some imperfect Egyptian
cartouches of this queen copied by Lepsius from a temple at Gebel Barkal seem to agree with this. ()^ is again rendered in the Meroitic j| 2S f^., i.e. Amani, though in this case it is to be read at the beginning of the name. The rest is not without difficulty. ^ is merely determinative of meaning and has no phonetic significance, being the customary addition to names of females in the Hellenistic age. There remain the signs ^^ <=> (j (j (reading from
left to right m—>) equivalent to $ El n* (reading from right to left <— m). The group is
quite clear on the original. Strictly Pwi in the early ages of Egyptian writing,4 it might here represent t alone, especially as a Barkal cartouche appears to substitute for it the single — (equivalent to Coptic TO), a sign frequently used in the Egyptian of the earlier Ethiopian inscriptions for / in cartouches and other names.5 In that case we obtain <=? = /, r=] = <=> r or /, p = [j I) y or the like.
The Meroitic alphabet as above given e consists of twenty-three characters. It is perhaps conceivable that one or two other signs might be distinguished in course of time ; but at any
1 RANKE, Keilschrifilich.es Material z. altagypt. Vokalisation, p. 36, disallows the reading Tandamane which would admit of identification with T-n-wt-^Mn.
2 Hereafter transcribed conventionally Amani.
* GRIFFITH and THOMPSON, Demotic Magical Papyrus, Indices, p. [4],
4 Appearing in the Greek endings -TO, -6a>s, -revs, -6a>vs, -dtvs, -Brfs of proper names, GRIFFITH, Cat. of Demotic Pap. Ry lands, III, p. 191.
5 Pyr. A. 20 at Meroe substitutes va — D, i.e. for ', see Inscr. 1, p. 79.
6 PP- 3, 4-
THE VOWEL SIGNS 7
rate we can assume that the demotic alphabet is so small as to exclude the idea of word-signs, diphthongs, determinatives or the like forming a considerable part of it.1 The question whether it represented vowels as well as consonants is not so easily answered. The spelling of the name of Ammon2 seems to show that in Meroitic writing initial alif can be represented, but also may be neglected, and yet that a terminal vowel can be marked, and it further suggests that a short vowel in the middle of a word (between the m and ;/ of the name of Ammon) was neglected in writing.
Some instructive facts with regard to the uses of the signs appear also on inspection of the numerous word-groups in the indices attached to Meroe, Inscr., and the present memoir.
First taking 9^, which seems to represent the initial vowel or alif in Aman$, we find it to be solely initial ; and it is followed by every letter of the alphabet except /, A» 9> ¥ •
Next taking y, which appears to represent the terminal vowel in the same word, we find it following all letters except /, S//, /\> 9, 9^, /«-, ^, and y, and followed by all letters except /, 9, 9^., y (see especially the groups under y/// , yg, <&£). The excepted letters tally closely in these three lists, so that it appears as if we had in them sounds which could not well be associated closely in the Meroitic language with the vowel sounds and y. It is natural to conclude that the signs common to all these lists, namely /, 9, and y all represent vowel sounds. They are amongst the commonest signs of the alphabet. 9^. is always initial, but / and 9 are almost precisely parallel to y ; these three — /, 9, and y — never (except in special and very rare cases) precede or follow each other or 9^ immediately ; they interchange in careless and even in good writing :: ; none of them is doubled, and none of them is properly initial. / is never initial, and 9 and y are initial only when they are equivalent to 9/7 and ty/l respectively, as happens frequently in the earlier inscriptions. It will be recollected that 23, (I, and $ are the hieroglyphic signs correspond- ing to /, 9, and y-.
The presence in the above lists of the remaining signs <///, A» /^~, ^-> of which ^- is known to be consonantal, is to be differently explained. They follow the vowel signs but never precede them. It appears therefore that they are syllables possessing inherent vowels.
When we assume that the signs /, 9, y, 9^ represent vowels and the rest are consonants we find that the Meroitic words read for the most part as a succession of syllables, each consisting of consonant followed by a vowel ; indeed, some demotic inscriptions tend to be written in groups of syllables,4 and when a hieroglyphic inscription is in columns the signs are written singly except that a vowel sign is often put by the side of its consonant 5 ; moreover, the only ligature that occurs in the writing is when y- is joined to the preceding letter, as usually happens in all but the earliest inscriptions.
Vowelless consonants6 also are frequent both at and before the end of the words; and not infrequently collections of three or more consonants are seen, as in .'9/C^^9^/, and they may even form a whole word without a vowel, as 34/1^. I^Wf 3) . ^.<. f^<. v»r- A9^/x^'- The signs composing such collocations seem quite promiscuous, and there is no need to suppose a vocalic value for any of them. A vowel is occasionally indicated in 'variants, and we must simply suppose that the vowels were not necessarily given in the writing, any more than the second vowel in Amani or even the initial vowel in y^J, the commonest spelling
1 Numerical symbols Mil and the like are found Xo. 137, and below, PI. 22, No. no. PI. 25, No. 124. on ostraca and in a few other texts, Inscr. 101, &c. 8 Inscr. I, PI. XIX, XX, XXII, XXIII ; II, PI.
2 Group Xo. 5 on p. 5. VI, &c. This rule is a useful guide in restoring broken
3 Especially / and V-, see J/3 = J¥&, below, inscriptions.
c , u. c The only two Meroitic names preserved by the
are often omitted in variant spellings of words.
' /nscr. II, PI. IV, Nos. 77*, 78, PI. XLVI,
Greck writers' >E?W"V ™* *-*** s<*m to Prove
that closed syllables ex.sted m Mero.t.r.
8 INTRODUCTION
of that name. Thus /J^, y^**^, ^C^> /J^^are common variants of each other in the third word of the formula A, and J^, ^?^> VJ^^in the third word of formula B.
Having now in all probability distinguished the vowel signs from the consonantal, ascertained the values of six of the consonantal signs, and recognized that the values in many cases are more or less derived from the Egyptian, it is time to proceed to the quest of place- names and other names or words which may well be found alike, or nearly so, in Egyptian, Greek, and Meroitic documents.
We are first struck by the fact that the word (^)J/3 which heads the funerary inscriptions, and is found thrice on a group of Isis nursing Horus (Inscr. 75), occurs somewhat commonly at Philae, where the graffiti in Greek and Egyptian demotic are mostly in honour of ' Isis in Philae '. In the Meroitic graffiti we find especially the combination
^/^-5/^94^C^J/3s.vvhich in hieroglyphic would be written ^s^rnliAps^fflLLI&fl- ffl is more like g p than any other Egyptian alphabetic letter, and f or "^, presumably b, varies with it occasionally; 2^ is r or / in Egyptian and A is clearly shaped A, Eg. q, in the inscription Meroe i, which retains Egyptian forms for several Meroitic letters. Hence the word following J/3 may well read P-l-q} resembling the Egyptian P-i-lq, Coptic ni\evH the name of Philae. Thus the whole group probably means ' Isis in Philae '. In a similar phrase we find ' Osiris in Philae ', the name of Osiris being represented by the group ^U//J5^, the word that always accompanies ¥3/&, i.e. Isis in the funerary texts; and similarly ' Horus (tV^^J in Philae ' occurs along with ' Isis in Philae ' on the stela Meroe 7.
Then other place-names, some known, some unknown, reveal themselves by the locative termination attached to the name of Philae in the above ; the analysis of the funerary inscriptions shows how the names and descriptions of persons may be recognized, and several descriptive words turn out to be Egyptian titles in Meroitic spelling ; lastly, the initial word of many of the Meroitic graffiti at Philae agrees letter for letter with the first word in the graffiti in Egyptian demotic.
The following is a list of the principal equations by which the phonetic values of the Meroitic alphabet can be fixed : —
Cl
(*) °^-k— - ^ 1 [Transcribed
(c] ~£ J^, 2£ $v ^ = fl £3 , Inscr. I, PI. XXI et passim, the name of Ammon; Coptic
-*T«* 1 AAAA
ajuo-yn, but the Ethiopian-Meroitic pronunciation shown in -amane, -a/xeV?}?. [Hereafter transcribed Awam.]
(<0 J/3 passim, JVg occasional variant at Karan6g : name of Isis, Coptic HC€, the older termination probably i. [Transcribed Wes.]
(e) yu//J5^, name of Osiris, Coptic OY^ipe (older termination i ?). [Transcribed
(/) U/5^, Meroe 7, name of Horus, Eg. Hr, Coptic £cop (2.M*")- [Transcribed Ar.]
(g) 9/394*^ (Philae, Inscr., Meroe 7), 9 /^ -9 V^ (Philae, Inscr. 97, 101),
(Kalabsha, Inscr. 94) name of Philae, Eg. dem. P-">y-lq, Coptic niTV^K. [Transcribed Pileqe, Pilaqe, Pilaq?.]
1 Hereafter transcribed with the vowels Pileqe.
THE ALPHABET: SOUNDS 9
(//) 9/}/¥f9^ (Inscr. Nr from Sedcnga, 129, Kar. .56, Meroi1 7), the name of Sedenga or Adai, Eg. 7/./-7VJ, fortress of Tcye, pronounced Ha~Teye(i): the tablets of Tell-el-Amarna write the queen's name Teie (RANKE, Kcilschr. Mat., p. 18). [Transcribed Atiye.~\
(i) t^JI/Wr- (Philae graffiti, fnscr. 95, 96, 121-5), 'the adoration' TO -KpovKiivwa, Eg. dem. / n'tsfe, Coptic T-O«Y^UJT€ (older perhaps *T-O'YeujTi, but the Grecized form of words ending in / terminates in TTJV not ris). [Transcribed fewis/i.]
(j) J/^^5^, Inscr., S/t. 19 = 0 (TTpanjyo'i (Af/xeirra), Kg. dem. /-mr-ftv!*, Coptic (Sah.) n-TU'AiHHiye, (Boh.) *n*\ejuHUj. [Transcribed /V/rt///<x]
(£) S*- WA/ 9 ^, fnsfr., ' the Agent.' Eg. dem. p-rt. [Transcribed perite.]
(I) A 5 <*///-?; Inscr., A'nr., Ethiopian (?) title rendered qrny in Kg. dem. [Transcribed qcren.]
(in) J//IA/ )-$^ Inscr.. Kar. = riaxw/my, n*2£U>p*c. (J>\^- (?). [Transcribed Paharas.~\
('/) ?///J Inscr. 129, Kar. 68, 9///^ 7//«r. 97 = Eg. IJLJ ^ c~j 5 x./ (pronounced 5 Coptic ^&K, modern 5/?/'. [ Transcribed Kaye.]
Excluding for the present the names of Isis and Osiris (Nos. 4 and 5), which have evidently been modified, the following arc the first results with regard to the consonants : —
=y («)
= W (|)
= P W (J) W (»')
= m (a) (J) (.) (/)
JJ, A = ny (/) GEJ, U/ = r (* S», 4 =1(^)0')
O, ) = x
= s
V. i = k> g W
A, /^ = q (g) (I) >, ^ = t (0) (//), t (/)
=t (/), t (k) =* (b)
That both J// and J represent i is remarkable, but considering that the two letters frequently interchange and the two sounds s and * are confused in many languages, it is not surprising. It is fairly clear that ^, SS-, and c=* all represent the same consonant /, but that /$- and c=< have special vocalization.
For the vowels, we note the Egyptian masculine article n(e) rendered by 9^ (/, £), while the feminine T(e) is rendered by /<(-. As the vocalization was the same in the masculine and feminine, this points to /<t- having the vowel 5, a conclusion reached also on other grounds.1
Further / corresponds to H (_/): at Kalabsha it replaces 5 as terminal vowel (g), but this may be for grammatical reasons. [Transcribed as /.]
$*• corresponds to i (g), e (c), e (//), a or e (t) (n). In early writing y stands for ^/. [Transcribed *'.]
5 corresponds to & (g), e (//). In (_/), (k) it is the vowel of the Egyptian definite article, which in Coptic is almost or quite vowelless, and in (g) it terminates the name of Philae, which in Coptic has no terminal vowel. 9 for *. is omitted in variants of (g). It stands for 9 /// in early writing but is evidently a very weak vowel. [Transcribed *.]
9^ corresponds to £&,- in (//) and to £io (or £*?) in (/), to a" in (c). It seems possible that 9 ^ is really an initial vowel with aspirate, but, except in some Latin versions, the name
1 See below, p. 38. C
10
INTRODUCTION
of Ammon is without aspirate, and the frequent omission of 5^ in writing is against the idea of its being a real consonant. It may be observed that Nubian very rarely shows an aspirate in native words, and Meroitic may have dropped the h in (/) and (k).
Whether the vowels o, u existed in Meroitic, or how they were expressed, is not yet seen. No vowel is written in (m), where i\ co ^ are given by the Greek- Coptic spelling.1
J/3 (J&B) and ^U//J5^ seem to give the pronunciations Wesh or Wish and shen as the names of Isis and Osiris. These were evidently, like Amani, ancient borrowings from the Egyptian, and are considerably removed from the Coptic HCI, oycipi,
A number of further equations can be usefully studied.
(0} SS-'rJ'y^Jrf /(A//(A/<^, Inscr. 98, &c., apparently = Eg. dem. ^krre Bkmty. [Transcribed Akrerc Bekemete^\
r, Inscr. 97 = Eg. dem. Mntwe. [Transcribed Manitawaivi.~\
Inscr. 94/6, 125/3, SS-frWfc: = Eg. dem. Hr-nt-yt-f, pronounced Harentyotf(P), Gk. 'Ape^wr???. Note the suppression of the ;/. [Transcribed Aretate, Hiretate.']
V ^> V(?) : > Inscr. 4, probably =
= Kaj>oa/c?7. [Transcribed Katakel\
(s) /^~Cj^.' Kar. 77, &c. = tt^n&.Ta>., Eg. Npt (and Np.i). [Transcribed Napate^\ (t}
(j [H Pyr. A. 20 at Meroe, Inscr. I, p. 79
, Kar. Eg. wr-tlin. [Transcribed war-talian^\
Inscr- I39/4, cf. Kar. 112, probably = Eg. dem.
wpte-^o-n-Hrme, ' great envoy of Rome' ; where /$-/'%^3^apete would correspond to wpte (uputi(?} in the cuneiform of Amarna2; cf. y-(/i// J9^. Asheri .— Wsr Osiris), and <? } /(A/<t'3^Aremc=Hrme) i.e. 'Pwji/r;.
i, Inscr. 15 = Ht-hr, ^ecop. [Transcribed Atari\. Cf. Amani = ^JUO«YH. The full writing would have been *$ Q ^1$ * ^ £§•
(u) was only observed after the above remarks on the vowels had been sent to the printers. It furnishes a second equation with co in the borrowed word, cf. (m), but by no means clears up the value of /, or the question of the o and u vowels in Meroitic.
(v) f E]
From the Ethiopian and Meroite names written in Egyptian we may get some hints as to the sounds likely to be represented in the Meroitic alphabet. The earlier Ethiopian monuments give the following :—
and \ = 5.
and
(3) fl "k and fl =
(4) ^} and J = b.
(5) (6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
= n.
_ — m.
AWA
\ and
> and <=> = r, I \ and m = h. and ® = h. 1 See also the group (u) below.
(") &
(12) ITT and cu = § (only in family of Dyn. XXV).
(13) ffl ^ and ^» = k.
(14) A ^ and A = q>
(T5) U I —k (or q as usually in Eg. demotic).
(16) I and o = /.
(17) => = _'• (i8)§
2 RANKE, Keils. Mat., p. 26.
THE ALPHABET: SOUNDS
1 1
The name of the Ptolemaic- Ethiopian prince at Dakka gives also «— and J, two signs otherwise unknown in writing Ethiopian names : but «»— may be = ? and A = r=>.
The few later Meroite names from the south written in Egyptian hieroglyphs give: —
^, '"*, <=>, £2>, Q, J- P. a, ^^«, ffl, ^, O, — , 5=3.
Non-Egyptian names, presumably Meroitic, in Egyptian demotic from the north (Philae to Maharraqa) give : — '
5, y, w, b, />, in, ft, r, /, //(?), />, s, $(?), k, q, t.
It is far from certain that all these names are really Meroitic. Egyptian names are numerous in the Egyptian hieroglyphic and demotic texts amongst the officers of the Ethiopians and Meroites. Probably there were many other nationalities, Blemmyes, Nubians, &c., represented in the names from Nubia. The * seems almost to be confined to the Shabako- Kashta kings, and other peculiarities can be observed. The names, probably taken from several languages, are no doubt imperfectly represented in the Egyptian, so that even if we could say definitely which are Meroitic, we could not construct a reliable alphabet from them. Something, however, could be argued from such facts as the presence of in h and the absence of \ h.
The following is a list of the Meroitic alphabet in order according to the values of the signs. The evidence for the values given will be found in the detailed discussion of the signs below : —
initial a or alif.
(2) 9 vowel e (earlier sometimes ye).
(3) £? / vowel c.
(4) $ y- vowel i (earlier sometimes yi).
(5) (j \ I/I }>•
(6) ft & w.
(7) ^ (J) f b. («) HH C P.
(9) k } »*•
(10) ~S (*wx) /^ //.
(11) }} A n(i) older %.
U/ r.
/, older
<a> <. k.
(12) E],
(13) 2-&
(14) <=
(15) V ) //•
(16) « (— ) J// s(e).
(17) IU J 9
Bolder ^ /(/). , older
(?), older
(19) A (20)
(2i) (22) c
(23)
(:=)
The hieroglyphic letters in brackets are forms occurring in the inscription Meroc I and sometimes elsewhere.
The above scheme of the alphabet shows a close connexion with Egyptian values for the signs. « like ££ appears to be a reduplication of the corresponding Egyptian sign. C5 for h and [=] for r seem to be the only signs devoid of any probable explanation from the Egyptian side : and the value of ^ is as yet only guessed.
The demotic letters, 5 /// , 9 } , 16 J// , 17 J, resemble the Egyptian demotic signs. The rest show no such resemblance, but may have been derived by a long process from some form of hieratic, or more directly from the hieroglyphic.
C 2
12
INTRODUCTION
In the earliest examples from Meroe many signs show a close relationship to the hieroglyphs, but others, such as ^for BB, are not easily explained. It is perhaps worth while here to recall the statement of Diodorus, when deriving Egyptian hieroglyphics and many religious matters from Aethiopia (III. 3), that whereas in Egypt the priests alone knew hieroglyphic writing, amongst the Ethiopians all used that kind of script. This may have been true a century before he wrote (though perhaps not in the sense which he intended), for the small hieroglyphic alphabet of the Meroites would have been easy to learn.
In the following pages each sign of the alphabet is separately dealt with, references being given to the list of equations between the hieroglyphic and demotic forms on pp. 4-5, and to that other list of words which throw light on the pronunciation, on pp. 8-10.
(equations 4, 5, 7). The sign is solely initial (except in compound proper names) and can be dispensed with in many (if not all) words at pleasure, e.g. Asheri Osiris, ¥^/(9^) $ ££ }^.(s$) Aniani Ammon.1 The question arises whether spells a variety of initial words as an alif or hamza, or whether it represents only one vowel, an initial a \ the former seems the most probable theory, as Meroitic appears to possess no other sign than 9^ for expressing initial vowels. Several borrowed Egyptian words and names commencing with h, q, ha, or ho are written with 5^ (groups/, h}? ^ and 9^. may be connected with the Egyptian group (j ^ for prothetic alif, which is likewise used in spelling Ethiopian names : the demotic seems actually to render the two signs in a modified form, as if P ^i, but the most primitive examples (style c) may represent ^ alone. 9^ precedes all the letters except the vowel signs 5, /, *£-.
3. P, 9 (equations i, 2, 4, 7). In the cartouche of the queen (group b] it corresponds to Egyptian (jlj, i.e. y (unless it be z).3 In some texts, none however of the latest period, 5 is written at the beginning of a group where other texts give 5 HI : likewise the remarkable combination r$ occurs for y///5, as in the names ^9U//J for ^/?U//J, U///^53J for U//-'^0r93 J, Kar. 116. It may perhaps be gathered from this that in early writing 5 stood for consonantal y and that the use of /// for this consonant came in later.
5 is more usually a weak vowel. In the groups (j), (£), it is the vowel of the Egyptian definite article, which in Coptic is vowelless, and in (g] it terminates the name of Philae, which in Coptic has no terminal vowel, but Inscr. 94 writes this with /. It is very commonly omitted in variants of words.
In the group 53j=^, 9 is never ligatured to the ^, and is thus probably an independent letter written as complementary to ^ , see 5 ^.
The values of p agree closely to those of 1} in Egyptian : it seems probable that the alphabet-maker confused the reed-flower 0 with the ostrich-feather P , or deliberately substituted the latter for the former for aesthetic reasons ; (] in late Egyptian stelae, &c., often looks like an attenuated (1.
5 as a vowel is never preceded by 5^ or by the vowel signs, nor by /^, /\, \///> •}, /*-> *r, nor is followed by the vowel signs (except *J- as above). /*- (q.v.) contains the vowel represented by 9.
1 Compare the spelling of ">krre in group (o).
2 5 ^^ ^ 'n Hrwmet 'Po^ (group //). 9 2 seems to replace a vowelless initial iv in the name
of Osiris and the word ivpt (ib.). 5 In group (r) tpUU,f.
THE MEROITIC ALPHABET 13
(3) & / (equations i, 2, 3, 9). This is the only sign in the alphabet that is purely vocalic and never begins a group or syllable. It represents H in group (j) \ and varies- with y, cf. J/<3> My*5/x'i and more rarely with 9, but / is rarely omitted in variants of a word, as in ^^^, 't) for ^/^^, *i/) the second word of formula C.3 It neither precedes nor follows the vowel signs, nor does it follow /\, J// ', ^, /*$-, **-. *r- (see below) contains the vowel represented by /.
There is no alphabetic sign like £} in Egyptian ; but in the syllabary £f is an abbreviation for V/ 'ox ', Copt, eg^.4 In the Egyptian inscriptions of the earlier Ethiopian kings,
&, & is used in the spelling of names ; SciIAEKEk, Die iithiopische Konigsinschrift, p. 59, suggests that it may there stand for //, being substituted for * (ib., 108). The simplifying of £} to an oblique stroke / in demotic is quite intelligible, though it has no parallel in Egyptian hieratic or demotic. In Egyptian demotic there are two signs of this form, a full stroke / has the value r, a short stroke / is a (Coptic *.-, €-).
The two groups /$ and /*- correspond to single signs A and pg respectively, and the stroke here has nothing to do with the vowel /.
(4) $i V (equations 1-9). The form ^jf is later. $ is used in late Egyptian texts for the exclamation y, HI, but the forms of the hieratic and demotic equivalents are not suggestive of y.
In archaic texts commonly, but seldom in late, y may be written as initial where later texts give ty// , and occasionally a similar employment of y is seen later in the word, as in 4*5 (A// J for ^/9U//J.5 Here y seems to have a consonantal value yi, just as 5 (q. v.) has a consonantal value ye.
y corresponds to the vowel i in the group (g), to c in (a) (Jt), to a or e in (/). It does not precede or follow the vowel signs, nor follow <///, A. >**-> ^-> DUt commonly follows ^. A is found to vary with y/^.
y is often substituted for /, and is often omitted in variants of words.
5. (][),//. Equation i gives t] i) i) : elsewhere $ i) (j is the equivalent of ty/l . The Egyptian demotic I/I is derived from 0 \ Q, but is equivalent to hieroglyphic ij[|, and has the value of y, and sometimes of vocalic i. ^/ is sometimes written for ^/ •
The combinations 5 III and ty/l are very common, 5 and y being usually substituted for them in early texts. / I/I occurs, but is rare. HI is seldom final. The value y is assured by the groups (h), («).
6- $\i 3 (equations i, 2, 3, 8). The Egyptian f( is u>, and the same value is shown in Mcroitic by the groups (/), (/). 3 looks as though it were derived from an original fy facing to the left like the Egyptian, but it does not bear much resemblance to Egyptian hieratic or demotic forms.
7- 3^?> f- The equivalence of the hieroglyphic and demotic signs rests on little proof beyond the process of elimination. Of the two signs not fixed by the equations already given, there is sufficient proof that O is )> ^ occurs in very few hieroglyphic groups,
namely in pa <s> $5» £*, fa «* ^ pa $ !)(]> ^UJ^^k^' ra & BB P ^ &> sk^)<E=> £S k, and the broken group ( <=> ^ > SF, a11 in /«*r. ^ also is a scarce
1 o> in (K). s Below, p. 50.
* The vowels 9, 9-, / seem to vary with each 4 This may be the origin of the Meroitic value,
other in the spelling of the element V-U/ ^ , 5 U/ ^ , which would naturally drop the g. /.../•i CI.JC2- .u A 5 Both are seen in A'^r.iiS, 125, which are written
/(A// 3, >U/>3 m proper names; see thedescnp- . J'
r J 0 in an early variety of the late style of writing. tion of Kar. 89, below, p. 68.
i4 INTRODUCTION
letter in demotic, and unfortunately no clear equations can be found for any of the above groups ; but the occurrence of the group f=g <=> "^ appears significant when we remember that /4-<l (/- is a frequent plural ending in the funerary formulae.1
As to the value, ^ being probably a false rendering of the sign (see above 2), ^ is the only hieroglyphic form to be considered. This is used for b in the Egyptian cartouche of the Ethiopian Sabacon, as well as in other late writing of Egyptian. As b occurs in Ethiopian and Meroitic names and J in the peculiar inscription Meroc i, and there is no other sign in the alphabet that can well have this value, it seems likely that this is the value of the Meroitic letter. A confirmation of the proposed value b may be found in the fact that f appears to replace } m in 'j/tjf/^, Kar. 77, for the usual *i/*j}<l of the funerary formula C,:J and to replace ^p in the funerary formulae A, B, where J/^ is found, e.g. in Kar. i and 99 a, for the usual J ^.4 Finally (/ corresponds to b in group (o].
8. EEB, ^ (equations 7, 8, 9). w seems only a way of writing the Egyptian H/. Its value p is shown by the groups (g\ (j), (k], (m), (s).
^ varies with /"" b in the terminal formula A. A curious fact about ^is that it can be added or omitted at pleasure in many words without altering the meaning, and that not only at the beginning of words. On the hieroglyphic altar, Inscr. 60, EEB occurs three times, twice in the formulae and once in a name, in each case before > : the corresponding demotic formulae of Inscr. 59 do not show the ^; the name <=? $ <=> *Pc5 > EEB ££ (ib.) seems to contain the same word as U/cT/,^/^.5 and in the funerary formulae C, &c., *j/) varies with
9. ^, } (equations 4-7). Its demotic forms agree with the Egyptian hieratic and demotic
forms of ^ m, although the latter are derived from the figure facing to the right -^ . The Meroitic value m is shown by the groups a-c,j\ &c.
10. ££, /^(equations 5, 6). In Egyptian "vww is ;/, and n is the value of Z£ (groups a-c}. The original /vw must have been doubled for aesthetic reasons to increase the height in the line (cf. » from -»-), because the letters were to be written to succeed each other horizontally sign by sign. /^ has no resemblance to the hieratic or demotic forms.
/^, y^ and //^ vary with A q-v. 5 never follows /^. In 5/,J/^J, 9/C/<9///, /^ varies with ^, showing perhaps a peculiar pronunciation of the dental: especially as n before / is apt to disappear : ^ 9 ^ is a rare variant of ^ /^9 3^ Kar. 49, 59, /*- fyWr ^= Eg. dem. Hr-ut-yt-f, 'Apez^wr???, and P V ^ V Inscr. 4 = Kntky, KavbaKf], see groups (q), (r). In variants of proper names /^, ¥rt^ are often omitted: /t/C^9^.= [/'1/C'^^^^ Inscr. 92, 93 : cf. Arikakharer and Arikanakharer, Inscr. I, p. 79.
ii- \\t A (equation 4). SCHAEFER, AZ. 33/113 has shown that ^jj),, originally nn, was employed in Egyptian inscriptions of the earlier Ethiopian kings as a variant of n in spelling Ethiopian names. It does not occur in Egyptian demotic, and the known hieratic forms do not explain the form /\.
.A is never followed by a vowel sign: it replaces /^ ;/ in /V-A^, 5/sJAJ (Kar.}\ y^ in )!fA}/& Inscr. ; and //$J?) in AW/1 A1! 5& Kar. 76, Inscr. 133, and is transcribed ny in Egyptian demotic (group /). Probably, therefore, /\ represents that particular Nubian n which most closely resembles ni and may be represented by n ; in Christian Nubian this is written Vf : there can be little doubt therefore that Y is derived from the Meroitic A-
A Hke /^, y^, seems negligable in proper names: tr^AtW<r(A/% Kar. 6 is apparently the same as ^^y^u/^ Kar. 23.
1 Below, p. 25. 2 p. i. 3 See p. 50. 4 See pp. 45, 4
THE MEROITIC ALPHABET 15
12. r=], -a, U/ (equations i, 2, 4, 6, H, 9). It is transcribed by r, Egyptian <=> (gr. A,/, k, /, ;//). Like p in old Nubian, and r in modern Nubian, (A/ is exceedingly rarely, if ever, initial ; but it very commonly follows 5 ^. It is difficult to suggest any Egyptian origin for r=n a tank (?) as symbol for r, though U/ may be compared with the Eg. demotic equivalent of l<=>.
13. £&, ^ (equations 2, 4). In late Egyptian £a> is frequent for r, I ; the value / is shown
by gr. (g), (/). It is not uncommon as initial, whereas X, / are very rarely so in Nubian.
t
14. <=>. <s>, <. (equations 2, 6). It commonly varies with ) q.v. The hieroglyphic forms seem like versions of «»— , in Egyptian //, representing the teats and sexual parts of an animal ;
the Egyptian sign is found in the name of the Ptolemaic-Egyptian king (fll*""^4— ^ ]
at Dakka. But they may lead back to Q h, which occurs in Egyptian writing of Ethiopian and Meroitic names, and is the equivalent of <. in group (/).
CT is closely like the Christian Nubian sign for h (pronounced tig) corresponding to modern t't, n and g, and this can hardly be accidental. But its sound as given by group (/) is A, and in group (q] it seems to vary with 5 ^ as representing the initial // of the name of Horus.
J5- O> )• The distinction between ) and } m would probably have escaped me in making the list in Areika if the two signs had not been juxtaposed in the common word *7 ) J , so that the difference was emphasized. The equivalence with O is seen in the parallel phrases quoted in the discussion of fnscr. 60, and is suggested by the apparent identity of •' )*i: w'th - C5 £a • (fnscr. 24, 65).
J corresponds to x in ITax<opas (gr. ;;/). It varies with <L in the word :*?}}: of the funerary formulae A, B,1 and frequently elsewhere.2 It may therefore have the sound of k or h.
1 6. «, J// (equations 4, 9). The value s is given by the group (/'), £ by (;;/). It is often substituted for J in ^-J5^ and similar words. It occurs as initial but is never followed by a vowel sign, and therefore may have contained an inherent vowel. The demotic form resembles the Egyptian demotic < II = I [Q] s, and the sign » can be explained as a doubling of the Egyptian hieroglyph -— = s (cf. ££). In the inscr. Meroc i, -+- appears to take the place of «. Thus its value is probably s followed by a vowel.
17- LLI> J (equations i, 9). The value of Egyptian HJ is S, and its demotic derivative is closely like the Meroitic sign. Groups (/), (;/) give S also as its Meroitic value. It varies with J// q.v., and the s of the names of Osiris and Isis (groups d, e) are both written with J probably owing to a change of sounds.
J^' V> ^ (equations 2, 6, 7). fl, <^i are the Egyptian equivalents given by groups (a), (o), (r) : in the Ptolemaic period these letters probably had a value approaching the Coptic 0, -s, rather than a pure k. This value for ^ may be derived acrophonically from $j». = Gbt KTJ/S, in the group
19. A, A, /2 (equations 3, 9). The stroke of 13 is often attached to the other component in early writing; in a few cases, e.g. V^f> Kar. 94, 3 alone is written for A?.3 The form A is not uncommon, agreeing with the Egyptian alphabetic sign for q. q is also the Meroitic value given by the groups (g), (I).
1 See pp. 45. 48.
2 E.g. /S-CT/J^ occurs in Kar. 72 for the formula A, see below, pp. 25, 45.
3 Also quite late in Inscr. 117.
usual *r-?/J^, and /*-)!/<})/ J Kar.
« for the normal /*- CT A' 5 ,7 / J ^ , both in
16 INTRODUCTION
20. ^>, ^ (equation 6). The form g — > is not uncommon, agreeing with the Egyptian alphabetic sign for /, which often stands for / in and after the New Kingdom, o /, / are the equivalents given by the groups (b\ (h], (2), (/), (q).
} is often followed by y, but not by /, 5 except in the abnormal inscription Meroc i. It is replaced by /$- in y^/^?/,//*-?^/, Kar. 100, and curiously enough by /^ (which may point to a d sound rather than /) in ¥£ / $ 5 /(, J /{<7 /// ; and perhaps varies with ft,, v. /^, /C-
2I- ra> /4~ (equations 2, 4, 8). The oblique stroke of /$- is joined to the first element in many early texts. In one or two later texts (e.g. Kar. 58) the ^- appears without the /. ^ is a combination found in the Egyptian spelling of the older Ethiopian names for notably in the name of Taracus. One might, however, connect the sign with i^l ty, which occurs as a syllabic in Egyptian-Ethiopian writing.
In groups (*), (£), (0), (s), («), it corresponds to t, t. The sign is never followed by a vowel sign: various parallels1 prove that its vowel is 9, and its transcription is therefore te. In a few instances /*- replaces £ (q. v.) and ^- ,2
22. c^, ^- (equation 6, 9), with variant J. Group (b) gives the Egyptian equivalent as ^^ or •=•. It does not occur before the vowel signs, but constantly changes with v//, ^, /$- in grammatical forms. Various parallels 3 prove that its vowel is /, and its transcription is therefore te. The origin of i=^ as a ^-symbol may perhaps be sought in V, the Egyptian determinative of land, used here to represent /, TO ' land ', as MASPERO has suggested in reviewing Areika in the Rev. Critique, 1899.
/t (equations 2. 4, 7). ^5, the sacred eye of Horus is a very common amulet, but a rare hieroglyph in Egyptian, and then only represents its own name w&^f) ovanov (Dem. Mag. Pap., I, p. 64), i.e. wagi, and has no demotic form.
There is little to fix its value as a consonant: it replaces ^ in the name /t/t^?A Kar. 124, for £ /, tj} and in ? /, } /, 9 , Kar. 125, apparently for 9 /C } £ 9 III. It should thus be a dental of some kind, and as there is a kind of z (|, g — >) in Egyptian spelling of Ethiopian and Meroitic proper names, the value z may be attributed provisionally to it. By elimination too, the values of the other letters being approximately fixed by good evidence ^^, ](, remains as the only
probable equivalent for the above-mentioned sound of |, s=>.
In transcribing Meroitic names I have frequently supplied the vowel a where no vowel is marked : to some extent this is justified by the spelling of Nairara, Ka/-SaK?j, Amani, riax^pa?, juen&e, &c. It is of course impossible to decide in most cases where a vowel is to be inserted, and some other vowel than a may often be required.
1 See pp. 9, 38. * See p. 45- 8 See p. 38.
CHAPTER II
$
THE AGE AND SUCCESSION OF STYLES OF MEROITIC WRITING
AN indication of the relative age of any Meroitic writing may be sought for in the degree to which the Meroitic had overpowered the Egyptian at the time. The early Ethiopian kings borrowed the Egyptian language and writing for monumental records ; this borrowed system rapidly deteriorated when the fall of Dynasty XXV put an end for a long time to intercourse with Egypt. With Ergamenes in the third century B. C. we conjecture that a new era of freedom, prosperity, and general culture commenced under Hellenistic and fresh Egyptian influences. The inscriptions of Ergamenes and Azakheramani in the Dodecaschoenus on the borders of Egypt, at Philae Tafa and Dakka, are in good early Ptolemaic style ; but it was perhaps then that nearer home first their proper names and then the native language of the Meroites began to be spelt in a special alphabet founded on the Egyptian alphabetic characters. The hieroglyphic inscriptions in some of the pyramids of Meroe are in debased Egyptian throughout, in others the personal name of the royalty is written in Meroitic while all else is Egyptian, in others again the royalty is without even a prenomen in Egyptian, and the whole of the inscriptions are in Meroitic. But as yet the absence of independent information as to the succession of the kings, and the possibility of re-use of the pyramids and their shrines, leave us without satisfactory means of testing the theory.
I. The Meroite texts in Egyptian hieroglypliic include, outside the pyramids, the inscriptions Meroe 4, unfortunately without a cartouche, and the famous bilingual of Natakamani and Amanitere from Wad Benaga, Inscr. 41 ; with the latter we can group Meroe 19 and the inscriptions from temple C at Barkal (L. D. V. Bl. 15 e-m) which give the same cartouches, perhaps associated with that of the prince Arakakhatani of the Ammon temple of Naga.1
II. The known texts in Meroite Iiieroglyphic, mostly very briefer fragmentary, are: —
Soba, Inscr. i. Gebel Qeli, Inscr. 2. Naga, Inscr. 3-20, 23-38, 39. Wad Benaga, Inscr. 40, 4 1 . Ba'sa, Inscr. 46.
Meroe, Inscr. 55, 56, 58, 60, 62, 63, 67, 730 ; Meroe, i, 2, 15, 16, 17, ai. Barkal, Inscr. 773.
Amara, Inscr. 84 (from Lepsius's copies only, the original being entirely destroyed). Of these Meroe i (column 8 on the table) shows some unusual forms agreeing with Egyptian hieroglyphic.
III. The demotic inscriptions vary considerably in style, and it is not difficult to distinguish the earlier from the later.
(i) Archaic (see columns 10-13). The earliest inscriptions not uncommonly tend to upright forms, in some signs closely following portions of the outlines in the corresponding hieroglyphs, e.g. Mcroe $at 36/2 ; contemporary with these however, and much intermingled with them, e.g.
1 Inscr. II, s. v. Napata. P
i8
INTRODUCTION
|
SOBA |
NAGA Lion t. |
Ammon t. |
r<»|Jtf |
ME ROE JnJcr 60 |
66 |
£5 * |
Hi«M 1. |
. |
||
|
I. s$ |
fell |
^} |
y* |
3* |
^! |
5?. |
||||
|
2 H |
f |
f |
( |
IT |
0 |
\ |
/r v |
5 |
||
|
3« ^5 |
^^ |
^ |
* |
B |
X |
& |
/ |
|||
|
/I ^ T"* /I |
J |
r |
J |
% |
> |
1> |
I |
¥ |
||
|
5- 11 |
i/ |
I! |
w |
II |
HI |
|||||
|
6. ^ |
% |
81 |
a |
8) |
tf |
i |
||||
|
7- fc, |
lh? |
' |
J |
r |
||||||
|
8. m |
® |
. ffl |
SB |
ffl |
U' |
ffl |
^ |
|||
|
9- k |
& |
IK |
JKi |
^ |
^ |
^ |
K |
> |
||
|
IO. ££ |
££ |
^ |
/V\X\ ^^/\^V |
Z^ |
AAAA /VWA |
— |
«» |
n. |
||
|
«. W |
U |
H |
A |
|||||||
|
12. [=] |
® |
- |
a |
e |
*• |
•a |
u/ |
|||
|
14- <=> |
<g& |
<3S> |
<_.:> |
CE> |
<=> |
^ |
<=i |
< |
||
|
15. *5 |
O |
^ |
^' |
> |
||||||
|
16. « |
n |
n |
^. |
tt |
Jll |
|||||
|
J7- LU |
ill |
LU |
LLI |
^g |
^y |
UJ |
(WW| |
J |
||
|
18. V |
V |
V |
v |
%> |
V |
^ |
i. |
|||
|
19- A |
A |
i |
i |
A |
j |
4 |
13 |
|||
|
20. ^3 |
25 |
3 |
2> |
3 |
r3 |
t |
||||
|
21. ra |
ra |
ID |
ra |
ro |
c? |
a |
"- |
|||
|
22. c^ |
e^ |
<s |
D> |
^ |
Q^ |
£-. |
||||
|
25 ^^ •" )• • ^"O |
?^ |
» |
^ |
^ |
=fe |
^ |
7* |
|||
|
i |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
THE HIEROGLYPHIC ALPHABET,
PALAEOGRAPHICAL TAB1 ES
A
u/
Mtn»«
/4
Sli
35
IS Ux/
1,1
IO
35 x///
MJ
12
|
Ingr |
Knr m 5 |
|
r. |
6 ^ |
|
•/// 3 |
|
|
13 |
95 H |
JftXr
u/
KALABSHA
A/,///
15
16
THE DEMOTIC ALPHABET.
D 2
20 INTRODUCTION
Meroe $b, 36/1, there is a less stiff series.1 The archaic inscriptions are found on stelae, &c., and as graffiti at Mesauwarat (Inscr. 42, 43) ; at Umm Soda (Inscr. 45) ; at Meroe (Meroe $, 6, 12, Inscr. 47, 49, 51-4, 61) ; at Barkal (Inscr. 76-8); at Soleb (Inscr. 79); at Sai (Inscr. 83) ; at Haifa (Inscr. 86) ; and at Dakka (Inscr. 91-3). The style is hardly to be found on funerary altars or stelae except at Meroe (Meroe 25, 27-30, 34-6, 41, 43, 45, 49). From Karanog the only examples that approach it are Kar. 58, 80, and 126.
(2) Transitional (see columns 14, 15). The style occurs on funerary stelae and altars as far north as Karanog, but is entirely absent from the Dodecaschoenus. It is found at Naga (Inscr. 22); Meroe (Meroe, Nos. 23, 24, 26, 37, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 47, Inscr. 64, 70); Dangel (Inscr. 74); Karanog (Kar. 13, 34, 44, 61, 62, 94. 95, 100, 103, 107, no, 123, 126-8); and Shablul (the fragment Ph. 5112 figured in Areika PI. 35). A granite stela of this style, Inscr. 126, of unknown provenance, is dedicated in the names of one of the Natakamani- Amanitere-Candace groups of kings.
(3) Late (see column 16 for the extreme variety ; the forms of the letters generally agree with the printing types used in this memoir). None of these late inscriptions are found on granite or any other kind of hard stone; they occur throughout the Meroitic region, namely, at Naga (Inscr. 21); Mesauwarat (Inscr. 44); Meroe (Meroe 7-10, 14, 51. Inscr. 48, 5°» 57, 58> 59> 65> 68> 69> 7J> 73 a> h d> e) 5 Sedenga (Inscr. 80, 81) ; Amara (Inscr. 85) ; Faras (Inscr. 129); Karanog (passim); Shablul (passim); Wadi Sabu' (Inscr. 87); Aqeba (Inscr. 88-89) ? Alaqi (Inscr. 90) ; and are very common in the graffiti, &c., of the Dodecaschoenus. The latest or most developed style of all is seen in the great inscription of Kalabsha (Inscr. 94, cf. 130), and the inscriptions of the Ethiopian chamber at Philae (Inscr. 97-111) are written in almost the same hand, while the graffiti of Philae (Inscr. 95, 96, 112-25) generally are of a more central type. It is this late style of writing which occurred on imported amphorae at Karanog along with Greek inscriptions of Roman age and Egyptian demotic.2
Thus the archaic style (i) is found markedly in the Dodecaschoenus at 'Dakka, the transitional style (2) is absent from it though belonging to the settled population of Karanog,3 and the late style (3) is found on the tombstones of the inhabitants northward to the south frontier of the Dodecaschoenus, and in inscriptions and graffiti, not only in the Dodecaschoenus, but even in the temple of Philae itself.
The recorded history of this district may help to fix the age of the Meroitic inscriptions. The titles of the Meroite kings in Meroite hieroglyphic are modelled on those of the later Ptolemaic kings or the Roman emperors, and there is no probability that the alphabet was in use before the third century B.C. The rule of Ptolemaic kings down to Euergetes II is well represented in the Dodecaschoenus ; the pronaos of Dakka was built by the last-named king in his thirty-fifth year, 135 B.C., whereas the later Ptolemies troubled themselves little, if at all, about the country beyond the First Cataract, and it was not until after the invasion of Candace, about 23 B.C., that the Dodecaschoenus was occupied by the Roman troops.4 Provisionally therefore we may attribute the archaic inscriptions of Dakka to the interval between the Ptolemaic and Roman occupations of the Dodecaschoenus.
The revolts in Egypt in the reign of Marcus Aurelius may have given the Ethiopians a fresh opportunity of occupying the southern frontier district for a few years ; but the Romans continued to hold the Dcdecaschoenus, and the name of Septimius Severus is found upon the temple of Kalabsha. From the time of Gallienus, A.D. 260, onwards the Blemmyes must have had all Lower Nubia at their mercy until the reorganization of the empire under
1 Cf. Meroe, p. 58, classes (c), (d).
2 Karanog Cemetery, pp. 78, 79.
3 The transitional style is seen in the graffito, Inscr. 22, upon the Roman kiosque at Naga which
is, perhaps, of the second century A. D.
* MILNE, History of Egypt under Roman Rule, pp. 18-23.
AGE AND SUCCESSION OF STYLES OF MEROITIC WRITING 21
Diocletian, r. A.I). 290, when the frontier was definitely drawn back to Philae, and Nobatac were invited to occupy the adjoining district as a shield against the Blemmyes. The later Mcroitic inscriptions of the Dodecaschoenus and Philae were doubtless written between the middle of the third century and the Christianization of Nubia in the middle of the sixth century, and rather at the beginning than at the end of the period.
An ' Agent of Isis ', a title familiar in late Meroitic inscriptions of the Dodecaschoenus, appears in Egyptian demotic as early as the reign of Nero. The barbarous title qeren of Isis, still more familiar in local Meroitic, occurs in many later inscriptions, one of them fortunately dated in the fourth year of Trebonius Gallus (A.D. 254)*; while 'Bekemate the Akrere, son of Qeren, the strategus of the water', mentioned in an undated but certainly late Egyptian demotic text at Philae, is probably identical with ' the krer Bekemate, begotten of the mate and strategus of the water', who is shown in the drawings of the Ethiopian chamber in the great temple (Inscr. 98). It may even be that Diocletian's introduction of the Nobatae put an end to the writing and the precarious civilization of the Meroites and that their records should all be placed before A.D. 300. But more probably they lasted for something like a century longer.2
The successive styles may therefore be dated provisionally as follows :—
(1) Archaic before 25 B.C.
(2) Transitional, between 25 B.C. and A.D. 250.
(3) Late, A.D. 250 to A.D. 400.
Mr. Crowfoot, however, argues for a much shorter range in the Meroitic monuments, viz. from the second century to the middle of the fourth century A. D.3
1 The same inscription mentions a certain ' Akrer, the great envoy to Rome' from the Meroite king TRRMN.
i
Inscr. 124 is inscribed upon a gateway which is commonly ascribed to the re-fortification of Philae by Diocletian. Several of the Philae graffiti are upon walls that must be dated to the Roman age, and the unusual height at which they are placed indicates that the floors were deep in rubbish at the time.
8 Tfie Island of Meroe, pp. 37-41 (in the nineteenth memoir of the Archaeological Sumey of Egypt, published by the Egypt Exploration Fund). Cor- roboration for this shorter chronology might be found in a comparison of Kar. 8 with Kar. 103, see below, p. 71. Woolley and Randall-Mac I ver suggest that the Karanog cemetery represents a period beginning near to A.D. 100 and continuing into the fifth century, Kar. Cent., p. 84.
CHAPTER III
THE MEROITIC LANGUAGE
IT would be premature to attempt to discuss the language revealed by the inscriptions at any length. But it seems worth while to gather together a few facts that are already ascertained. Without being at all decisive, the analogies to Nubian both in structure and vocabulary are sufficiently striking to be worth mention. The language appears to be agglutinative, without gender, the place of inflexions taken by post-positions and suffixes. But it is disconcerting to observe that of the few native words which are known, two mean respectively ' bear ' and ' beget ', while it seems that neither the modern Nubian dialects nor Christian Nubian possess distinct words for the two functions: in them the word OYiiiwy, mine, serves for both ' bear' and ' beget ' and has no resemblance to either of the Meroitic words.
PHONOLOGY.
Absence of the peculiarly Semitic consonants and a general simplicity in the sounds of the language seem certain.
According to the old-fashioned classification of Lepsius, the alphabet appears to give
Tenues Mediae Nasales Spirantes Liquidae
Gutturals k g (q} h, h
Palatals ii s y
Dentals / n s, z ? r, I
Labials / b m w
As in modern and Christian Nubian r is never initial, and it is seldom that / is really initial, though it appears at the beginning of groups which are separated by .* from those which they follow and qualify.
The notation of the vowels is puz/ling, as the equations and other evidence obtainable point to varieties of e, a, i for the four signs : and although there are equations with Coptic which might give an o value, there is evidence that in these cases the vowel was changed to e or a. As yet no clear proof can be produced even for the existence of o and n in the Meroitic language.
The writing indicates that the words consisted mainly of open syllables commencing with a consonant. There were also closed syllables, as is shown by the Greek transcriptions 'Epya/xeVrjj, KarSa/o; : but there is no evidence that two vowel sounds followed each other without a consonant between.
VOCABULARY.
The few words that are at present intelligible comprise certain loan-words from Egyptian, proper names, and a few native words : —
Loan-words: — ¥^ >J/i '¥£ /*r- tewisti. Eg. tezvas/iti, 'the adoration'.
3/ } tj^r^pelamcs, Eg. pelemes, 'the /*- V-W 9 ^ perite, Eg. peril (?), ' the Agent '. &c.
INFLEXION, ETC. 23
Proper names:— J/3 Wtsk, Eg. Ksi, Isis.
y*^/5^ Amani, Eg. Amun, Ammon. ^/ 5/09 C.^ ^ Apezcmak, the Lion-god. /*- ^/^ Napate, Napata. /4/?2 Shimale, Ibrim &c.
and an infinity of native personal names.1 i
Native words :— ^- 9 ^ ' water ', ## (cf. Nubian-Kenus essf, Kordofan
Nubian otu* ; also ast- or tfj/fl- viw/j, aqua in the explanations of the Nile names Asfa/ws, Asta- boras 3).
3jf4*/ 9 3J?), 5 ^y-M/ /*- , 5 ^y-U/ 9 /// ' to beget ', arik (?) in names,4 terike, ycrike. ?< fi,, t^j,/*-, 5 C /, 5 /// 'to bear ', zahe, tezhe, yezhe.
) *j adjective ' great ', /ah.
INFLEXION, &c.
The mechanism of the language, as in Nubian, is provided largely by post -positions or suffixes attached to the end of a word or of such verbal complex consisting of several words as is affected by it. Amongst these post-positions the following are already distinguished :—
1 i ) y., W, i, li for the vocative (?).
(2) 4, ^r /, // for a word or phrase when followed by another word which it qualifies, as 5 /, } *l 9 HI ' *J **- J 9 C. ' t° whom a peshte is kin ', ' kin of a peshte '.5 Plural ^5 $ leb.
(3) /$• ¥&/*r ti\ Itwi for the copula (?) or for emphasis (?). Plural ¥$ ^/^54 lebakzvi.
(4) Jff s for the genitive following its noun : in the position of (2) it becomes simply £ / ; in the position of (3) ^- tc, ¥3*^ tcwi (plural ¥&£fS*- tebakivi), or I^Jff s/e, V&/4J// slhvi (see pp. 24, 40).
(5) /*- te for the locative : by the addition of (2) it becomes 4/S-, $**/**-, tel, teli; by the addition of (3) l*i/*-, V&/4S*-, tele, telewi (cf. p. 40).
(i) The effect of adding y- i for the vocative (?) ending is seen in the following :—
a. V^/3 'O Isis!', S/i. 3.
b. :t^Jr<r 13 A1^// /\}<r£'J/& ' O Isis!', Inscr. 133.
c. ^ A W/l A?*r 13' J/3 ' O Isis ! ', Inscr. 85.
d. ^//5U//J ' O Osiris ! ', S/t. 3.
e. .•^A/(A/^53-*y^A>'/J 'O Osiris!', Inscr. 133.
f- t^J^U ' O Great God ! ', S/i. 3.
g. y-lA/U/£5/-?.'^4.£/ 'O Great God!', Inscr. 129.
Here the y- is added to the bare stem of J/3 in a, while $ intervenes after 5/1? in b, after A '*n c, and after ) in f, and III intervenes with a vowel change after y-U/ in d. The simple form of y-U/U/^53 being unknown, the effect of the y- on it is not certain.
1 I have not yet recognized any Egyptian or Greek name of the Nile in the inscription of Teizanes, is
personal narr.es in the Meroitic inscriptions. probably the same word.
7 LEPSIUS, Nubische Grammatik, p. Ixxviii. * Inscr. I, p. 57.
s Diod. 1/37, Pliny //. ^V. 5/10; see SCHA'FER, 8 This ^ / seems not to be added to words termin-
Zeits.f. Aeg. Spr. 33/98. DlLLMANN in his Anfange ating in V ', and rarely to proper names, especially
ties Aviimitischen Reichs pointed out that Sed&, the with the words of filiation.
24 INTRODUCTION
The endings (2) and (3) can be well seen in connexion with the titles (A/ tf-J^^peistc, 9 /l^^ant (collected in the Indices of titles and descriptive phrases, below).
a. .'^/^/l/??/// •'*<*/ /-?C'kinof *paqar\ Kar. ^9-
sic
b. y$ *r- v^C <?/ ^ U/ / 13 ^ ' she of the harim (?) of a /a^«r ', Kar. i a; et sim.
c. :/*79j,S }?///>'/ f?.'A??S ?93^ 1///WA///J U/ A? ^ 'kin of the paqar of the king
Atmetan-Tabe ', Kar. 47.
&. :'H>/li<r](,}ll<i//l'''>)lj!l<r}!l<rlH>'W 13$^ 'kin of the /^r Yetmet the elder', Kar. 17.
e. lH>lei/*-A V^9 ^.* ^- J 5 ^ '/«//# in Akin ', Kar. 7 8,
f. ¥3 *r- <& £.' 4 *r- J(5)C^ ' of the harim (?) °r the peshtf\ Kar. 79, &c. g. VS/^VS.'^^-J?^' brother of the /«£# ', Kar. 50.
h- ^ / -9 9 /C y 9 9 ///.' -9 *- J 9 ^ ' kin of th5 ^^^', A^r. .59, but : W }¥$/*- A^S//?^ /// ' kin of the peste Natewitar ', Kar. 83.
'• . • • tift&pesht$\Kar. 100. j. •'/^r^///¥^^:'/r£7-J9^ 'of the harim (?) of the peshte\ Kar. 124. k. fi>: l*j /*- J: 4 'T- J 9 ^ ' mother (?) of the /^///^ ', ^T«r. 1 27. 1. ^ / ^ /^~ J.' ^ ^- J 5 C^ ' mother (?) of the /«//# ', Kar. 1 25. m. ¥^/^9 ^^-(A/ A- .* ^ V J 5 ^ ' begotten of the peshte ', A'rtT. 1 03. n. /4£--i///s^ 'thepestc', I user. 106.
o. V$ / *, 9 /, / ^ 9 ///.' 9 /// /^- / £.9 ^' ^5 ^ ' kin of the prophet Apeteye ', Kar. 2 1 . p. y^fr J/3 £^9^ 'prophet of Isis ', Kar. 15. q. V1>/£ilH>:tfJ7!/fk5'^ 'brother of the prophet \Kar. 118. r. V3/'r5/iS99///''f 5 49/153^ 'kin of prophets', Kar. 22.
f? _ ** *\
s. Sai tt [i ^ ^. « £z± \$ rn 1 t3 ^ ' belo\ed (?) of Ariten ', Inscr. 84, but ^ ;;/;// mczesl ' beloved (?) of Amani ', ib.
t. *H> 1 4 9 ^.W /^--' y*^/ J ' begotten of a jMw' ', Kar. 108.
The simple forms are seen when the title precedes its proper name, d, o, or a qualifying word c, e, p.
For the genitives (4) J//3/& 'of Isis', and J/I^^J 'of Amanap' furnish useful illustrations.
u. /^U/^J/ U/9/^J/3 J//3/& /*-V-W5^S//J/& A5U//A? 'Mashtarq, qeren of Isis, agent of Isis and Isis- ....', Inscr. in, see below, p. 40.
v. .V49/t>^9///.*£J/<3 At*///,? ^J/3 /^-^U/5^'kin of the agent of Isis and of the qeren of Isis ', Inscr. 122.
w. <H>l'iJ/l3IZ> !lf(5^*Z5Z5}J// ' prophet of Isis ', Kar. 126.
x. ^^-J/3.'^/l9^ ' prophet of Isis ', Kar. 15.
y. V1>l<i<iZV-W/*-:'P7//3//3:j//<$JlJ:3)£,3 'begotten of the slhs of Amanap Qeqeli ', Kar. 6.
z. lH>l£i<7^}!l<7/// 9 ZAJ ;5U<7/'7<rf ' kin of the beleleke of Amanap ', Kar. 30. a. tH>l£j^^}!J^//l:f^/^-'^} 9/19^ 'kin of the prophets of Amanap ', Kar. 15. £. V$/'jJJ//''t+l CA/ •' £ ^ ^ ' wife of the prophet of Amanap ', Kar. 1 25. y. V3/ Wv/>/.*? CA/ J^ ^ -? ' wife of the ^ of Amanap ', A'rtr. 32.
'prophet of Amanap', A'rt-r. 21.
F. mitiJ/l CA'7 9l/^¥^9f^ ' belilcke of Amanap ', A'^rn 3.
PLURAL FORMS
GENDER AND NUMBER.
There seems to be no distinction of gender on the stelae describing men and women respectively.
The plural forms in the descriptive phrases of the funerary stelae (cl. p. 38) are
of the simple form, f^^t leb
of the 4, <Pr form likewise, A^94 Icb
of the 4*3/4 form, ya^/^94 leb(a)k(a)wi
of the genitive J// and £, fj forms, fS /*r- teb
of the WT- form, 9$ 2J/ '/*- tcb(a)k(a)ivi. In all these the common feature is ^"9 cb.
In the benedictions or terminal formulae there is a somewhat different series. The meaning of the phrases is so uncertain that one can only suggest that they may belong to the inflexions of verbs. They are characterized by a < (or )) following the /^?. They seem confined to the forms with suffixed /*- and ^-, /*-? ^and
For /*- or ^- they substitute /^-<lf^ (once
Before /**- 9 ^ or J/l 9 ^ they insert 9 < t/ .
An exceptional case is Kar. 104 inserting f only before the /fr-9 ^ in its two plurals, and Kar. 92, 5//. 14, Inscr. 135 have forms like f*r/ )^, dropping the other terminations.
The following is a list of plural forms in the different formulae ! :—
Formula A. Plural. Inscr. 135.
45-
Kar. 37, ^7*. 12. Kar. 67.
Singular.
Inscr. \ 37.
Kar. 6, 28, 29,42. . 104. ar. 15. Kar. 23.
. 131.
9 ,7 ^? ^ ^tfn 7s once very common. very common. Kar. 1 8. /S- 9 ^9 ^ y^ ^ very common. very common.
Formula B.
Inscr. 13.5.
cf. (cf.
cf.
. 61, A'ar. 54).
5, 19.
. 28, 29, 42, 55.
cf.
cf.
. 61,
frequent.
5, 19.
cf.
1 See below, pp. 43, 45, &c., and the description of Kar. 99 on p. 70.
E
26
INTRODUCTION
Formula C. Plural.
Kar. 67. Kar. 64 a.
Kar. 29,42.
99 a.
Inscr. 135 (blundered?).
Formula D.
9 /// Kar. 29. Kar. 67. Kar. 37.
IllsCJ'- 1 3 7 •
Singular. Kar. 14.
very common.
. 27, 28, ioo.
r. 59.
Formula F.
Formula G.
14.
. 137.
if III Inscr. 89.
The plural endings in these formulae therefore are (i) // when there is no further ending ; (2) CT/^, 5C^, with ending ^-, /«-, 5^, /4-9^, J//5^ or v///^-?^; once only in such cases A" alone is used (/f^r. 104). This 9<C seems parallel to the ^ of the ending 4*£,<7/x5^ in the descriptive series
Thus eb or b is the most essential mark of the plural.1 It seems possible that the patronymic or tribal termination -ab, now met with in place-names in all parts of Nubia from the First Cataract to the Blue Nile, may be connected with it.
The position of the plural ending throws light on the formation of words. Thus in the series of plurals from formula A we have a root ps (or sometimes yi) to which can be added the element he. The plural ending is attached directly to the simple ps or to the compound ps-he giving *pseb, yi-heb, &c. The other elements te, ke-te, ke-s, ke-te-s follow the plural affixes, he intervening in almost all cases, producing pse-bh-te, pse-he-bh-te, pse-he-bhe -ke-te-s, &c. ps, pse-he might be nominal or verbal stems, whereas the elements which follow the plural endings might be pronominal or particles. It seems strange that no one of these post- positions is indispensible to the phrase, the variants giving even the bare pse, pse-he or yi-he, presumably without material change to the meaning of the formula.
Another plural with this b, from the descriptive phrases and the 'stele-text', is noted on pp. 40, 41
MEROITIC INSCRIPTIONS FROM SHABLUL
AND KARANOG
E 3
CHAPTER I i.
THE INSCRIBED FUNERARY MONUMENTS
i
THE principal object of the present memoir is the publication and study of a group of Meroitic funerary texts found by Dr. Randall-Mad ver and Mr. Woolley in their expeditions of 1907 and 1908 to Shablul and Karanog. Although a certain number of fragmentary or worn inscriptions have been excluded from consideration, no less than 152 remain. Of these, 2 are from the Karandg cemetery (including one found separately and now in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford), and 20 are from Shablul (including one published by Mr. VVeigall).
The inscriptions are confined to two classes of monuments, namely stelae, and altars or tables of offerings. Mr. Woolley found ample evidence at Karanog that the altars had been set on square bases before the entrances of the tombs, and some actually lay undisturbed upon their brick bases.1 The stelae had all fallen down or been removed, but it appeared that they had originally been set up in the little shrines which project from the front walls of the mastabas.2
The altar or table of offerings in general is a rectangular block furnished with a projection on one side for a spout, and sculptured, on the upper face only, with a hollow trough, a jar and loaves, or other offerings. The inscription, engraved round the border, is also confined to the upper surface. The stela, on the other hand, is a slab or tablet, rectangular, the top either straight or rounded, or with a projection either rectangular or shaped ; and in a few cases the stela is of quite irregular form. Upon one face of the stela may be painted or sculptured one or more figures of the deceased persons whom it was intended to commemorate, with an inscription disposed about each figure ; or more commonly, an inscription in horizontal lines is alone engraved upon it. But there are mixed forms, and in a few instances it is difficult to decide whether the monument is an altar or a stela.
Altars?
Among the inscribed monuments from the Karanog cemetery the altar greatly pre- ponderates. Of these one. Kar. 39, is double, in the form of two tables placed side by side, analogous to the double /W-statues. The simplest form is with a plain more or less deep rectangular hollow in the upper surface, the spout often less deeply hollowed : such are Kar. 5, 6, 16, 19, 27, 39, the fine table 64, 69, 91, 127 ; in 37 the hollow is small, in 63, 126 the spout does not project, in 42 the spout is not hollowed, in 130 the central hollow is only outlined with a broad groove having the centre raised, and in 117 this has the effect of a tray of offerings laid upon the altar.
The spout in three cases. Kar. 63, 70, and 126, does not project from the side, but is always marked, though sometimes the hollowing is indicated only in a rudimentary way by lines, as in 59>4 95 (where the projection has been broken off), or by a narrow groove 30, 34. In .5 it broadens somewhat outward. In 7, 25, 42. the hollow of the channel is not marked, in 50. 78,6
1 Karanbg Cemetery, p. 8 and PI. 114. volume, where those not previously figured are shown
2 Karanbg Cemetery, pp. 9, 10. The shrines are in order in the plates.
well shown, ib., PI. 113. * K. C, PL 15, No. 7089.
9 Illustrated, ib., Pis. 15-20. The numbers here 5 K. C., PI. 20, C. 40164.
quoted are those of the catalogue printed in the present
INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN6G AND SHABLUL
and 114 the arrangement of the channel is peculiar. Kar. 72 has a hollowed spout at each end, but the inscription seems to commemorate only one person. In Kar. 120 we have opposite the spout another projection, somewhat injured. A perfect example at Moscow (Inset: 131) shows that this represented a disk and horns \j/, evidently the symbol of Isis, whose head-dress was of this form. Kar. 90 (K. C., PL 15, No. 7090) has a similar projection, but plain.
In most instances there are offerings of some kind sculptured in or about the hollow. Four circular loaves are commonly figured. Two of these appear alone on each side of the hollow in Kar. 7 and 15, the four together in the hollow in 67, 70, and 80.
A pair of Egyptian water-ewers jy is a very common subject, associated with loaves, &c., e.g. in Kar. 95, 101, 120, 132. Greek amphorae on stands may take their place, as in 25, or there may be one vase, 30, 99. An unusually broad ewer is seen in 28. Often there is an oval basin or reservoir in the centre, 3, 22, and this is commonly finished with cartouche-like termination at one or both ends. 84, 86 and 79,1 116. The water from the amphorae may flow towards the basin or on the loaves, 79, 1 i2>2 A bouquet of lotus flowers and buds may be added, 4, i2.5>2 ^at sPut cakes, 54, 59,3 a heap of fruit, i 25.2 An amphora in the centre may have a wine-dipper hanging from its mouth. /H,4 117, and a cup on the mouth, 32/' A stand, more or less pylon-shaped and supporting flat loaves, &c., is seen in i, 24,° 72, 77. The central reservoir may be rectangular, with or without steps down to it for the drawer of water, 50, 114. 136 gives a singularly clumsy version of the water-jars. 1 28 gives a curious figure, perhaps intended for a broad jar on a stand, but more probably to be connected with the ^ seen in the channel of the elaborate 78. 4 Perhaps the most interesting examples are those which show Anubis and a goddess7 making the libation, 78 4 and 96. 8 This is a common subject on the early private altars0 and the later royal altars10 from Meroe, but is rare in the Karanog collection.
The provision of water and wine, bread and flowers, often with a reservoir to draw from, is thus the main conception in the sculptures of these offering tables : and Osirian deities, as amongst the Egyptians, attend to the wants of the Osirian deceased. There does not seem to be any un-Egyptian idea involved. I have not observed any token by which the sex or rank of the deceased can be recognized from the designs.
Stelae^
Amongst the Karanog stelae several are adorned with human figures. One of the most remarkable is Kar. ii2,12 where the figure is sculptured in full face and in high relief, holding a peculiar sceptre in the right hand, and in the left some object, perhaps intended for a palm- branch. This might represent some god or goddess. Unhappily the inscription is very obscure, but it seems to be funerary and the figure is almost certainly of the deceased person.
All the other figures are painted, not sculptured : of these Kar. i 13 with a man and a woman
1 K. C., PI. 15, No. 7087. - ib., PI. 17, No. 7095. :! ib., PI. 15, No. 7089.
4 ib., PI. 20, C. 40164.
5 ib., PI. 16, No. 7092. 8 ib., PI. 15, No. 7088.
1 The emblem on the head-dress of the goddess varies and is often obscure. In Kar. 78 (K. C., PI. 20, C. 40164, cf. PI. 13, No. 7078 from the same grave) it might be intended for t_2-l or the like, i.e. Nut the mother of Osiris ; the doubtful emblem in Inscr. 59, 60
might be the same, or a variety of TT or better TO.
Ld
In Kar. 96 (K. C., PI. 17, No. 7097) X^/ for Isis may be intended. In Meroe we see Isis wearing H
(PI. LV. i), Nephthys wearing TT (PI. LVI. 2), a
goddess wearing [J (Pll. LVI. 3, LVI I. 7), who may be Mei, the goddess of truth, associated with Thoth (unless she be the Theban goddess of the West), and a second Anubis (PI. LV. i). The offering gods and goddesses in the shrines of the pyramids (see L. D. V., Pll. 19- 54) are in great variety, but few are named.
8 K. C., PI. 17, No. 7097.
9 Meroe, Pis. LV-LIX.
10 Inscr. I, PI. XXXI, Nos. 59, 60.
11 See K. C., Pis. 11-13 and 18-20, with the plates of the present volume.
12 K. C., PI. 11, 0.40265. 18 ib., PI. n, C. 40229.
THE INSCRIBED FUNERARY MONUMENTS 31
under a canopy is the most remarkable: 38,* 43, 5* i2 131 "are further examples. 58 and 85 must have had figures; 107 perhaps represented in a rude way Isis and Anubis with a vase between them and other accessories.
Of plain stelae with inscriptions in horizontal lines, some are round topped, with straight sides, viz. the fine stela Kar. i/,4 with 53, 97, iif> "' ; others taper upwards, 14, 9.1. Another fine stela, 47,° is rectangular. Less determinate shapes are 13, 31, 44, 6.5, 76, 106, no, 113, 118, 119, 129. A considerable number of tablets unite features of both classes of monuments, horizontal lines of writing with the altar shape or the sculptures of the offering tables. In 108 the altar predominates, a rude outline of an altar being engraved on the face, and four circular loaves outlined below the inscription. In 48 a central reservoir is hollowed and the outline of an altar hammered into the surface. On the rectangular stela 8 two amphorae arc outlined. 36 seems to be nothing but a table of offerings without sculpture, and 12, 3',, 73, 8i,7 87, 89," are altar-shaped with horizontal lines of inscription, and might be interpreted either as stelae or tables of offerings. ii,° 23,™ and 61 ll are probably stelae, and in 29, 41, 12 56, 6i,n 68 the rectangular slab with its projection is elongated so as to give an entirely distinct character to it. 21, 83, and 102 were stelae, but are too imperfect to be assigned to any group.
The stelae generally have funerary texts of the same class as the altars : but some bear simply the names and descriptions of the deceased, Kar. 35, 106, 113, and the fine and long inscription 47.
From Shablul 13 the altars include one (S/t. i)14 in which below the offerings two figures, perhaps frogs, perhaps anthropoid divinities, are crouching with a vessel between them, and one, No. I5,lr> with staircases to the reservoir (cf. I user. II, PI. XLIV). The mixed altar-stela type is commonest, Sh. 3-8, n, 14, 19. 16 10 and i817 are stelae with painted figures.
1 K. t'., PI. 13, No. 7085. ° A". C'., PI. 19, No. 7105.
3 ib., PI. 12, No. 7076. u ib., PI. 18, No. 7100.
3 ib., PI. 12, No. 7086. l2 ib., PI. 19, No. 7104.
4 ib., PI. 18, No. 7101. "All the Shablul inscriptions, except Sh. 19 here
5 ib., PI. 20, No. 7107. on PI. 29, are published in Areika, Pis. 32-38. • •*-.«.-
' ib., PI. 19, No. 7103. T ib., PL 19, No. 7106. • ib., PI. 1 8, No. 7099. 9 ib., PI. 18, No. 7102.
15
14 Ar., PI. 32. ib., PI. 36.
16 ib., PI. 37, No. 5 "6.
17 ib., PI. 38, No. 5121.
CHAPTER II
THE SCHEME OF THE INSCRIPTIONS
APART from a few cases in which the beginning has been lost, all the inscriptions except seven begin with the same two words ^/9U//J •' V~3 / & , in most cases in precisely this form, but sometimes varied. After this commencement, the remainder is less fixed in form, but there are many passages which recur with little variation.
Let us to begin with compare three of the shortest inscriptions in the collection : —
Kar. 2 a
Kar.tb Kar. 7
Here after the initial words we find a group different in each of the three texts, and then a double phrase the halves of which begin with *r- 9 3^ and ^ 5 ^ respectively. This phrase is found in a vast majority of the texts, often with a difference of a letter or two, and in other cases more extensively varied.
Presumably the name of the deceased person is recorded somewhere in each inscription. It is evident that the only possible place for the proper name in the above is the third group. And it is precisely here, between the initial words and the ^- 9 ^. formula, that infinite variety is found in other texts. Often there is a long series of words, which presumably represent the name, titles, and genealogy, or description of the person.
Kar. 66 and 93 correspond almost precisely to the above three, except for the respective
? ? proper names .'V3//35f4JJil'' and ¥$ / 13 5 /// ^- ^9 ^. In most cases the name can be
recognized by the affix ¥$//$. As might be expected the name differs from text to text, while in the description which follows the name there may be many points of contact.
Another very short inscription, Kar. 33, closely corresponds to these, but adds at the end J// /«- 9 ^t,/ }*,/ ij}<. . This formula /*-£ $^il):ttlti}< is seen for instance in the four very short texts Kar. 31 a, b, 39 a, b. It usually follows the ^-9^, ^5^. formulae, but in 46 it occurs without them. Other terminal formulae can be detected on some examples, and the initial words sometimes recur about them.
The scheme of the inscriptions is thus generally as follows : —
(1) Initial words (invocation) ^/5<V/J.*^/<3.
(2) Name and description 01 person.
(3) Terminal formulae (benedictions), the first usually beginning ' These three sections require now to be studied in detail.
CHAPTER III
THE INITIAL WORDS OR INVOCATION
WHERE the beginning of the text is preserved :<&//? W / J : *fj /& with its varieties is absent from only five texts out of the 150, namely Kar. 47, 53, 106, 113, and Sh. 18. To these probably might have been added Kar. 80, 112, when perfect, but in Kar. 53 it seems only by accident that the two words were not engraved in full after the first had been begun. In 76 the words occur, but are separated by several groups intervening, and in 131 they follow the name (cf. Inscr. No. 137).
In a few instances they are repeated later in the texts: most commonly at the end, after the final formulae, viz. in Kar. 17, 30, 31 a, b, 64, 82, 83, 89, 114; in Kar. 88 they occur after the final formulae, but a word of the ' description ' follows ; in two cases, Kar. 8 and 38, they are in the middle between the ' description ' and the terminal formulae. Two inscriptions, Kar. 30, 72, terminate with V3/ & alone.
In punctuated texts .'ty/J^W I J:Vj / '& is usual, but .'^xJ/9(A//J V^/3 is not uncommon; V^/5t/i//J/^/3 is rare.
A certain number of variations are to be found in the spelling of each word. For $y/3, isolated spellings y^3 and /J/3 in the bad texts Kar. 74 and in may probably be put aside as mere blunders. On the other hand, ¥3V£ occurs so many times, namely in Kar. 5, 8, 13, 58, 85, 94, 103, 107, and on two fragments from Karanog in the Philadelphia Museum ! — perhaps also in Kar. 14, 27, and Sh. 13 — that it is worth attention. The substitution of the vowel y for the vowel / is important for the pronunciation even if faulty, and as a matter of fact some of these texts are both good and early. The omission of the second vowel in a good and early text, Kar. no, where we have JV3, is supported by early examples from elsewhere.2 The pronunciation of this word seems to have been Wcsc, with a tendency to WiSe.
A common variant of the second word is with 5^ prefixed (see the Index, s. v.), showing that the pronunciation was Ascreyi. ty/ for yj/1 frequently occurs, e.g. Kar. 103, 130 of better texts. ^/^t^/J in Kar. 14, 17, 18, 23, 36, 94, 108, in is not uncommon, V5U//J is an interesting spelling (see above, p. 13 (4)), Kar. 109, 116, 117, 125, Sh. 13, i6(?). Neither ^^9U/J Kar. 85, nor *#// ViA/5J?Z^ in the bad text Kar. 74, have anything to recommend them, still less has the faulty ^/5U/5^, Kar. 93.
More important for the meaning than these graphic variants is the fact that the order of the two words is reversed, .*y^/3 -^//^(^ 1 3 in the good text Sh. 14, showing their grammatical independence, while two good inscriptions, Kar. 30, 72, terminate with y^/3 alone. In another good text, Kar. 76, each of the words introduces a phrase, as follows: trWW}<}&:*rW/J:¥Jr<r/3//iyjJA}<r&>'J/&. It will be observed that the terminal y is here pushed forward to the end of each phrase, VU//J evidently representing 5(V/J in W//*r(AS/3. It is the same in the parallel instances, /user. 85, 129, 133. Aferoc, 36, for
1 <i, b on PI. 29. • .l/mv, 25, 28, 34, 42.
34
INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN6G AND SHABLOL
V
all of which see Inscr. II, ad fin., and a similar phenomenon is often seen in the phrases belonging to the ' description '.
It is thus evident that ¥3/ £> and ty/l *r U//J 9 ^ are equivalent members in the funerary formula, each complete in itself. It must be observed too, that, unlike the words of description and the final formulae, they show no variation of singular, plural, or otherwise, according as the stela commemorates one or more persons. Apparently they are grammatically independent of the other words in the inscriptions, i. e. they are probably in the vocative.
The meaning of these words is easy to establish. J/3 is common in the texts, and is especially frequent at Philae, the seat of the worship of Isis. There we have J/3 ^7 /*r- 9 13 9 ^ *^j Inscr. loi/ia, Wcs Pileq-teli, evidently meaning ' Isis in Pilaq', i.e. Philae: and there are other phrases both at Philae and in the inscription Meroc 7 amply proving that y^/3 is the name of the great goddess.1
Vi*//J5^ on the other hand is very rare away from the funerary stelae; but it occurs twice in the Philae inscription 101 already quoted, leaving no doubt that it represents Osiris, to whose Egyptian name it has a close resemblance.
There can thus be little doubt that the words are an . invocation of Isis and Osiris as the funerary deities. They are perhaps adored together by the deceased on the early stela, Inscr. 49, from the pyramid of Tekamizamani, the text of which opens with these same words, but curiously enough no other instance of such a representation is found on Meroitic monuments. But the Osiris legend was strong. It is Anubis and some Osirian goddess who are figured on the altars attending to the wants of the deceased as they do to Osiris himself, and in the pyramid shrines the king is figured as Osiris supported by Isis. In earlier days, according to Herodotus,2 Dionysus-Osiris was worshipped specially at Meroe ; but, except in this formula and in the pyramids, Isis almost completely overshadowed her consort amongst the later Meroites. t
The longer invocation in Kar. 76 evidently adds epithets to the divine names, but as yet it seems impossible to do more than guess their meaning. In the parallel Inscr. 129 ad fin. , however, )*i2^} Mak-lakh is substituted for the name of Osiris. The same name, with an affix for the vocative (^}¥Jr)tj ^J Maklakh(li), occurs in several inscriptions both from Karanog and elsewhere, and accompanies the names of Osiris and Isis. In Kar. 55 and Sh. 3, as in Inscr. 131, this name follows those of Isis and Osiris at the beginning ; in Inscr. 130 it precedes the terminal formulae, while in Kar. 36 it follows them and ends the inscription. The last two occurrences are exactly parallel to those of Isis or of Isis and Osiris together. As )*j means ' great ' (above, p. 10 //), ' Great Mak (god ?) ' may be in apposition to the name of Osiris, or may be the name of a distinct divinity in the funerary Isis-Osiris cycle ; being apparently widespread it can hardly be the name of the local deity.
Another word occurs like $y/3 and W}1!^} at the end of inscriptions and outside the other phrases, namely ^/l/i/^^, Kar. 68, ^/U/^.'^, Sh. 14/12. This, which is found also at Philae,3 may therefore be the name or appellation of a divinity; and ^/U/£, J/l /(A/} (cf. Nubian tirti, 'master') may be the same word. Yet another word fi,f//fs follows the names of Isis and Osiris at the end of the inscription on the stela Kar. 131.
1 See pp. 8, 40.
ii. 29.
3 Inscr. 101-103.
CHAPTER IV *
THE NAME AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PERSON COMMEMORATED
IT may happen that this section of the inscription consists of a single group, as in Kar. 2 a, t>, 7, 33, 39 a, bt 66. Since it varies from text to text, it cannot be doubted that it is the name of the deceased. It terminates with ¥&/ /3 in all these instances except Kar. ib and 7, where ^/^ is the ending.
But the section of the text that lies between the invocation and the ^-5^ formula may be extensive ; on the great stela in the British Museum (Inscr. \ 29) it comprises 55 words. In nearly all cases where there are several words we find amongst them ^/^5^ytA//4- and yg/^9^/C/«- in forms but little varied. The shortest instances with these consist of five words arranged thus : —
A, B, (^)/^9cr /,/«-, C, W)/*9,^A//«-, Kar. 4, 14, 16, 24, 31 a, b, 82, &c.
where A — terminating with (V£)//3 qc(wi) or (¥£)/*! lc(wi) — B, and C vary absolutely from inscription to inscription. It seems an obvious conclusion that this is an expression of filiation, ' A son of B and C '.
The same type, but more or less widely expanded with additional groups before and after the key words, is seen throughout the series of inscriptions. The section, however long, on examination falls into a series of phrases, each terminated by a word which ends in cither
tc(wi}.
Tlie phrase naming the deceased.
The affix (y£)/A? qhvi is confined to the name commemorated (the A name), and is a valuable indication of it; although, as has already been pointed out, ¥&/$ Icwi is often substituted for qhvi. It not unfrequently happens that there is more than one A name on a tablet or altar, and sometimes accompanied by a separate filiation. Two or more A names, each marked by ^//^, occur in Kar. 6. 8, 9, 23, 29, &c. The ¥& may be dropped, leaving only //.?, Kar. 47, 106, 123, 124, 131, but this form is much commoner in inscriptions from other localities. y^9/^ is an interesting variant in Kar. 3, 15 (twice), 35 (twice), 56, 100, &c. ; in Kar. 74 ¥£ /3 is written. The affix *£&/ /$ is marked ofif as a separate word in Kar. 5, Sh. 8, 9 ; and ¥&://$ is written in Kar. 87, Sh. 3.
y$/4 is fairly frequent as the affix of the A name: Kar. 2 b, 7, 22, 31 a, b, 34, 38, &c. /$ without the */-& does not occur in the present collection. When the affix ¥3/4 is employed, there may often be a difficulty in deciding whether a particular word is a name or descriptive.
This difficulty is increased where there is no affix. The texts Kar. 28, 36 a, include name and description together in a phrase, the description with the affix following the name. Kar. 58 is confused and doubtful, and two instances in which an affix (yg)V thvi may be suspected for the name, viz. Kar. 53, in, are also obscure.
The expression y^//^9/C3^- containing the A name of Kar. 37 is to be treated as a phrase consisting of the name 9/C3^~» which recurs as the BB name on the same stela, and the affix V$//3 ; so also with ¥£/ /J5 /i'rpf'&S A in Kar. 32 = B in Kar. 23, &c.
F 2
INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN6G AND SHABLOL
Similarly, the rarer affix ¥&/*r must be simply cut off to produce the bare proper name: as
A in Kar. 52 of the same form as the B name 9.£//t (ib.) and B in Kar. 130. In each case we have the same ending cwi with an intermediate element, in the one case <7, in the other /.
V-&//3, ¥35 13 qeivi, qewi are evidently only slight phonetic variants of each other, and the dropping of the ending in / 13 seems to have no distinctive meaning. On the other hand ¥&/*7 Icivc contains a different element. Both of these affixes are attached to royal names in bare cartouches on temples at Naga and Meroe, where there is no context to govern them.1 Their main function must be to complete the phrase with emphasis (see below).
Between the invocation and the V-&/ ' /3 or V-&/ *j there is usually only the A name itself; but occasionally one or more groups intervene which prove to be titles or descriptive.2 1 13 is the commonest and is probably the same as the first element in m/ 13 ', J// J ) • } /^9 ?„. Kar. 56, Jf/^Jl^) Kar. i, 4 ^J Kar. 105, 106, *fr } (?), J//<}/3 5f,S}5/// Kar. 15, and a few others are found.
The phrases of the Parentage (B and C Names).
Beside the very short inscriptions enumerated above, there are a few other cases, Kar. I5> 5^, 87> 10°j III» 126-8, in which the filiation words, the B word ^/^5CT/C/^-, and the C word 4*£/^5 <7y(A//$- are not to be found, although some of these are long texts. In several others, Kar. 3, 27, 30, 51, 71, 74, 107, Sh. 3, 4, n, the B word occurs without the C; but in no instance does the C word occur without the B. The C word normally follows the B word, but in more than twenty instances it precedes, viz. in i, 20, 21, 34, 44, 55 (first time), 57, 67, 76, 78, 97. 99 (twice), 101, 103, 105, 110, 117, 119, 124, Sh. 6.
That the words preceding the filiation words are really names is apparent not only by their varying from text to text. The probabilities are satisfied in various ways. There are a few instances of two monuments appearing to belong to the same person with the same filiation, as the stela Kar. 19 and the altar 89, or to brothers as Kar. 17 and 23. A Bname or a C name may recur as an A name, e.g. the deceased in 19 is the B parent in 20 ; in each of Kar. 37 and 55 a person A is commemorated with full filiation B C, and then appears a second time as B B in the filiation of a second person A A: i.e. parent and child are both commemorated on one stela ; and, further, the supposed names are seldom found in the other phrases.
The next point to discover is which of the two filiation words represents the paternal relationship, and which the maternal. On reference to the table it will be seen that the ending (*/,r, occurs in the C column in seventeen separate names apart from repetition, but only
once in the B column, namely, in the doubtful and somewhat strange little name U/CT in Kar. 34. In the funerary inscriptions from other localities also, U/ occurs as the termination of C names, but not of B names. The most important example is the royal U//U/^/^, in Inscr. 49. When we find that the names of the princes at Amara and Naga terminate respectively in t=j £5 C3 V and Q £? Q <=> , and that none of the recognizable names attached to female figures terminate in ED or (A/, it is quite clear that terminal (A/ belongs to names of men, and that C therefore designates fathers, not mothers.
The precedence accorded to the B names therefore belongs to the mother, and proves at least the genealogical importance of woman amongst the Meroites. The corresponding phrases in Egyptian demotic documents ' A son of B, and his mother C ', or ' A son of B, born of C ', give precedence to the father.
1 Inscr. s, 17, 55-
2 That the proper name A is always the last of these groups is assured by the frequency with which
it ends in 5/Ci 5//, which endings seem almost confined to personal names.
PHRASES OF PARENTAGE 37
The Parentage on the Mother's side.
The B word, expressing relationship to the mother, is normally (¥& )/ $ 9 <• /C **- tezalieti(wi). In one instance, Kar. 74, we seem to see 9 inserted after ^ ; on the other hand the vowel 9 is omitted after the <1 in thirteen instances, and the final ¥$ in five.1 V^/^/C^- in S/i. 15 must be a mistake. A slightly different spelling is seen in 4*3/^9 CT/C? Kar. i, 36, 68, S/i. 14 (twice), and a different prefix 9 /// (common in the texts of Meroe) in Kar. 96, see below; while a shorter form, without prefix, is V3/^9cr/t, zaltclewi, Kar. 44, 48.
A reduplication of the word is by no means uncommon, occurring as /$tfr9^/t'**- ygM5C/,/*- Kar. 7, 18, 22, 2.5, 51, 57, 81, 84, S//. 3, 5, 17, or with the terminal y dropped in the first word .*$9^/l/'«- A'ar. 52, 53; the spelling ¥$/$< £/*-:*&<: /,/**- occurs
in /far. u, 71, 72, 75, 95, 114; ^/^9C/C/^-/^/^5cr/C/S- in A^r. 62 must be a blunder. S/i. n ends with /*- ^9^r/C/^-j but may be unfinished. A curious triplication ^3/4 9^ /,/**- ***9^ /,/"*- ^9^/C/5*- occurs in Sh. 13, and a still more curious quadruplication *<g / 4 5 cT /, /*- ¥$5< £5 /// Wr< j,/*-:^?^ ft- in #rfr. 96. One might have supposed that these reduplications indicated grandparents and further ancestors : but one cannot suppose in all these cases that a parent was ignored to make way for a grand- parent, or a great grandparent ; it is evident that the reduplications are genealogically equivalent to the single expression ; compare also the parentage of Kar. 72 (duplicated on both sides) with that of the brother or sister in Kar. 75, which is triplicated for the father. One can only conclude that the reduplication is intended to emphasize the reality of the parentage.2
In Kar. 29 and 60, each showing two A names with one B and one C name, the form is :¥& £^545^ /C/*- >'¥*?*?< fl,/*- ; similarly, under the same circumstances, in Kar. 64 :V-& 3J/<rfj<. ](,/*- only. This form, substituting lebkawi for leivi, is seen below to be plural (not dual).
A title, or other descriptive word, V/^9^5^ seems to precede the mother's name in Kar. 28, as in Inscr. 131/2: it can hardly be a coincidence that in each of these cases the usual endings of the names commemorated have been omitted. Perhaps a few other titles may be traceable for the mother, but they are certainly rare.
The Parentage on the FatJier's side.
The forms of the C word of relationship run nearly parallel to those of the other. Normally it is .* W 1 4 9 3jr-W s*~ tcrikel&wi-. the vowel 9 is never omitted in this word after the ^, but V& is dropped in Kar. 12, 38, 82. ^/4^A//S- in S//. 13, 14 (CC) must be a blunder. £ for /*- is not found, but 5 /// is not uncommon, Kar. n, 24, 96, 101 (twice). Reduplications are ¥& I <, 9 £VW /*- Wt^VW/*- Kar. 25, 72, 81, .• $ 9 ,£^<A/ /«*- Kar. 96, .'^/49 ^y^i/9///.'^9 ^V4V9/// Kar. 11. The triplicate 9 2rW *-•'¥**£ *MA/ /*- / ^ 9 3jrW /•*- is in Kar. 75. V+ 9
r- Sh. 16 must be an error. Kar. 86 ends curiously with : , compare the similar instance under B. The plural form V3 ^^949 ^y-U//V- is found in the same texts (Kar. 29, 60, 64) as that of the B word (see above), with the addition of Kar. 42, where the B word is in the singular though two A names precede, probably correctly. In Kar. 9 after two names the B word again is in the singular, and the C word appears to give the curious blundered (?) form V^^/^^y-U/A- which is certainly not plural. The instance in Kar. 45 is too much broken to be of use.
1 In the writing of the archaic texts Meroe 28, 34
the ending /^ is reduced to *, but would presumably * Compare the repetition in Kar. 123 (p. 73).
be read with /.
38 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN6G AND SHABLOL
As might be expected, the C or father's name is not uncommonly preceded by titular groups J/l'*J(J:wl33, J//3JIJ '.' 3)^3, 3)*, 3, /«-/U> A9<^jA/<, }}WJ/&,&c.
The agreement of the words of relationship in number with the A names shows that they are in apposition to and descriptive of one or more of them according to circumstances. It may be remarked that there is no sign of any distinction between masculine and feminine in the forms.
Other Descriptive Phrases.
That the other phrases ending in (%}/$ le(wi) are likewise in apposition to and descriptive of the deceased is similarly proved by their often taking plural forms when there is more than one A name. The instances are —
', pi- V3 2f(5)'r5/iJ }5/// Kar. 23, 29, 60, 64. ?I- ^g ^A' 9 ^ /*- A tf$^r ^ Kar. 29. 9^¥3 Kar. 102.
» - — -^
The same may be said of the remainder of the phrases, often intermingled with the above, and ending in (^£)^- te(wi) — •
(?) Kar. 27, pi. ^^A^/^-9/C/ Kar. 29, 104.
K-ar. 37, pi. 6^ ^/^ S$- ¥4 /IJl^J , ib. , pi. 4^ Jf/'fr- trr^ ^ A'^r. 67.
, pi. *f$$J'#r~W}'tJ Kar. 99.
It will be observed that all the plurals of this series are formed by changing the affix -/^ into -£^5*?-, and the -^-- into -3JS/4--. From this it seems probable that the vowel in /4- is 9 ; and from the analogy of the parallel endings //_? and /^ it is similarly probable that the vowel of ^- is /.
If the A name on a stela terminate in U/,1 or if it occurs again in the C column of the table of names, we may be almost sure that a man is commemorated ; while if it recurs in the B column or contains the element */£, ^ (which occurs eleven times in the B column but never in the C column), it must similarly be a woman's name. In the light of these indications the epithets or concluding words of the descriptive phrases are found to fall into three classes, male, female, and common, although a large proportion remain doubtful. The following are the easiest to classify : —
4*£/^9/C/^9/y, the commonest epithet of all after those of parentage, is applied to a man (name ending in (A/) in Kar. 15, 47, 56, 78, 116, 119, and is associated with the male epithet /(/i//U/ ^ in Kar. 41. On the other hand, it is given to a woman in Kar. 30, 59, 89, 125, and is associated with the female epithet ^l^}^// in Kar. 61, 90, 124, Sh. 6, and with -Vfls^. m Kar. 30, 54, 98. It is therefore an epithet applicable to both sexes, and is accordingly frequent in the plural.
y-i/tj}^/ is applied to women in Kar. 9, 19, 30, 32, 54, 89, and is associated with the female epithet -Vj*^ in Kar. 54, 90, 101, 124, and there is no instance suggesting that it can be male.
^6/^/4-J is applied to women in Kar. 19, 89, and is associated with the female epithet ^C^in 79, 125, 127, and with m/tj}^/ in 9; no instances to the contrary.
y^'v- 3} is applied to men in Kar. 37, 38, 94 #, 103, 128 ; no instances to the contrary.
1 See p. 36.
DESCRIPTIVE PHRASES 39
*H> /*!/*- A 'Q?^ is applied to men in Kar. 47, 78, and in 77 is associated with the male epithet /U//(A/^.
y^/^/tv/tv^is applied to a man in An. 78, and in the great stela of the British Museum (I user. 129), and there are no instances to the contrary.
^^-^rC^ and the allied epithets containing the element ^C^, which is characteristic
of female names, are applied to women in Kar.' 59, 89, 125, and is associated with the female epithet V&l *i } J// in Kar. 101, 124.
The statistics of these epithets arc as follows:—
Women Men Total instances
3 8 89
3 M
5 n
i 12
2 13
i 5
i 9
,
TV/*? meaning of the Titles and Phrases describing tJie Deceased.
It has been already remarked that groups expressing a title or qualification may be found preceding the names A, B, or C. As might be expected, titles are very rare with the names of the mothers (B), but not uncommon with the fathers' (C). With A names they are almost as rare as with B names, but that must be because they are usually added in special descriptive phrases after the parentage. The titles of C names often thus recur on other stelae with the phrase-ending (l)cwi.
The great rarity of titles among females makes it probable that the epithets characteristic of females, viz. lH>/ei}J//, ^^-^^, ¥&/$S*-J, are chiefly of relationship or the like, and mean ' wife ', ' beloved ', ' mother ', ' sister ', and it is almost obvious from the examples that ^/^5/C/^5/^/, which abounds in the descriptive texts, and is common to both men and women, is a vague word of relationship such as ' kinsman ' or ' friend '.
The following example of the title of a C name recurring in descriptive phrases is instructive : —
(a) +&/<,*jJW*- *& 112 1 12 *///^/{S.'J}',J, 'begotten of the J// *J^} : 3 ) *, } Qeqeli ' Kar. 1 7.
(b) Wr-$Jl^J:j)*,J: ---- :Vtll2w<l,/lK-> 'Tenazakhar, the J//$JIJ:3}',y Kar. 103.
(f) **/*,} J//-'ll*JlJ:3)<,3: ---- .'^//^9/C^^^/, ' Mali-Takhize, wife(P)1 of a 32.
1 For the meaning ' wife ' see the notes to Kar. 32, 89 in ch. vi below.
40 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN6G AND SHABLtfL
Here the ending of the title varies with the context between s, tet ti. Contrast the following : —
(a) A C name is preceded by the simple title 3)*r3 Kar. 6.
(b) A woman is y^^-^C^ 3)^3 Kar. 8.
(c) A person is^MS/,,^5/// 3)^3^ related to a sM ' Kar. 70.
Here the terminal J is not vocalized, and shows no change in its different situations.
Similar examples are found at Philae, and happily there the meaning of some of them is obvious. The expression £ 31 &' A5<*///-? *l 31 & /*-y-t/»/5^ perite West qcren West is evidently equivalent to the Eg. demotic title/ rt n ">S p qrny n ">S, ' the Agent of Isis, the qt'rcn of Isis.' This expression appears in /49/,/?5///.'£ J/3 AU//A? )3/& ' kinsman (?) of the Agent of Isis and qeran of Isis,' Inscr. 122, and in J//3/& 5//.'/^U/^J/ U/9/-?J/3 J//3/& ^-W9^, 'the qeren of Isis, the Agent of Isis,
sic
the Isis- devotee (?) Mashtaraqye,' Inscr. in. In Inscr. 109 the same person is <r I// / I3(*S *f 3} /^(A/5/.?J/3, 'Mashtaraqye, Isis-devotee (?) ' (this shows how a name maybe followed in a single phrase by its description, the latter taking the affix), and in Inscr. 99 he is ^- J / <3 *- VW 5'$J//3<}///:/3W}3J, ' Mashtaraqye, Agent of Isis.'
The word in the genitive J/3 follows its governing word /S-$MA/9^, and takes the suffix J// s when followed by the name ; and this suffix is changed to ^ t when the complex /^-^MA/5^is governed by the further word following it ¥3/45 J,J }?///, and to te(wi) when it terminates an c(zvi) phrase. It is thus evident that ^^r- is the ending of an e(ivi) phrase of which the last element is in the genitive. y^^-J/3 'of Isis', Vt^Wr-J//**^ ' of the /^#-prince ', ^^-/^/ 'of Ammon', ^3^-y-U///^ 'of the king' occur with many others at Karanog, but whether all of this form are to be explained in the same way is of course not certain.
The Ifaui form is also used with these genitive phrases : the / then follows the v//> as in I<7J// WJ, ^/^u7/^U///^, ^/4u//^C^, parallel to the tewi forms.
is a frequent termination and its meaning can be seen at once from the following examples at Philae : —
Inscr. 95 .*4/^-5/-?5^^^ J/3, ' Isis in Philae ', cf. above, p. 8.
Inscr. 122/9 :/*j/<r-J//(A/ ,7£/5/CAY*/*-9 /^9^^- ^9/CA * mazek in Philae, maze in Pakhoras '.
A number of other interpretable instances also show that the ending means ' in ' a place.
It has been observed that the plural of -Ihvi is ^B^/^9^, and it is easy to recognize in ^5*7- the plural of the termination in ^ / which is often appended to Meroitic as to Christian Nubian words in a complex. Thus ^/^/4-A^5^.*^- J5^ Kar. 78 means '/^/r-prince in Akin', ^/45<7y-U//S- U/^//C/C ^-J/I^^Kar. 14, 'begotten of the /^//-prince Zazekr', but .* ^ / ^ ? £j?4A/ /*- WrJ/J^^Kar. 103, 'begotten of the pesle- prince', V3/45J,S }5///>''r£n///'r^ Kar. 129, 'kinsman of the /^-prince ', .'4^-i//5^ ^^545/C/^9/// Kar. 64, 'kinsfolk of the /^-prince', but /A'9^u//?^ /$5j,J}5/// Kar. 17, 'kinsman of /^//-princes ', and the plural of this occurs in Kar. 23 and 29. This plural in f 54 is seen also with many words the singular of which seems not to be reinforced by •$ , perhaps for phonetic reasons. The following form remarkable pairs : —
Kar. 125, cf. Wr}3 (and
ar. 89, cf. ^
Kar. 78, cf. ^^r-^-U///^ Sh. 4. Kar. 41.
DESCRIPTIVE PHRASES
If ygfr-y-U///.? means 'of the king' one cannot but suspect that y^^-^U///^ means ' of kings ', and such a plural meaning is demanded by the context in the first two instances ; see the analyses of the inscriptions in question in Ch. VI.
There are certain descriptive words and phrases which occur especially at the end of inscriptions, often separated from the rest by the terminal formulae. These are : —
final in Kar. iio*, 21 o*, 27, .52, 73, 88.
W } /£,} final in Kar. 71, 75.
i i •>.
Kar. 99.
} I*,} S/i. 6 $ , perhaps 'good(P) of . . . in Ten'.
V^^-U/ J /*>}:¥$/ *,/*-!} } Kar. 72, perhaps 'well-born, and good of . . .'.
These are all brief and comprise the same elements /^/, (A/ J . From their frequent occurrence and peculiar position they may well be general phrases of commendation or regret, suitable to funerary monuments, like the ^^ of ancient Egypt, or ctapc XP7?0"7*' °f tne Jewish monuments.1 Descriptive phrases of the ordinary type but similarly separated from the rest by the terminal formulae in Kar. 25, 67, 98, 123, 124, 127, are no doubt on a different footing.
The phrases descriptive of the deceased are all shown in the sequel, indexed in one table by the last words, and in the other by the initial words. As some consist of a single word, and the bulk of them of two words only, these two tables are sufficient to make reference easy in most cases. Certain words that precede the names, probably as titles, are also indexed along with the phrases, since they are evidently to be connected with them : these, however, are without the characteristic phrase-endings because they belong to the A, B, or C phrases respectively.
In the list of epithets of the deceased, it is noted when they are attached to the name of a man a*, or woman ? .
1 I *i } nilc is very common both independently and in composition. A meaning such as ' good ',
' great ', ' strong ', ' plentiful ' would seem to suit the occurrences.
CHAPTER V
THE TERMINAL FORMULAE OR BENEDICTIONS
THE formulae which are here designated as ' terminal ', occurring as they do at the end of the inscriptions in the great majority of cases, are those which normally end in /*-5^, /*r- 5 ^ and the like ; whatever the endings are, they are readily distinguished from the descriptive phrases and invocations which occasionally accompany or follow them. The principal formulae are five in number: —
A. beginning B.
D.
E.
Five others, F-J, are traceable in one or more instances :—
F. beginning /U/J
\j. ,,
H.
• >' J-
There is beside these a variable text which I term the 'stele-text', since it appears to have occupied the whole of two tablets from Meroe. In the Karandg inscriptions it is found only once (Kar. 41), and that as an addition to an ordinary inscription upon a stela.
In the entire series of inscriptions from Karanog and Shablul there are not twenty in which one or more of the terminal formulae do not occur, and repetition of them with different A names on one monument is not uncommon. They are absent from Kar. 19, 26, 32, 35, 41 (see above, stele-text), 44, 47, 49, 56, 74, 85, 86, 106, 112, 113, 129, Sh. 11, 18, perhaps also Kar. 102 ; some of these exceptional texts are very brief, containing merely the name or name and parentage, but most begin with the invocation, and some are long, such as Kar. 47, which lacks the invocation, and consists entirely of the description of the deceased. Except a doubtful one in Kar. 53, where the first line was left unfinished, there is no case of the occurrence of the formulae without the invocation.
The formulae may be followed by an invocation (see p. 33), or the words ¥£ 74/4 } , WT-W}/^} (see p. 41), or by other descriptive phrases, Kar. 25, 67. In four inscriptions the terminal formulae are in a position which quite belies their name ; in Kar. 98, ABC follow the parentage, separating it from the rest of the description, while in Kar. 123 this position of parentage and other description is precisely reversed; in Kar. 124, 127 terminal formulae follow the name directly, preceding all the description; in 127, which seems confused, C D A B follow the name, and another form of C is written at the end of all,
TERMINAL FORMULAE
43
Terminal Formula A.
This is the commonest and almost invariably the first of the formulae, and occurs over 120 times. In Kar. 2 b, 15, 60, and 108 it stands alone. It is normally followed by the closely parallel B, but in a few instances the order is reversed, BA Kar. 48, no, BAG Kar. 100, 132, Sh. 4, B A C J Sh. 19, C B A Kar. 68, or it is followed by one of the others, A C Kar. 16, 99 a, 115, A C G Kar. 14, A F G Kar. in, AH Kar. 99 b, or even preceded by them, C D A B Kar. 127, FA Kar. 126.
2
3 4
5 6
7
Sa
8£
9
10 ii 12
13 14 15 16
17 18 21
22
2.3 24
25
27 28
29
3ia 31 ^
33
34 36 37
38
(as the last)
39 a
39^
40
42
43 45 48
50
52 53
54 55 57 5« 59 60 61 62
63
64 a 64 b
65 66
67 68 69 70
72 73 75 76
G 2
44
93 94 a 94 b 96
97 9«
99 a 99 b 100
IOT 103 104 105 I07 1 08 lOQ
no III
114
INSCRIPTIONS OF KARANOG AND SHABLUL
19 }/ 3*^
9[
9 III
n6
117 118 119
1 20
122
124
125
126 127 128 130 132
Sh. i S/i. 2 Sh. 3
S/i.6
Sh. 7 Sh. 8
Sh. 10 Sh. 12 Sh. 13 Sh. 14 vS//. 15 S//. 1 6 Sh. 19
?;; ?;;
9)} 9)}
The first word ^93^ scarcely varies at all. In Kar. 107 ^-91/1 takes its place, and is probably justifiable. Bad writings in R'ar. 22, 99 b, and S/i. 2, resemble U/£, f/9?^, and 9 ^ respectively, but may be summarily dismissed.
The meaning of the word is fairly certain. It heads all the inscriptions of the Nile figures at Naga, where they are represented pouring water from a vase in each hand. At Philae \///¥+^93^ 3/}li9'$^ (Inscr. 97) is the demotic / mr-mfr (\ejAHHUje) npmw, 'the strategus of the water '. Thus <r- 9 ^ ate must be * water ' ; in Nubian essi, in Christian Nubian NCi,2 in the Kordofan Nuba dialects oto, &c.3
1 See p. 74. - Menas, fol. 5a, 1. 9. s LEPSIUS, Nub. Gramm., p. Ixxviji.
TERMINAL FORMULA A 45
This word is separated from the next by .* only in twenty-four cases, Kar. 14, 15, 33, 48, 52-5, 60, 76, 84, 87, 90, 94*, 97, 105, no, 114-16, 118, 120, 132, Sh. 6.
The second word is 5}S, perhaps with consonants transposed 5 } ) in Kar. 71, Sh. 3, ) ) in Kar. 60, 98, 109, / ) } in Kar. 100, 122. The writing with < is not rare, 9<V Kar. 3, 12, 22, 23, 48, 65, 84; cf. the corrected Sh. i, <. } Kar. in, /CT/ A'rt/-. 124. 9} alone is written in Kar. 68, S//. 14, and (preceded by .*) in Kar. 115.
I *t } mlc replaces >(r}} mhe in Kar. 126.
Most of these variants, including 9cT/, 5^, and / *j ) , recur in the formula B.
In punctuated texts this word is usually separated from the next.
The third word is exceedingly variable, through more or less vocalization and the addition of affixes.
The root is J^, variant J^ ; or rarely another root ty/l is used. /J^ al°ne may occur in the peculiar Kar. 126.
(a) /<f- is added to the root in /4-J^ Kar. 77, in, 124, plural (with more than one A name) /*-< f / 3"%^ Kar. 45, see below.
(b} With ) added to the root we have )/3^ Kar. 3, 68, 69, 109, S/i. 16 ; more fully vocalized )/3*^Kar. 12, Sh. 2(?), j'rl^Kar. 117, j'rl'f^Kar. no, ?)/3^Sh. \. Substituting yi for //$ we have )tr^// Kar. 5. Plural form1 (used when there is more than one A name) frj/J^S/z. 14.
(c) Adding A- to (b}. /*- }/J^ is common, Kar. 14 (/**-/^), 24, 33, 39 a, b, 40, 60, 62, 64^, 71, 75, 82, 83, 92, 98, 103, i26(?), or vocalized S*-}¥3^ Kar. 25, 27, 50, 63, 70, 79, 90, 94 b, 96, 105, 116, 118-20, 122, 128, 130, Sh. 9; /5-,7/J*^ Kar. 34, 36, 94 a, 108 ; . $a,t>, 13,38,48,58, 100, 101, 107, 127, 132; /*-<}) I l^Kar. 7, 9, 88, 93; Kar. 78; ptchte, p*ihte, puilite thus seem to be the commonest vocalizations. *r- is substituted for /**- in £r-9}/J^^ar. 22, 51, and in t?-<r)lr3is Kar. i. Of consonantal variants we have < for ) in /^-cT/J^ Kar. 72, f for ^ in ^-9)^^ Kar. i.
The element ty// is substituted for J^jn SS-JW/I Kar. 18.
Plural forms1 (used when there is more than one A name) are formed by inserting <. f (with the interesting variant ) f in Kar. 99 a) before the /*-. /*- <. f 9 ) ¥3 ^ Ka r. 37, Sh. 12, *-< f/jtrl^K ar.bl,/*- <(/*)/ lKar.fn a, *-)r?)/J^ Kar. 99 a.
(d) A rare type adds /S-9^ or J//9^ to the root: ^~9^/J^ Kar. 2, Kar. 84, with ^ for ^, /^-5^/J^ A'ar. 54.
(*) ^-^^ (x^/5^) added to (b) is very common: /S- 9 £5 ) / 3 ^ Kar. 4, 10, 11, 16, 21, 31 «, ^, 52, 59, 65, 73, 76, 87, 89, 91, 99^, Sh. 3 (Kar. 91 writes /^-9^/) A'^r. 17, 57, 66. 97 (?), the favourite form at Shablul, Sh. 4, 6-8, 10, 13, 15; Kar. 81, IM, 115; J//<Hf)'rl^ Kar. 61, 5//. 5, 19; *-919}'&// Kar. 53. The commonest plural is /«-5 Z^<: t/<i ) / l^Kar. 6, 28, 29, 42, 55 (fcJ^J ; J//<i £5 <:^9)/3^ Kar. 15; J//5 £5<t"r }/3*/ f/ Kar. 23; St-f^frj/J^ is in the exceptional text A'rtr. I0^. A'^/-. 43 gives doubtfully /«*-9 ^//C y///-
In A'^r. 125 we have /^-^V^^. This and some instances that look like S*-}^ rather than /*- 3^> noted above under (a), suggest that ^ without J may be the initial element.
1 See above, p. 25, a collection of plural forms in the various types of formulae.
46
INSCRIPTIONS OF KARANOG AND SHABLOL
Summarizing these we have for the forms of A :-
(«)
pi.
pi.
w
(once (once pi. (twice
four examples.
ten examples.
A'«r. 5.
sixty-five examples.
A'ar. 1 8.
three examples.
forty-two examples.
A few other forms, as /4-9 £J j,¥/ff in AVw. 43, need verifying.
Besides these we have only to consider the } dropped in 9^7 twice, and in Kar. 126 W ^-9^ (type (<:)) the substitution of / £, } for 9,?/. Both of these variations are found also in B and in early texts of A from Meroe, see Meroe, p. 79.
One may suspect the meaning of ate mhe ps-te and all the variants to be something like ^'abundant water mayest thou drink ' ; and the parallel B (q. v.) at mhe ps-hr-le may be ' abundant bread mayest thou eat '. A partial analysis of the elements contained in the third word is shown on p. 26,
Terminal Formula B.
The examples are hardly less numerous than those of A. There is no instance of its occurring alone ; it is invariably accompanied by A, to which it is closely parallel, and follows A immediately except in seven cases, B A Kar. 48, no, BAG Kar. 100, 132, Sh. 4, BACJ S/i. 19, C B A Kar 68. The formula G is akin to it.
i
2
3 4 5 6
9
10 ii
12 13
*7
18
21
22
TERMINAL FORMULA B
47
50 5i 5* 53 54 55 57
5«
59 61 62
63
66
67
68
69
70 71
72
73 75 76 77 7« 79 «'
«3
84 87
8« 89
90 91 92 93
95 96 97
9« 100 ioi 103 104
105
107
109 no
114
116
117 118
119
120
122 124 125 127 128
130
132
^//. i 5//. 2 SA. 3 SV&.4 5A. 5 5//. 6 i7/. 7
99^
9,?^
99^ 99^ 99^
13
SA. 1 6 SA. 19
This is followed by A complete : perhaps it was intended to combine the two formulae in one.
48 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARANOG AND SHABLUL
The first word }52^ is written }3^ Kar. 66, and ^£53J?) Kar. 91, which are mere blunders. It is separated by .* from the next in about twenty cases.
The second word *?} } is identical with that in A and shows the same variations.
)} in Kar. 81, 98, ^<1 } Kar. 3, 22, 23, 34, 36, 38, 48, 55, 65, 100, 117, S/i. i, 16. **)?} £5^ is written in Kar. 67, .*9^ ^9^. in A^zr. 92. 74.7 is substituted in /if dr. 95 and apparently in Sli. 9.
The third word is as variable as the corresponding word in the A formula. As in A, too, the root is J^, variant Jf, for which y/// is sometimes substituted.
(a) The shortest forms are <¥3f Kar. 54, <. ty/J Kar. 5, corresponding to *<V3'%^ which is not yet found.
(b} Adding (A/, (A/ < J ^ Kar. 3, Sh. 2, 16, (A/CT^^ /^rtr. 13, 69, 92, 103, 109, 122, \A/<W*^Kar. 80, 58, 94 «, 107. Plural f/W^Vl^Sh. 14.
(c) Adding ^- (but not /«-): ^-(A/C'J/x Kar. i, ^- (A/ <: ¥3 ^K ar. 22, 51, S//. i. Plural : /*- <. f/w <. J ^ Kar. 45, 64 rt, /«- < f/w <. V3 ^ A^r. 37, 67, S/;. 1 2 (?).
(</) Adding ^ to (b} : ^(A/ C V3 ^ 5//. 3, 9 ^(A/ cT y^ ^ 5/A !3-
(e) Adding J// to (d] : J// £W<: J^Kar. 84, J// <HW < tl -$^K ar . 61, 5//. 5. 19.
(/) Adding /^- to (</) : /^- $^(/<: J^ Kar. 39 /;, 62, 78, 117, /*- ^(A/< V3$^Kar. 50, 79, 90,105, 116,118-20, 124, 125, /*- £w<W~£^Kar. 8 #, 38, 100, 127,132. /*-? 2j*s< J^ Kar. 2, 6, 10, u, 18, 21, 24, 31 a, 33, 39 #, 40, 52, 59, 64 £, 66, 71-3, 75, 77, 82 b, 87, 88, 91, 95, 98, /*-?ZW<:93^Kar. 4, 17, 27, 34, 57, 63, 65, 76, 83, 89, 97, 128 (Kar. 97 puts .' after ^£J, the favourite form at Shablul, Sh. 4, 6, 7, 8 (?), 10, 15, /«- ? ^(A/ < VI V^ Kar. 114, /*- 5 ^U/ <CT ^ 5 ^ A'^r. 96, /^- 9 ^u/ C 5 /// Kar. 70, /*- 9 ^(A/ < ty/l Kar. 53, /*-Zys<W// Kar. 101.
Plurals /«-9^5^/''<A/<ry^ A'«r. 28, 29, 42, 55; (/«- ?)? ^U/CT^^ in the exceptional A"^r. 104.
(^•) Adding »// to (/): t///«-5 ^U/C" J^Kar. 9; cf. 7;^r. 131.
(A) Adding /«-9^to («): /^-9^J^^- 9, /«~ 5 ^ ^ C Kar' I2'
These eight series do not exhaust the variations.
9
In rt-Zf&Wt^Kar. 36, and /^- %$ fi,W^Kar. 48 the C of (//) and U/C of (/) appear to be replaced by other elements.
?^V-^Kar. 81, /*-?£<:^Kar. 93, /^-^U/CT. ^Kar. 130, /^- 5 ^(A/ < 9 ^ A'dfr. 7, indicate that J is separable, and the same may be said of the plural J//<7 £5 < f/W 9 < W?- f~%^ Kar. 23, which, if the injured ^- was a mistake of the engraver, belongs to (e) above. Some forms in A may also point to the first element being ^_not J^.
Another series of variants are due to contamination from A. Thus Kar. 82 after A gives two versions of B, the first [-*/^-^]/J^ *r ) } ^9^> the second normal; Kar. 68 gives ^/J^Jn B followed by A. and Kar. 94 b /<r- ) ¥3 ^ exactly as in the preceding A.
Kar. no has **)) ^9^. alone, followed by A, apparently combining the two formulae in one.
The following are probably corrupt: . . . Z*):)} £9^ Kar. 81, . 92.
TERMINAL FORMULA C 49
Summarizing the essentially B forms we have :
/Car. 5.
(6) (pi. A'fc/Cfy^j U/CTJ^?^ £ 9 2^ fourteen examples.
(c) (pi. /S-C/'U/C^^J <L-u/C*y^ <})} } 9 ^ six examples.
(d) 9 IM <¥3^<r}J ^ 9 ^ two examples. (*} J// %W <. 1^*7)} ? 9 3^ four examples.
(/) (pi. /«-9,£9O'U/c:*y£j /<-9^U/cy^ <i)) ^9 ^sixty-four examples.
/«- 9 <?JA/ <. <#/! <})} } 9 ^ three examples.
Cf) J///*-<t^W<3^<i)) ^^Kar.t).
(//) /^- 9 ^^T J^5}S } 9 ^ three examples.
Beyond these there is little to consider but the variant with / *j } for 9 ) ) '.
The B formula almost invariably follows A and runs parallel to it ; and since A concerned the provision of water or liquids — the first necessity in a land so hot and dry — one may conjecture that B was for the provision of bread. ^ 9 ^ at should therefore mean ' bread ' or 'food', and some support for this is found in the Old Nubian word ^cuo«y = noeiK 'bread' on the Berlin ostracon published by Erman, AZ. 35/108, noy being perhaps a plural ending.
Terminal Formula C.
Of this formula there are over eighty examples. It occurs alone in Kar. 30, 46, and in two versions in Kar. 101 b, the second being very nearly D. A B C is normal, but A C and other arrangements are found. It occurs twice, in Kar. 18, E C A B C, and in 127, where C D A B are separated by the description from a final C. C is closely allied to D.
10 ii
l6 ,^- T<^ll /• ^1 ^' - ^^
17
i8«
33
34 ---- i)^*t>i'*}< 68
INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN6G AND SHABLUL
69
70
71
72
73 75
76
77
7«
82
»3
84
*7 88
89 92 94
95 96
98 99 a 100 101 a 101 £
IOI£
105
109 114
116
117 119
121
122 123
127^ 127 /; 128 132
S//. i S/t. 2 Sh. 4 Sk.$ S/i.6 Sh. 7 Sk. 8 Sh. 10 Sh. 13
Sh. 15
Sh. 16 Sh. 19
The first word is normally 4/4/C Umlel\ *j l*tfs<. Kar. 77 is an interesting variant.
is found in Kar. 67, ^/^/C in Kar. 38, 101 a,b,c, 9<j/*jJ< in Kar. 30, 68. <. is an extension in Kar. 76, Sh. 16; ^/xT 67/. 15, I *j ) < Kar. 105, and ^ III X Kar. 88 are remarkable. This word is usually divided by dots .* from the other. The other word is variable, the initial element being *il ), *?/ )^-
(a) The shortest form is *,/ ) Kar. 30, 109, 116, Sh. 2, with *t)^Sh. 16, $/ )$^Kar. 14 ; plural f/tj/j-^Kar. 92.
(b) A form *^-^/^(^) is probably to be seen in the plural /*-<f"jl) Kar. 67. /*-<ls<,/)^Kar. 64 a.
(c} Adding u//9^to («) we have JJ/<ilJ,l) Kar. 61, 84, ^/5^ **/}^Sh. 5- (</) Adding /«-?,£ to (a), *-3Jt) Kar. 101 0, £, 105, /<r-2Jil) Kar. 16, 18, 38, 39^, 50, 940, 117, 119, 122, 127 £, 132, /*-92J'l) Kar. 10, 18 a, b, 21, 24, 25, 390, 46, 57, 59, 69, 70, 87, 96, 121, 123, 128, Sh. 6, /*-9U?^ Kar. 89, *-<? %Jil )$^Kar. n, 22, 31*, 0, 52, 64^, 72, 73, 75-7, 82, 98, 67/. 4, 7> IOS '3- *-*2J}^ sh- X5 is probably incorrect.
Plural /<f-9Z9<f"j/} Kar. 29, 42.
(e) Adding Jff to (d) M*,-<rjJ,l) Kar. 33.
In a few cases J is added to ^ as in A, B, viz. in /S-5 IJi/ ) J^A'ar. 40, 71, 88, 95,
|>i4]/^*yC5/'-8- In other cases words associated with other forms are used.
. 114. from A.
r. 127 rt. /*-4^y. A'rtr. ici ^ from formula D, each associated with normal forms in the same text.
Kar- 68i ^-^^^^ s/i- I » M ** ^ 9 * Iff s*1' ! 9 5 compare formula D.
Kar. 17, /^-^^C/S-//C^/>/ A'/rr. 27, 78, 100 ; plural A'nr. 99*. Compare formula E.
The chief types are therefore :— (a)
(/>) (pi.
(c) (d), (r) (pi. /*-<
also
(et sim.) (et sim.) (et sim.)
six instances. ej/£t}< two instances. £j/fj}<: three instances. £t/tt}< fifty-three instance?.
five instances.
five instances.
two instances.
five instances.1
In one case (Kar. 114) the last word is identical with that used in formula A. Presumably therefore tj/tj}^ is an expression parallel to / ' *, } ^-5^, 9 ) } ^-9^.» ^nd so 's the name of some desirable offering, and perhaps rather liquid than solid. The forms treated under D 2 in fact prove that / *j } <. contains the same element / *j } as
Terminal Formula D.
This class contains two groups, of which the first word contains nearly or quite the same elements as the first in C, and the second is also paralleled by some forms of C. In all there are only thirteen instances ABCDi Kar. 59, 67, 84, 89, S/i. i, A B C D2 Kar. 78, A B C D i E Kar. 61, A B D i Kar. 12, 37, A B D i C Kar. 29, A B D i E Kar. 79, A B D2 Kar. 36, C D2 A B Kar. 127.
Formula D i . Kar. ia
Kar. 37 (;
"• 59 '. 61
The first word is probably to be analysed into the elements <. + ^ and ^) } + The second word is of three types, all of which arc found in C. (a) Type of C $/ ) Kar. 37, S/t. i, and Kar. 12 (£) With <if Kar. 29, 59, 61, 67, 84, 89. (<•) With /S- 4 ^ A^r. 79.
1 Some curious varieties of C occur on the royal altars from the pyramids of Meroe, see /user. I, p. 82.
II 2
52 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN6G AND SHABLUL
Formula D2.
Kar. 36 Kar. 78 Kar. 127
Of these Kar. 36 begins with /4/C, 127 with <} ) } cT, like /^ ^9^., 9^,7
in A and the similar expression in B, and 78 writes briefly } ) for (5)}(J)}, just as we find 5 ^^-9^ in A. The compound ends with ¥4 ¥4, ¥44, and ^4 //// in the three examples respectively. The final words have already been seen in C and D.
It is clear that the formulae C and D are closely connected, and that their elements are almost interchangeable.
Terminal Formula E.
This occurs only nine times A B C D i E Kar. 61, A B Di E Kar. 79, A B C E Kar. 25, 72, 117, A B E Kar. 125, C A B E Kar. 119, A B E C Kar. 50, E C A B C Kar. 18.
Kar. 18 Kar. 25
50
6i
Kar. 72 Kar. 79 Kar. 117 Kar. 119 Kar. 125 /^Zty/*-/ jL,*j-: *&/](,:<&<}
The first word (-/-)49^//Cv//4..occurs at Kalabsha, 7;w^r. 94/12.
The second word 9^//C in Inscr. 129/20 appears as 3^9^//C5 much as in A'^r. 72. It occurs also in the Kalabsha inscription, 1. 13, &c.
The third word is of two types, both found also in C.
(a) With 4/7(O typical of C ; in A^ar. 50, 72, 79, 117, 119.
(£) With ¥&/*-/£<&// ; in AT^r. 16, 25, 61, 125.
Terminal Formula F.
This occurs only twice, in Afar, in A F G, Kar. 126 FA; also in Inscr. 137 G A F. Kar. in
Kar. 126 *<3-*^^ ^/.'U/J (see p. 74)
Cf. Inscr. 137 :/*-<r<r&W/l:<}W3> Meroe 45/5, 6 (?). This is evidently of the same class as A, B.
In Meroe 9/5 /^y-U/CV heads a phrase parallel to 4-5^, and this suggests that (A/ ^ should be read for u/ J in all the above cases.
Terminal Formula G.
This occurs thrice, in Avir. 14 A C G, ATdr. in A F G, Sh. 14 ABG; also in Inscr. 87 AG, 89 G, 137 GAF.
Kar. 14 ^
Kar. in
Sh. 14 (pi.) .
TERMINAL FORMULAE 53
Cf. Inscr. 87 A-9^cr?$y£/^/W.'C:f>S-$^, «9 * 137 (pi.) :/*-<i/<ii <#//:<& I*,) <W*^
Evidently allied to B, C, and D.
Terminal Formula H. This occurs but once, Kar. 99 b A H.
The last word occurs in formula I. The engraving is execrable. The photograph may suggest the reading ^/^^CT for the first group.
Terminal Formula I. This occurs once, S/i. 7 A B C I.
Sh. 7 /^9^J9^£/4VjW^.- The last word occurs in H.
Terminal Formula J.1
This occurs in Sh. 19 B A C J.
Sh. 19 ^/9^?9///.*^//l9,
The last word occurs similarly in C, and its form connects the formula with D.
Stele-text.
This occurs only once, on the stele Kar. 41. It is added (apparently as an afterthought) in smaller writing to a text which, after the invocation to Isis and Osiris, commemorates a man with a description of some length, but contains no terminal formulae.
It seems to be cast in the form of two phrases in apposition to the name of the deceased. In the necropolis of Meroe two allied texts have been found, each occupying all that remains of a stele, and apparently without naming the deceased, see Meroe\ p. 78 (Nos. 44, 51). The text appears to belong to the South, and the deceased in Kar. 41 actually came from Napata.
1 For two more formulae, K, L, found on the royal altars from the pyramids of Meroe, see Inscr. I, p. 82.
CHAPTER VI
CATALOGUE OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS
THE majority of the monuments here dealt with are shown in the photographic plates of this memoir ; the rest are figured in other memoirs of the Pennsylvania Expedition, and can be easily referred to. Little description is therefore required of their outward appearance. The texts are here briefly analysed, and remarks added on special points of reading or restoration, and meaning ; many of them are ill engraved, and in even the best texts certain letters are liable to be confused with others and can only be fixed with the help of parallels. The ' translations ' for the most part cover only the names and descriptions of the persons commemorated, and necessarily leave a multitude of important words in transliteration, but at least may help to show the nature of the phrasing. The invocation ' O Isis, O Osiris ' is assumed to be at the beginning of each inscription, and the terminal formulae are noted only by the letters of the classification given in the last chapter.
The attribution of monuments by the excavators to other tombs than those whose field- numbers (G. 15, G. 74, &c.) they bear is explained in Mr. C. L. Woolley and Dr. D. Randall- Maclver's Karanbg, The Romano-Nubian Cemetery, Text, pp. 49, 50. The evidence afforded by the inscriptions themselves is helpful in a few cases, e.g. in Kar. 19, 89, belonging to one individual, and attributed by the excavators to the neighbouring tombs G. 70 and G. 21 7. l
Kar. I. Altar of fine pink sandstone, 31 cm. x 28 and with spout 36 cm. Cairo, No. 40121. The lettering is of the later style, clearly engraved, but } ', }., and J are not well distinguished. The inscription contains exceptional words and spellings.
The U/ which underlies J// in J//^J^J is a mistake difficult to explain. The B word of parentage begins with ^, but /*r- was probably written in the C word, as often in such
instances.2 The father's name seems to have the title (?) ^.-jj/l }, leaving space for six or seven letters for the name. The only name with this title is f^f A^ f *r W $ Kar. 6,
with the shorter form fV-f/flA/} 23, which would just fill the gap.
The person commemorated is Asheye or Akheye, perhaps a woman, as the name seems to be identical with that of 54 B; and is apparently described simply as 'of Amanap' (i.e. Amenophis, see Kar. 3), without qualification, a unique instance, perhaps meaning ' devoted to the service of Amanap '. The father, according to the above restoration, would be Masakhte- Trebinti, and the mother is Sharbiye.
The formulae are A and B. The substitutions of f for ^, and <r- te for the usual
te, in the third word of each are remarkable.
Kar. 2. Round-topped stela of yellowish sandstone, the surface thinly washed with colour and painted. At the top is a winged disk, the disk and primaries yellow with black details, secondaries red with black details, tertiaries black. This forms a kind of canopy upon two
1 See the plan of the necropolis, PI. 1 16 in Karanbg advantageously followed up in other cases. Cemetery. Mr. Woolley pointed out to me the juxta- 2 For the spellings see above, p. 37.
position of the two tombs ; such indications might be
CATALOGUE OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS 55
wooden columns coloured yellow. Within stand a woman and a man. The former is nude to waist, right hand empty, left holding branch, right breast destroyed, left breast in profile on the body, hair black and covered with points and having a short pigtail at the top, shirt from waist to feet white, the front fall with swastika on upper part and fringe at lower end. The man, standing behind, is shorter, nude, with branch in left hand, curly hair yellow with curls marked in black. The flesh of each is red.
Cairo, No. 40229, sandstone, h. 28, w. 25 cm. Belongs to grave G. 275. Published Karanbg Cem.> PI. 11. The lettering is of late style.
The woman Meteye may be the mother of the man Abakhartake, as she has the precedence. The formulae are A B with the former, A with the latter.
Kar. 3. Altar of pale pinkish sandstone, 23 cm. x 28 and with spout 34 cm. Cairo. No. 40237, marked G. 16 and attributed to G. 127. Lettering bad, late style.
The deceased might be a woman as the name appears again with <. for ) for 108 A, who is certainly a woman: but the titles seem to disallow this.
Khapeye is described as ' belileke of Amanap, qcren of the king, born of Mali-tarqize, kinsman of paqars, kinsman ol pcshtes, male mars in Nalete'.
Belilckes (var. belilike) are described as of either Amanap or Ammon and ' in Napata ' or ' in Pezeme ', i. e. Amara (see Inscr. 84).
The name Amanap1 seems almost confined to the inscriptions of Karanog. It probably represents one of the deities called Amenophis by the Greeks, namely Amenopi ' Ammon in Ophis ' worshipped on the west bank of Thebes and very commonly mentioned in demotic papyri from that place.2 That Amanap should represent one of the Amenhotp Pharaohs or the famous deified scribe of that name seems hardly possible. The Greeks sometimes called them Amenophis, but this was through confusion with the other, and more correctly they grecized the name as 'A/iej>w0?/s.
q£ren may mean ' wakil' or 'scribe'. ' qcreii of Isis ' is a title commonly found in graffiti at Philae and in the Dodecaschoenus, v. Inscr. II.
Mali- frequently begins the names of women.
paqar and pcshtf (var. pcstc) seem to be princely titles : the former always has the precedence, cf. Meroc 2.
Nalete* is a place-name frequent in this connexion in the Karanog inscriptions. The corresponding name at Shablul is Akin.
The formulae are A B, the third word in each in a very short form.
Kar. 4. Altar of whitish sandstone, 30 cm. x 25 and with spout 30 cm. Cairo, No. 40152, marked G. 16 and thought to have been found at the south-west corner of that tomb, but this is doubtful. Lettering late.
The deceased Shabalaye is ' born of Temeyakaziye and begotten of Atekhelakha[ye ?] '. The formulae are A B
Kar. 5. Altar of brownish sandstone, 21 cm. xi8 and with spout 25 cm. Cairo, No. 40258, marked G. 30 and attributed doubtfully to that tomb.
Lettering late and obscure. Several superfluous signs, such as the doubtful /C^~, may be due to an error, or derived from an earlier text on the same stone. The latter, indeed, has the appearance of a palimpsest.
The name is very doubtful, Yimaklit (?). The formulae are A B, terminating in respectively.
1 See the description of Kar. 102.
* E.g. GRIFFITH, Catalogue of the John Ryland* Papyri, III, p. 433.
56 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN6G AND SHABLUL
Kar. 6. Altar of yellowish sandstone, 35 cm.X27 and with spout 37 cm. Cairo, No. 40111, marked G. 31 and attributed doubtfully to that tomb. Late lettering.
The inscription commemorates ' Kaziteye and Abere-temate, born of Tamiye, begotten of the shalkhash of Amanap, Qeqeli, born indeed (?) of Mali-temize, begotten of the masakhte(^} Trebinti '.
The two parentages follow the names without clearly indicating which pair belongs to which of the deceased. The same or closely similar names occur in Kar. 23, a stela of the same age (cf. also 17). In 23 Kaziteye is ' born of Mali-temize and begotten of the shalkhaslt of Amanap Qeqeli ', while Tamaye is 'born of Tebaye, and begotten of the niasakhte(?) Trebit '. There is so great a variety of names on the Meroitic monuments, and so little repetition from one to another, that the similarities here must be more than a coincidence. Trebit is probably the same name as Trebiiiti, a similar omission of n being found elsewhere.1 The parents' names are thus curiously counterchanged, suggesting that amongst the Ethiopians marriage was elastic and that exchange of consorts even amongst relations was customary.
The terminal formula A is correctly in the plural, but B is crowded and is left in the singular.
Kar. 7. Altar of pale sandstone, 26-50 cm. x 26 and with spout 37 cm. Cairo, No. 40243, labelled G. 53. Lettering late.
The name Shatakheme is followed by the formulae A B.
Kar. 8. Rectangular stela of brownish sandstone, engraved with amphorae in outline, 38 x 25 cm. Cairo, No. 40252, labelled G. 48, to which grave it belonged.
The inscriptions are two in number, b having been added between the lines 2-4 of a.
Lettering of late transition style : U throughout, and ^- in the added inscription are of the older form.
a. The names commemorated are Khasheteli and Khazekashli and are followed by a description in the singular 'born of Nabeyareshakhi, begotten of the pesti Zazekar; sister (?) of a shalkhash, sister (?) of a sJiasher '. This description, which is that of a woman,2 presumably belongs only to the second name. The invocation of Isis and Osiris follows the description, with the formulae A B, also in the singular.
The parents are probably the same as in Kar. 103, but there the father is referred to by his title only.
b. Mali-zebas, a woman's name by the initial element, followed by formulae A B.
Kar. 9. Sandstone altar, 27 cm. x 23 and with spout 30 cm. Cairo, No. 40167, marked G. 51, found close to south-west corner of it. Lettering late.
Tawakhi and Kazetenaye (the latter a woman's name), with description in the singular applicable to a woman ' born of Tamenasal, begotten of Atekheliye : wife of the khalbin of the peste Qeleye, mother (?) of the zaske of Mash Nawatatey'. The formulae A B follow, also in the singular.
Mash (once at Shablul and common at Karanog) must be the name of a deity (the Sun-god 3 or Bes or Mut?), since the phrases in which it occurs4 generally correspond to those with Ammon and Isis. ju^uj^TV., ma§a, masil is the name of the sun in Nubian.
Kar. 10. Altar of pale pinkish sandstone, 38 cm. x 38 and with spout 45 cm. Cairo, No. 40123, marked G. 51 b, found at the back of G. 51 and attributed to G. 95. Late lettering.
' Abewayetey, born of Manakazili, begotten of Wakhi, wize of the shalkhash, brother (?) of an areqebar '.
Formulae ABC.
1 See p. 14. " See p. 38. 3 See p. 82. 4 See Index B, sub voce.
CATALOGUE OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS 57
Kar. II. Rectangular stela with dove-tail projection at top, inscribed with ten lines of inscriptions between seven rules. Philadelphia, No. 7102, labelled 0.52, to which it belongs. The lettering of the later style, and though sharply engraved leaves several signs doubtful. Published Karanbg Cem., PI. 18 and p. 241.
'The honourable (?) Weshakhasheye, truly born of Metcwishiyc, truly begotten of the shalkhash Azikhali : related to s/ias/tirs, related to shalkhashs, belonging to the great mete in Shimal.' Formulae ABC followed by the epithet male.
Kar. 12. Stela of coarse reddish sandstone, 32 cm. x 33 and with projection 39-50 cm. Cairo, No. 40150, marked G. 53, having been found at the middle of the back wall. Lettering of later style.
' The honourable (?) Tabitelaye, born of Pizeye, begotten of Yibcyc, malan of the pesti.' Formulae ABDi.
Kar. 13. Stela of reddish sandstone, 73 (the smoothed face 36)x3i cm. Cairo, No. 40270, marked G. 54, to which tomb it belongs, having been re-used in the construction. Lettering of late transition style.
' Aqelakhali, mazekar of Amanap, arcshaz of Amanap, born of Latamakas, begotten of Malcye.' Formulae A B.
Kar. 14. Stela of whitish sandstone, 31x26 cm. Cairo, No. 40133, marked G. 54, to which tomb it probably belongs (re-used). Lettering of late transition style. ' Weshmel, born of NamarmCye, begotten of Mashamaye.' Formulae A C G.
Kar. 15. Altar of pink sandstone, 22 cm. x 21 and with spout 27 cm. Cairo, No. 40139, marked G. 57, to which tomb it belongs. Lettering of later style.
' Lelewitar, prophet of Isis, related to prophets of Amanap ; the honourably related (?) Khamye.' Formula A in the plural.
Ant is the Egyptian £OHT, hn-ntr
Kar. 16. Altar of whitish sandstone, 28 cm. x 22 and with spout 31 cm. Cairo, No. 40163, marked G. 60, to which tomb it is probably attributable. Lettering of later style. ' Mamawikaze, born of Akheyeteliye, begotten of Akhapeye.' Formulae A C.
Kar. 17. Stela with rounded top, well shaped, with fourteen lines of inscription between rules, a small space at the top and two ruled spaces below empty. Philadelphia, No. 7101, marked G. 63. A neat example of the later style of lettering. Published Karanbg Cem.t PI. 18 and p. 241.
' Tapekhizat, born of Mali-Takhize, begotten of the shalkhash of Amanap Qeqeli, mareperi in Shimale, related to the paqar and chief kinsman (?), related to the second (?) kinsman (?), related to Shetanakar, related to pestcs, second (?) belonging to the king's wives (?), male-mars in Nalete, shalamazes of thef>este, related to belelekes' Formulae ABC followed by invocation.
The deceased is a brother (?) of A in Kar. 23, cf. also 6.
Kar. 18. Altar of whitish limestone, 25.50 cm. x 24.50 and with spout 32 cm. Cairo, No. 40178, marked G. 65, and may belong to 65, 116 or 118. Lettering of later type.
1 Wetakizalabe, truly born of Tekheyakaziye, begotten of Tayatize.' Formulae E C A B C.
Kar. 19. Altar of whitish sandstone, 23 cm. x 22 and with spout 29 cm. Cairo, No. 401 18, marked G. 70, found to west of west wall. Lettering of the later type.
This altar is particularly interesting because the stela belonging to it is preserved in Kar. 89, attributed to the neighbouring tomb G. 217. The inscription is a duplicate of the first half of
I
58 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARANOG AND SHABLUL
the long text in Kar. 89, reaching to the last group but one of the ninth line. My copy, which was revised with the original and compared with 89, would indicate that 19 broke oft in the middle of a phrase. This, however, is not probable. The end of the text is very obscure, but a terminal 9£ seems traceable in the photograph, and probably the reading should be V3[^^«7j /4-A\/// as an abbreviation of the corresponding phrase /*- AJ/f V^e- *#, l^ *,<? U ) : Jff $^/(J in Kar. 89. Wr'SJIJ *-A*///, though favoured by the present copy, would hardly be applicable to a woman, while other epithets are distinctively feminine.
Kar. 20. Half of altar of pale pinkish sandstone, the complete side measuring 38 cm. Cairo, No. 40158, marked G. 70. Lettering of the later style. ' Arereteli, begotten of Yiremen, born of Wereteliye.' The mother may be the deceased in Kar. 19 from the same tomb. See also the next.
Kar. 21. Fragmentary stela of whitish sandstone, 47 x 39 cm. Cairo, No. 40273, marked G. 70, to which tomb it belongs. The writing is of the later style.
' [Arere]teli, shatamazes . . . ., prophet of Amanap, begotten [of Yiremen], born of Werete[liye], kin to the prophet Akhebikhetey, kin to the prophet Menetel, kin to the prophet Apeteye, brother (?) of the prophet Baratarye, kin of [prophets] of [Aman]ap.' Formulae ABC. 'Male:
This stela apparently commemorated the same person as the altar Kar. 20 (which is from the same tomb), or, if not the same person, one with similar name and similar parentage. It also, like the last, places the father before the mother. Thanks to this and some other parallels the inscription can be restored almost complete. Arereteli, like his mother (?) in Nos. 19 and 89, records his kinship to various titled persons: see the note to 89.
Kar. 22. Altar of pale purple sandstone, 26 cm. x 27 and with spout 37.50 cm. Cairo, No. 40127, marked G. 72, but probably attributable to G. 73. Lettering of the later style and faulty.
' Maletey, truly born of Ye-Katebel, begotten of Atewi-Tenanat (?), kin of prophets.' Formulae ABC.
Kar. 23. Stela, tapering somewhat to the base, with dove-tail projection at the top ; engraved with twelve lines of inscription between rules ; two ruled spaces blank. Philadelphia, No. 7105, marked G. 75, having been found in the SW. corner of the superstructure. Lettering of later style. Published Karanbg Cem., PI. 19 and p. 241.
' Kaziteye, born of Malitakhize, begotten of the shalakhash of Amanap Oeqeli ; and Temaye, second (?) of the aqe (?), born of Tebaye, begotten of the masakhtc Trebit ; kinsfolk of paqars, kinsfolk of pestes, kinsfolk of belelekes, of Amanap.' Formulae A B in the plural.
The first name is evidently of a woman as beginning with Kazi. Her full brother is commemorated in Kar. 17.
Kar. 24. Rectangular altar with spout ; the sunk field sculptured with a pylon-shaped altar on which loaves are placed ; a bouquet of a lotus-flower between two buds overhangs the altar on each side. A line of inscription round the edge ends on the altar. Philadelphia, No. 7088, marked G. 82, having been re-used in that tomb. Lettering of the later style. Published Karanbg Cent., PI. 15 and p. 240.
' Sharbetanize, born of Kharakebe, begotten of Yeyamakhar.' Formulae ABC.
Kar. 25. Altar of yellow sandstone, 39 cm. X3O and with spout 38 cm. Cairo, No. 40154, marked G. 83, lettering of later style.
'Akilibale, truly, [truly?] born of Bekhe, truly begotten of Baletali.' Formulae A B C E. ' Kin otpaqars and pestes, and belonging to ages.'
CATALOGUE OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS 59
Kar. 26. Rectangular altar with spout. In the sunk field is a deep cartouche-shaped hollow, above which are oval cakes, and on either side an ewer pouring water upon four round cakes below. Philadelphia, No. 7093, marked G. 84, ' found against south wall of superstructure of G. 184.' Lettering clear, of the later type. Published Karanbg Cem., PI. 16 and p. 241.
'Tareyizatali, born of Yikenatalabe, begotten of the shashcr of Amanap Shabenatakcl.'
Kar. 27. Altar of purple sandstone, 27 cm. x 26 and with spout 30 cm. Cairo, No. 40122, marked G. 84, to which tomb it probably belongs. Lettering of late transition style.
' Qezet, kin to an ate in (?) Pezeme, kin to a sante, related (?) to a shatamazas in Yerawazcze, born of Takhazeye, male-mars' Formulae ABC. ' Male'
With ate-pezeme (plural in Kar. 87) compare the title at-mash$.
Kar. 28. Altar of sandstone, 31 cm. X3i and with spout 40 cm. Cairo, No. 40174, marked G. 85, to which tomb it belongs. Lettering of the later style.
The names of the deceased are without any distinctive ending. The terminal formulae are in the plural, but the parentage in the singular. A similar case but with plural parentage occurs in an inscription of the Moscow collection (Inscr. 171), where also, as here, W^J9^9^ precedes the filiation. It may be that this is a title of the mother, or that it is an expression replacing in some way the ¥$/ 12 termination.
' Taraqameteli ; Aretanize ; Yitayesayi born of the kelakeni Azeye, and begotten of the shanic Mashazani.' Formulae A B in the plural.
Kar. 29. Stela of whitish sandstone, 28 cm. x 47.30 and with knob 53 cm. Cairo, No. 40157, marked G. 89, having been re-used in that tomb. Lettering of the later style.
' Arilanmakas and Apetikaze, truly born of Bekheyi, begotten of the zakrctri Makhewitar, truly (?) related (?) to the great shante Shaweyibar, kin of paqars, kin of pcstes, male-mar '.res in Akin : wife of a sheni of Ammon.' Formulae A B D C in the plural.
The two deceased arc briefly commemorated on the double altar No. 39. The last of the descriptive phrases is in the singular, and probably applies to Apetikaze whose name seems female. The deceased must therefore be brother and sister ; another sister is com- memorated on No. 129, and another of the family in No. 31 a. Shaweyibar, to whom they are related, is the father in No. 59.
Kar. 30. Altar of soft coarse sandstone, 44 cm. X3i and with spout 38 cm. Cairo, No. 40260, labelled G. 96, perhaps belonging to G. 95, having been found between the two graves. Lettering of the later type, very obscure in places.
' Pakazi, born of Kazimanale (?), kin to the aratawte of Aqezis, kin to a belelcke of Amanap, kin to a kharpati in Pakharas. wife of the pezel^} Mctabar.' Formula C followed by the word ' O Isis ! '
Kar. 31. Stela of whitish sandstone, 51x32 cm. Cairo, No. 40129, marked G. 100, and may belong to G. 139, having been found face up against the wall of G. 100. Lettering of the later style.
a. ' Aqenay, born of Bekheye, begotten of Makhewitar.' Formulae ABC, invocation.
b. ' Khetize, born of Katapenaye, begotten of Tatakatey.' Formulae ABC, invocation. The former of these is of the same family as those commemorated on Nos. 29 and 1 29.
Kar. 32. Rectangular altar with spout, the sunk field sculptured with an amphora upon an open wooden stand, a bowl placed on the mouth and a dipper hanging from it. On either side a lotus-flower between two buds with stems tied. Round the border a line of inscription doubled on the spout. Philadelphia, No. 7092, marked G. 100, belongs to G. 133. Writing of the later type. Published Karanbg Can., PI. 16 and p. 241.
I 2
60 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARANOG AND SHABLIJL
' Mali-Takhize, born of Temeyakaziye, begotten of the sJi\ante ?....], wife of a shalkhash of Amanap.'
The deceased's name is that of the mother in Kar. 6, 17, 23. The title shante occurs in the family, see Kar. 59, and shalkhash is the title of Mali-Takhize's husband Qeqeli in Kar. 6, 17, 23. This shows that sama means ' wife ', ' concubine ', ' consort ' or the like.1
Kar. 33. Altar of pale reddish sandstone, 25 cm. x 30 and with spout 41 cm. Cairo, No. 40261, marked G. 103, to which tomb it belongs. Lettering of the later style. ' Tabiye.' Formulae ABC.
Kar. 34. Altar of yellow sandstone, 33 cm. x 31 and with spout 33 cm. Cairo, No. 40168, marked G. 103, having been found against the south wall; it may belong to G. 125. Lettering of late transition style showing the older form of <r-.
' Yililikete, begotten of the at of Mash Nakhashanye, born of Khar (?), sheni of A[mmon ?], shaikh of Amanap.' Formulae ABC.
In Kar. 60 Nakhashanye is ant ' prophet of Mash ' ; apparently at-mashe is a variant of this.
Kar. 35. Altar-stela of pink sandstone, 22-50 cm. x 21 and with projection 29 cm. Cairo, No. 40144, marked G. 109. The lettering is of the later style.
' Qe-Mazeye, Werezikeye, Kazil.' Three names, the last evidently of a woman and a later addition.
Kar. 36. Altar-stela of white sandstone, 38 cm. x 33 and with projection 40 cm. Cairo, No. 40124, marked G. no, belongs to G. 51. The writing of late transition style, the letters inclining to cursive and not well formed.
' Tawmakalk • • zeye, born of Awikhaleye (?), begotten of Yimakali ; and Tamalanmakasal, born of Kazaye, begotten of Makasheramleli, sister (?) of an areqebar? Formulae A B D 2 in the singular. ' O Makalakh.'
Kar. 37. Altar of fine sandstone, 37-5 cm. x 31 and with spout 39 cm. Cairo, No. 40113, marked G. in, and found in the filling of the grave. Lettering of the later style, several signs imperfectly finished by the engraver.
'Tewize, born of Amanili (?), begotten of Yintemakheli ; and Kashye, born of Tewize, begotten of Shakhibetar ; zaskes of the shanan ; and Masmeteyi, born of Meqemeteli, begotten of Latlememe, uielake of Mash, qcren of the shanan.' Formulae A B C in the plural.
The first may be the mother of the second : the third appears to be the man com- memorated by the stela Kar. 38 from the same tomb, his name, parentage, and description agreeing closely without being identical. Shanan may be a deity.
Kar. 38. Stela in the shape of a triangle truncated at the top, painted with the figure of a man standing facing to the right, in the right hand a staff, in the left a palm-branch. Over him is an inscription of six lines continued in four short lines behind his head and shoulders. Philadelphia, No. 7085, marked G. in. The lettering is of the later style. Published Karanbg Cem., PI. ] 3, and p. 240.
'Masme, born of Meqen (?), begotten of Latlememe; inclake of Mash, qeren in Shimale ; O Isis ! O Osiris ! ' Formulae ABC.
See the last.
Kar. 39. Double altar of whitish sandstone, 45 cm.x 26 and with spout 31 cm. Cairo, No. 40145, marked G. 112, having been found against the south wall of that grave, but its attribution is very doubtful. Writing of the later style.
1 See also the description of Kar. 89.
CATALOGUE OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS 61
a. ' Arilanmaks.' Formulae ABC.
b. ' Apetakaze.' Formulae ABC.
It has already been pointed out that this belongs to the stela No. 29 from G. 89.
Kar. 40. Altar of sandstone, 41 cm. X34 and with spout 45 cm. Cairo, No. 40112, marked G. 116, and probably belongs to G. 136. Lettering of the later type.
1 Barakhet, born of Ycpcteli, begotten of Trcbizcmashcli.' Formulae ABC.
The deceased is commemorated also on the next, from G. 117. The father's name has been recut, cf. Kar. 6 for the reading.
Kar. 41. Narrow stela with dove-tail projection at the top, engraved with ten lines of inscription between rules. The inscription ends in four lines below the ruling, the first being a short line and the remainder (b) added in smaller characters filling the space. Philadelphia, No. 7104, marked G. 117, to which tomb it belongs. Writing of the later type. Published Karanbg Cem.t PI. 19 and p. 241.
' Barakhet, wemam's-cadet (?), shasldmete-malcycs of Amanapate, makheli-arcshe, kin of the makcshakhe in Napate, malcmars from (?) Napata.'
b. the stele-formula (see above, p. 53. Meroc, p. 78) rendered as two phrases descriptive of the deceased ; its presence is probably due to his southern origin.
See the last. For maleyes cf. 56, Inscr. 129, and for Amanapate (Ammon of Napata as rightly suggested by Roeder) Inscr. 94/7.
Kar. 42. Altar of sandstone, 30 cm. x 25 and with spout 32 cm. Cairo, No. 40125, marked G. 119, to which tomb it belongs. The lettering is of the later type.
' Metekazi, born of Bipanal (?), begotten of Shalakhtey ; and Zerepeshi ; and Baratar, born (singular) of Sabefiye, begotten (plural) of Nashctar.' Formulae ABC (plural).
Kar. 43. Small stela tapering towards the rounded top, of yellowish sandstone washed with white, and painted with a male figure holding staff in right hand and whip(?) in left. The figure is nude to the waist, with broad loin-cloth and transparent pleated garment or long fringe to feet, necklace with bag in front, fillet round head. The stick, bag, whip (?), and fillet black, the rest light red. Inscription of several lines in black ink over and behind the head. H. 29, width at base 30 cm. Cairo Museum, marked G. 121, found 3 metres east of G. 149, with Ph. 7081. Writing of the later type.
The inscription is almost indecipherable. The hand-copy might indicate that the father's name was given without the mother's, but this is very improbable.
Kar. 44. Stela of brownish sandstone, 35x20 cm. Cairo, No. 40187, marked G. 125, to which tomb it belongs, having been found in the angle formed by the east wall and the solid block on the east face. Lettering of transition style.
' Shinatame, makeshakhe of Ammon, sheni of Mash, begotten of Tameshakhize, born of Yiteli.'
The deceased's brother is commemorated in Kar. 48, and his father apparently in Kar. \ 26.
Kar. 45. Three fragments joined together forming about three-quarters of a rectangular altar, the spout lost ; the sunk field sculptured with an amphora on either side of a small square basin, four circular loaves below, and another remaining at the top left-hand corner. Two lines of inscription round the edge. Philadelphia, No. 9078, marked G. 219. Lettering of late style.
' Qerem-Tezelize, shcni of Ammon, and Bakireze [born of ], begotten (plural)
[of ].' Formulae A B C (?) in the plural.
The fragmentary stela Kar. 102, also from G. 219, belonged to the same persons.
62 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARANOG AND SHABLIJL
Kar. 46. Altar of whitish sandstone, 30 cm. x 27 and with spout 34 cm. Cairo, No. 401 70, marked G. 127, belonged to G. 134. Writing good, of the later style. ' Yizetbelile, belclcke of Ammon.' Formula C.
Kar. 47. Rectangular stela, finely engraved with fourteen lines of inscription between rules. Philadelphia, No. 7103, numbered G. 135. Found against NE. corner of G. 183 to which it probably belongs. The lettering of the later style. Published Karatwg Cem., PI. 19 and p. 241-
' The honoured (?) Khawitrer, pestc in Akin, nak in Akin, kliarpklian in Pakharas, belonging to lakhashmalcwe (?), tabqc in Taman, qcrezek, amcke in (?) Nalete,1 male-mars in Akin, great zvcmanis in Akin, prophet of beqakhaiv as far as (?) Pezeme,2 kin of the king's paqar Atametaii Tabe, kin of Shetankel, kin of Tabakhemakhar, kin of Litakhrer, of the mate of the kazi akaw kanaw khatekake in Shazesh (or ' of the mate of the mother of the kazi ', &c.), of the mate of the royal consort Zewekazil, of the mate of Arwatal, male, wawiki of Tebawe (?).'
This fine stele shows no parentage, nor any invocation or funerary formula. The princely personage is connected with Akin, Pakhoras (Faras), Pezeme (Amara), and Tebawe (?) (Philae or Biga). For the element khawit- in his name see Inscr. I, p. 64, and for rcr, ib., p. 73.
Kar. 48. Stela (?) of whitish sandstone, 41x37 cm. An offering table with spout is outlined with a double row of punctures, and a hollow cut in the centre through the inscription. Cairo, No. 40257, marked G. 135. Lettering of late transition style.
' Shazenyeli, born of Yiteli, begotten of Tamesh-kize.' Formulae B A.
The same parentage is in Kar. 44 above.
Kar. 49. Altar of pale yellowish sandstone, 74 cm. x 44 and with spout 52 cm. Cairo, No. 40235, marked G. 136, to which tomb it belongs. Lettering of late transition style.
'Takar, born of Yilakhamali, begotten of the shalkhash Qeqeli, mareperi in Shimale, shanamzes of thepeste, male-mars, kin of the prophet (?) of Mash Taqeye.'
The parents' names are well known from other inscriptions, but are not found together elsewhere. Ataqemete in Kar. 59 may be this (A)taqeye ; see Kar. 34 for his title.
Kar. 50. Altar of yellowish sandstone, 37 cm. x 26 and with spout 32 cm. Cairo Museum, marked G. 139, and probably belonging to that tomb. Writing of late transition style.
' Taqeshete, prophet of Mash, born of Yilakhamali, begotten of Shaweyibar, brother (?) of a peshte.' Formulae A B E C.
The same parentage in Kar. 59 and 1 16, and the father in a descriptive phrase in 29.
Kar. 51. Round-topped stela, painted with the figure of a nude boy standing in the centre facing to the left; four lines of inscription at the top continued in four short lines before the face. Philadelphia, No. 7076, marked G. 140, having been found in the shrine. Lettering of the later style. Published Karatwg Cem., PI. 12, and pp. 10, 240.
' Mareshikali, kin of the peste Barteye, truly born of Sharbikaze.' Formulae A B.
Kar. 52. Altar of pale sandstone, 35 cm. x 26 and with spout 35 cm. Cairo, No. numbered G. 140, to which it belongs. Lettering of the later style.
' The honourable Pezemeke, truly born of Zeke, begotten of the chief sliamat Shakhalcye, kin of the pest/ Barteye.' Formulae ABC. ' Ma!/.'
Kar. 53. Stela of pink sandstone, 26 x 33 cm. Cairo, No. 40135, marked G. 145, to which tomb it belongs. Lettering of the later style.
1 Cf. Kar. 59. 2 Cf. Kar. 121. -vetite is the genitival of the -yate in Inscr. 94/12, 27.
CATALOGUE OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS 63
The first part of the text is in unusual form and is difficult to analyse. It seems as if the top line was intended to contain the initial words, but only the first letter has been engraved. The / 13 at the beginning of the next line is perhaps the title, and yg^y-//l?J the name of the deceased, possibly with $<g*r- substituted for ¥g//.?. But the group looks like a descriptive phrase, and if that was so the name of the deceased has never been engraved. The / 13 would then be the usual appendage, and the name may have consisted of a few letters following the initial words, or the initial words may not have occurred in the inscription and the top line have been intended to be occupied by the name.
'The honourable Shaqeri(P), kin of paqars, kin of pestes, begotten of the marepcri Papal, truly born of Terikhalbe.' Formulae ABC.
Kar. 54. Altar of very pale sandstone, 33 cm. X3i and with spout 42 cm. Cairo, No. 40143, marked G. 146, perhaps belongs to G. 364. Lettering of the later type.
' Pintibe, born of Amaye, begotten of Pizewatar, kin of paqars, kin of pastes, sister (?) of the wfytauis-cadet Amani-nan ... 1 Yetakhetel (?), sister (?) of a shatamazes, wife of a teter! Formulae A B.
Kar. 55. Altar of coarse orange sandstone, 33 cm. X3i and with spout 43 cm. Cairo, No. 40109, marked G. 148, having been found 80 cm. south of the middle of the south wall. The writing is of the later type.
' Shaqazaye, begotten of Shibawitar, born of Kharmali (?) ; and Yewizayc, born of Shaqazaye, begotten of Makhewitar.' Formulae A B (plural).
The first is probably the mother of the second. The invocation is to Isis, Osiris, and Maklakh.
Kar. 56. Stela of whitish sandstone, 30 cm. x 48 and with the projection .56 cm. Cairo, No. 40266, marked G. 148, and belongs to that grave. Lettering of late transition style.
'The prophet of Mash Qeretakar, born of Mala-tekeli, begotten of the shatamazes in Azere Natawitar, kin of a maleycs in Atiye, kin of an ateqi in Shazes, kin of the chief envoy Sharawefi.'
Kar. 57. Altar of whitish sandstone, 25 cm. xai and with spout 26 cm. Cairo, No. 40140, marked G. 149, and perhaps belonging to it, having been found 1*50 m. from its NE. angle. The lettering is of late transition style, showing the earlier form of ^-.
' Mali-Qezeshe, begotten of Kelekhekeniwe, truly born of Mali-Tekali.' Formulae ABC.
The deceased is evidently a woman by the prefix to her name, and half-sister of the last.
Kar. 58. Stela with inscriptions so disposed as to indicate that there have been two or more figures painted on it. 35 cm. x 25 cm. Cairo, No. 40130 (mislaid), numbered G. 152, having been found in the robber's hole, and perhaps belongs to that or to 235. The lettering is of archaic (?) type : the form of <- without / is rare.
The groups following the initial words are difficult to analyse. /\ //$<?} is a woman's name: there has been an alteration here, an erased / 15 being clearly visible. The next group may be compared with the phrase ^ ^- 5 13 9 ^.' /**- ) in Kar. 23. It is not clear whether the two groups y^9 £J5 /$*-): A I '/39 } are to be taken separately as proper names, or the second group, or both together, as only a title of the following name.
' Meqen Mate-qetakeni ; and Mitasm£me, are of Ammon.' Formulae A B.
Kar. 59. Rectangular altar with spout, the sunk field sculptured with a deep cartouche- shaped reservoir, on either side of which is a ewer with water pouring from its spout, four flat cakes above, and four circular loaves at the top. The channel is not hollowed, but indicated in the spout by two deeply engraved outlines. Two lines of inscription round the border,
64 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN6G AND SHABLtlL
separated by rules. Hard but neat execution. Philadelphia, No. 7089, marked G. 153, having been found in the approach. The lettering of late transition style. Published Karanbg Cem.t PI. 15 and p. 240.
The lady commemorated appears to be the mother of one or more persons on other stelae, and is full sister of Kar. 50 A and 116 A, and cf. 49.
' Temey-kaziye, born of Yilekhemali, begotten of the sante Shaweyibar, kin of a paqar, kin of a peshte, matt-mars amcke in Nalete, sister (?) of the chief ataqe, sister (?) of the prophet (?) of Mash and second (?) ataqe? Formulae A B C D.
Kar. 60. Altar of whitish sandstone, 27 cm. x 21-50 and with spout 30-50 cm. Cairo, No. 40239, marked 158 (not 153), having been found against the middle of the south wall. The lettering is of late transition type.
Two persons are commemorated, children of the same parents, and related to Kar. 34 C. The first is probably a woman, see the name on the next.
' Arer-zakhete and Ataben, truly truly born of Nataye, kinsfolk of the prophet of Mash Nakhashnye, begotten of the prophet of Mash Shaleketey, kinsfolk of the lartekes Shakhibekhe.' Formula A (singular).
Arer may be a place-name, as it occurs with the ending tfjy/<i- in name A of Kar. 20, and is paralleled by ' Napata ' in the name Napata-Zakhete of Inscr. 60.
Kar. 6l. Rectangular stela with dove-tail projection at the top, engraved with ten lines of inscription between rules. Two ruled spaces at bottom blank, neat work. Philadelphia, No. 7100, marked G. 153. Found opposite middle of east wall of G. 180. Published Karanbg Cem., PI. 18 and p. 241. Lettering of late transition style.
'The honourable lady (?) Areka-zakhete, born of Pezeqaye, begotten of a teter of Amanap, kin of zpeste, wife of a teter of Amanap, male-mars' Formulae A B C D E.
The descriptive phrases are applicable only to a woman. //JVfls^ is not a separate name but a title, for it occurs in Inscr. 87 exactly as here before the name of a woman with phrases and formulae following in the singular. The name of the deceased is closely like that on the last. In the parentage the father is referred to only by his title.
Kar. 62. Altar of yellow sandstone, 44 cm. x 33 and with spout 40 cm. Palimpsest, with many lines of earlier engraving. Cairo, No. 40149, marked G. 156, to which tomb it probably belongs. Lettering of late transitional type.
Incorrectly written. The father's name is much altered. IV ,£3 A, cf. 64 c, would be a possible reading of the first signs, but (A/^5^/^/C occurs as a title.
' Metitabarash truly born of Yilakhamali, begotten of the sekaretri'Tm (?)/ Formulae A B.
Kar. 63. Altar of whitish sandstone, 27x30 cm. Cairo, No. 4°!79> marked G. 156, to which tomb it probably belongs. Lettering of the later type. ' Meli (?)-Kaziye.' Formulae A B.
Kar. 64. Rectangular altar with spout, central rectangle deeply hollowed, plain, channel of spout narrower. Four lines of inscription engraved round edge, fine work. Philadelphia, No. 7098, marked G. 157, having been found against the west side. Lettering of later style. Published Karanbg Cem., PI. 17 and p. 241.
'Qereqere, and the honourably related Qeretakar, born (plural) of Arakiye, begotten of Navvkar.' Formulae ABC (plural). 'Kinsfolk of a peste. And Malizawas, wife, born of Mitaleye, begotten of Nebatar.' Formulae ABC. ' O Isis and Osiris.'
Perhaps Malizawas is wife of Qeretakar whose name ending in r shows that he was a man.
CATALOGUE OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS 65
Kar. 65. Stela of brownish sandstone, 49x30 cm. Cairo, No. 40183, marked G. 157, found near the NE. corner of 153. Lettering of late transition style.
' Mali-witcmeme, born of Kharayc, begotten of Shakaliyc.' Formulae A B.
Kar. 66. Altar of pinkish sandstone, 32 cm. x 29 and with spout 32 cm. Cairo, No. 40153, marked G. 161, and belonging to that tomb, having been found in position. Lettering of the later style.
' . . shakhalabe.' Formulae A B. I
Kar. 67. Altar of pinkish sandstone, 2y cm. x 28 and with spout 35 cm. Cairo, No. 401 75, marked G. 163, having been found against the south side of the circumference of that grave. Lettering of the later style.
' Tiralqcshakhi, begotten of Takemarcli, born of Penalishakhi. and Mayeqcshakhi, ivize-wete! Formulae A B C D (plural). ' Sisters (?< of the atcsh!
Kar. 68. Stela of pink sandstone, 24 cm. x 38 and with knob 42 cm. Cairo, No. 40267, marked G. 1 65. Lettering of the later style.
' Abesaye, born of Shitcye, begotten of Wayeteye, kin of an ate in (?) Pezeme, sliatamazcs in Shaye.' Formulae DBA. ' O Patret.'
Shaye is the island of Sai.
Kar. 69. Altar of coarse yellowish limestone, 36 cm. x 33 and with spout 40 cm. Cairo, No. 40146, marked G. 169, having been found in the XW. corner of the superstructure. Lettering of late style.
'A ... fiaqateye, born of Kazimanali, begotten of A ... li, ycrctekc of Mash, makcshakc of Mash, prophet of Mash, mazck of Khash, teter of Mat, karetey . . &(?) in Zcr.' Formulae ABC.
Kar. 70. Altar of whitish sandstone, 26x29 cm. Cairo, No. 40159, marked G. 172, having been found near its south side. Lettering of late style.
' Wa . . . pelawe, born of Meqeti, begotten of Yikharasmcme, kin of a shasher, kin of a s/ialk/iash, kin of an areqebar, Icier of Mash, and (?) sJiaraq! Formulae ABC.
Kar. 71. Yellowish sandstone, 28 cm. x 28 and with spout 38 cm. Cairo, No. 40171, marked G. 174, having been found to the west of the tomb. Lettering of late transition style. ' Metakeshite, truly born of Mali-Tewen.' Formulae ABC. ' Male-mars'
Kar. 72. Double spouted altar of sandstone, 51 cm. x.',3 and with spouts 75 cm. Cairo, No. 40165, marked G. 174. having been found near the west wall like the last. Lettering of late style.
1 Makhenakc truly born of Mali-Tewen, truly begotten of the great wi'mams Shctanakeli,kin of paqars and pester! Formulae A B C F. ' Mataiuatc male-mars. O Isis ! '
It is curious that this unique double-spouted altar is inscribed for only one person. ftlatamate is not a proper name. cf. Kar. 75.
Kar. 73. Stela of orange-coloured sandstone, 30 cm. x 33 and with projection 42 cm. Cairo, No. 4011;, marked G. 174, having been found near the NF. corner. Lettering late transitional.
'The honourable Azeliyc, born of Apilaye, begotten of Telepcl, kin of paqars, kin o male-mars in Nalete.' Formulae A B C. ' Male."
See the next.
K
66 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARANOG AND SHABLUL
Kar. 74. Altar of yellowish sandstone, 24 cm. x 27 and with spout 33 cm. Cairo, No. 40238, marked G. 174, to which tomb it probably belongs. Lettering late transitional and bad.
' Azeliye born of Apilay.'
This is the altar belonging to the stela 73.
Kar. 75. Rectangular altar with spout, the sunk field sculptured with two ewers pouring water towards each other, and four circular loaves. The border engraved with three lines of inscription. Philadelphia, No. 7094, marked G. 174, found against the SE. corner of G. 208. Lettering late. Published Karanbg Cem.> PI. 16 and p. 241.
The deceased has the same parentage as No. 72, and the same mother as No. 71.
' Tanabelile, truly born of Mali-Tewen, truly, truly begotten of the great wemanis Shetanakeli, matamate, kin of zpaqar.' Formulae A B C. ' Male-mars J
Kar. 76. Stela of brownish sandstone, 35x27 cm. Cairo, No. 40134, marked G. 174, having been found in the robber's hole in that tomb. Lettering late.
After the extended invocation to Isis and Osiris, ' Malebasazeke, begotten of Berepantapete, born of Yiwizatelite.' Formulae ABC.
Kar. 77. Altar of yellowish sandstone, 73 cm. X53 and with spout 66-50 cm. Cairo, No. 40234, marked G. 179, belongs to G. 187. Lettering late.
' Maleten, born of Khazakhaziye, begotten of the zakaretari Shamezeli, pestc in Akin, belileke in Napate, wem avis-cadet.' Formulae ABC.
Evidently this was the leading man in Acine, with a position in Napata itself. The epithet cadet (akrcre) is also princely.
Kar. 78. Rectangular altar with spout, of yellowish sandstone, 38 cm. x 34-50 and with spout 46 cm. In the sunk field a goddess with indistinct emblem1 on her head and vulture head-dress, and Anubis opposite, each pouring water from a small vase ; between them is an amphora on a stand with dipper hanging from the mouth, four round loaves and an oval
hollow beneath, and behind each of the deities is a ewer. In the middle of the spout is •¥•„
Flesh of Isis, robe of Anubis, and the vases coloured red. Inscription round edge in three lines. Cairo, No. 40164, marked G. 182, but probably belongs to G. 203. Lettering transitional. Published Karanbg Cem., PI. 20 and p. 241.
' Natewitar, begotten of the zakaretri Makhizat, born of Mali-Taraqize, peshte in Akin, waleke-krer, sakeskin-shashimete, shamarshe-krcr, abas/ie, belonging to kings (?), ndbar- ivanali in Yipakhe, kin of a paqar.' Formulae A B C D 2.
The deceased prince is referred to in Ear. 83, and is brother of the deceased in 79 and 124.
Kar. 79. Rectangular altar with spout, the field slightly sunk, sculptured with two ewers standing in conical bases, and pouring water on eight circular loaves ; above is an oval basin cartouche-shaped with triangular handle at each end. Two lines of inscription engraved round the border. Philadelphia, No. 7087, marked G. 187, having been found against the NW. angle. Lettering late transitional. Published Karanbg Cem., PI. 15 and p. 240.
The deceased is a woman as is shown by the epithets ; she is full sister of the last and of Kar. 124, but her father is here named without his title.
' Shabaye born of Mali-Taraqize, begotten of Makhizat, kin of a paqar, sister (?)2 of
1 See above, p. 30, note 7.
2 Perhaps this difficult expression ' belonging to the . . .' means ' sister', as Shabaye's brother in Kar.
78 is lpesJite in Akin ', and it recurs with her sister in Kar. 124. I have used the translation ' sister ' (?) throughout this chapter.
CATALOGUE OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS 67
a peshtt\ sister (?) of a betitikc, mother (?) of a s/ianawases, shanainazfs-\a.&y(>).' Formulae ABDE.
Kar. 80. Altar of whitish sandstone, 25x36 cm. Cairo, No. 40151, marked G. 187, having been found against its north wall. The inscription is rudely engraved in archaic style.
The inscription is injured, and is difficult to analyse as none of the usual guides to the meaning can be clearly recognized and it is even uncertain where it began. The left half of the spout was perhaps never engraved, and the initial words may be written on the right side, the first on the right half of the spout (1. 7) y^[/3], the second on the right half of the border on that side (1. 6) ty// <?(*/[/ J], but this is by no means certain. If, however, we read round from the left continuously in the usual way we may recognize the letters in the following order: —
: (3) ?/x*/xM2J
ri/* (/) *y/*tv 2 (6) m
Kar. 81. Rectangular stela with rounded projection at top, engraved with eight lines of inscription between rules. Philadelphia, No. 7106, marked G. 191, having been found in the 'dromos'. Published Karanbg Cent., PI. 19 and p. 241.
The writing is of late type and very bad, letters being entirely misunderstood by the engraver.
' Wimalel, truly born 01 Tameye, truly begotten of Ataqeli (?), male-mars in Nalcte.' Formulae A B.
The parentage seems to be the same as that in Kar. 86.
Kar. 82. Altar of white sandstone, 33 cm. x. 23, and with spout 32 cm. Cairo, No. 40108, marked G. 193. Lettering late and not good.
1 Tameye, born of Pepeye, begotten of Tabakhareyanakali.' Formulae A B B C. ' O Isis, O Osiris ! '
The deceased appears again as the mother in Kar. 81 and 86.
Kar. 83. Stela of grey sandstone, 48x25-50 cm. Cairo, No. 402/1, marked G. 203, to which it belongs. Writing late. The first line entirely worn away, and the second much injured.
4 Li .... (?), shaleqen of a pcstc, kin of thefestc Natewitar, kin of the nclc, born of Tayenelc, begotten of Natelaletey.' Formulae ABC. ' O Isis, O Osiris ! '
' Natewitar, peshtt of Akin,' is commemorated (in older lettering) on Kar. 78.
Kar. 84. Altar of sandstone, 28 cm. x 25-50 and with spout 36 cm. Cairo, No. 40148, marked G. 204, to which tomb it probably belongs. Lettering late.
'Tebiki, truly born of Khepesali, begotten of the shalkhash Wamili.' Formulae A B C D.
ki has been inserted below Tebi; the whole name is seen in Inscr. 135.
Kar. 85. Stela of whitish sandstone, formerly painted, with inscriptions fitted to the figures, 35x29 cm. Cairo, No. 40189, marked G. 205, having been found against its NW. corner. Lettering transitional.
Two persons must have been represented, one taller and therefore more important than the other, but the first name has not been filled in ; the second is ' Yelebaye'.
Kar. 86. Altar of yellow sandstone, 25 cm. x 25 and with spout 32 cm. Cairo, No. 40116, marked G. 209, and probably belongs to G. 208. Lettering late transitional.
K 2
68 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARANOG AND SHABLUL
The execution is bad and rough. The name of the deceased is without special termination, and the words of relationship on the father's side here take an unusual form, perhaps for lack of space.
' . . . talalemewi, born of Tameye, truly (?) begotten of Ataqeli.'
The parentage is the same as in Kar. 81.
Kar. 87. Altar-shaped stela (?) of white sandstone, 23 cm. x 21 and with spout 27cm. Cairo, No. 40120, marked G. 218. Lettering late.
' Khashalek, prophet of Ammon, brother (?) of ates, in Pezeme, brother of sautes, malc-uiars in Akin.' Formulae ABC.
Kar. 88. Rectangular altar with spout, the sunk field sculptured with two ewers pouring water in one stream, four round loaves between them. Three lines of inscription engraved on border. Philadelphia, No. 7096, marked G. 219, having been found in position in the tomb. Lettering late. Published Karanbg Cein., PI. 17 and p. 241.
' Shabalaye, born of Shatakinaye, begotten of Bali-Ameme, kin of ...... ii, mazek of
Mit, shatamazes: Formulae ABC. ' O Isis, O Osiris ! Male:
Kar. 89. Rectangular stela with rectangular projection at top ; engraved with twelve lines of inscription between rules, enclosed by engraved lines, the inscription continued in a single line round the border. Philadelphia, No. 7099, marked G. 219 ; found in the dromos of G. 217. Lettering late. Published Karanbg Cem.> PI. 18, and p. 241.
' Wiritelite, born of Palemenaye, begotten of the shashcr of Amanap Taresatame, kin of the prophet of Amanap Manetel, mother of the prophet of Amanap Baratare, mother of the prophet Tani, sister (?) of the sante of Amanap Mashkel, belonging to the sisters (?) of the shcni of Ammon Merematebelize and the atcsh Belimetaye, mother of the shcni of Ammon Belilizat, wife of the sJialeqen of Amanap Yiremen.' Formulae A B C D. ' O Isis, O Osiris ! '
This long text down to the middle of 1. 9 is a duplicate of the altar-inscription Kar. 19, attributed to the neighbouring tomb G. 70. It indicates the meaning 'wife'1 for V$/*jJ\///> since Yiremen and Wereteliyi, who is probably the same lady, are the parents of Arereteli in Kar. 20 ; moreover, in 21, Arereteli is ^B/^iV^ of the ant Baratarye, while his mother is here V-B/tj/S-J of the prophet of Amanap Baratare, confirming, though not yet fixing absolutely, the meanings ' brother ' and ' mother ', which I had tentatively given to these two words before
•
observing this evidence. There is a king named Baratare (
I*}
*r- ^ /*- y-U/ ^3 Wiritelite appears to mean 'belonging to the inhabitant of Wiri'; in Kar. 19 it is spelt *?- ¥4 /*- <? Wt& with Wire, and 9/$/^/*-/<A//3 Were-teliye in /far. 20, 21. Another variant of the initial group is probably seen in -9U/53 Were- (Kar. 35).
With Taresa-tame cf. Amani-tame (Inscr. 85), Pezemeke-tame (Kar. 100), and the divine (?) name Tarat. The title shashcr seems to be found only at Karanog.
In Kar. 21 we have ' kin of the prophet Menetel', and Meneteli is the father in I2o.a
Kar. go. Rectangular altar with spout and a plain rounded projection opposite to it, perhaps taken from the disk and horns of Isis as on the Golenischeff stela (Inscr. 131). The sunk field sculptured with two ewers pouring water on to eight loaves, below which is a cartouche-shaped bowl with triangular handle at each end. Inscription of two lines round border terminating in the field. Philadelphia, No. 7090, numbered G. 222, ' to which it probably belongs'. Lettering late. Published Karanbg Cem., PI. 15 and p. 241.
1 See also the note to Kar. 32. 3 For Menete (or Amanete?), a name of Ammon,
2 Meroe, Pyr. B. 10, see Inscr. I, p. 87. see Inscr. 94/4, 5.
CATALOGUE OF THE FUNERARY INSCRIPTIONS 69
' Aqamakas, born of Balekc-Witeke, begotten of Oelekhar, kin of a />esti; wife of an ate in Pezeme.' Formulae A B.
A full sister of the deceased in Kar. 122.
Kar. 91. Altar of rough whitish sandstone, 26 cm. x 24 and with spout 34 cm. Cairo,
»
No. 40189, numbered G. 241, to which it probably belongs, having been found in the dromos. Lettering late and faulty.
'The masqcrcs of the king, Tamakhe (?), born of Arekikali. begotten of Makas-tame. Formulae A B.
Kar. 92. Stela of brownish sandstone, 55x31 cm. Cairo, No. 40132, numbered G. 251, lo which it probably belongs, having been found in the ' dromos '. Lettering late.
' Lapatenakc, arcbctakc in Shimalc ; and the tanyin W&shapatakize, chief (Lady) of Music of Mash.' Formulae ABC (singular). [For the titles, see p. 82.]
Kar. 93. Altar of whitish sandstone, 26 cm. x 22 and with spout 31 cm. Cairo, No. 40141, numbered G. 256, having been found loose in the sand on the north of that tomb. Lettering late and faulty.
' Apateye.' Formulae A B.
Kar. 94. Rectangular altar with spout, the sunk field sculptured with two amphorae pouring water upon two -ir-shaped objects ; two round loaves on either side. The border
engraved with three to four lines of inscription. Philadelphia, No. 7091, numbered G. 258, ' found against the middle of the south wall of G. 158 '. Lettering transitional. Published Karanbg Cem., PI. 16 and p. 241.
Two deceased are commemorated, and both are male ; the first by the epithets, the second by the ending U/ of the name.
'Taytinali, born of Meqen, begotten of Atakclel, taqi of Mash, nialckc of Mash, a qcrcti! Formulae ABC. ' O Isis, O Osiris.'
' Tanikar, zaske of Mash.' Formulae A B.
Kar. 95. Altar of whitish sandstone, 28x27 cm., the spout broken off. Cairo. No. 40241, numbered G. 284, and found between 284 and 254. Lettering transitional. ' Zalisaye, truly born of Natakili, begotten of Shakhanateli.' Formulae A B C.
Kar. 96. Rectangular altar with spout, the sunk field sculptured with a representation of Isis (on the right) wearing disk and horns opposite Anubis on the left, one hand of each raised, the other holding an amphora upside down between them ; the mouth of the amphora appears to rest on a rectangular table. Inscription of two lines round the border. Philadelphia, No. 7097, marked G. 285, having been found near the approach. Lettering late. Published Karanbg Cent., PI. 17 and p. 241.
'Amanilikhc, truly truly truly born of Natakili, truly begotten of Shaw . . li. kin of a s/ialeqcn, male-mars' Formulae C A B.
The words of parentage are repeated to an extraordinary extent in this text. The mother is the same as in the last.
Kar. 97. Stela of whitish sandstone, 34x28 cm. Cairo, No. 40184, marked G. 290, to which it probably belongs. Lettering late and very faint; it may be supposed that the stela had been coated with stucco which has fallen oft.
70 INSCRIPTIONS OF KARAN6G AND SHABLUL
'Napatazale, begotten of Akheyantake, born of Kaziqewil[e]li, truly (?) kin of(?) a paqar, kin of a peste-krer (peste cadet ?), kin of a kliarpen in Pakharas, male-mars in Nalete.' Formulae A B.
Perhaps ' kin of the kinsman of a paqar ' is the translation of the third phrase.
Kar. 98. Altar of yellowish sandstone, 46 cm. x 37 and with spout 47 cm. Cairo, No. 40150, marked G. 301, to which it probably belongs. Lettering late.
' Nashayezakhete, born of Natakili, begotten of Aqayakar.' Formulae ABC. 'Kin of paqars, sister (?) offiestcs, male-mars in Nalete.'
It is interesting to find the last title applied to a woman.
Kar. 99. Altar of sandstone, 39 cm. x 30 and with spout 39 cm. Cairo, No. 40126, marked G. 302, and perhaps belongs to G. 288. The inscription is carelessly