Talking Pyramids » pyramid texts

The Search for the Missing Pyramid Texts

Vincent — Thu, 27 May 2010 21:40:26 +0000

Pyramid Texts from the recently discovered pyramid of Behenu

In the EEF news this morning was the news of the online publication of Giulio Magli’s 2010 paper: Archaeoastronomy and Archaeo-Topography as Tools in the Search for a Missing Egyptian Pyramid in PalArch’s Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology, 7(5) (2010)

Here is an abstract:

Among the royal pyramids of the 6th Egyptian Dynasty, that of the second king, Userkare, is missing. This Pharaoh, however, ruled long enough – two to four years – to plan his pyramid on the ground and have the workers excavate the substructure. Userkare’s unfinished tomb might therefore be buried in the sands of the Memphite necropolis, possibly with a copy of the Pyramid Texts carved on its walls. In the present paper, methods based on archaeo-topography and archaeoastronomy have been applied with the aim of finding the possible location of the building site of this monument.

Download: Archaeoastronomy and Archaeo-Topography as Tools in the Search for a Missing Egyptian Pyramid.

Video: Behenu’s Jawbone Found in Pyramid

Vincent — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:43:16 +0000

'Behenu'

News on the discovery of the burial chamber inside the pyramid of Behenu continues with this video on the recent excavations at the site.

The report mentions that pottery sherds, torn cloth and bone fragments were found in the burial chamber:

“Experts are now examining what is left of Behenu’s mortal remains including what is believed to be her jawbone, which should reveal her age.

The excavation has stopped for the winter but the team leader believes they’ll find a gold mine of information about the queen when they excavate a funerary temple adjoining her pyramid next year.”

I suppose this must mean they’ve emptied the sand from the sarcophagus since this video was made.

In the video we get to see more of the burial chamber and the arrangement of the texts within the chamber.

Here is another video:

Deciphering the Pyramid Texts of Behenu

Vincent — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 03:35:21 +0000

Following on from Thursday’s post I’d like to focus a bit more on the Pyramid Texts found in Queen Behenu’s recently discovered burial chamber.

Offering texts on the north wall of the Unas sarcophagus chamber. Photo by Helmut Satzinger.

I’ve been investigating the particular way in which the Pyramid Texts are arranged in Behenu’s pyramid. Confining the analysis to just the one section of the north wall of Behenu’s sarcophagus chamber I began translating the middle section as it is the easiest to see.

As I mentioned in the previous post, the name ‘Behenu’ is the first word that is recognised. She has the title “Osiris Behenu”. Observe that Behenu’s name is not enclosed in a cartouche. This is because Behenu is a Queen. But she still takes the title of Osiris in death as all Kings do.

One phrase is repeated several times:

Osiris Behenu, take the Eye of Horus, ….

This is then followed by a particular offering that can be seen in smaller closed boxes at the bottom of columns. These include items such as bread, beer, geese, ox, fruit, vegetables, water, etc. This format is recognisable as the Offering Ritual which is found on the north walls of those pyramids inscribed with the Pyramid Texts.

So the next step was to compare the Behenu texts with the arrangement of the Unas texts.

There are some slight variations in spelling and the sections are arranged differently but Behenu’s texts are very nearly identical to those of Unas.

Although Behenu has the familiar three horizontal sections (registers) that is expected on the north wall of a pyramid inscribed with Pyramid Texts, the arrangement of the texts is slightly rearranged. Once again, comparing with the Unas layout. Here are the two compared:

Corresponding section on the north wall of Unas

Here is the translation of Behenu’s text based on James Allen’s translation of the Unas texts. It begins with the texts from the ‘Preparation of the Offering Table’:

First Register (A):

Utterance 82 (W55)
Thoth, get him with it.
He has come forth to him with Horus’s eye. – The Offering Table

Utterance 83 (W56)
Give him Horus’s eye, that he may become content with it. – Come with the King’s offering

Utterance 84 (W57)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye, with which he became content. – The King’s offering, twice

Utterance 85 (W58)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye and be content with it. – [Offering damaged]

Utterance 86 (W59)
Cause it to revert to you. Sit down, Be silent: the King’s invocation – [Offering damaged]

Utterance 87 (W60)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye, ….

…
[Remaining columns missing or badly damaged]
…

Second Register (B):

Utterance 166 (W128)
[Osiris Behenu, accept Horus's eye,] which they have licked. – Two bowls of sidder-fruit

Utterance 167 (W129)
[Osiris Behenu, open your eyes ] and see with them! – Two bowls of sidder-bread

Utterance 168 (W130)
[Osiris Behenu, accept Horus's eye:] prevent him from netting it – Two bowls of carob beans

Utterance 169 (W131)
[Osiris Behenu, accept Horus's sweet eye,] return it to yourself – Two bowls of every kind of sweet stalk

Utterance 170 (W132)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye: allot it to yourself. – A bowl of every kind of young plant

Utterance 171 (W133)
Osiris Behenu, may what you have endure for you with you. – Dedicating the Offering

Second Register (C):

Utterance 108 (W70)
Osiris Behenu, gather to yourself the water that is in it. –  Two bowls of water

Utterance 109 (W71)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye, which cleaned his mouth – Two bowls of cleansing natron

Utterance 110 (W72)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye; gather it to your mouth – The “Mouth-washing” (meal): one loaf of bread, one jug (of beer)

Utterance 111 (W73)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye, which Seth trampled. – Two loaves of “trampled” bread

Utterance 112 (W74)
Osiris Behenu, accept Horus’s eye, which he pulled out. – One bowl of “pulled” bread

Utterance 113 (W75)
Osiris Behenu……

…
[Remaining columns missing or badly damaged]
…

Another section of the Pyramid Texts seems to be waiting to be deciphered on the peice of wall beside the sarcophagus…

More Pyramid Texts beside Behenu's sarcophgus

Sources:
Pyramid Texts Online
The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts (Writings from the Ancient World), By Peter Der Manuelian (Editor) James P. Allen (Editor)
Photo of the Unas north wall by Helmut Satzinger.
Photo of the Behenu walls from the SCA.

Friday Photo: Pyramid Texts – Unas Blue

Vincent — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:09:51 +0000

The Pyramid Texts were first discovered in 1880 inside the Pyamid of Unas by Gaston Maspero. Unas was the first pyramid to be inscribed with the famous corpus of texts and of the inscribed pyramids, Unas is considered to contain the most complete form of the texts. Maspero published the texts from the pyramids of Unas, Teti, Pepi I, Merenre, and Pepi II before the discovery of the other five tombs. Actually, it was only the texts of Unas that were published in their entirety as the other four pyramids had not been completely cleared of rubble at that time and were only partially recorded.

Some of the blue colouring that remains on the hieroglyphs in the pyramid of Unas

There are ten pyramids in all that have parts of the Pyramid Texts inscribed on their walls, the other five being excavated by French expeditions in the early 20th century. The ten pyramids in chronological order are:

It wasn’t until 2001 that the pyramid of Ankhesenpepi was cleared and found to contain Pyramid Texts. Each additional pyramid discovered containing the texts adds to our knowledge and understanding of these enigmatic utterances.

With the discovery of portions of the Pyramid Texts inside the pyramid of Behenu, wife of Pepi I or Pepi II, the number of pyramids known to contain the magical texts rises by one more.

Photo Unas Blue, by Jon Bodsworth

Burial Chamber with Pyramid Texts Discovered

Vincent — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:24:51 +0000

Pyramid Texts from the north wall

A burial chamber containing a pink granite sarcophagus with a black basalt lid has been discovered at South Saqqara by a French archaeological mission.

Although badly damaged, the walls are covered in texts which contain the name of the tomb’s owner, ‘Behenu’, thought to be the Queen of either Pepi I or Pepi II, and dates to the Sixth Dynasty over 4000 years ago.

Leader of the French team Dr Philippe Collombert, said that it is not clear whether Behenu was the queen of Pepi I or Pepi II, who’s pyramids are also in the South Saqqara region.

“It is a well-preserved granite sarcophagus engraved with the queen’s different titles, but says nothing about the identity of her husband”.

One of these titles was “the king’s wife and beloved.”

The black basalt lid was found beside the sarcophagus prompting suggestions that it might belong to another sarcophagus. The sarcophagus is full of sand and it is not yet known if the body still lies inside, burried underneath the sand.

Some of the north wall remains and texts can be seen inscribed on it’s inner side. Painted green to symbolise regeneration and rebirth, these texts are recognised as the Pyramid Texts, first discovered in the pyramid of Unas. The texts form part of the offering rituals and the following words are repeated over and over on the wall:

“Osiris Behenu, take the Eye of Horus …”

Show picture list

[Show as slideshow]

The pyramid of Behenu, which was first discovered in 2007, is located to the west of Pepi I’s pyramid, in the north-west corner of the Queens’ complex. It is marked in the satellite image below with a green marker pin:

View South Saqqara in a larger map

Pepi I's Queens complex. Photo copyright Su Bayfield.

So far the mission has determined the location of seven pyramids belonging to the Sixth Dynasty. These are thought to belong to the followng queens: Inenek, Nubunet, Meretites II, Ankhespepy III, Miha, and an as yet unidentified queen.

However, Collombert said that Behenu’s pyramid is only the second pyramid that contained religous texts on it’s walls.

Dimensions:
Pyramid: side of 25 meters and the burial chamber itself measuring 10 by 5 meters.
Sarcophagus: 2.6-meters long.

Sources:
Discovery
Reuters

Photographs of Behenu’s tomb courtesy of SCA.
Photograph of Pepi I’s Queens’ complex used with permission, copyright Su Bayfield.

The Concept of the Four Sons of Horus

Vincent — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 04:05:15 +0000

The Four Sons of Horus are most well known for their association with the mummification of the internal organs but there is more to these gods than containers of the dead king’s body parts. By focusing on the earliest records of the ancient Egyptian use of these four gods we’ll be letting the pyramids speak for themselves.

But first let’s look at the aspect for which the Four Sons of Horus are most well known.

Four Canopic Jars

For the corpse to be properly dried and free of moisture the organs needed to be removed and treated individually. The liver, lungs, intestines and stomach were dried with natron to prevent them from decaying inside the body. The heart was left in place and the brain removed and discarded.

The removed organs were individually embalmed and placed inside jars, then placed inside a funerary chest which was entombed with the body. Niches in the walls of burial chambers held the chest containing the organs and in Old Kingdom pyramids from the 6th Dynasty the canopic chest was buried in the floor of the chamber at the foot of the sarcophagus.

Each of the four organs had a god associated with them and the lids of the jars were sometimes shaped in the head of that particular organ’s god. These are known as the Four Sons of Horus.

Canopic Jars of Horwedja (rmo leiden, 26d 664-525bc) by Koopmanrob

Each of the four jars were in turn protected by a goddess and they are often depicted on the four sides of the canopic chest.

Imsety, the human-headed jar held the liver and was protected by Isis.

Duamutef, the jackal-headed jar held the stomach and was protected by Neith.

Qebehsenuef, the hawk-headed jar held the intestines and was protected by the goddess Selkhet.

Hapy, the baboon-headed jar held the lungs and was protected by the goddess Nephthys.

The Four Sons of Horus also feature on the four sides of Tutankhamun’s sarcophagus together with their protective goddesses, Isis, Nephthys, Serqet, and Neith much like his canopic chest featured in the video below.

As mummification techniques developed over the course of Egypt’s history the approach to dealing with the internal organs changed.

The jars appear to have originally had flat lids but during the Middle Kingdom the lids developed human heads as we saw with Tutankamun’s jars in the video above. By the time of the Late Kingdom the lids of the jars took on the familiar animal heads of the Four Sons of Horus. Later still, mummification techniques changed and the organs were no longer placed inside jars and were instead individually wrapped and returned to the body cavity, sometimes with a small amulet of the corresponding son of Horus. Artificial jars have been found from this period that are solid objects having no cavity and were used as symbolic jars.

Human-headed canopic jars of Tutankhamun. Photo by Jon Bodsworth.

The oldest canopic chest belonged to Khufu’s mother, Hetepheres from the 4th Dynasty. It was carved of alabaster and divided into four compartments. Inside were found her organs which appear to have been preserved in a solution of natron and water.

Autopsy – Dissecting The Names of the Four Sons

In addition to consulting some of the oldest recordings of the religion such as the Pyramid Texts from the 5th and 6th Dynasties, we can analyse the way their names are written to give us a better understanding of their meaning and significance.

Let’s break down their names one at a time. Grab yourself a free dictionary from the Pyramid Texts Online Tools page or from the Pyramid Texts Online Library and follow along if you like.

Duamutef

The name is built from the source word for ‘adoration’, ‘morning’, or ‘hyms’. The next word ‘mut’ in the form of the vulture means ‘mother’ and the ‘ef’ on the end signifies ownership, specifically male ownership and so can be translated as ‘his’.

Qebehsenuef

This word is formed by the combination of two words qebeh, meaning ‘libation’, ‘cool water’, or ‘refreshing liquid’ and the word senu, meaning ‘brothers’, ‘companions’, ‘flagstaffs’. Once again the additional ‘ef’ on the end of the word adds the word ‘his’.

Hapy

Hapy is the god of the Nile and some of the dictionary entires for words of the same ilk are ‘to ride in a boat’, ‘oarsman’, ‘oar’ and ‘hand’.

Imsety

Imsety stems from the same root as words like ‘bring’, ‘liver’, ‘goose’, ‘staff or rod (of Osiris)’, ‘present’, ‘offer’.

Very broadly speaking then, we can understand the meaning of the Four Sons of Horus as:

“Morning, mother, cool water, brothers, Nile, ride in a boat, bring the staff of Osiris.”

The Cool Brothers of the Staffs Bring the Boat in the Morning

The ancient texts, when referring to the Four Sons of Horus, do feature most of these aspects in their functions. The Pyramid Texts speak of them as ferrying the king over to the eastern horizon in a boat in the morning.

‘Let me fetch for the King this boat of yours in which your pure ones are ferried across in order to obtain for you the cold water at the (polar) quarter of the Imperishables Stars’…

…they go to these four youths who stand on the east side of the sky. They bind together for Re the two reed-floats on which Re goes to his horizon; they bind together for me the two reed-floats on which I go to the horizon of Re.
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 519.

O Hapy, Imsety, Duamutef, Kebhsenuf, bring me this boat which Khnum built, which is in this waterway of the Htm-bird.
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 522

Utterance 263 says:
They bring to me these four spirits, the Elders who are at the head of the wearers of the side-lock, who stand at the eastern side of the sky and who lean on their staffs, that they may tell my good name to Re….I am ferried over to the eastern side of the sky and my sister is Sothis, my offspring is the dawn light.”
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 263.

The expression ‘wearers of the side-lock’ is reference to their youthfullness, children are always represented wearing a side-lock of hair. This sentiment is repeated in utterances 264, 265, 266.

In utterance 505 the Four Sons of Horus are again referred to as helping ferry the king across the night sky to the eastern horizon:

Ferry me over and put me down at the Field of Rushes, these four spirits who are with me are Hapy, Duamutef, Imsety, and Kebhsenuf, two on one side and two on the other.
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 505

The Four Sons of Horus are also responsible for providing food & water to the King:

Hapy, Duamutef, Kebhsenuf, and Imsety will expel this hunger which is in my belly and this thirst which is on my lips.
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 338

In Utterance 506 the King claims he is himself the four sons of Horus:

I am a she-jackal, I am jackal-like; I am Hapy; I am Duamutef; I am Imsety, I am Khebhsenuf;…
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 506

The Four Sons of Horus combined on top of a lotus flower from the papyrus of Ani

Imsety	Duamutef	Qebehsenuef	Hapy
Human-headed	Jackal-headed	Hawk-headed	Baboon-headed
Liver	Stomach	Intestines	Lungs
Isis	Neith	Selkhet	Nepthys
South	East	West	North

Four Supports & Stairway to Heaven

Heaven is described in the Pyramid Texts as resting on the staffs of these four gods (uttterance 556) who themselves are seen as personifications of these four points:

I have summond them, and these four gods who stand at the staffs of the sky bring them to me that they may tell my name to Re…
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 264.

Oh you four gods who stand at the supports of the sky…
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 556

Most often, however, the Four Sons of Horus are spoken of as appearing together in the east to help the King in his ascent into the sky:

These four gods, friends of the King,
attend on this King, (namely) Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, and Kebsenuf,
the children of Horus of Khem;
they tie the rope-ladder for this King,
the make firm the wooden ladder for this King,
they cause the King to mount up to Khoprer
when he comes into being in the eastern side of the sky
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 688.

Utterances 544, 545, speak of the Four Sons of Horus lifting up the king:

O Children of Horus, Hapy, Duamutef, Imsety, Kebhsenuf, lift up your father this Osiris the King and guide him. O Osiris the King, it is caused that you be restored and that your mouth be split open, so stand up!
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 545

Four Northern Stars

In the New Kingdom the Four Sons of Horus became members of the ‘seven blessed ones’ who are in the northern sky and guard the coffin of Osiris.

“Imsety, Hapy, Duamutef, and Qebehsenuef,  it is these who are behind the’ Constellation of the Thigh’ in the northern sky.”
- Papyrus of Ani, chapter 17, plate 9.

The Ancient Egyptian word for ‘Thigh’ is Khepesh and is the word used to denote the collection of stars commonly known today as the ‘Big Dipper’. They form the constellation of Ursa Major, which closely circles the north celestial pole, the region of the sky targeted by the descending passage of most Old Kingdom pyramids. These stars are also known as the “Imperishables”.

O King, Horus comes to you provided with his souls namely Hapy, Duamutef, Imsety, Kebhsenuf; they bring to you this name of yours of ‘Imperishable Star’, and you will never be perished nor be destroyed.
- Pyramid Texts Utterance 690.

The 'Thigh' at the northern celestial polar region of the sky

This connection of the Four Sons of Horus with the constellation Ursa Major has been discussed by Egyptologist John Gee. His entire masters thesis was on the Four Sons of Horus, in which he noted that they were originally equated with the four stars that form the ‘bowl’ of the Big Dipper.

Bernard Mathieu confirmed the same in his paper ‘Theology and Astronomy Investigations in the Pyramid Texts’.

The celestial Four Sons of Horus could, then, be viewed as cranking the wheel of the cosmos, which is centered on the north celestial pole, the focus of the pyramid’s entrance.

This clockwork-like mechanism would provide the Sun, and therefore the dead King, with the force that will lift him up to be reborn in the eastern horizon after having descended into the depths of the Duat.

In Utterance 215 the Four Sons of Horus are said to be the King’s hands and feet and that they help him to ascend and descend in the sky:

Your hands are Hapy and Duamutef – you demand that you ascend to the sky and you shall ascend -
Your feet are Imsety and Kebhsenuf – You demand that you descend to the Lower Sky and you shall descend.
- Pyramid Text Utterance 215

So we can see from this brief look at the Pyramid Texts and the hieroglyphic construction of thier names that the function of the Four Sons of Horus is much more complex than being mere containers of the King’s organs. They work as a team each bringing some unique aspect to the task of restoring life to the King.

The Four Sons of Horus by Octave

Credits, references, and further reading:
Canopic jars of Horwedja by koopmanrob CC By SA 2.0
Eye of Ra & Four Sons of Horus by Octave used with permission.
A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Raymond Faulkner.
Egyptian Grammar, Alan Gardiner.
Four Sons of Horus Hieroglyph Chart
Pyramid Texts Online
Mark Vygus Dictionary
Bernard Mathieu’s Les Enfants d’Horus, theologies et astronomie (Enquetes dans les Textes des Pyramides, 1)
John Gee’s Notes on the Sons of Horus, Master’s Thesis Partial Requirement, FARMS, 1991: 35.
Papyrus of Ani

Egypt Unwrapped: The Pyramid Code

Vincent — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 07:32:52 +0000

For those of you who missed National Geographic’s recent premier of Egypt Unwrapped: The Pyramid Code I’ve gathered up some short excerpts for you here.

There are some interesting behind the scenes videos that are worth watching. I was particularly interested in this next video where we see behind the scenes as the National Geographic team set up to record inside the pyramid of Unas.

And here is part of the completed video:

Visit the National Geographic website to explore the Egypt Unwrapped series