1. The Lost "Linant de Bellefonds Stela" of the Chief-Treasurer Maya and its Hymn and Prayer to the Sun-God.
- Author
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Pasquali, Stéphane
- Subjects
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SUNRISE & sunset , *HYMNS , *NATIONAL museums , *GODS , *TOMBS , *EGYPTOLOGY , *STATUES , *ARCHAEOLOGY - Abstract
The article describes the publication of a new stela of the Chief Treasurer Maya from the time of Tutankhamun-Horemheb, with a long hymn to the rising sun. The stela, which was in the possession of Linant de Bellefonds, is only known through a handwritten copy by Auguste Mariette. There is no doubt that it comes from Maya's tomb in Saqqara. The stela shows Maya standing before the deities Atum and Re-Horakhty. The lower part of the stela consists of 20 lines of hieroglyphic text, with the last 3 lines almost completely destroyed. The text consists of two parts: lines 1-8, a hymn to the rising sun, and lines 8 and following, a concluding prayer with a list of blessings that the speaker, Maya, hopes to receive from the sun god. The hymn is an original composition or variation, while the prayer is based on the composer's personal oral improvisation. There are parallels to other inscriptions from the time of Amenhotep III to the end of the dynasty, but the arrangement is unique. The exact meaning of some passages remains uncertain. The Linant stela dates from the New Kingdom and is the only known source from this period. It is the counterpart to a limestone stela that was originally placed on the south side of the west wall of the portico in the outer courtyard of Maya's tomb in Saqqara. The stela was discovered together with three statues and a block in the Leiden National Museum of Antiquities. It is believed that the stela was found before the Lepsius expedition, which explored the tomb in the 1840s. The stela contains hymns to the sun god Re-Horakhty and the night sun god Osiris. The given list includes a number of books and articles on various topics related to ancient Egypt. The mentioned works deal with topics such as Egyptian religion, hieroglyphs, tombs, and texts from the New Kingdom. Various authors and their works are also listed. The list does not provide cohesive information or a main focus, but serves as a reference for further research in the field of Egyptology. The text describes various scientific publications and research in the field of Egyptian archaeology. Various topics are covered, including excavations in Saqqara, the representation of the afterlife in ancient Egypt, and the significance of inscriptions and reliefs. Specific artifacts and tombs are also mentioned, such as the stela of Maya and the tomb of Kheruef. The publications come from different years and were written by different authors. [Extracted from the article]
- Published
- 2024
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