Ancient Egypt: Inscriptions of Sebni
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Inscriptions of Sebni |
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1 ///// [Then came (?)] the ship captain, Intef (jntf), and the overseer of /// [///] /// Behkesi (bhksj), to give information that the sole companion and ritual priest 2 Me[khu] [was dead (?)].
[Then I took (?)] a troop of my estate, and 100 asses with me, bearing ointment, honey, clothing, oil (THnt) and [///] of every sack, in order to [make presents (?)] [in] these countries [and I went out to (?)] these countries of 3 the Negroes. ///// [Then I sent (?)] people who were in the door, and I made letters to give information that I had gone out to bring this my father from Wawat (wAwA.t) and Utheth (wTT). I pacified 4 these countries ///// [in (?)] the countries of [///] the name of which is Mether (mTr). [I loaded (?)] the body of this sole companion upon an ass, and I had him carried by the troop of my estate. 5 I made for him a coffin ///// I brought [///] /// /// /// /// in order to bring him out of these countries. Never did I send [///] or any Negro-caravan 6 //////. I was greatly praised on account of it. I descended to Wawat and Uthek (wTk) and I [sent (?)] the royal attendant Iri (jrj) with two people of my estate as [///], 7 bearing incense, clothing, /////, 3 cubits long, one tusk, in order to give information that my [best one (?)] was 6 cubits long; one [hide (?)], and that I had brought this my father and all kinds of gifts from these countries. |
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Hieroglyphic text (Opening in a new window) Sebni lived under Pepi II, his titles were Count, wearer of the royal seal, governor of the South, sole companion, ritual priest, Sebni (sAbnj)  Behkesi: According to Breasted probably a Nubian.Wawat: northern Nubiasole companion: of the king, a title you could hardly avoid if you were anywhere near the king.cubit: about half a metre. |
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8 When I descended to give information ////// from the bend (war.t) behold, Iri [came (?)] from the court, [as I (?)] came to embalm the count, wearer of the royal seal, sole companion, ritual priest, 9 this Mekhu (mxw). He brought /// /// embalmers, the chief ritual priest, jmj-wab, /// sHD, the mourners and all offerings of the [White (?)] House. He brought festival oil from the double White House 10 and secret things from the double wab.t-house, /// /// from the aHA-house, clothing of the double White House, and all the burial equipment which is issued from the court, like the issuance for the hereditary prince, Meru. |
count, wearer of the royal seal, sole companion, ritual priest: titles Sebni inherited.jmj-wab the wab-priest performed mortuary rituals, such as the offering of libations. He ranked below Hm nTr (servant of the god) generally translated as prophet. The jmj-wab was the supervisor of the wab-priests. [1]White House: the treasury.wab.t: "pure place". Embalmer's workshop. The wab.t n.t aHa.w was the hall where a mummy was kept. |
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Now, when this 11 Iri arrived, he brought to me a command (also) [to (?)] praise me on account of it. It was said in this command: "I will do for thee every excellent thing, as a reward for this great deed, because of bringing thy [father] ///////. 12 [N]ever has the like happened before. I buried this my father in his tomb of the necropolis; never was one of his rank (so) buried [before]. |
[N]ever has the like happened before: phrases like this denoting uniqueness were used quite often and probably denoted little more than extraordinariness.one of his rank: Breasted: lit. "his equal" |
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| I [went north] to Memphis bearing the gifts 13 of these countries which this count had brought. I deposited every gift which this my father deposited /// before this my army and the Negroes [/// ///]. 14 The servant there was praised at the court, and the servant there [gave praise (?)] to the king, because the servant there was so greatly favored by [the king (?)] 15 [///]. There was given to me a chest of carob wood, /// containing /// and containing ointment; there was given [to me] [///] /// /// /// with clothing; 16 there was given to me the gold of praise; there was given to me rations, meat, and fowl. Now, when [///] /// /// [///] /// /// 17 by my lord. |
this count: used instead of "I".The servant there: frequently used for "I".gold of praise: golden ornament received for bravery, cf. The Rewards of Military Life. |
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Said this servant there: "There came to me a command of the chief judge /// /// /// [lord of] Nekheb, 18 the inferior prophet Ini (jnj) while he was [///] in Per-Hathor-Resit (pr-HtHr-rsj.t) [saying that I might bring (?)] this [my father (?)] immediately 19 that I might bury this [my father (?)] in his tomb of Nekheb. There were given to me 30 (+x) stat of land in the North- and Southland, in the domain of the pyramid: "Neferkere-Remains-Alive", /// /// in order to honor the servant there. |
Nekheb: in the 3rd Upper Egyptian nome. Modern el Kab.stat: often called aroura, c.2700 m²in the domain of the pyramid: Breasted: Or possibly "as custodian of the domain of the pyramid", meaning that he received the gift by virtue of his office. |
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J. H. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, Part One, §§ 364-374 |
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 | [1] John Gee, Prophets, Initiation and the Egyptian Temple, JSSEA 31 (2004), pp.97ff. | |
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