of the Sed Jubilee; at the top the date: Year 2, a second month of the first season (second month), day 3."

436. Then the following:

'This wonder which happened to his majesty: that the beastsb of the highlands came down to him; there came a gazelle great with young, going with her face toward the people before her, 3while her eyes looked backward1; (but) she did not turn back, until she arrived at this august mountain, at this block, it being still in its place, (intended) for this lid of this sarcophagus. She dropped her young upon it while this army of 5the king was looking. Then they cut off her neck 'before'd it (the block) and brought fire. "It descended in safety.

437. Now, it was the majesty of this august god, "lord of the highlands, who gave the offering (m3) to his son, Nibtowere (Nb-t' wy-R), Mentuhotep IV, living forever, in order that his heart might be joyful, that he might live upon his throne forever and forever, that he might celebrate millions of Sed Jubilees.

438. "The hereditaryf prince, count, governor of the city and vizier, chief of all nobles of judicial office, supervisor of that which heaven gives, the earth creates, and the Nile brings, supervisor of everything in this whole land, the vizier, Amenemhet.

II. THE OFFICIAL TABLET'

439. The above prodigy, which doubtless occurred soon after their arrival, found record twelve days before the official record of the expedition, which is as follows:

aThis king was therefore nominated as crown prince 28 years before his father's death, as he celebrates his 30-years' jubilee in his second year. Thus Mentuhotep III reigned at least 28 years.

bSuggested by Gardiner; Erman: “Gebirgs (arbeiter).”

cUndoubtedly this explanation of Erman is correct.

dRead hnt-hrf? l'Hôte shows a šms-sign before hr; and Gardiner saw a similar sign. The soldiers sacrificed the gazelle upon the block.

eThat is, the block reached Egypt in safety.

fThe leader of the expedition here adds his name and titles. A double line separates them from the king's inscription above them.

Lepsius, Denkmäler, II, 149, d-Golénischeff, Hammamat, XI.

Date

440. 'Year 2, second month of the first season, day 15, 2(of) Nibtowere-Mentuhotepa (IV) living forever.

5.

Erection of Stela

441. His majesty commanded to erect this stela to his father Min, lord of the highlands in this 4august, primeval mountain, . . . . . 6 .c in order that his ka may be satisfied and that the god may — in his desire, as does a king who is upon the great throne, first in thrones; enduring in monuments, excellent god, lord of joy, 'mighty in fear, great in love, heir of Horus in his Two Lands, whom "the divine Isis, Min, and Mut, the great sorceress reared for the dominion of the two regions of Horus, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nibtowere (Mentuhotep IV), living like Re, forever; "he says:

Dispatch of Expedition

442. My majesty sent forth the hereditary prince, governor of the city and vizier, chief of 12works, favorite of the king, Amenemhet, with an army of 10,000d men 13from the southern nomes, Middle Egypt, and the -f of the Oxyrrhyncus 14nome; to bring for me an august block of the pure costly stone which is in this mountain, 15[whose excellent things' Min makes; for a sarcophagus, an eternal memorial, and for monuments in the temples of Middle Egypt,h according as a king. over the Two Lands sends to bring for himself the desire of his heart, from the highlands of his father Min.

aFull five-name titulary.

bThe word "erect" (lit., "cause to stand") is here loosely used from habit, although the inscription is cut on a natural wall of rock, which could not have been "erected."

cEulogistic epithets of the god.

dGardiner gives the sign as certain; Golénischeff also has apparently a finger (=10,000); both give the top pointing wrong, but this is a peculiarity of the Hammamat inscriptions (cf. Henu, Lepsius, Denkmäler, III, 150, a, l. 7, thrice!) and is only one of many instances of the influence of the hieratic in these texts. This peculiarity occurs frequently also in the Assiut texts of the same period. Cf. the 8,368 men of a later expedition, IV, 466.

eŠm‹ w, perhaps "South."

fHnty written only with the nose; determinative house.
gReferring to "stone" (feminine).

hmw, perhaps "South."

Dedication

443. He made (it) as his monument for his father Min of Koptos, lord of the highlands, head of the Troglodytes, in order that he (the king) might celebrate very many [Sed Jubilees], living like Re, forever.a

III. THE COMMANDER'S TABLET

444. On the same day, Amenemhet, the commander of the expedition, engraved his own record of the achievement, as follows:

Date and Introduction

445. 'Year 2, second month of the first season, day 15. Royal commission, executed by the hereditary prince, count, governor of the city, chief judge, favorite of the king, chief of works, distinguished in his office, great in his rank, with advanced place in the house of his lord, commanding the official body, chief of the six courts of justice, judging the people (pt) and the inhabitants (rhy't), and hearing causes]; to whom the great come bowing down, 4and the whole land, prone upon the belly; whose offices his lord advanced; his favorite, as keeper of the Door of the South; conducting for him millions of the inhabitants (rhy't) to do for him the desire of his heart 5toward his monuments, enduring on earth; magnate of the King of Upper Egypt, great one of the King of Lower Egypt, conductor of the palace, —— in stretching the measuring-cord; judging without partiality, governor of the whole South, to whom is reported that which is and that which is not; conducting the administration of the Lord of the Two Lands; [zealous of heart upon a royal commission; commander of those that command, conductor of overseers; the vizier of the king, at his audiences, Amenemhet, 7says:

Choice of Amenemhet

446. My lord, the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nibtowere (Nb-t'wy-R, Mentuhotep IV) living forever, sent me, as one sending, in whom are divine members; to establish his monument in this land. He chose me before his city, I was preferred before his court.

aThere is an appendix here of the twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth day, which

is the latest date in the series; it is translated at the end (§§ 452, 453). bLepsius, Denkmäler, II, 149, e=Golénischeff, Hammamat, XII, XIII; manuscripts of Nestor l'Hôte.

Personnel of Expedition

447. Now, his majesty commanded that there go forth to this august highland an army with me, men of the choicest of the whole land: miners, artificers, quarrymen, artists, draughtsmen, stonecutters, gold[workers, treasurers of Pharaoh, of every department of the White House, and every office of the king's-house, united behind me. I made the highlands a river, and the upper valleys a water-way.a

Return with Sarcophagus

448. I brought for him a sarcophagus, an eternal memorial, an everlasting reminder. Never descended its like in this highland since the time of the god. My soldiers descended without loss; not a man perished, not a troop was missing, not an ass died, not a workman was enfeebled. It happened for the majesty of my lord 13as a distinction, which Min wrought for him because he so much loved him, that his ka might endure upon the great throne in the kingdom of the two regions of Horus. He made (it) as something greater than it. I am his favorite servant, who does all that he praises every day.

IV. THE SECOND WONDER ©

449. Eight days after the erection of the two preceding records, a second wonder occurred, which was immediately recorded on the rocks, as follows:

Date

450. 'King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nibtowere (Nb-t'wy-R, Mentuhotep IV) who liveth forever, born of the king's mother, Imi (Ymy), second month of the first season, day 23.

aReferring to the desert march. See the similar, but more explicit, statement of Henu on the same march, § 430, l. 12. According to the figures given there, this expedition consumed 200,000 loaves a day! (See note, ibid.)

bGrammatically, the sentence is clear, but its meaning? The same phrase in Henu, l. 16.

cGolénischeff, Hammamat, XIV=Lepsius, Denkmäler, II, 149 f.

Rain and a Well

451. One seta to work in this mountain on the lid blockb of the sarcophagus. The wonder was repeated, rain was made, the forms of this god appeared, 3his fame was shown to men, the highland was made a lake, the water went to the 'margin1 of the stone,d a well was found in the midst of the valley, 410 cubits by 10 cubits on its every side, filled with fresh water, to its edge, undefiled, kept pure and cleansed from gazelles, concealed 'from Troglodyte barbarians. Soldiers of old, and kings who had lived aforetime, went out and returned by its side, no eye had seen it, the face of man had not fallen upon it, (but) to his majesty himself it was revealed. e Those who were in Egypt (T3-mry) heard it, the people who were in Egypt (Km't), South and Northland (Delta), they bowed their heads to the ground, they praised the goodness of his majesty forever and ever.

8

V. COMPLETION OF THE WORK

452. On the twenty-eighth day of the month the work was completed, and the following appendix was added to the king's official stela:

453. 19Day 28. The lid of this sarcophagus descended, being a block 4 cubits, by 8 cubits, by 2 cubits,h con coming forth from the work. Cattle were slaughtered, goats were slain, incense was put on the fire. Behold, an army of 3,000 sailors of the nomes of the Northland (Delta) followed it in safety to Egypt.

aLit.: "laying the hand on the work." The form is an infinitive, the same construction continuing to the end of 1. 5.

bI am not quite certain that this rendering is correct; it is lit.: “laid or set block of the sarcophagus."

cWater in the highland was always remarkable; compare Kheti's feat (8 407) who "made the elevated land a swamp" by means of a canal.

dMight also be "lake."

eObscure references to the discovery as a favor to the king.

fIt is clear that Nibtowere governs all Egypt.

gLepsius, Denkmäler, II, 149, d=Golénischeff, Hammamat, XI.

hAbout 6 feet, 9 inches wide, 13 feet, 9 inches long, and 3 feet, 5 inches thick.