children, acting corporately as his successor in both offices. Each child is annually to serve one month as priest of Hathor, and another month as mortuary priest of Khenuka. For this purpose twelve children were required, and, as Nekonekh had thirteen, he gave to eleven a month each, and divided the remaining month between two. The income from the land was also divided, each of the eleven children receiving the income from five stat for the Hathor temple, and five stat for Khenuka, while the remaining two each. received half of this. The twelve months of the year were thus all provided for, the sixty stat belonging to each endowment were completely disposed of, and the thirteen children all made legatees. It is of importance to notice that the mortuary endowment, established in the latter half of the Fourth Dynasty, is still respected and continued in the Fifth Dynasty. 215. Nekonekh's will disposing of his own estate is also among the inscriptions in the tomb (§§ 223-25), though very fragmentary. Another document establishes and adjusts his own mortuary priesthood (§§ 226, 227), and in conclusion he and his wife, probably after decease, receive mortuary statues from two of their children (§§ 228-30). I. THE PRIESTHOOD OF HATHOR Introduction 216. Stewarda of the Palace, governor of the New Towns, superior prophet of Hathor, mistress of Royenet, king's-confidant, Nekonekh (N-k-nh); 5his wife [Hezethekenu (Hdt-hknw)], revered by [Hathor]. He makes a decree to his children, to be priests of Hathor, mistress of Royenet. aThe lines are too short at the beginning to number them all. List of the Priests of Hathor 217. These are the prophets whom I have made, of my children, of the endowment,a to be priests of Hathor. Now, it was King Menkure who conveyed two pieces of land, to these prophets to be priest therewith. 10King's-confidant, steward of the Palace, Nekonekh; his wife, the king's-confidante, Hezethekenu; her children. aRead dt; the n is misread from the hieratic, as commonly in this word; e. g., Sebni, 1. 4 (Sethe, Urkunden, I, 136). Maspero's correction, wḍtny, producing a feminine relative form, is ungrammatical, for it follows a masculine noun. The endowment meant is probably that of Khenuka, which the same children administered. bThis was probably not a unit of measure, for the document afterward assigns 120 stat, 60 for the Hathor temple, and 60 for the mortuary service of Khenuka; and these 120 stat are obviously the itemization of the two pieces of land above mentioned (the 5 stat of 1. 21 are not to be counted). appeared) 15Shepseshathor, [priest1 (man) 16Webkuhathor ([W‹b-k3w-] Ḥtḥr) (man) 2d month 17 Kisuthathor (Ķ3-yśwt-Ḥtḥr) (man) 18 Khebuhathor (Ḥ©-b3w-Ḥthr) (man) 4th month 19Khentisuthathor (Hnt-yswt-Hthr) (dis 20Royenet (R-yn't) (disappeared) Ist month 3d month Third Season 5 stat 4th month 5 stat 24 Mortuary Keksire (K❜k-s' Re) (man) Priest aWritten and determining the reading of this season. [Later: See Sethe, Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache, 41, 89.] bIn the original, the names are arranged in perpendicular columns, and a figure of the person named is depicted below each name. I have added the sex of the person in each case. The first column is therefore the priests, the second (double) column is the time of service for each priest, and the third is the amount of land from which each draws the necessary income. This is an error of the scribe as the other table shows, for in it the entire line, date and all are vacant. The Decree 219. 25It was the majesty of Userkaf who commanded that I should be priesta of Hathor, mistress of Royenet; whatsoever was paid into the temple, it was I who was priest over everything that came into the temple. 26Now, it is these my children who shall act as priests of Hathor, mistress of Royenet, as I myself did, while I journey to the beautiful west, as one revered, in charge of these my children. II. THE MORTUARY PRIESTHOOD OF KHENUKA List of Priests of Khenuka 220. 27 Now, it is these people who make the mortuary offerings to the king's-confidant, Khenuka (Hnw-k'), his father, his mother his children, and all his house. The text is perfectly clear and correct; emendation is entirely unnecessary. bRead wdb (as Sethe has done) after the inscription of Persen (Urkunden, I, 37). The priests of Hathor just mentioned. |