REIGN OF TETI INSCRIPTIONS OF SABU, ALSO CALLED IBEBIa 282. Sabu, called also Ibebi, was a favorite official at the courts of Unis, the last king of the Fifth, and Teti, the first king of the Sixth Dynasty. Under both he held the important office of high priest of Ptah at Memphis, and to this oft-repeated title he adds also his other offices, mingled with a long series of self-laudatory epithets and phrases. Of these the inscriptions chiefly consist, but he gives us also a few interesting statements which throw light on the career of such a noble at court. The inscriptions are rendered below with all repetitions, as an unaltered example of such records in the Old Kingdom. In some phrases Sabu's inscription is identical with that of Ptahshepses (§§ 254 ff.). Career under Unisb 283. Attached to (King) Unis, high priest of Ptah, more honored by the king than any servant. He descended into every barge; a member of the court, [when he entered] the ways of [the southern palace] at feasts, Sabu (S'bw), whose beautiful name was Ibebi (Ybby). с 284. Honored by the king, doing his pleasure, one whom his lord a From his mastaba-tomb at Sakkara; the publications will be found with each section below. bMariette, Mastabas, 375 D; Sethe, Urkunden, I, 81 A, at the entrance on the right. "Compare Ptahshepses, § 258, 1. 4. dHf is evidently past tense here, as Unis was deceased when the inscription was made. eMariette, Mastabas, 375 C; Sethe, Urkunden, I, 81 B; at the entrance on the left. loves, high priest of Ptah, attached to the Double House, feast-day attendant, prophet of Ptah, prophet of Sokar, Sabu, etc.a Career under Teti 285. biToday in the presence of the Son of Re: Teti, living forever, high priest of Ptah, more honored by the king than any servant, as master of secret things of every work which his majesty desired should be done; pleasing the heart of his lord every day, high priest of Ptah, Sabu. High priest of Ptah, cup-bearer of the king, master of secret things of the king in his every place, honored by the king, high priest of Ptah, attached to the Double House, feast-day attendant, pleasing every artificer, honored by every sovereign, a member of his court, attached to the heart of his lord, the favorite of his lord's heart, beloved of his lord, revered of Ptah, doing that which the god desired of him every day in the king's presence. 286. Today in the presence of the Son of Re: Teti, living forever; high priest of Ptah, more honored in the king's presence than any servant. He descends into any barge; a member of the court when he enters upon the ways of the southern palace at the "Feasts-of-the-Coronation," high priest of Ptah, feast-day attendant, Sabu. When his majesty favored me, his majesty caused that I enter into the privy chamber, that I might set for him the people into every place; where I found the way.f Never was done the like to any servant like me, by any sovereign, because his majesty loved me more than any servant of his; because I did that which he praised every day, because I was honored in his heart. I was useful in his majesty's presence, I found a way in every secret matter of the court, I was honored in his majesty's presence. aAs above, $283. bFalse door now in Cairo Museum, No. 1565, right side; published by Mariette, Mastabas, 413, 414; Sethe, Urkunden, I, 82, 83 (from copy by Erman). <Same false door, left side; published by Rougé, Inscriptions hiéroglyphiques, 95; Mariette, Mastabas, 412-414; Sethe, Urkunden, I, 83, 84 (from copy by Erman). dAs Teti was still living at the time the inscription was made, the verbs are evidently present tense; but in Ptahshepses (§ 258, l. 4) they are past. *The people (nhw) of the court, to whom he assigned their places. fAs he pleased? The sense is doubtful, as there are several possible renderings of the construction. INSCRIPTION OF SABU, ALSO CALLED THETYa 287. This Sabu was the successor of Sabu, called also Ibebi (§§ 282 ff.), as High Priest of Ptah. His inscription is of importance as showing that before his time there were always two high priests of Ptah. 288. Today in the presence of his majesty. His majesty appointed me [as High Priest of Memphis alone] [The temple] of "Ptah-South-of-His-Wall" in its every place was under my charge, although there never was [Ta single High Priest of Ptah before]]a Sokar in Shetyt (Štt), all the sacred possessions and all duties although never was the which two high priests of Ptah did. like done by any high priest of Ptah in the time of [any king] of the house of the crown-possessions as an honor from his majesty. His majesty appointed me under my charge, although their under my charge, offices were like (those of) [their] fathers which was done in the whole land; the heart of his majesty being mightier than anything that is done therein. INSCRIPTION OF AN UNKNOWN BUILDER 289. The unknown, a mere fragment of whose tomb inscription here follows, was perhaps the builder of the pyramid-temple of Teti, for he relates a royal commission to conduct the work on a ka-temple (ht-k') for which the materials came from the Troja quarry, opposite the Sakkara cemetery where Teti's pyramid stands. a Fragment of a false door in Cairo Museum, Nos. 1709, 1756; published by Mariette, Mastabas, 390; Sethe, Urkunden, I, 84, 85 (from copy by Erman). bStill another Sabu, a third of the name, was called "Sabu the black" (S› bw km Mariette, Mastabas, C 23), perhaps to distinguish him from the other two, for he was also high priest of Ptah. cSo restored by Sethe; and, in view of the following context, the restoration is very probable. dFragment in Cairo, No. 1433, published by Sethe, Urkunden, I, 86, 87 (from copy by Erman). 290. I did so that his majesty praised me on account of it - and that I become a member of the sovereign's court (the quarry) of Troja [the work] stream His majesty and in I made a false door there, conducting His majesty caused that I come down INSCRIPTION OF UNIa 291. This is the longest narrative inscription and the most important historical document from the Old Kingdom. Uni's career is narrated from its beginning under King Teti, through the entire reign of Pepi I, to its termination under Mernere. Besides the general instructiveness of the life of a great lord of the court in the Old Kingdom, Uni's narrative tells us of the only important wars of the Old Kingdom of which we are informed. The biography falls into three parts: I. Career under Teti (1. 1), §§ 292-94. II. Career under Pepi I (ll. 2-32), §§ 306-15. a From his mastaba-tomb, discovered by Mariette at Abydos. It occupies a single block of limestone 1m, 10 high and 2m. 70 wide, which formed one of the walls of the exterior chapel of the mastaba (Catalogue général d'Abydos, 84, No. 522). It is now in Cairo. Published by de Rougé, Mémoires de l'Académie des Inscriptions et belles-lettres, XXV, (Paris, 1866); Rougé, Recherches sur les monuments qu'on peut attribuer aux VI premières dynasties, VII-VIII; Mariette, Abydos, II, 44; Erman, Zeitschrift für ägyptische Sprache, 1882, 1–27 (text collated with copies by Brugsch and Golénischeff); a collation of Erman with the original by Piehl, ibid., 1888, 111 f.; Brugsch, Thesaurus, VI, 1470-77; Grébaut, Musée, Pl. 27, 28 (photo.); Sethe, Urkunden, I, 98–110. Grébaut's photograph and Sethe's copy from the Berlin squeeze (No. 1541) are the only correct texts. Beside Sethe, I had also a copy collated with the original by Erman and Borchardt. |