First Legacy

194. I have given to the king's-confidant, Nekennebti (N-k3n-nbly), (in) -,a (the townsb of) "Khafre- -," and "Khafre--"

Second Legacy

195. 4oHis son, the king's-confidant, Nekure (in) the eastern backland, (the towns of) ["Khafre-1-," "Khafrel" and "Khafrel —"].d

Third Legacy

196. 5His daughter, the king's-confidant, Hetephires, (in) the eastern district, (the town of) "Khafre- -;" (in) the eastern back-land, (the town of) "Khafre- —.”

Fourth Legacy

197. [His son] the king's-confidant, Kennebtiwer (K›-n-nbty-wr) (in)-, (the town of) "Great-is-[the-Fame]-of-Khafre;" (in) the Mendesian nome, (the towns of) "Khafre- -," and "Khafre- .”

199. His beloved wife, the king's-confidante, Nekennebti (N-k3n-nbty), (in) the nome of the Cerastes-Mountain, (the town of) "Beautiful-is-Khafre:" (in) the nome of eUpper (the town of) "Brilliant1-isKhafre" (H-R-[h]); (in the pyramid-town) "Great-is-Khafre," the estate of his daughter, and —.f

aA nome-name is lost.

bTwo towns at least.

The formula "I have given" is omitted after its occurrence once for all in 1. 3; hence "his son" instead of "my son."

dThree towns; from the size of the lacuna.

eTwentieth nome of Upper Egypt.

f Two small subcolumns, each containing a designation of some piece of property, but they are no longer legible; it is doubtless the estate, or part of the estate, of a deceased daughter, which, after its reversion to him, he now leaves to his wife. Hence her occurrence twice in the will.

THE TESTAMENTARY ENACTMENT OF AN UNKNOWN OFFICIAL, ESTABLISHING THE ENDOWMENT OF

HIS TOMB BY THE PYRAMID OF KHAFREa

200. As a revelation of the legal organization of this remote age, this document, like the similar instrument of Senuonekh (§§ 231 ff.), is of great interest. Economically it is of importance to note that the king gives whole towns as mortuary endowment, to keep the tomb of the deceased constantly supplied with offerings.

201. I.

Introduction

- while he was alive upon his two feet, even the sole companion, lord of Nekhen, member of the king's court every day local governor of "Praise-of-Horus-First-of-Heaven,"d 2. these mortuary priests forevere

202.3—

f

Endowment is Entailed

This is the [dec]ree which I made concerning it: I have not empowered any of [my brothers], 4my sisters, or my daughter's children, inferior mortuary priests, or assistant mortuary priests, ['to take lands1, ] 5people, or anything which I have conveyed to them, for making mortuary offerings to me therewith, whether their man-servant [or their maid-servant], "their brothers or their sisters, save to make mortuary offerings [to me therewith, in the cemetery in] 7my eternal tomb which is at the pyramid, "Great-is-Khafre;" according to the portion of lands, people, and [everything, which I have conveyed to them, for making mortuary offerings to me] therewith.

aStela in Cairo (No. 1432); published by Brugsch, Thesaurus, V, 1210 ff.; Sethe, Urkunden, I, 11-15 (collated with Berlin squeeze, No. 1597). bWhence the restorations below are drawn.

The lost introduction will be found in the preceding will (§ 193).

dName of a vineyard estate founded by Zoser of the Third Dynasty; see Sethe, in Garstang's Bet-Khallâf, 21. I have omitted before this title a repetition of titles already mentioned.

eProbably so rather than "endowment;" for "these mortuary priests of the endowment" is expressed by ḥn-kɔ ḍt (y)pn (Sethe, Urkunden, I, 36, l. 1).

Probably a lacuna of more than one line.

Line of Entailment

203. I have not empowered any mortuary priest of the endowment, to give the lands, people or [anything which I have conveyed to them, for making mortuary offerings to me] "therewith, in payment to any person; or to give as property to any person, except that [they] shall give [it to their children], entitled to the division of it with any mortuary priest among these mortuary priests.a

Violation of Endowment

204. Whatsoever mortuary priest of the endowment shall violate, "of my mortuary offerings, which the king gave to honor me,

the portion in his possession shall be taken from him

Endowment not Involved in Suits of Priests

b

205. Whatsoever mortuary priest of the endowment shall institute legal proceedings against his fellow, and he shall make a writ of his [claim against the mortuary priest, by which [The (the defendant ?) 'forfeits the portion] 13in his possession; the lands, people and everything shall be taken from him, which I gave to him for making mortuary offerings to me therewith14therewith. It shall be conveyed back to him because of not instituting proceedings before the officials, [concerning the lands, people and everything, which I conveyed] 15to the mortuary priests of the endowment, for making mortuary offerings to me therewith, in my eternal tomb, which is in the cemetery at [the pyramid: "Great-is-Khafre"].

Transfer of Priests to Other Service

206. 16Whatsoever mortuary priest of the endowment shall go forth to other service, in the presence of the officials,

17the

aNot all their children were entitled to a share in the division, but only those who became mortuary priests; hence the document distinguishes particularly those "entitled to (lit. belonging to) the division of it (the property) with any given (ymn) mortuary priest of these mortuary priests" (viz., those endowed by this document). The paragraph occurs again in the enactment of Senuonekh (§ 233). bSethe suggests for the lacuna; "for or by the (priestly) order, to which he belongs," as in l. 17.

cOf course, read nḥm mcf as in 1. 11. See the similar clause in the decree of Senuonekh, § 235.

officials, he shall go forth to other service and the portion in his possession shall revert to the (priestly) order to which he belonged.

18 of lands, people and everything, which I conveyed [to] them, for making mortuary offerings to me therewith, in my tomb which is in [the cemetery at the pyramid: "Great-is-Khafre"]; 19he shall go forth with his meat.

Land Given by King

207. As for this field, which the king gave to me, to honor me 2ofor making mortuary offerings to me therewith in the

cemetery.

Alienation of Endowment

208. As for whatsoever shall be paid out, of that which I gave to them, [I will enter into judgment with them in the place] "wherein judgment is had. The portion which remains afterward, shall belong, by tenths, to these (priestly) orders to [whom] I have conveyed this [the portion] 22which remains, for making mortuary offerings to me therewith, in the cemetery in my eternal tomb, which is at [the pyramid: "Great]-is-Khafre."

Towns of the Endowment

209. [As for the towns] 23of the (mortuary) endowment, which the king gave to me, to honor me, which are maintained for my mortuary offerings, according to the list 24forever, wherewith mortuary offerings are made to me, in my eternal tomb which is in the cemetery at the pyramid: "Great-is-Khafre," everything which I conveyed to them.

[lands, people,] 25and

As for the towns of the (mortuary) endowment of the purification, wherewith purification is made

At least three lines are lost at the end.

REIGN OF MENKURE

DEBHEN'S INSCRIPTION, RECOUNTING KING MENKURE'S ERECTION OF A TOMB FOR HIMa

210. The unfinished condition of this interesting inscription renders it extremely fragmentary. But mutilated as it is, it tells us plainly enough of the king's visit to the Gizeh cemetery to inspect the work on his family pyramids, and of his detailing fifty men to build a tomb for Debhen. Later the king orders his own people, who are bringing limestone for a temple, to bring also the necessary false doors, etc., for Debhen's tomb from the quarry at Troja.

As for this tomb, it was the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, Menkure, [living forever], who caused that it be ['made'], when [his majesty] was [upon] the road beside the pyramid, Hir© (Hr), 3in order to inspect the work on the pyramid: "Divine-is-Menkure."

[there came1] the [naval] commander and the two high priests of Memphis, and the [work]men,d 4standing upon it,e to inspect

a From his tomb (No. 90 on Lepsius' plan) at Gizeh; published by Lepsius, Denkmäler, II, 37, b; Sethe, Urkunden, I, 18-21 (collated with Berlin drawing, No. 284). The inscription was left unfinished by the sculptor. The artist had drawn all the hieroglyphs in ink, but they were only partially cut, and the uncut portions of the lines disappeared.

bThis line contained his titles, as the sole remaining sign shows.

Name of pyramid usually supposed to be that of Menkure. It is, however, evidently one of the smaller three beside his own pyramid, the name of which here follows. "Hir” will have belonged to one of his family. That the two pyramids were close together is evident from the text. The king stands on the road by the Hir-pyramid to inspect the other. This disposes of the idea that the former was in Abu Roash (Petrie, History of Egypt, I, 56).

dOnly the plural determinative of "men" is visible. eThe pyramid.