On the Question of the Continuity of Saite Traditions in Dynasty 30 (Cambridge, Fitzwilliam Museum E.5.1909; Brooklyn, Brooklyn Museum 56.152)

What is it about?

During the excavations of the Palace of Apries in Memphis (Egypt) Fl. Petrie found a limestone slab with inscriptions on both sides. In 1960, B. Bothmer first compared the found block to another one kept in the Brooklyn Museum, emphasizing that this slab corresponds exactly to the Cambridge one. The inscriptions are a fictional dialogue between the author of the inscriptions, a contemporary of Nectanebo I and the mastermind, who lived in the time of Amasis. The first one “the personal royal scribe” associated himself with the great dignitary of the past continuing to do good deeds, like his predecessor. That is why he erected a “construction” for the “united spirits” of both officials. The key question is, what kind of “construction” is mentioned in the texts? There is reason to believe that it was the great hall of the king palace where both officials have worked in due time and where their spirits were united. Thus, the proposed understanding gives rise to a new reading of religious and mystical representations of the Egyptians. It is not about overcoming of barriers of the underworld, but about the practical use of spirits for personal purposes.

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