Skip to main content

karnak

the famous "Botanical Room", with its representations of exotic flora and fauna encountered during Tuthmosis III's foreign military campaigns. we find birds going toward the west. Two of the birds include the lapwing (Vanellus cristatus) and the red casarca (Asarka rutila). Another bird is almost certainly an ibis, while two others are not identified. Pomegranates surmount the depictions of the birds.
Botanical Chamber, West Wall
On the northern corner of the east wall is an inscription that states:
"Year 25, under the majesty of the king of Upper and Lowwer Egypt, Menkheperre, forever living, plants that His Majesty has found in the land of Retenu (Syria).
Here, various plants are depicted in various stages. They include Dracunculus vulg (Arum dracunculus), a type of calenchoe, probably Calenchoe deficiens Forsk or Calenchoe aegyptiaca, probably a chrysanthemum, an Arum italicum, a Dipsacus, a flower from an iris, fruites of the Punica granatum (pomegranates), Vitis vinifera (grapevines), a female gazelle, a goose, a migrating grasshopper and a raven or crow among others.
On the west wall, various birds have been identified as probably the jackdaw (Monedula turrium), the ash-colored crane (Grus cinera), an anhinga (Plotus levaillantii), a Rock dove (colomba livia), a turtledove (turtur), a Frigate eagle or "sea-eagle" (Tachypetes aquilus), a Greek partridge (Perdrix graeca), a spiny hoplopterous or "lapwing" (Hoplopterus), a gull, and Egyptian cuckoo (Centropus aegyptus), a wild good, an ordinary plover and a white egret (Herodias alba).

Botanical Chamber, East Wall
Various calves and a few plants are depicted on the south wall, while on the western section of the north wall, we find Blue lotus (Nymphea caerulea), sycamore seedpods, pomegranates and perhaps a desert raven. On the right are the last lines of the text concerning the plants brought back from the "Divine Land", which reads:
"All plants that grow, all flowers that are in God's Land (which were found by) his majesty when his majesty proceeded to Upper Retenu, to subdue (all) the countrie(s), according to the command of his father, Amun, who put them beneath his sandals from (the year 1) to myriads of years.
His majesty said; 'I swear, as Ra (loves me) as my father, Amun, favors me, all these things happened in truth - I have not written fiction as that which really ahppened to my majesty. [The spirits of my majesty have caused their birth and growth to glorify his foods].
My majesty hath done this from desire to put them before my father Amun, in this great temple of Amun [Akhmenu], (as) a memorial forever and ever'."

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tomb of Pabasa (TT279)

Pabasa, who was also called Pabes, has a large tomb at Asasif, just outside the entrance to Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahri. Like Ankh-hor, who held this important title after him, he was the ‘Chief Steward of the God’s Wife Nitocris’ (Neitiqert) during the reign of Saite king Psamtek I.  Pabasa’s tomb still has a large mudbrick superstructure. A steep flight of stairs leads down to the entrance of the subterranean levels and on the lintel above the doorway is a fine relief of a barque, adored by the souls of Pe and Nekhen, by the God’s Wife, Nitocris and by the deceased.  A small vestibule leads to a larger pillared sun court. The vestibule shows scenes of Pabasa’s funeral procession, including mourners and the ‘Abydos Pilgrimage’. There is a long text of Pabasa and depictions of his son, Thahorpakhepesh, who acted as sem-priest at his father’s funeral.  On the inner lintel of the entrance to the court, a relief shows Osiris and Re-Horakhty, in the cent...
Post a Comment
Read more

The bindweeds of Egypt and their symbolic role for the deceased

http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/cairo_half_day_tour_to_cairo_egyptian_museum.php From the Middle Kingdom until the 18th Dynasty, representations are found of a parasitic bindweed associated with the stems of papyrus, . Its representations increase and refine themselves during the Amarnian period because of the naturalistic leaning to nature; but it is in Ramesside times, and more particularly that of Ramesses II, that the images become more beautiful and most detailed. The plant is frequently attached to the stem of the papyrus, or to bouquets, but being also able to, more rarely, exist separately. After the 20th Dynasty, if the theme persists, the quality of the representations decrease (as do all more representations of nature). This success under the Ramesseses is probably linked with the specific beliefs of that time, and notably the eminent place that the solar cults occupy. The nature of the plant has been under debate a long time ...
Post a Comment
Read more

US authorities return eight stolen ancient Egyptian artifacts

US authorities agreed to return eight ancient Egyptian artifacts stolen and illegally smuggled out of the country. Today, upon his arrival from the United States, Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim announced that US authorities agreed to return eight ancient Egyptian artefacts stolen and illegally smuggled out of the country. The objects are to arrive next month. The pieces include the upper part of a painted anthropoid wooden sarcophagus from the Third Intermediate period depicting a face of a woman wea ring a wig decorated with coloured flowers. Two linen mummy wrappings covered with plaster and bearing paintings showing winged amulets pushing the sun disc are also among the artefacts. Hieroglyphic text showing the name and titles of the deceased are also found on the plaster cover. The third piece is a cartonage painted mummy mask from the Third Intermediate period while the fourth and fifth items are Middle Kingdom wooden boats. The other three items are lim...
Post a Comment
Read more