introduction 1 chapter one INTRODUCTION Ramesses II’s great inscription at Abydos is one the religious thoughts in the composition has to of those ancient Egyptian texts that present to do with the text’s historical timeframe, original the reader a complex series of motifs and liter- purpose, and connection to the temple of Seti. ary approaches, many of which appear as inde- The following discussion attempts to provide a pendent units that could stand by themselves. unified approach in order to tackle the interwoven First, a lengthy introduction precedes a relatively motifs and concepts of the inscription as well as straightforward narrative. Then comes the histori- various historical facets that are independent of cal backdrop wherein the state of affairs at the the narrative. Abydene temple of Seti I is presented. Following The location of the Dedicatory Inscription has upon this we are faced with a series of speeches, been discussed with great pertinence by Kitchen.1 all of which indicate the purposeful thoughts of It can be found just beyond of the Second Court the young king. Subsequently, Ramesses’ offerings (to the west) of the temple of Seti I and forms a and other cultic requirements are set in place and significant part of the south half (exterior side) an official presentation to Seti by the Pharaoh of the back wall of the portico in that area. One is described, the latter concluding with a final reaches the area by means of a short staircase speech of the youthful king to his deified father. that is located in the center of the rear wall of It is not surprising that previous scholarly work the Second Court. On the north side there is a has found this composition to be extremely dense famous scene of the young Ramesses II receiving in presentation, vocabulary, and arrangement. his names and titles with the famous Ished tree, In fact, part of the difficulties in understanding the latter especially associated with Osiris.2 There 1 The text will be found in KRI II 323-36. For this study 2 The standard analysis of the Ished tree and the rite of I have used the large and detailed photographic record inscribing the royal cartouches is that of Wolfgang Helck, now preserved at Oxford University under the auspices “Ramessidische Inschriften aus Karnak,” ZÄS 82 (1957): of Prof. John Baines, and I am in debt to him for kindly 117-40. providing me access to this record. The facsimile at the There are general but extremely pertinent comments end of the work (drawn by Julia Hsieh) is dependent upon on this matter in Donald B. Redford, Pharaonic King-Lists, these photographs. Annals and Day Books: A Contribution to the Study of the Egyptian The earliest edition, one that is still useful, remains Sense of History (Mississauga: Benben, 1986), 82, 91, among Auguste Mariette, Abydos. Descriptions des fouilles exécutées other references. Mariette did not include the scenes in his sur l’emplacement de cette ville I (Paris: A. Franck, 1869), pls. monumental edition Abydos. For the connection to Osiris 5-9. note the work of Joris Frans Borghouts, The Magical Texts For an up-to-date and well-presented translation we of Papyrus Leiden I 348 (Leiden: Brill, 1971), 120 note 254. are now dependent upon Kenneth A. Kitchen, Ramesside Naturally, Thoth is also present. Inscriptions. Translated and Annotated: Translations, II (Oxford For additional references, see Jean Leclant, Recherches and Cambridge MA: Blackwell, 1996), 162-74. His detailed sur les monuments thébains de la XXVe dynastie dite éthiopienne and useful commentary is located in the complementary (Cairo: Institut français d’archéologie orientale, 1965), 274-9 work of Ramesside Inscriptions. Translated and Annotated: Notes and (with Thoth, Osiris, Re, Ptah-Sokar-Osiris); Pierre Koemoth Comments, II (Oxford and Malden: Blackwell, 1999), 191-7. (who has written about the connection of the Ished tree There is also a new translation by Claudia Maderna-Sieben, and Osiris), Osiris et les arbres: Contribution à l’étude des arbres “Die Grosse Bauinschrift von Abydos,” in Egypt—Temple of sacrés de l’Égypte ancienne (Liege: CIPL, 1994), 259-60; Émile the Whole World. Ägypten—Tempel der gesamten Welt: Studies in Chassinat, Le mystère d’Osiris au mois de Khoiak I (Cairo: Insti- Honour of Jan Assmann (ed. Sibylle Meyer; Leiden and Boston: tut français d’archéologie orientale (1966), 234-48; Karol Brill, 2003), 237-82. An older edition is that of Deborah Mysliwiec, “Die Rolle des Atum in der íàd-Baum-Szene,” Sweeney, “The Great Dedicatory Inscription of Ramses II MDAIK 36 (1980): 349-56 (crucial for the role of creator at Abydos (lines 1-79),” in Papers for Discussion. Presented by god as well as Thoth); Eric Welvaert, “On the Origin of the Department of Egyptology, Hebrew University, Jerusalem II (ed. the Ished-scene,” GM 151 (1996): 101-07 (with Thutmose Sarah Groll and Frances Bogot; Jerusalem: Department of I hearkening back to Sesostris I); Salvador Costa, “El árbol Egyptology, The Hebrew University, 1985), 134-327. Ished en la iconografía real: tres escenas de Rameses IV For the term “Dedication Text” see now B. J. J. Haring, legitimando su ascenso al trono,” Aula Orientalis 21 (2003): Divine Households: Administrative and Economic Aspects of the New 193-204; and Lászlo Kákosy, article “Ischedbaum,” in Lexikon Kingdom Memorial Temples in Western Thebes (Leiden: Neder- der Ägyptologie III (ed. Wolfgang Helck and Eberhard Otto; lands Instituut voor het Nabije Oosten, 1997), 39-51. Nar- Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1980), 182-3. rowly speaking, the two words are not applicable to our For scenes at Abydos with the “annals” (gnwt): Redford, inscription. Pharaonic King-Lists, Annals and Day Books, 71-2 (nos. 23-5: 2 chapter one is no doubt that both sides are intellectually and father were paramount in the Pharaoh’s mind.3 spiritually connected. This could imply that the However, the date of the depictions might be later account of the king’s visit in year one and his than the Dedicatory Inscription because the king’s recollection of events when he was regent with his name is spelled as R#-ms-sw and not R#-ms-ss.4 Storerooms B and C and not in KRI I; no. 25 will be found of the chronology. Stephen Quirke also reminds me that in Jaroslav 1erný, Collations of Abydos, Unpublished Notebook inscription “panels” needed slightly less time to compose 156 [no date], 16, now held at the Griffith Institute—I must than figurative depictions plus inscriptions and labels. thank Dr. Jaromir Malek for his kind assistance in enabling William J. Murnane, “The Earlier Reign of Ramesses II me to see it), 72 (no. 26; Amice M. Calverley, Myrtle F. and His Coregency with Sety I,” JNES 34 (1975): 153-90 Broome, and Alan H. Gardiner, The Temple of King Sethos I maintained that a coregency between Seti I and Ramesses at Abydos II [London and Chicago: The Egypt Exploration II could be proved from the extant data. Problems with his Society and The University of Chicago Press, 1935], Pl. dating as well as with this hypothesis were presented by me 36), 77 (nos. 75 and 76; KRI I 189.14 and 187.2); 79 (no. in “Traces of the Early Career of Ramesses II,” JNES 38 92; Alice M. Calverley, Myrtle F. Broome, and Sir Alan H. (1979): 271-86. (One key difficulty facing Murnane, despite Gardiner, The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos IV [London his marshalling of significant new epigraphic data, was his and Chicago: The Egypt Exploration Society and The Uni- acceptance of an incorrect accession date of Ramesses.) versity of Chicago Press, 1958], Pl. 15—Second Hypostyle Additional remarks by Murnane will be found in his Court, entrance to Chapel of Isis; one side ignored), 79 (no. “Reconstructing Scenes from the Great Hypostyle Hall in 93; ibid., Pl. 37—Second Hypostyle Hall; entrance to hall the Temple of Amun at Karnak,” in Warsaw Egyptological of Nefertem and Ptah-Sokar; east jamb, Thoth and Seshat. Studies. I. Essays in Honour of Prof. Dr. Jadwiga Lipinska (Warsaw: For the last deity, see most recently Budde’s study cited at National Museum in Warsaw, 1997), 107-17. The problem the end of this note; heb seds are specifically mentioned; still remains: there is no unequivocal piece of evidence that east jamb with Sefekhtabwy ignored). supports a coregency. The present information appears to Other useful scenes with up-to-date references not cov- lead to the conclusion that the young man was designated ered by Redford are: Calverley, Broome, and Gardiner, to be the heir apparent and next Pharaoh before the death The Temple of King Sethos I at Abydos II, Pl. 30 = Jean Capart, of his father. Moreover, Ramesses was placed as an equal Abydos. Le temple de Séti Ier: étude générale (Brussels: Rossignol to Seti when the latter was still alive. The latter point is and Van den Bril, 1912), 26 fig. 5 and Helck, “Ramessi- the one that this inscription at Abydos stresses. dische Inschriften aus Karnak,” 119; Chapel of Seti with Murnane also discussed the chronological implications Seshat (Thoth in front of her unifying the Two Lands; of the Dedicatory Inscription in his Ancient Egyptian Core- gnwt not mentioned); Calverley, Broome, and Gardiner, gencies (Chicago: The Oriental Institute, 1977), 57-87, to The Temple of Sethos I at Abydos IV, Pl. 12 (Second Hypo- which we can now add his brief comments in “Egyptian style Court; entrance to Chapel of Horus); ibid., Pl. 18 Monuments and Historical Memory,” KMT 5.3 (Fall 1994): (Second Hypostyle Court, entrance to Chapel of Osiris); 14-24, 88.