Englandss Obelisk. -'s-Qtbnpatra'z Needle RESTORED INSCRIPTIONS, TRANSLATION, AND NOTES.

INSCRIPTIONS ON .

The figures and hieroglyphs enclosed in the four squares on the pyramidion represent, invariably, on the right side, couched upon a standard, king Thothmes Ill., in rhe shape of a sphynx, presenting offerings to a god seated opposite him, viz: on sides I. and II., Turn, and on IIL and IV. the hawk-headed Sun-god! bearing the solar disk.

Above t~1e sphynx are three vertical lines of hieroglyphs reading left to right: "Great god, lord of both countries2; (-men-kheper) a; giver of life eternal."

Under the sphynx the inscription is: [The-Strong Bull, crowned in Uas 4 ; Son of the Sun, (Thothmes. )]

The lines above the god read, on sides I. and II. : "The great god, lord of the great ; chief of the gods; Tu m, lorcl of On 5 ; giver of water." On sides liT. anrl IV. "Lord of earth; lord of heaven ; great god; Harmachis 6; giver of life eternal." The hieroglyphs before the standard appear to mean, on side I. : "A gift of pure water." Side I I. . "A gift of wine. " Sides III. and IV. : "A gift of frankincense."

INSCRIPTIONS ON SHAFT.

SIDE I.-RIGHT. SIDE II.-RIGHT. SIDE III.-RIGHT. SIDE IV.-RIGHT. .7 [Strong Bull, Horns. [Strong Bull, •" Horns. [Strong Bull, Ilorus. [Strong null, Son of Turn.] King of son of Kheper-ra.] King beloved of Ra.] King of beloved of .] King the two countries.2 (Ra­ of the two countries. the two countries. (Ra­ of the two countries. (Ra· meses 8)9. vVatcher over (Rameses). The golden meses). Lord of the fes­ meses). Son of H. a; born both countries.2 Lord of Horns, director of years; tivals, like his father . of the gods; holding th e the diadems. Chastiser of the most great and power­ Son of the sun.(Rameses). four countries. Son of foreign nations. Son of ful. Son of the sun (Ra­ Son of Tum, of his flesh ; the sun. (Rameses). Vic­ the S~m.Jo (Rameses). meses). The eyes of men beloved of his father ; torious by his strength ; Who extends the south behold what he has done. born of Athor ; guide of valiant victor ; bull of to the Great Sea ; the Nothing has been said the two countries. Lord princes; king of kings. north to the four poles of against him. Lord of the of the two countries. Lord of the two countries. heaven. Lord of the two two countries. (Rameses). (Rameses). Son of the ( Rameses). Son of the countries.2 (Rameses). 9 Son of the sun. (Ra­ sun. (Rameses). Giver of sun. ( Rameses) ; Le loved Son of the Sun10 (Ra­ meses). Lustre of the life like the sun. of Tum 'and of On, &c. meses) .9 Giver oflife like sun, Ra. the sun.

MIDDLE. MIDDLE. MIDDLE. MIDDLE. llorus. [ Belovecl of Horus. [Strong Bull, rtorus. [Strong Bul , - Hon\:, . [Strong Bwf, Truth .] King of the two crowned in U as. 4] King crowned by Thoth.] King beloved of Ra.] King of of the two countrie3 (Ra­ the two countries. ( l{a­ countries. (Ib-men-khe­ of the two countries. pcr); making offerings (Ra - men- kheper). He men-kheper). He mul­ men-kheper). His f.'lther beloved of the gods ; made this tribute to his tiplied, lord of the gods, Tum up his name festivals of the Persea tree within the precincts, in placing offerings on the father Harmachis. These a ltar of the spirits of On ; two obelisks he built aRd in the midst of the temple th·e palace of On giving of the Phoenix ; he is his him the seat of Seb, th e making offerings to their stood up, and tipped them majesties both times; that with gold, at the time of son ; he is the sacred and dignity of Kheper-ra. Son he might repose through his first Thirty-years' -fes· divine body whose limbs of the sun. (Thothmes). extend everywhere. Son Of 'the spirits of On be­ t hem with a sound life tival. As he desired it, hundreds of thousands of he did it. Son of the Sun. of the sun. (Thothmes) loved-eternal. of Harmachis beloved. thirty-years' cycles, an

LEFT. LEFT. LEFT. LEFT. Horns. [Strong Bull, Horns. [Strong Bull, Horns. [Strong Bull, Horns. [Strong Bull, beloved ofThoth.] King son of Ptah.] King of the son of Ptah.J King of beloved of Ra.] King the two countries. ( Ra­ of the two countries. two countries. (Rameses). of the two countries. meses). The golden Hor­ (Rameses). Son of Ra, vVatcher over both coun­ (Rameses). Lord of the ns; director of years; the born of the gods, holding tries. Lord of the dia­ festivals, like his father most great and powerful. the two countries. Son of dems. Chastiser of foreign Ptah-Tanen Son of the Son of the sun.(Rameses) . the Sun (Rameses). He nations. Son of the sun . S un. (Rameses). The Out of their countries he places his frontiers and (Rameses). He goes daily Strong Bull, like the son led captive the Rutennu sets up his throne-house into the house of Tum, of heaven, against whom and Peti to the throne where he likes, by his vic­ and is seen in the house none can stand. The of the house of his father. tories and strength. Lord of his father. Lord of the Illustrious. Lord of the two countries. (Rameses). Lord oft he two countries. two countries. (Rameses). of the two countries (Ra­ (J{ameses). Son ol the meses). Son of the sun. Son of the sun.(Rameses). Son of the Sun, (Ra­ Like the sun. sun . (Rameses). Be­ meses). (Rameses). Lustre of the loved of ; the great sun, Ra. The small imcription god ; like the sun, &c. mz the extreme left reads : King of the two countries. (Ra-user-kheper-ra) King (Seti, i.t. the Second) &c. NOTES.

1- Whose usual name is" Ra.'' 2. Upper and Lower . 3· The readings of the or name-scrolls are enclosed in curved brackets, and those of the square standards in square brackets. · 4 Thebes. 5· On or An is the Egyptian appe!lati?n of the city better kt;?wn as Heli~polis (the cit~ o~ the sun), _the original site of this obelisk. 6: R eprese n~ed by a ,~k Lea_ring the sola r _dis~; 7· l{epresented by a sparrow- hawk with a regal crown. 8. 1lus rs Rameses II ., called The Great. 9· The mstgma of a kmg are one standard and two cartouches. 10. flus phrase ts eqmvalent to "km g. The im;criptions on the lower part of the obelisk have been mostly obliterated, and the obelisk is fractured as indicated on side IV. In trying to arrange the above translations so as to bring out as clearly as possible the connection between the hieroglyphs and their meaning, we have been greatly assisted by the scholarly translation of DR. BrRCH, of the .

An Eleg-ant Model of this Obelisk has been designed, and can be obtained, price 2s. 6d, of the . Stereoscopic and Photol;rap!tic Company, 54, Cheapside, and I08 & I IO, Re~t;nzt Street, London.