Contributi E Materiali Di Archeologia Orientale Xviii (2018)
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DIPARTIMENTO DI SCIENZE DELL’ANTICHITÀ CONTRIBUTI E MATERIALI DI ARCHEOLOGIA ORIENTALE XVIII (2018) A Oriente del Delta Scritti sull’Egitto ed il Vicino Oriente antico in onore di Gabriella Scandone Matthiae a cura di Agnese Vacca, Sara Pizzimenti, Maria Gabriella Micale SCIENZE E LETTERE ROMA 2018 © 2018 Scienze e Lettere S.r.l. Via Piave, 7 – 00187 Roma Tel. 0039/06/4817656 – Fax 0039/06/48912574 e-mail: [email protected] www.scienzeelettere.com ISBN 978-88-6687-139-2 ISSN 1120-9631 HOTEPIBRA AT JERICHO. INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN EGYPT AND SYRIA-PALESTINE DURING THE 13TH DYNASTY Lorenzo Nigro $ൻඌඍඋൺർඍ *DEULHOOD6FDQGRQH0DWWKLDHUHFRJQL]HGDQG¿UVWSXEOLVKHGRQHRIWKHPRVWRXWVWDQGLQJ¿QGV from Middle Bronze Ebla, the club of Pharaoh Hotepibra Harnedjheryotef, retrieved in the “Tomb of the Lord of the Goats,” an Eblaite king called Immeya. Though Hotepibra belongs WRDJURXSRIUDWKHUREVFXUHUXOHUVRIWKHth Dynasty, according to Manfred Bietak he reigned LQ7HOOHO'DEµDDQFLHQW$YDULVEHDULQJWKHWLWOHRI³VRQRIWKH$VLDWLF´DQHSLWKHWZKLFKPD\ UHÀHFWVSHFLDOUHODWLRQVKLSVHVWDEOLVKHGEHWZHHQ(J\SWDQG6\ULD3DOHVWLQHGXULQJWKH6HFRQG Intermediate Period. The only other attestation of this personage outside Egypt is from Jericho. There, John Garstang retrieved a scarab bearing the same prenomen. This heirloom, together with two other inscribed scarabs possibly looted from the Jericho necropolis, corroborates Bietak’s UHFRQVWUXFWLRQRIWKHUROHRI+RWHSLEUDLQFOXGLQJ&DQDDQLWH-HULFKRDPRQJWKH6\UR3DOHVWLQLDQ FLW\VWDWHVSOD\LQJDUROHLQWKHDGYHQWRID³IRUHLJQ´'\QDVW\LQ(J\SWWKH+\NVRV +ඈඍൾඉංൻඋൺൻൾඍඐൾൾඇ7ൾඅඅൾඅ'ൺൻµൺൺඇൽ(ൻඅൺ Hotepibra Harnedjeryotef1 was, according to the Turin Canon, the 6th or the 9th Pharaoh of the 13th Dynasty, reigning in a time span ranging from c. 1770 to 1760 BC.2 His 1 ([DFWQDPHVDQGWLWOHVRIWKLVSKDUDRKKDYHEHHQWKRURXJKO\GLVFXVVHGEXWQRWFODUL¿HGE\.5\KROW (1997: 16, 208, 214). For a general appreciation of Ryholt’s book: Ben-Tor - Allen - Allen 1999. 2 7KLVLGHQWL¿FDWLRQZDVSURSRVHGE\-YRQ%HFNHUDWK DQG' Franke (1988), who date him around 1770 BC. Conversely according to K. Ryholt and D. Baker (2008: 120-121), he was the 6thNLQJRIWKHVDPHG\QDVW\UHLJQLQJIRURQHWR¿YH\HDUVSRVVLEO\WKUHH years, from 1791 BC until 1788 BC (Marée 2010). 440 L. Nigro CMAO XVIII reconstructed epithet, “son of the Asiatic,”3 and a statue from Khatana near Qantir,4 not IDUDZD\IRUP7HOOHO'DEµDOHG0%LHWDNWRFRQYLQFLQJO\LGHQWLI\KLPDVWKH3KDUDRK reigning over Avaris and the Eastern Delta, after having established strong links with the Levant. This authoritative suggestion, based upon years of excavations, and the palace of WKLVNLQJEURXJKWWROLJKWLQ7HOOHO'DEµD5 provided a wide material culture apparatus to investigate the connection between Egypt and Syria-Palestine during Middle Bronze II.6 However, the major piece of evidence concerning this enlightening (rather than obscure) personage was found outside Egypt, and it is undoubtedly the ceremonial mace or scepter retrieved in the “Tomb of the Lord of the Goats” at Ebla, precisely described and insightfully interpreted by G. Scandone Matthiae after its careful restoration, in 1979.7 There can be no doubts on the reading of the name of the Pharaoh. Even K. Ryholt, who discussed it without having carried an autoptic examination of the item, had to admit that this amazing symbol of power demonstrates that “some relations did exist between Egypt and northern Syria.”8 The scepter, inlaid with beautiful golden hieroglyphs (Fig. 1), indeed has extraordinary chronological implications, connecting Egypt, Syria-Palestine and even Mesopotamia, when associated with other 12th and 13th Dynasties major relics found in the royal tombs of Byblos.9 The ceremonial mace was found in a hypogeum underneath the Western Palace (the palace of the Crown prince),10 two monuments fully excavated by the Ebla Expedition and largely illustrated by P. Matthiae.117KLVFRQWH[WR൵HUHGDULFKDQGLQWHUFRQQHFWHG PDWHULDOFXOWXUHEDFNJURXQGFRQ¿UPLQJGDWLQJDQGKLVWRULFDOVLJQL¿FDQFHRIWKHPDFH12 As the scepter was a Pharaonic gift (it was also accompanied by other Egyptian luxury 3 Bietak 1984: 74;1991: 49; 1996: 30; Scandone Matthiae 1997: 419-420; Matthiae 1997: 398. See also: von Beckerath 1964: 40; Helck 1971. 4 Habachi 1952. The statue was originally dedicated to the god Ptah in Memphis. 5 Bietak 1984; 1991: 49; 1996: 30. 6 Scandone Matthiae 1987; 1995; 1997; 2003; Matthiae 1997; %HQ7RU,QµRIWKHODVW century this topic was largely debated by M. Bietak and W.G. Dever, with special attention to the chronological correlation of Egypt and Syria-Palestine. Later on, with the Project SCIEM 2000, Bietak bulwarked its discoveries with a plea of studies on the Middle Bronze Age, appeared in the series of the Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften. 7 Scandone Matthiae 1979. 8 Ryholt 1998a: 4. 9 The gifts of Amenemhat III and IV and the wall relief of Neferhotep I, as already pointed out by W.F. Albright many decades ago (Nigro 2009c). 10 The name of the owner of the tomb (the “Lord of the Goats”), Immeya, was inscribed in cuneiform on a silver bowl: Archi - Matthiae 1979. 11 Nigro 2009a. 12 30DWWKLDH KDVUHFHQWO\VXPPDULVHGWKHVH¿QGVDQGWKHLUGHFLVLYHKLVWRULFDOLPSDFW One should stress the fact that together with the scepter a silver bowl was found, with two hands DSSOLHGDQGDQµDQNKVLJQLQFLVHGEHDULQJWKHQDPHRIWKHWRPERZQHULHWKHNLQJImmeya (Archi - Matthiae 1979). 2018 Hotepibra at Jericho 441 objects) and it was found in a royal tomb, the simplest interpretive hypothesis is that a direct relationship did exist between the two courts of Ebla and Avaris. G. Scandone 0DWWKLDH UHSHDWHGO\ LOOXVWUDWHG WKH PDQ\ (J\SWLDQ DQG (J\SWLDQL]LQJ ¿QGV IURP (EOD DQGWKHFRQWULEXWLRQWKDWWKLVNLQJGRPJDYHWRJHWKHUZLWK%\EORVWRWKHD൶UPDWLRQRIDQ “Egyptianizing culture” in the high rank society of Syria during the 2nd millennium BC. When the Levant reached its cultural apogee during Middle Bronze II, the connection between Syria-Palestine and Egypt involved several main city-states of the Levant, as also recently archaeology has demonstrated, e.g. el-Mishrifeh/Qatna, and Tell el-Waqqas/ Hazor.13 It is, thus, not surprising that, as early as the 13th Dynasty, a Levantine presence LQ7HOOHO'DEµDEHFDPHPRUHDQGPRUHVLJQL¿FDQW+RZZDUULRUVIURP3DOHVWLQLDQFLWLHV PRYHGWR7HOOHO'DEµD IURP7HOOHOµ$MMXO7HOOHO5XPHLGHK7HOOHV6XOWDQ7HOOHO)DUDK South, just to mention those largest sites which have shown strong cultural familiarity ZLWK7HOOHO'DEµD DQG TXLFNO\ EHFDPH D GRPLQDQW FODVV ZDV WKRURXJKO\ LOOXVWUDWHG by M. Bietak.14 Thus, the hypothesis that Hotepibra, though bearing an Egyptian name, actually had Asiatic origins - as his epithet suggests - cannot be easily ruled out. However, the long-lasting phenomenon of cultural integration between Egypt and Syria-Palestine, ZKLFK(EODDQG7HOOHO'DEµDGLVFRYHULHVUHYHDOHGLVGHVHUYHGO\VWLOOXQGHUWKHVFKRODUV¶ major attention, in spite of the general draught of data, partly depending on the 18th Dynasty damnatio memoriae reserved to these “Asiatic” rulers of Egypt and their culture.15 +ඈඍൾඉංൻඋൺൺඍ-ൾඋංർඁඈ There is only another place in Syria-Palestine which gave back items related to Hotepibra, that is Jericho.16 A scarab bearing the prenomen of this pharaoh (Fig. 2) was found in Tomb 30 by J. Garstang;17 a second one, showing the same script (Fig. 3), was bought in the antique market at Jerusalem,18 presumably looted from a similar context of the Jericho necropolis.19 A third one, still unpublished, is in Berlin.20 13 Ben-Tor A. 2006. 14 E.g., Bietak 1991: 33; 1996: 14-30. 15 Ryholt 1998b. 16 Jericho, ancient Ruha, had strong links with Egypt during the 2nd millennium BC: Nigro 2007-2008; 2009b. 17 The steatite scarab is incised with the traditional single-line rope motive which frames the signs ntr 7KHLQYHQWRU\QXPEHURISO5RZH¿J*DUVWDQJ WSݧE5µۊQIUQEQIU the Rockefeller Museum (Palestine Archaeological Museum) in Jerusalem is n. 33.1256. 18 *LYHRQ¿J 19 Both seals are missing in Ryholt’s list of royal scarab seals of the 13th Dynasty (Ryholt 1997: 34-37). Unexpectedly, also D. Ben-Tor, following the latter, does not mention this scarab (Ben-Tor 2007: 38-39). 20 This formerly belonged to the Blanchard/Michaelides collection: Berlin 370.73; its provenance is unknown. Ryholt (1997: 387-388, File 15/6) ascribed both the latter scarabs (the Jerusalem and the Berlin ones) to a later ruler, Khamudi, according to him the last Pharaoh of the 15th Dynasty, on the ground of stylistic observations. 442 L. Nigro CMAO XVIII Though Tomb 30, excavated by Garstang in 1933, had been violated and reused in Middle Bronze III (Group IV-V), it yielded a few residual early MB II pottery shapes (Group II-III)21 which one may relate to the scarab incised with the name of Hotepibra. To this RULJLQDOEXULDODOVRDGDJJHU RQO\LWV¿QHOLPHVWRQHSRPPHOZDVOHIWLQY1 DQGDZRRGHQER[GHFRUDWHGZLWK¿QHLYRU\LQOD\VUHSUHVHQWLQJGRYHV DQG D KXPDQ personage22 )LJ EHORQJHGSRLQWLQJWRDUDQNHGPLOLWDU\R൶FHUEHLQJWKHRULJLQDO owner of the tomb in MB II (1800-1650 BC).23 Nevertheless, a close examination of WKH¿QGLQJVSRWVRIGL൵HUHQWJRRGVLQ7RPEEDVHGRQ*DUVWDQJ¶VRULJLQDOGLDU\ )LJ 5) suggests to consider our scarab a heirloom deposited into the tomb with its original occupant. +RWHSLEUD¶V-HULFKR6FDUDE V DQG7KHLU+LVWRULFDO6LJQL¿FDQFH Hotepibra’s Jericho scarab(s) not only are meaningful comparisons for the renowned ceremonial mace of Ebla - as rightly pointed out by Gabriella Scandone Matthiae almost 36 years ago -, but also suggest that Jericho established a strong and mutual relationship with Egypt since the 13th Dynasty onwards. The oasis was one of the few places in Palestine recalling the