MIDDLE KINGDOM, DYNASTY XII, REIGN OF AMENEMHET III, 1844-1797 B.C.

Details

AN EGYPTIAN INDURATED LIMESTONE STELE FRAGMENT
MIDDLE KINGDOM, DYNASTY XII, REIGN OF AMENEMHET III, 1844-1797 B.C.
The massive rectangular block carved in sunk relief, with three partial columns of hieroglyphic text preserved within a rectangular box, reading: "[...the Beautiful God] Ny-maat-re, given life!...Horus who resides in Shedet (Crocodilopolis), [...he?] has come, ...Beloved of the foremost [god??]/[god??] of the beginning who is in Shedet," another partially-remaining text box with two hieroglyphs at the bottom left corner, possibly reading: "may you [live? endure? etc.]"
17¾ in. (45.1 cm.) high

Provenance

Acquired by Dr. Olaf Toffteen, Professor of Semitic Languages and Literature, on behalf of The Hibbard Egyptian Library at Western Theological Seminary (later becoming Seabury-Western), Evanston, Illinois, 1907-1910.

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Lot Essay

Ny-maat-re is the Prenomen of Amenemhet III of the 12th Dynasty, who reigned 1844-1797 B.C.
Shedet was the capital city of the Fayum oasis, which lies southwest of the ancient capital of Memphis. The Middle Kingdom pharaohs, who originally hailed from the south near Thebes, made the Fayum their northern capital. Amenemhet III built a pyramid there, as well as colossal statues and a labyrinth, which were still famous more than one thousand years later and were described by Herodotus in his Histories.

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