The sarcophagi of Djeho and Tjaiharpta were found in the same tomb in Saqqara. The text on Djeho's sarcophagus is quite unusual; most of it is devoted to interceding on behalf of his patron Tjaiharpta.
Apart from this tomb, Tjaiharpta - whose name appears in various different modern spellings, such as Ziharpto, Thaiherpata or Tjaihorpata - is known from numerous shabtis, which record his name and titles. He was an important official; one of his titles on the shabtis is 'snty', which seems to be the Egyptian equivalent of the Greek title dioiketes. It is remarkable that Djeho was allowed to share the tomb of such an important person, especially since, as the inscription says, the burial was a 'funerary gift' from the king.
The translation is taken from J. Baines, "Merit by Proxy: The Biographies of the Dwarf Djeho and His Patron Tjaiharpta" ( JEA, 1992 ); with the addition of Tjaiharpta's titles (D), which are taken from H. Abdou, "The scorpion goddess Selkis", pp.308-309 ( PDF ).
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| Djeho: Cairo CG 29307 | Tjaiharpta: Geneva MAH Eg. 17 |
{ On the band : }
[A] Speech by the Osiris of the dwarf Djeho, possessor of reverence, son of Petekhons, justified, born of Tawenshe who is called Tenthapu, justified: O lord of lords, Apis-Osiris, foremost of the West, lord of eternity, king of the gods: I am the dwarf who danced in Kem and in Shenqebeh at the festival of everlasting. Any prayer of mine before you - may you grant it to me: may your ka favour the Prince, Count, Overseer of Upper Egypt, fresh of character, good of qualities, perceptive, sweet-tongued, reserved of expression, whose sayings enter, favoured one, beloved of the gods, who extends his hand to everyone, whom the king loved, whom the god favoured, who did what people loved, who buried his father in his desert tomb, who interred his mother in his mansion tomb, the Overseer of Fields, Tjaiharpta, possessor of reverence, son of Ankhhapu, justified, born of the mistress of the house Tefenet, justified. May my body be exalted beside him in his tomb inasmuch as respect of you is in his heart. May you give him life - for length of life is in your gift and years in health are yours - may you endow his ka before the kas of the living and provide his attaining a revered state in contentment - for his favour is with the king and his burial is a funerary gift - that he be interred in Rosetau of the Memphite nome in the presence of the lord of the gods, that he come and go in following your ka, that he receive offerings from your offering tablet daily. May his name be remembered in your temple for ever. May you cause that I remain beside him, within his tomb, following your ka daily in exchange for what he has done for me.
{ On the lid : }
[B] The revered one before Osiris, foremost of the Westerners, great god, lord of Rosetau, the dwarf who danced in Kem on the day of interment of Apis-Osiris, the great god, king of the gods; who danced in Shenqebeh on the day of the festival of everlasting of the Osiris of Mnevis, the great god, Pwenhatef, whose good-name is Djeho, son of Petekhons, born of Tenthapu, justified.
{ Sarcophagus of Tjaiharpta - date : }
[C] Year 15, 3rd month of akhet, before the Person of the Dual King, the Son of Rê, Nakhtharhebe, beloved of Onuris, may he live for ever. The writing of the hidden space was copied by the companion in the domain of Tjaret, the apr-priest of Horus of the East, the wr-thnw-priest of Horus of the West, the Scribe of the Divine Book Harentabat, possessor of reverence, in order to perform protection for the Osiris of the Count, Overseer of Upper Egypt, the Overseer of the Bank, Overseer of fields, Tjaiharpta, possessor of reverence, in order to deify (?) his corpse in the necropolis, so that he might take on any manifestation he desires for ever and ever.
{ Sarcophagus of Tjaiharpta - titles : }
[D] . . . hpr-priest of Horus of the east, the wr-thnw-priest of Horus of the west, priest of Isis of Philae, priest of Khnum the great, priest of Sekhmet of Nekheb, priest of Montu-Re-Herakhty, priest of Montu, Priest of Amen-Re-Kamutef, priest of Bastet, of Isis, of Nephthys, of Thienent and of Iounet, priest of Osiris, priest of the two children of Harpre-the-child, director of the wab-priests of Sekhmet, lector priest, priest of Neith and Amonet of Karnak, priest of Horus the Elder, priest of Onuris, priest of Min, priest of Hathor, lady of flood, and Amen-Re . . .
. . . prince, sole friend, director of the fields, director of the scribes of all the councils' accounts, scribe of all the divine speeches, magician, the one who is on his water, royal scribe of all the accounts in the temple of Kous, scribe of the treasures of Onuris, and scribe of the treasure of Hepuy . . .
Scribe of the sacred writings, magician, overseer of the wb Sekhmet, hrp Selkis, in the temple of Montu, Lord of Heliopolis.
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