![]() | The first section of the translation is adapted from the French translation by C. Maystre, "Les grands prêtres de Ptah de Memphis" (1992), no. 200. The rest of the translation is by S.R.K.Glanville, as reported by E.R.Bevan (1927).
For a summary of what is known about Psherenptah, see the genealogy compiled by Chris Bennett. |
Royal offering for Osiris lord of Rosetau, who is pre-eminent in the West, great god in Ro-qedit {Rakoti ?}, and for Apis-Osiris, great god who is pre-eminent in the West, king of the gods, king of etemity, lord of everlasting, and for Isis the great, mother of the god, eye of Rê, mistress of the sky, lady of all the gods, and for Nephthys, sister of the god, and for Horus assistant of his father in Ro-qedit, and for Anubis who is on his mountain, who is among the bandages, who is pre-eminent in the seh-neter, lord of the sacred Land, 2 and for Imhotep, son of Ptah, and for the Western One, mother of the gods, so that they give the "coming forth to the voice" - bread, beer, oxen, birds, incense, oil, alabaster vases, pieces of cloth, thousands of all good, pure and sweet things that heaven gives and that the earth creates - to the ka of Osiris, noble, governor, treasurer of the king, sole companion, divine father, prophet of Ptah, wab of the gods of the White Wall, prophet of Osiris, great god lord of Rosetau, scribe of the sacred books, divine treasurer of the temple of Ptah, 3 prophet of the library and of the House of the Morning, prophet and scribe of Ptah, scribe of the Lady of the Sycamore, scribe of Ptah who is pre-eminent in Tanenet, scribe of Bastet mistress of Ankh-tawi, scribe of Osiris-Apis and of Osiris in Ro-qedit, of Anubis who is on his mountain, scribe of Imhotep son of Ptah, prophet of the Ram lord of Mendes, khenti-che of Pharaoh (l.p.h.), great prince of Egypt, eyes of the king of the south, ears of the king of the north, confidant of Horus in his Palace, loved by the king more than his beloved, 4 the one whose love is great in the heart of every man, first prophet of the master of the Two Lands, baton of the king in the temples, second to the king when the Djed Pillar is erected, master of the secrets of Rosetau, master of the secrets of Ro-qedit, master of the secrets of the sacred Land, master of the secrets of Kemit and Hapnebes, master of the secrets of the temple of Ptah, master of the secrets of heaven, earth and underworld, director of the prophets of all the gods and knowing . . . not (?) in the temples of Upper and Lower Egypt, 5 who has access (? ) near the Wadjet at the time of the great work (?), the one who sees the great god (?) given birth by his work (?), the one who makes an offering to the (?) son of the great Nun and (?) to ( ? ) Sekhmet (?), his grandmother, the chief of artificers, Psherenptah, justified, son of the one who bore the same titles, the chief of artificers Pedubast, justified, and born to the accomplished musician of Ptah the great, who is to the south of his wall, lord of Ankh-tawi, Herankh, justified!
6 He said: O you who will come to this tomb, remember my name to the Lord of the gods in all the festivals of the West, offer me fresh water and incense on the fire, and say: May your . . . (?) be divine, may your soul live, may the north wind from Atum be carried to your nose every day! Because I am a glorious dead person to whom offerings must be made, 7 because I did not do evil but I had a good character, doing what everyone likes!
In the year 25, on the 21st of Phaophi {4 November 90 B.C.}, in the reign of the king, the lord of the land, Ptolemy, the Saviour God, the Conqueror, was the day whereon I was born. I lived thirteen years in the presence of my father. There went forth a command from the king, the lord of the land, the Father-loving Sister-loving God, the New Osiris, son of the Sun, Lord of Diadems, Ptolemy, 8 that the high office of Priest of Memphis should be conferred upon me, I being then fourteen years old. I set the adornment of the serpent-crown upon the head of the king on the day that he took possession of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, and performed all the customary rites in the chambers which are appointed for the Thirty Years' Festivals. I was leader in all the secret offices. I gave instruction for the consecration of the Horus {the king as divine} at the time of the birth of the Sun-god {i.e. the spring equinox} in the Golden House. I betook me to the residence 9 of the kings of the Ionians {the Greek kings} which is on the shore of the Great Sea to the west of Rakoti. The king of Upper and Lower Egypt, the Master of two worlds, the Father-loving Sister-loving God, the New Osiris, was crowned in his royal palace. He proceeded to the temple of Isis, the Lady of Yat-udjat. He offered unto her sacrifices many and costly. Riding in his chariot forth from the temple of Isis, 10 the king himself caused his chariot to stand still. He wreathed my head with a beautiful wreath of gold and all manner of gems, except only the royal pectoral which was on his own breast. I was nominated Prophet, and he sent out a royal rescript to the capitals of all the nomes, saying: "I have appointed the High Priest of Memphis, Psherenptah, to be my Prophet." And there was delivered to me from the temples of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt a yearly revenue for my maintenance.
11 The king came to Memphis on a feast-day. He passed up and down in his ship that he might behold both sides of the place. So soon as he landed at the quarter of the city called Ankh-Tawi, he went into the temple escorted by his magnates and his wives and his royal children, with all the things prepared for the feast; sitting in the ship, he sailed up, in order to celebrate the feast in honour of all the gods who dwell in Memphis, according to the greatness of the goodwill 12 in the heart of the lord of the land, and the white crown was upon his brow.
I was a great man, rich in all riches, whereby I possessed a goodly harem. I lived forty-three years without any man-child being born to me. In which matter the majesty of this glorious god, Imhotep, the son of Ptah, was gracious unto me. A man-child was bestowed upon me, who was called Imhotep, and was surnamed Pedubast. Taimhotep, justified, the daughter of the father of the god, the Prophet of Horus, the lord of Letopolis, Kha-hapi, was his mother.
13 Under the majesty of the princess, the lady of the land, Cleopatra { VII } and her son Caesar, in the year 11, the 15th of [Epeiph] {3 July 41 B.C.} was the day on which I was carried into the haven. I was brought to the necropolis, and there was performed upon me every rite customary for a well-prepared mummy. The laying in the grave took place in the year 12 on the 30th of Thoth {1 October 41 B.C.}. The years of my life in all were forty and nine. O all of you, gods and goddesses whose names I have said in full . . . make (me) young (?) on the throne of Tje (?) eternally!
14 The scribe who brings their names to life, . . . speaking (? ) according to the books of the divine words of the Two Lands, . . . (?) near the master of the Two Lands, scribe of the sacred books of the Ram lord of Mendes, khenti-che of Pharaoh (l.p.h.), master of the secrets in the hidden chamber in Tenenet, prophet of Horus, Imhotep, son of the one who bears the same titles, Khahapi, justified, and born to Herankh, justified! Engraved by his father, who loves his son, Khahapi!
→ Epitaph of his daughter Berenice
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