The oldest copy known on a scarab is that of King Sebak-em-saf of the
XIIIth dynasty. It is in the British Museum (No. 7876) and has been
described by Dr. Birch in his study[48] of the “Formulas relating to the
heart.” “This amulet,” he says, “is of unusual shape; the body of the
insect is made of a remarkably fine green jasper carved in shape of the
body and head of the insect. This is inserted into a base of gold in
shape of a tablet.... The legs of the insect are ... of gold and carved
in relief.... The hieroglyphs are incised in outline, are coarse, and
not very legible.”
1. _The Divine Circle_, ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. This word on the scarab of
Sebak-em-saf is written ⁂⁂⁂, which shows that ⁂ (a wall of
enclosure) is ideographic of the whole word. And this sign in hieratic,
when placed upright ⁂, has given rise to the ⁂, which takes its
place in the later texts.
2. _Fall of the scale_, ⁂⁂⁂ = the Coptic ⲣⲓⲕⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲩⲙⲁϣⲓ or the
Greek ῥοπὴ τοῦ ζυγοῦ.
3. _Liver_; This seems to be the real meaning of ⁂⁂⁂.
4. These gods are mentioned in the Pyramid Texts in a passage closely
resembling this one of the Book of the Dead. “They bring to Unas (line
479) the four Glorious ones who are on the side lock of Horus; who stand
upon the Eastern side of Heaven, and who are conspicuous through their
sceptres ⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂. They announce to Râ the glorious name of
Unas, and proclaim (⁂⁂⁂, _cf._ ⲟⲩⲱ, ⲉⲣⲟⲩⲱ) Unas to Neheb-kau.”
The text of Teta is very imperfect in this place.
The word ⁂⁂ appears to have the sense of _insignire_, _designare_.
This sense is a key to every passage in which the word occurs.
5. The few early copies of this paragraph are too fragmentary and too
contradictory to furnish a restoration of the text, which must have
meant something like what is expressed in this translation.
6. _The Artist_, ⁂⁂⁂⁂, which is here a common noun rather
than a proper name.
7. The deceased addresses his heart, and thereupon speaks in the first
person plural, _we_; that is _you and I_.
8. _The Ministrants._ The ⁂⁂⁂⁂ were high officials in the
Egyptian court, but here they minister to Osiris in the Netherworld.
They are apparently the same gods who are addressed in the 27th Chapter
as fashioning the heart of a person according to his deeds when living.
9. The determinative ⁂ shows that ⁂ is here to be taken in the
sense of the duration of human life, and the pronominal suffixes ⁂ or
⁂ show whose life is spoken of. The latter suffix has reference to
⁂⁂⁂⁂, which is accordingly to be translated in the singular.
The plural sign merely indicates a common or collective noun.
10. _As the Triumphant one._ So _Aa_, the papyrus of Nebseni. Another
authority (B.M. 7865) quoted by Dr. Birch has ⁂⁂⁂⁂ like Râ,
the Triumphant One.
The formula “How great art thou!” occurs in other primitive texts; _cf._
_Aelteste Texte_, Pl. 5, lines 7 and 8. In line 8 it occurs twice.
-----
Footnote 47:
⁂⁂⁂⁂.
Footnote 48:
_Zeitschr._, 1870. p. 32.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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