Anthony Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The fact is, though, there was a tendency to
> clearly claim that those who built the tomb were
> adequately paid. It would have done no good for a
> person to enter the afterlife with that kind of
> debt surrounding his final place of rest.
>
> Strudwick has an entire section in his 2005 book,
> "Texts from the Pyramid Age" entitled: "Texts
> Related to the Payment of Workmen and Tomb
> Acquisition".
>
> Here's a typical sample, possibly from the time of
> Khufu, but definitely before Dynasty VII:
>
Quote:
> I made this tomb right in the city of my lord,
> on account of my being imakhu in the sight of my
> lord.
> I never said an evil thing about anyone in the
> presence of any official.
> (2) I caused the craftsmen who made this tomb to
> praise the god,
> (as) I had provided them with everything which
> they had requested from me,
> because of my desire to be (seen as) excellent in
> the presence of the Great God p. 251
>
>
> Or this one, from the Sixth Dynasty tomb of
> Akhetmehu:
>
Quote:... with regard to this my tomb of
> eternity, it was made for bread and beer; every
> workman who worked on it thanked all the gods for
> me.
>
> I gave them clothing, oil, copper and grain in
> great quantity,
> so that they said
> "O every god of the necropolis, we have had our
> fill, and our hearts are at peace,
> because of the bread and beer which Akhetmehu, the
> imakhu, has given us." p. 252
>
That looks interesting ... nothing about radishes and onions, but a mention of bread and beer, at any rate. But
where does the inscription appear? Surely not on the outside of Akhetmetu's tomb ...
> This kind of inscription was actually quite common
> in the Old Kingdom.
On the
outside wall of pyramids ... ??
Herodotus would never have
> known this on his own, and we didn't know it until
> the 20th century.
>
> Once again, he was spot on with his reporting.
Well, not really ... there's still doubt over whether radishes and onions (which, IIRC, were foods that the priests were forbidden to eat) would have been mentioned on the outer wall of a pyramid. If I were Khufu, I'd have gone for something rather more grandiose, "Here lies Khufu, the Glorious One", or some such ... Admittedly, Herodotus doesn't say anything about the
size of the inscription ...
Hermione
Director/Moderator - The Hall of Ma'at
Rules and Guidelines
hallofmaatforum@proton.me
