Hi B.A.,


The earliest info I have on Aker / Akeru, is from the Old Kingdom Pyramid Texts. Faulkner translates Aker (Akr) 'earth-god'; Allen has 'horizon'


In the PTs, Aker was usually written, G1 (A) V31 (k) D21 (r), but the determinative takes many forms:

'lion recumbent' ideo, E23 with 'vertical stroke', Z1 (this det. explicitly associates Aker with the lion)

'strip of land', N18

'strip of land with sand', N16

'strip of land? with an anthropomorphic bearded head at both ends'

'strip of land? with anthropomorphic bearded heads and legs at both ends' - similar to E128

'half strip of land? with anthropomorphic bearded head and legs'

'divine', G7

'ripple of water', N35 (Faulkner note: N35 after Akr is a miswriting of N18 as determinative)


In the PTs, Aker is associated with the earth / horizon rather than the sky / horizon, which seems to be more associated with the Dual Lion (rwtj). In the CTs however, there is a mention of the Akeru (Akrw) of the sky. (CT 648)


A gateway from which the king emerges is mentioned in connection with the earth / horizon (Akr): "[The earth] has spoken to you, for the horizon's (Akr) gateway has been opened to you and Geb's door has been pulled open to you, that you emerge at the voice (of invocation) and [he] may akhify [you] as [Thoth]......"

Geb is apparently attested in Dyn 3, so at least as far as the archeological record is concerned, he could be older than Aker. However, Aker is mentioned in the so called 'Cannibal Hymn' that is thought to have ideas going back to the Predynastic era. Also, in the CTs, its mentioned that the Akeru (Akrw) preceded all the world and preceded Geb (CT 474)


The 'half strip of land? with anthropomorphic bearded head and legs' determinative, is similar to the appearance of the Sphinx, so perhaps there is a connection.

However, the Sphinx, was explicitly associated with Horus in later times. Its possible that 'Akhet', the name of Khufu's pyramid, designated the whole site at Giza in the MK. In the NK the Sphinx was known as 'Horus in the Akhet' (Hrw m Axtj) which suggests the Sphinx was in the Akhet - the Akhet of the three royal funerary complexes at Giza, belonging to Khufu and members of his family. 'Horus in the Akhet' (Hrw m Axtj) is also mentioned in the PTs, so its possible the Sphinx was known by this name already in the OK - it may not have been simply an invention of the NK.


Aker (Akr) and Akhet (Axt) sometimes share the same 'strip of land' det., N18, but otherwise they are written differently - the A in Akr is the 'Egyptian vulture', G1, but the Ax in Axt, is the 'crested ibis' biliteral sign, G25 - the x in Ax is also repeated with a phonetic complement, Aa1 (x), so there seems to be a clear distinction between them.


In the CTs, Aker has horns (CT 885) which is confusing, but Aker is asked to grant rest to the celestial kine - perhaps the cattle, lion, horizon motifs originated with the nomadic cattle rearing tribes who migrated into the river valley following years of drought, from the savannahs in the deep south of Egypt / Nubia.

CT