52 PES XVII/2016 AN ENIGMATIC GRAFFITO FROM THE SUN TEMPLE OF NYUSERRE
The a ea o he so-called “big slaugh e house” is
undoub edly one o he la ges bu ye mos enigma ic pa s
o he sun emple o Nyuse e. The a ea, which was he
e y i s pa o he emple o be unea hed by Bo cha d
in 1898 (Schä e 1899: 6–7; Bo cha d 1905: 78), ac ually
occupies a ound 800 sq. m (Bo cha d 1905: 46) and is
loca ed in he no h-eas e n sec o o he sun emple, in
be ween he s o e ooms and he cen al al a ( ig. 2). I
was cha ac e ized by a limes one pa emen inse wi h
channels, each 24 cm wide. This pa emen was aised
abou 15 cm abo e he cou ya d le el and was connec ed
wi h a ow o 10 alabas e basins, o which 9 we e, and s ill
a e, p ese ed in si u (Bo cha d 1905: 46, and Abb. 37;
see also igs. 3–4 he e).2These basins we e placed a
An enigma ic g a i o om he sun emple
o Nyuse e and he meaning o he so-called
“slaugh e house”1
Massimiliano Nuzzolo
The sun emple o Nyuse e, i s disco e ed by Ge man a chaeologis Ludwig Bo cha d a he
end o he nine een h cen u y, is he only sun emple which is nowadays s ill la gely p ese ed and
isible ou o he six emples known om he his o ical sou ces ( ig. 1). The s udy o his emple
and he igh in e p e a ion o i s di e en componen s a e hus pi o al o ou comp ehension
o he a chi ec u e and eligious peculia i ies o he sun emples as a whole. One pa o he sun
emple o Nyuse e seems o be pa icula ly in e es ing in his ega d, namely he so-called
“slaugh e house”. In ac , new a chaeological in es iga ions a he si e, as well as a eassessmen
o he a ailable epig aphic and his o ical sou ces, demons a e ha Bo cha d ’s in e p e a ion
o his a ea o Nyuse e’s sun emple is w ong. Consequen ly, a new p oposal can be pu o wa d.
Fig. 1 De ailed iew o he i s wo no he n basins seen om he eas . The basin on he le o he pic u e shows he emains o an elemen p o uding
om he squa e ou line o he block, which may indica e he le el o he o iginal pa emen (pho o M. Nuzzolo)
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AN ENIGMATIC GRAFFITO FROM THE SUN TEMPLE OF NYUSERRE PES XVII/2016 5 3
Fig. 2 Rele an pa o he plan
o he sun emple o Nyuse e
wi h he di e en building
phases (2a) and he 3D
econs uc ion (2b)
(a e Bo cha d 1905: Bl. 1, 6)
he eas e n end o he a ea in o accoun , nea he main
enclosu e wall o he sola emple, and we e aligned along
he no h-sou h axis. Fo each o he basins bu he wo
ex e io ones, Bo cha d econs uc ed 3 channels, o an
o e all numbe o 28 channels se in o he pa emen
(Bo cha d 1905: 47 and ig. 2a he e). The alabas e basins
a e ci cula in he middle – wi h a diame e o abou 1.2 m
and a dep h o oughly 50 cm – bu , om he ou side, hey
look like cuboid objec s, measu ing 1.55 m in wid h and
76 cm in heigh ( igs. 4–5). Only he ound im o he
ac ual ci cula basin comes ou om his squa e s uc u e.
Along he im, he e a e also 26 e y small ound holes,
whose unc ion is s ill unknown (Schä e 1899: 6–7;
Bo cha d 1905: 15, 46–48, Abb. 39). Each basin is
cha ac e ized by a ho izon al duc , placed in he uppe ,
wes e n pa o he basins, which should ha e connec ed
he abo e g oo ed pa emen wi h he inside o he basins
o he collec ing o he liquids ( igs. 4–5).
On he back (eas e n side) o one o hese alabas e
basins, Bo cha d ound a hie a ic insc ip ion which – he
assumed – should de e mine he o iginal name o he a ea
as a slaugh e house. He ead i as
and ansla ed his as “O e ing Place o he Royal Temple”
(Bo cha d 1905: 48; and ig. 6 he e). Howe e , a new
eading can be p oposed o his ex , whose cha ac e is ics
we shall see u he below.
Acco ding o he Ge man schola , his pa o he emple
was an ac ual a ea o he bu che ing o he ca le, which we e
conduc ed he e h ough he alley emple and he causeway
o be sac i iced ( o a 3D econs uc ion, see Bo cha d 1905:
Bl. 1 and ig. 2b he e). The basins mus ha e had he
unc ion ei he o collec he blood o he ic ims which
we e sac i iced in he pa ed a ea, o he wa e used o clean
he a ea i sel a e he sac i ice (Bo cha d 1905: 48).
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54 PES XVII/2016 AN ENIGMATIC GRAFFITO FROM THE SUN TEMPLE OF NYUSERRE
Fig. 3 A ea o he so-called
“big slaugh e house” du ing
he exca a ions (a e Bo cha d
1905: Bl. 36, 54). In he i s
image (3a), i is clea ly isible
ha a s uc u e, appa en ly
in limes one and mud b icks,
seems o pu he slaugh e house
and he magazines in o di ec
communica ion (on he le side
o he pic u e). The s uc u e was
hen des oyed since in a la e
image (3b) i is no longe isible
Fig. 4 The basins (4a) o he so-called “big slaugh e house” du ing he exca a ions (a e Bo cha d
1905: Bl. 38). The sec ion and plan (4b) o one o he basins (a e Bo cha d 1905: Bl. 39)
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AN ENIGMATIC GRAFFITO FROM THE SUN TEMPLE OF NYUSERRE PES XVII/2016 5 5
Based on Bo cha d ’s econs uc ion, he en i e a ea
mus ha e been accessible om he wes e n side, nea he
no h-eas e n co ne o he obelisk, by means o small
podiums leading up o he g oo ed pa emen , and mus
ha e been su ounded by a balus ade, unning along i s
whole pe ime e , possibly o pen in he animals (Bo cha d
1905: 46). Bo cha d also expec ed o ind some closed
spaces, possibly wi h loopholes on he sides, whe e he
ac ual slaugh e ing would ha e aken place, bu no such
ind was ac ually disco e ed (Bo cha d 1905: 47).
In he no h-wes e n sec o o he emple, a he bo om
o he obelisk (see ig. 2b), Bo cha d also ound e y
simila acili ies, namely 10 basins, which had h ee
ounded holes (and hence h ee duc s) each, and we e e y
likely connec ed o channels o d ain in liquids, al hough
no ace o a g oo ed pa emen simila o he one desc ibed
abo e was ac ually ound in his a ea o he emple
(Bo cha d 1900: 96; Bo cha d – Schä e 1901: 92–93;
Bo cha d 1905: 51). Mo eo e he basins o his a ea we e
made in ough limes one (and no in ine alabas e as he
o he ones) and did no exhibi he small ound ca i ies
along he edge (Bo cha d 1905: 51, Abb. 45).
Finally, in he wes e n cou ya d, namely he wide,
emp y a ea in-be ween he obelisk and he enclosu e wall
Fig. 5 The basins nowadays: (5a) he basins seen om he op o he obelisk; (5b) he basins om he no h-wes e n co ne (pho o M. Nuzzolo)
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56 PES XVII/2016 AN ENIGMATIC GRAFFITO FROM THE SUN TEMPLE OF NYUSERRE
o he emple (see ig. 2b), Bo cha d also ound some
elie agmen s depic ing slaugh e ing ac i i ies (Kees
1928: Bl. 23). Al hough he loca ion o hese elie s was
qui e a om he a ea o he alleged slaugh e house, hei
disco e y was aken by he Ge man schola as a u he
hin as o he o iginal unc ion o he a ea in o accoun . We
should also no o ge ha slaugh e ing scenes a e qui e
common in he epe oi e o he con empo a y ombs and
py amid complexes bu , a he ime o Bo cha d ’s
explo a ion o he sun emple, hey we e no known in he
Old Kingdom oyal monumen s. This lack o da a may
hus ha e u he a ec ed Bo cha d ’s in e p e a ion o he
discussed a ea.
Taking in o accoun he abo e elemen s, Bo cha d
concluded ha he wo a eas o he sun emple should
o iginally ha e had he same a angemen and we e used
o he same bu che ing ac i i ies. He hus ga e he
s uc u e in he no h-eas e n pa o he emple he
con en ional name o “big slaugh e house” o dis inguish
i om he smalle s uc u e in he no h-wes e n sec o ,
which he named “small slaugh e house”. The eason o
he doubling o he slaugh e houses was iden i ied by he
Ge man schola in he complemen a y unc ions o he wo
a eas, possibly in ended o he p esen a ion o o e ings
o Re and Ha ho espec i ely (Bo cha d 1905: 51–52).
In his way, he also de eloped a p e ious sugges ion by
Ku h Se he, who ac ually a gued, some yea s be o e he
disco e y o he sun emple, and based on he sole i les
o p i a e pe sons, ha a join cul o he wo dei ies should
ha e exis ed in all he sun emples and py amids o he Old
Kingdom (Se he 1889: 114).
C i icali ies o Bo cha d ’s in e p e a ion
Since he 1970s, Bo cha d ’s iden i ica ion o hese wo
a eas as slaugh e houses has been se iously ques ioned. In
his s udy on slaugh e houses in he Old Kingdom, A ne
Eggeb ech i s exp essed se ious doub s abou he ac ual
slaugh e o o e ing animals in he sun emple. Lacking
new a chaeological elemen s, he a gued ha , ideologically,
he so-called sun emple slaugh e houses migh ha e been
in ended only o i ual display and cleansing o he mea ,
which was o be ca ied ou in he basins be o e being
o e ed on he cen al al a . He also emphasized ha
he slaugh e ing ac i i ies did no i he i ual pu i y o he
emple acco ding o he Egyp ian men ali y (Eggeb ech
1973: 124–137, esp. 128–131).
Howe e , i was he disco e y o he “House o he
Kni e” (Hw -nm ) in he 1980s by he Czechoslo ak eam
led by Mi osla Ve ne ha added he mos impo an da a
in his ega d. In he slaugh e house loca ed nea he sou h-
eas e n co ne o Rane e e ’s py amid complex, benches
and binding-s ones o he slaugh e ing o he animals
we e ound, as well as a consis en numbe o bones, i ual
lin kni es and o he ela ed ools. These elemen s
demons a e he eal use o he a ea o he slaugh e ing o
he animals. To he con a y, none o hese ins umen s
o acili ies was e e ound in Nyuse e’s sun emple
(Ve ne 1986: 182–187).
The name i sel by which he s uc u e in Rane e e ’s
complex is de ined, i.e. Hw -nm , is di e en om he name
o he s uc u e men ioned in he abo e hie a ic insc ip ion
in he sun emple. The Hw -nm , howe e , seems o be he
Fig. 6 The hie a ic insc ip ion
on one o he basins and
i s hie oglyphic ansli e a ion.
I is eng a ed on he hi d
p ese ed basin om he no h
(pho o M. Nuzzolo)
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AN ENIGMATIC GRAFFITO FROM THE SUN TEMPLE OF NYUSERRE PES XVII/2016 5 7
co ec name o de ine he slaugh e house in he Old
Kingdom, o in he Abusi papy i o ei he he py amid
o Ne e i ka e (Posene -K iége 1976: 353, 431, 507–510)
o Rane e e (Posene -K iége – Ve ne – Vymazalo á
2006: 347–349) we ha e a numbe o men ionings
o he Hw -nm in a con ex ha canno bu e e o
a slaugh e house.
F om he a chaeological s andpoin , we also ha e
se e al elemen s ha appea o con adic Bo cha d ’s
hypo hesis o a slaugh e house inside he sun emple. Fi s
o all, he analysis o he g ound plan o he Old Kingdom
py amid emples clea ly demons a es ha hey did no
include a slaugh e house, p obably on accoun o i s
p o ane na u e which did no i he i ual pu i y o he
emple (see also Posene -K iége – Ve ne – Vymazalo á
2006: 348).
Fu he mo e, in he sun emple o Nyuse e he e is no
d ainage sys em connec ed o he slaugh e houses.3This
d aining sys em would ha e been pi o al o collec liquids
and con ey hem ou o he emple and can be indeed
ound, al hough no connec ed o a slaugh e house, in he
py amid emple o Sahu e (Bo cha d 1910: 75–83).
Mo eo e , bo h he limes one basins o he “small
slaugh e house” and he alabas e ones o he “big
slaugh e house” we e apped a he bo om and hei
en ance holes seem o be mainly in ended o di ec
liquids on o he g oo ed pa emen a he han collec ing
liquids coming om i . A any a e, e en i we imagine
ha he sys em desc ibed abo e had been in en ionally
made o collec he blood o he ca le which we e
sac i iced on he g oo ed pa emen i is ye no clea why
his blood would ha e been d ained in o he basins, no
ha ing any cul ic alue.
I is also wo h no ing ha he sun emple o Nyuse e is
cha ac e ized by e y small and na ow en anceways (see
Bo cha d 1905: Bl. 6; Nuzzolo – Pi elli 2011: pl. 41–42),
and his makes i p ac ically impossible o lead ca le wi h
b oad ho ns in o he emple.
Las bu no leas , om a p ac ical poin o iew,
ca ying ou slaugh e ing ac i i ies a om he wa e
sou ce, as is indeed he case wi h he sun emple, which is
no loca ed in he alley a ea, would ha e been e y
unsui able and incon enien .
A cheological- ex ual e idence o
he slaugh e houses in he Fi h Dynas y oyal
monumen s
In addi ion o he abo e elemen s, o he a chaeological-
ex ual e idence seems o indica e ha slaugh e houses
we e ac ually loca ed in he py amid ci ies, o a ached o
he oyal palace, and ne e si ua ed in he py amid/sun
emple.
Sahu e’s slaugh e houses, o example, a e men ioned
in some hie a ic insc ip ions on ja docke s ound in he
emple o Rane e e , and a e clea ly ela ed o he palace
o he king, called wTs n w %AH.w.Ra (Posene -K iége
1993: 7–16; Ve ne e al. 2006: 272–286; Vymazalo á
2011: 302).
Documen s om Ne e i ka e’s py amid emple a chi e
men ion he sun emple % -ib-Ra se e al imes as he only
sou ce o mea used in he py amid emple o he king o
his une a y o e ings p -x w (Posene -K iége 1976:
43–44, 47–52; Posene -K iége 1979: 145). The mea was
anspo ed by boa om he sun emple o he py amid
emple o he king (Posene -K iége 1976: 631) whe e i
is logical o assume, al hough he sou ces a e silen in
his ega d, ha i was pa ially consumed and pa ially
s ocked. Howe e , in he papy i he e is no men ion o
a slaugh e house loca ed inside he sun emple ha could
demons a e ha he mea was ac ually slaugh e ed he ein.
Ra he , he documen s e e o he al a o Re in he sun
emple as he place o p o enance o he mea (Posene -
K iége 1976: 50, 611).
In his ega d, i is also in e es ing o no e ha all he
o he o e ings which we e deli e ed, daily o mon hly,
o he une a y emple – including be e ages and b ead
(H p-nT ), as well as poul y – also came om he sun
emple. In ac , he p o enance o his oods u was
eco ded in he papy us a chi e o he king’s py amid wi h
di e en en ies, including he Residence, he Palace and
o he es a es o he king.
Howe e , hese o e ings physically a i ed o he
py amid only om he sun emple, whe e hey should ha e
been p e iously accumula ed, in some cases mos p obably
as aw p oduc s, such as g ain o lou , and no as inished
ones, such as b ead (Posene -K iége 1976: 631–634;
Posene -K iége 1979: 145–146). This would demons a e
ha a la ge se lemen , endowed wi h bake ies, b ewe ies
and a slaugh e house did exis by he sun emple o
Ne e i ka e, bu was no loca ed inside he sun emple
i sel bu a he – due o he ype o ac i i ies in ol ed –
nea by he sun emple, possibly in he a ea a ound i s
alley emple (see also Vymazalo á 2011: 303).
In he case o Nyuse e, we do no ha e any a chae-
ological o epig aphic elemen o con i m ha a slaugh-
e house did ac ually exis ei he by his py amid/sun
emple own, o his palace. Howe e , a ound he alley
emple o his sun emple, Bo cha d ac ually ound he
emains o a la ge se lemen , ce ainly used o a g ea
a ie y o ac i i ies, which un o una ely he did no
sys ema ically exca a e (Bo cha d 1905: 7–8, 18–19).
The possibili y ha he ac ual slaugh e house o he sun
emple was loca ed he e is, he e o e, no g oundless
(see also Ve ne e al. 2006: 98, no e 7).
A di e en example was ac ually ep esen ed by he
slaugh e house o Rane e e ’s py amid complex. The
a chaeological e idence gi es us a clea indica ion ha he
slaugh e house o he king’s py amid complex was used
as such only o a e y sho pe iod, namely du ing he
king’s eign, when i was no a ached o he py amid
complex. Soon a e he king’s dea h – i.e. a he beginning
o Nyuse e’s eign – he slaugh e house was connec ed
wi h he py amid and ans o med in o a s o ehouse, wi h
he necessa y mea o e ing o he king’s cul aken om
he abo e-men ioned oyal palace o Sahu e (Ve ne e al.
2006: 285–287; Vymazalo á 2011: 303).
The abo e elemen s seem hus o indica e ha he ac ual
slaugh e ing ac i i ies we e usually ca ied ou in he oyal
palace (see he complex o Sahu e), o in he owns a ound
he alley emples o sun emples and py amids (as was
he case wi h Ne e i ka e and p obably Nyuse e), and ha
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58 PES XVII/2016 AN ENIGMATIC GRAFFITO FROM THE SUN TEMPLE OF NYUSERRE
he slaugh e house nex o Rane e e ’s py amid emple is
ac ually an excep ion o he ule, possibly due o he
speci ic his o ical ci cums ances o his eign (Vymaza-
lo á 2011: 302). Wha e e he case, no slaugh e house
was loca ed in a py amid emple o a sun emple.
These ema ks e iden ly also a ec he so-called
“slaugh e houses” inside he sun emple o Nyuse e,
whose meaning and unc ion mus hus be sough
elsewhe e.
Epig aphic ea u es o he insc ip ion
and i s a chaeological con ex
The solu ion o he enigma p obably lies in he abo e-
men ioned hie a ic insc ip ion ound by Bo cha d on
he back o one o he alabas e basins o he “big
slaugh e house”. The insc ip ion
was e oneously ead by Bo cha d as wab gs-p nsw 4and
ansla ed as “O e ing Place o he Royal Temple”, which
was, in Bo cha d ’s idea, he ancien name o he slaugh-
e house (Bo cha d 1905: 48).
La e schola s (Fische 1966: 66; Ve ne 2014: 214; see
u he below conce ning hei hypo heses) os e ed his
e oneous eading, al hough hey ied o gi e i a di e en
in e p e a ion on which I will come back o la e . This
mis ake in he eading was e y likely due o he ac ha
hey did no ha e he oppo uni y o inspec he insc ip ion
pe sonally.
In ac , as is clea when we app oach he o iginal hie a ic
insc ip ion (see ig. 6),5i s co ec eading is de ini ely
wab gs-p p -nsw .
The sign ha Bo cha d ead as he phone ic complemen n
a e he sign o he king (nsw ) is ac ually he sign o p
( o a compa ison o he w i ing, see also Mölle 1909: 32;
Dob e – Ve ne – Vymazalo á 2011: 37). The same w i ing
o p -nsw is also documen ed in he papy i om he
py amid emple o Rane e e (Posene -K iége – Ve ne –
Vymazalo á 2006: 156–157, agmen 66A).
The insc ip ion is cha ac e ized by qui e small, and
supe icially ca ed, signs, eng a ed on he eas e n side o
he basin. The o e all heigh o he insc ip ion is 4.6 cm,
al hough he nsw sign is sligh ly highe han he es o
he insc ip ion, being 5 cm. The o e all leng h o he
insc ip ion is 22.5 cm. The insc ip ion is loca ed almos a
he op o he basin, being a a ound 9 cm om i s im.
The insc ip ion p esen s a leas wo impo an
peculia i ies: i s o all, i is ac ually a sc a ch o g a i o –
a he han a p ope hie a ic insc ip ion – which hus
di e s om he insc ip ions eng a ed on se e al
monumen s o he Old Kingdom, ei he oyal o p i a e.6
The la e insc ip ions a e usually, i no always, pain ed
in black o ed and ha e much la ge size, while he
insc ip ion in accoun is qui e small, and does no p esen ,
a leas o he naked eye, any aces o colo .
The only sui able and compa able example comes, in
he p esen au ho ’s knowledge, om he Red Py amid o
Dahshu . He e se e al ma ks we e ound which we e no
di ec ly pain ed on he s one block, bu a he sc a ched
and hen – and no always – pain ed (S adelmann –
Sou ouzian 1982: 387–393). In his case, oo, howe e , he
insc ip ions/signs a e ac ually chiseled ou and no jus
sc a ched, as is he case wi h he insc ip ion om
Nyuse e’s sun emple.
Ye – and his is he second di e en ea u e o he
insc ip ion om he sun emple o Nyuse e – he na u e o
he insc ip ions eng a ed on he abo e Dahshu blocks, as
well as in all he o he known cases, is e y di e en om
he insc ip ion he e conside ed. In ac , all he hie a ic
insc ip ions on he oyal and p i a e monumen s a e
basically in ended o se e as masons’ ma ks o qua y
ma ks7 o eco d ei he he di e en phases o he
cons uc ion wo ks o he monumen s (o i s p e ious qua y
ac i i ies), o he inal des ina ion o hese blocks, namely
he monumen o place o which he blocks we e qua ied.8
One o he main ea u es o all ypes o hie a ic
insc ip ions and ma ks, wha e e he si e o p o enance,
is also a eco d o he i les and/o names o people
somehow pa icipa ing in he building and qua ying
ac i i ies, ei he as dono s o he blocks hemsel es, o
simply as pe sonnel in cha ge o he building/qua ying
ac i i y.9In all hese cases, he name o he speci ic
monumen is indica ed – o en associa ed wi h he king’s
name and/o a p o isional da e o he insc ip ion – bu
ne e a speci ic pa o he monumen i sel .10
A mo e complex and di e en ia ed si ua ion is o be
ound in he insc ip ions and g a i i in Ha nub (An hes
1928; Shaw 2010: 135–170),11 he main qua y o Egyp ian
alabas e / a e ine in he Old Kingdom, om whe e he
basins o he sun emple and he al a p obably also came.12
Con a y o all he o he si es, we do ha e he e many
insc ip ions which a e simply ca ed o chiseled ou
wi hou being pain ed. Bu we can also ind insc ip ions
which a e ca ed and hen pain ed and, in a mino pa ,
e en insc ip ions which a e only pain ed (An hes 1928:
13–80). In he la ge majo i y o cases, howe e , hese
insc ip ions a e eng a ed on limes one and no on
alabas e . Ye , hey sha e he cha ac e is ics o he abo e
insc ip ions om he o he si es, being mainly in ended o
eco d building ac i i ies o he kings, as well as o
celeb a e he people in cha ge o hese qua ying
expedi ions (An hes 1928: 4–5). Fu he mo e, in he
Ha nub insc ip ions, oo, when a monumen is men ioned
(qui e a ely in ac ), i is men ioned as a whole, and no
in i s speci ic pa s as is he case, ins ead, o he insc ip ion
om he sun emple.
In he en i e Old Kingdom, we ha e only wo cases o
speci ic pa s o a monumen named wi hou he indica ion
o he name o he monumen i sel : hese a e in he Fou h
Dynas y py amid o Djede e, and in he Fi h Dynas y
py amid o Rane e e . In bo h cases, and e y in e es ingly,
he hie a ic insc ip ion men ions a wab in connec ion wi h
he bu ial chambe o he king’s py amid, whe e bo h
insc ip ions we e ound (see Valloggia 2011: 49, ig. 180;
Ve ne e al. 2006: 195–196). Bo h insc ip ions, howe e ,
s ill pa ake o he main cha ac e is ics o all he o he
known insc ip ions (see abo e), namely hey a e eng a ed
on blocks om he mason y o he py amids, and a e
pain ed in ed o black.
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AN ENIGMATIC GRAFFITO FROM THE SUN TEMPLE OF NYUSERRE PES XVII/2016 5 9
The e o e, he hie a ic insc ip ion on Nyuse e’s sun
emple basin does no sha e any o he ea u es o he
abo e-men ioned insc ip ions, excep o he wo la e
insc ip ions ound in he py amids, wi h which i sha es,
a leas , he men ioning o a speci ic pa o a oyal
monumen wi hou any e e ence o he main name o he
monumen i sel .
A e y impo an aspec o he ques ion is also ha he
insc ip ion in Nyuse e’s sun emple is o be ound on an
a e ac , e.g. he alabas e basin, which was pa o a cul ic
ins alla ion and no , as is usually he ule, on blocks
in ended o he co e mason y o a building. The la e
blocks we e no in ended o be isible once he
cons uc ion wo ks we e comple ed.
In he case o Nyuse e’s sun emple, ins ead, i is no
en i ely clea i he insc ip ion was ac ually isible o no
du ing he basin’s pe iod o use. Bo cha d a gued ha he
basins we e mos ly sunken in he g ound, in o de ha he
in e io duc could be aligned, ho izon ally, wi h he
g oo ed pa emen , o he d aining o he liquids (see
Bo cha d 1905: 48, ig. 39; and ig. 4 he e). This si ua ion,
howe e , was ce ainly alid o he wes e n side o he
basins – namely he one acing he cen al cou ya d –
which was aligned wi h he a o e-men ioned g oo ed
pa emen . Howe e , we do no know i he back (eas e n
side) o he basins, whe e he insc ip ion ac ually is, was
also a anged he same way wi h espec o he pa emen .
In ac , in-be ween he basins and he main wall o he
eas e n co ido , namely he co ido gi ing access o he
a ea coming om he main en anceway o he emple,
he e is s ill a space o a ound 2.5 m which should also
ha e been pa ed (see also ig. 2a). Bo cha d (1905:
47–48), howe e , does no speci y wha he le el o he
cou ya d was in his pa o he emple, and he p esen
s a e o dis epai o he a ea does no allow us o say
any hing mo e p ecise on he le el o he loo .
We can no e, howe e , ha he second basin om he
no h ( ig. 1), a he bo om o he eas e n side, shows he
emains o an elemen p o uding om he squa e ou line o
he block, which may likely indica e he le el o he o iginal
pa emen . I his is co ec , a la ge majo i y o each basin,
on i s eas e n side, would ha e been isible a he ime
o he comple ion o he emple, including he insc ip ion.
This ema k, howe e , does no mean in any way ha
he insc ip ion was in ended o be isible. In ac , he
insc ip ion is loca ed a a ound 63 cm om he bo om o
he alabas e basin. The e o e, e en i he eas e n açade
o he basin was eally le comple ely unco e ed by he
pa emen , as jus assumed, he insc ip ion would s ill ha e
been in qui e a low posi ion o be clea ly isible o he
people mo ing a ound i . We should also bea in mind ha
he echnique o he sligh ca ing/sc a ching o he signs
would ha e no acili a ed he isibili y o he insc ip ion
(see u he below).
Ano he impo an aspec o he issue is o de ine i he
basins we e inished o no . Ac ually all he basins –
Fig. 7 The basin wi h he insc ip ion seen om he eas e n (7a), no he n (7b) and wes e n (7c) side, wi h de ail o he insc ip ion (7d). The co ne s and
he lowe pa s seem o ha e been le un inished. The basins es on s ones and no di ec ly on he pa emen . This would lead us o suppose ha hey
we e mo ed by Bo cha d du ing he exca a ion (pho o M. Nuzzolo)
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60 PES XVII/2016 AN ENIGMATIC GRAFFITO FROM THE SUN TEMPLE OF NYUSERRE
including he one holding he insc ip ion – appea mos ly
ended up and smoo hed on bo h he main sides (eas e n
and wes e n), especially in hei uppe pa s. The co ne s
and he lowe pa s, ins ead, seem o ha e been le
un inished, possibly because hey had o be se in he
g ound o o join he con iguous pieces. This is pa icula ly
ue o he basin wi h he insc ip ion which is isibly
b oken a he bo om, as well as on bo h i s no he n and
sou he n sides ( ig. 7).
In addi ion, we should conside ha ou pe cep ion o
he basins is somehow a ec ed by he ac ha he basins
we e p obably mo ed by Bo cha d o in es iga e he
s uc u es unde nea h. Al hough he does no say any hing
abou his, i may be in e ed by he analysis o he
a e ac s (see ig. 5 and 7). This mo emen may ha e
u he damaged he weak pa s o he basins, i.e. he
co ne s and he lowe pa s, which a e hus no pe ec ly
p ese ed nowadays.
Wha e e he case, he insc ip ion on he basin clea ly
appea s, nowadays, as i i was w i en on a polished
su ace. This would lead us o conclude ha he insc ip ion
was no ca ed in he qua y, bu a he in he wo kshop
whe e he basin was inished, o di ec ly in he emple,
when he basin was pu in place ( o mo e de ails, see
u he below).
A inal hypo hesis s ill emains, namely ha he
insc ip ion was a g a i o sc a ched on he basin by
a isi o o he emple in la e pe iods. This hypo hesis
seems, howe e , e y unlikely, o isi o s’ g a i i a e
usually qui e di e en om he insc ip ion he e aken in o
accoun as conce ns ei he hei con en o hei ea u es
( o a compa ison o signs and discussion, see Na á ilo á
2007 wi h u he e e ences). Addi ionally, i somebody
had in ended o euse he basin o ano he monumen and
hus le he insc ip ion on i o ma k i s new des ina ion –
some hing which equen ly happened h oughou Egyp-
ian his o y – he basin would ha e been ound e-
employed somewhe e else. Howe e , e en in he case o
a euse o he basin, he insc ip ion would ha e been
clea ly pain ed on he block, wi h he same cha ac e is ics
we ha e al eady seen o he qua y/masons’ ma ks, and
his is no he case o he insc ip ion he e conside ed.
In conclusion, he hypo hesis ha he insc ip ion was
eng a ed in he ime o Nyuse e, ei he in he wo kshop
o di ec ly in he emple, emains he mos plausible.
Wab gs-p p -nsw : he eading o he insc ip ion
and he possible meaning o he slaugh e houses
o Nyuse e’s sun emple
Rega dless o he abo e epig aphic and a chaeological
cha ac e is ics o he insc ip ion, wha seems o be
ex emely in e es ing is i s in e p e a ion and possible
meaning. We ha e he e he eco d o h ee names
de e mined wi h he p sign. This implies he exis ence o
h ee ins i u ions, he las one o which (gs-p ) is pu in
di ec ela ion wi h he second one (p -nsw ) by means o
he usual hono i ic an e-posi ion. The meaning o he
insc ip ion, howe e , is no qui e as ob ious and clea as
i seems, since each o he h ee e ms in ol ed in i has
a e y deba able ansla ion.
The wab
In he Old Kingdom he e m wab , whose li e al meaning
is he “pu e place”, is mos commonly unde s ood as
a “wo kshop” in he b oades possible sense (E man –
G apow 1955 I: 284). In ac , based on scenes and ex s in
p i a e ombs, mos schola s concluded ha he e m
should designa e p ima ily a “mo ua y wo kshop”
in ol ed in he cons uc ion and deco a ion o he omb,
as well as in he p oduc ion o a a ie y o goods o he
a e li e o he deceased, such as alse doo s, s a ues and
une a y u ni u e (B o a ski 1977: 110–115; D enkhahn
1976: 144, 147–151; Coppens 2007: 57). The body o he
deceased is also said o be ea ed in he wab be o e being
bu ied (Wilson 1944: 202).
Howe e , in i les o p i a e indi iduals, he e m wab
is o en pa o he i le imy- wab and, mo e a ely, o he
i le sHD wab (Jones 2000: 87, no. 922). The i s i le is
egula ly associa ed wi h ha o w x p Hmw , which is
usually unde s ood as he designa ion o he “High P ies
o P ah” in Memphis and chie o he a isans/c a smen
o he emple wo kshop (Mays e 1992: 18–19, 223–250).
The e o e, in his con ex , he wab seems a he a “ emple
wo kshop” connec ed wi h he p oduc ion o cul s a ues
(and mo e in gene al, o he cul ic ma e ial) and possibly
loca ed in he emple i sel , no ably he emple o P ah in
Memphis.13
In he oyal con ex , as we ha e seen, he e m occu s
on masons’ blocks o wo py amids and seems o designa e
he bu ial chambe o , as sugges ed by Ve ne , he en i e
pi o he cons uc ion o he bu ial chambe (Ve ne
e al. 2006: 196). The e m is no documen ed a all in
Ne e ei ka e’s papy us a chi e, while i occu s only once,
in a e y agmen a y piece o papy us, in Rane e e ’s
a chi e. The con ex o he men ioning o he wab
is, howe e , oo obscu e o y o a emp a econs uc ion
o i s possible meaning (Posene -K iége – Ve ne –
Vymazalo á 2006: 253).
In all he cases known so a , he e m wab is ne e
a es ed in combina ion wi h he o he wo e ms he e aken
in o accoun (gs-p and p -nsw ), i we exclude wo i les
o p i a e indi iduals whe e he i le o imy- wab is
associa ed wi h ha o imy- gs (Fische 1966: 67), which,
howe e , is no he same as gs-p as o he schola s ha e
no ed (Mo eno Ga cía 1999: 124; Posene -K iége –
Ve ne – Vymazalo á 2006: 357–358). This combina ion
o wab wi h gs-p and p -nsw hus s ands as a hapax
legomenos.
The p -nsw
The e m p -nsw , li e ally he “king’s domain”, has
equen ly been he ocus o pas schola ship bu has no
ye ecei ed an unequi ocal in e p e a ion. Wol gang
Helck (1975: 95–110), o example, p esumed ha he
p -nsw was he adminis a ion o he coun y as an
ins i u ion, no connec ed wi h a conc e e king’s name and
hus se ing e e y uling king, as was also he case wi h
he e ms Xnw “ esidence” and aH “palace”.
E a Ma in-Pa dey (1995: 285) also eached a simila
conclusion based on he analysis o he e m p -nsw as i
occu s in associa ion wi h o he e ms in he i les o
p i a e indi iduals and o icial insc ip ions. She main ains
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