Publish and Study a Group of Hieratic Ostraca from the Egyptian

Cairo University
Faculty of Archaeology
Egyptology Department
Publish and Study a Group of Hieratic Ostraca from the
Egyptian Museum of Cairo
(Deir el-Bahri and Deir el-Medina)
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Archaeology-Cairo University for
fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Egyptology.
By
Khaled Hassan Abd el-Aziz Metwaly
Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Archaeology,
Cairo University, Egyptology Department.
Supervised by
Prof. Dr. Soad Abd el-Âal
Prof. Dr. Ursula Verhoeven Van
Elsbergen
Professor of Ancient Egyptian
language.
Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo
University.
Professor of Ancient Egyptian language.
Institute for Ancient Studies, Egyptology.
Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz.
Cairo-2014
Summary:
The current thesis is dealing with publishing and studying a group of
hieratic ostraca kept in the basement of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Most of these ostraca was found by H. Winlock through his excavation at
Deir el-Bahri between 1911-1931. The whole texts were written in black
ink except the ostracon 488 and the verso of ostracon 308 were inscribed
in red ink. The methodology of this study started by measuring the
ostraca i.e. the length and width, in addition to the thickness of the
potsherds, making a classification to the texts according to their
chronological division. A further internal division according to topic has
been done as well. Each ostracon was preceded by its number, material,
colour, measurements, provenance, and the date with a short description.
This was followed by the hieroglyphic transcription, transliteration, and
translation. The palaeographical remarks are used for each ostracon to
highlight the problems in reading or to compare with other parallel texts
that could help in dating. The texts were also accompanied by a
commentary on their cultural and linguistic aspects. The facsimile of the
whole group of ostraca has been done by the scholar on the photos not on
the ostraca, and embedded with the plates at the end of the study.
I
Key Words:
• Ostraca
• Hieratic
• Deir el-Bahri
• Deir el-Medina
• Administrative
• Letters
• Literary
• Religious
• 18th dynasty
• Ramesside time
II
To the memory of my Father, I dedicate this work
III
Acknowledgments
This work would have never appeared without the great help, support, advice,
and kindness of my supervisors: Prof. Dr. Soad Abd el-Âal, who backed me up
from the beginning, when allow me to work on this group of ostraca. She
reviewed the manuscript many times and gave me valuable comments that
helped me to finish my work. Prof. Dr. Ursula Verhoeven Van Elsbergen, who
supported me very much particularly during my scholarship in Mainz
University. She spent along time in discussing with me each ostracon and the
problems that faced me. She reviewed the manuscript and sent me a detailed
list of corrections and additions that helped me to accomplish this work.
I am deeply grateful for the help of Prof. Dr. Robert Demarée (Leiden
University), Prof. Dr. H. Fischer Elfert (Leipzig University), Dr. Tarek Tawfik
(Cairo University), Dr. Barbara Lüscher (Basel University), and Dr. Dirk
Wicke (Mainz University).
Warmest thanks go also to Prof. Dr. M.A. Nour El Din, Prof. Dr. Mohamed
Sherif Ali, Prof. Dr. Zeinab Mahrous, Prof. Dr. Mourad Allam, Dr. Mohamed
Gamal Rashed, Dr. Mansour Abd el-Raziq, Ms. Ghada Sayed (Cairo
University), Prof. Dr. Tanja Pommeraning (Mainz University), and Ms. Sabah
Abd el-Raziq and her team (Egyptian Museum in Cairo).
I am also indebted to all colleagues from the Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo
University, the French Egyptological Institute in Cairo, and the Institute of
Egyptology and Near Eastern Studies, Mainz University. I would like also to
thank Mrs. Patsy Gasperetti the English native editor who has kindely revised
my English.
Everything I owe to my parents, and last but not least, I should mention my
wife for her unlimited support, and my children Malak, and Hassan.
IV
Textual signs
[ ]: In transcriptions, transliterations, and translations indicates missing
text in the original, and any additions enclosed by such brackets have
been restored by me.
( ): In transliterations and translations indicates a word or phrase inserted
by me for clarity but nonexistent in the Egyptian.
<
>: In transliterations and translations indicates an omission by the
ancient scribe.
{ }: In transliterations are used for letters or words which erroneously
added by the scribe.
: In the hieroglyphic transcriptions indicates damaged or illegible
text in the original.
.........: In transliterations and translations indicates a missing or illegible
text in the original.
V
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments……………………………………..
IV
Textual signs……………………………..…………….
V
Bibliographical Abbreviations.…………………………
VII-XXXI
Ostraca listed by genre ………………………………...
XXXII-XXXIII
Introduction…………………………………………….
Chapter one: Administrative ostraca…..………………
XXXIVXXXVIII
1-136
Chapter two: Letters…………………………………..
137-170
Chapter three: Literary ostraca….……………………..
171-209
Chapter four: Religious/ Cultic ostraca……………….
210-235
Tables of Palaeography ………………………………..
236-252
Conclusion ……………………………………………..
253-263
Indices…………………………………………………
264-273
Index of Personal Names………………………………
264-267
Index of Royal Names ………………………………..
267
Index of titles…………………………………………..
267-269
Index of Gods………………………………………….
269-270
General Index of Egyptian words……………………..
270-275
Plates……………………………………………………
VI
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