Stela of Tiberius

Stela of Tiberius

The stela has a rounded top with a winged sun disk; two uraei hang down from it, one wearing the white crown and the other wearing the red crown. Underneath is a representation of Tiberius presenting an offering to Mut and Khons. He kneels and holds out a little sphinx wearing the red crown and holding a small offering bowl. The emperor is dressed in a short kilt with a triangular apron; he wears a collar and the blue khepresh-crown with a uraeus and ribbons.
Mut is seated on a throne, clad in an undecorated long gown. She wears a collar and a long wig with a vulture head dress and the Double Crown. She holds a papyrus staff in her right hand and an ankh-sign in her left hand.
The falcon-headed god Khons is also seated on a throne, wearing a short kilt; on his head is a crescent with a sun disk and uraeus. In his right hand he holds the uas-sceptre and in the left an ankh-sign.
Each figure is on a platform; above them are legenda, below the scene are seven horizontal lines of text. Above the legenda is an outstretched sky-sign, supported by two uas-sceptres standing on the lower text line.

Present location ALLARD PIERSON MUSEUM [06/002] AMSTERDAM
Inventory number APM 7763
Dating TIBERIUS
Archaeological Site UNKNOWN
Category STELA
Material SANDSTONE
Technique LOW RELIEF
Height 66.3 cm
Width 44 cm
Depth 13 cm


Translation
(1) May Horus live, the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, the Lord of the Two Lands: Tiberius, son of Re, Lord of Appearances: Caesar, given life. He has made a great work
(2) in addition to the monument of his father Caesar for his mother Mut the Great, mistress of Isheru,
(3) the great one in Thebes, mistress of creation, the adoration of sin(?) is her abomination, (...?)
(4) a large temenos wall protecting her sacred quarters and the temple ...(?) of the sun disk and this kiosk,
(5) (excellent is the work of his throat??), may her purity be great, to lead away
(6) all [...] of the people, to go out in Isheru-the-great, to implore
(7) Shai (Fate) from Meskhenet (the goddess of birth) and ... from ...

(8) The king of Upper and Lower Egypt, the lord of the Two Lands: Tiberius,
(9) the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, the lord of appearances: Caesar,
(10) given all life,
(11) durability and prosperity
(12) like Re eternally.

(13) Words to be spoken by Mut the Great, mistress
(14) of the divine Isheru,
(15) the great one in Thebes.

(16) Words to be spoken by Khons in Thebes,
(17) the good merciful one, Shu the Elder,
(18) the elder [son] of Re.

Bibliography•H.P. Blok, Een wijdingsstèle van Tiberius, Bulletin Antieke Beschaving IV,2 (1929), 6-8
•G.A.S. Snijder (ed.), Algemeene Gids Allard Pierson Museum - Amsterdam, 1956 (tweede druk), 9/pl. IV (nr. 42)
•H. de Meulenaere, L'oeuvre architecturale de Tibère a Thèbes, OLP 9 (1978), 70
•W.M. van Haarlem (ed.), CAA Allard Pierson Museum Amsterdam, Fasc. 1, 1986, 60-62
•R.A. Lunsingh Scheurleer, W.M. van Haarlem, Gids voor de afdeling Egypte, Allard Pierson Museum Amsterdam, 1986, 24/fig. 6 (nr. 4)
•R.A. Lunsingh Scheurleer, Egypte, geschenk van de Nijl, 1992, 176-177/fig. 149


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