The Hypocephalus : an ancient Egyptian funerary amulet / Tamás Mekis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mekis, Tamás, author.

Contributor:

George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

Series:

Archaeopress Egyptology ; 24.

Archaeopress Egyptology ; 24

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Inscriptions, Egyptian.

Physical Description:

viii, 362 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 30 cm.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Archaeopress Publishing Ltd., [2020]

Summary:

The hypocephalus is an element of Late Period and Ptolemaic funerary equipment - an amuletic disc placed under the head of mummies. Its shape emulates the sun's disc, and its form is planar, although it occasionally has a concave shape (in such cases, it protects the head as a funerary cap). The earliest known example can be dated to the 4th century BC and the latest to the 2nd/1st century BC. The Hypocephalus: an Ancient Egyptian Funerary Amulet analyses both the written records and iconography of these objects. So far, 158 examples are known; several, unfortunately, from old descriptions only. The relatively low number shows that the object was not a widespread item of funerary equipment. Only priest and priestly families used them, those of Amon in Thebes, of Min in Akhmim, and the ones of Ptah in Memphis. Among the examples, no two are identical. In some details, every piece is an individualized creation. Ancient Egyptian theologians certainly interpreted hypocephali as the iris of the wedjat-eye, amidst which travels the sun-god in his hidden, mysterious and tremendous form(s). The hypocephalus can be considered as the sun-disk itself. It radiates light and energy towards the head of the deceased, who again becomes a living being, feeling him/herself as 'one with the Earth' through this energy. The texts and the iconography derive principally from the supplementary chapters of the Book of the Dead. Some discs directly cite the text of spell 162 which furnishes the mythological background of the invention of the disc by the Great Cow, who protected her son Re by creating the disc at his death.

Contents:

1.1 Perspectives of the work p. 1

1.2 Definition of the term 'hypocephalus' p. 2

2 History of the research on hypocephali p. 5

3 Sun-disc under the head - overview p. 11

4 Some problems around hypocephali - pseudo-hypocephali p. 12

4.1 The issue of hnm.t wr(.t) p. 12

4.2 The 'hypocephalus biscuit' p. 15

4.3 The issue of the so-called 'terracotta hypocephali' p. 16

4.4 Other hypocephali p. 16

'Rectangular hypocephali'(?) p. 16

'Three-dimensional hypocephali' (?) p. 18

'Mummy boards' p. 20

5 Systematisation of hypocephali p. 22

5.1 Register system p. 22

I Classical hypocephali (stucco coated linen, cartonnage, bronze, papyrus, wood) p. 22

II Mummy linen hypocephali p. 24

6 Introduction to the understanding of the structure of the discs p. 26

6.1 The 'standard' hypocephalus (Register type 1a-c) p. 26

6.1.1 The composition of the first register p. 27

6.1.1.1 Repertory p. 27

6.1.1.2 Analysis of register I p. 28

6.1.2 The composition of the second register p. 35

6.1.2.1 Repertory p. 35

6.1.2.2 Analysis of register II p. 38

6.1.2.3 Meaning of the register p. 49

6.1.3 The composition of the third register p. 49

6.1.3.1 Repertory p. 49

6.1.3.2 Analysis of register III p. 52

6.1.4 The composition of the fourth register p. 58

6.1.4.1 Repertory p. 58

6.1.4.2 Analysis of register IV p. 58

6.2 Hypocephali with concentric register-system p. 62

6.2.1 Definition of the group p. 62

6.2.2 Changes of the register-system and of the iconography p. 63

6.2.2.1 Inside the 'hypocephalus-pupil' p. 63

6.2.2.2 The 'iris' of the hypocephalus p. 67

6.2.2.3 The outer 'ring' p. 70

6.3 The textile hypocephali p. 75

6.3.1 The Theban group p. 75

6.3.2 Enigmatic group p. 76

7 Spell 162 of the Book of the Dead: prescription of the hypocephalus p. 78

8 Grouping of hypocephali on the basis of rim inscriptions p. 81

8.2 Results of the last 50 years - an overview p. 81

8.2.1 The typology of Edith Varga p. 81

8.2.2 The typology of John Gee p. 81

8.2.3 The typology of Luca Miatello p. 82

8.3 The system of text typology p. 82

9 Text typology in use p. 85

9.1 Rim inscriptions - Transliteration, translation and commentary p. 85

9.1.1 Text type I p. 85

9.1.1.1 a The group Jnk hk3 p. 85

9.1.1.2 b The group jnk 3h... (Theban) p. 86

9.1.1.3 c The group jnk jmn ntj... (Theban) p. 87

9.1.1.4 d Transitional texts of text types 1.) + 4.) p. 87

9.1.1.5 a The group jnk hk3... (Akhmimic) p. 89

9.1.1.6 c The group jnk jmn ntj... (Akhmimic) p. 90

9.1.2 Text type 2 J(nk) db3.tj-texts p. 90

9.1.2.1 The standard text and variant a) p. 90

9.1.2.2 Variant 2.b) p. 93

9.1.2.3 Variant 2.c) p. 94

9.1.2.4 Transitional text type between the j(nk) db3.tj-group and the previous jnk 3h.w-group (2.c) +1)) p. 95

9.1.2.5 Transition between text types 2.) and 4.) - db3.tj-discs originating from Tuna el-Gebel p. 95

9.1.3 Text type 3 p. 96

9.1.3.1 Version a) p. 96

9.1.3.2 Version b) p. 96

9.1.4 Text type 4 - Osirian-texts p. 97

9.1.4.1 a htp-dj-njsw(.t), pr(.t)-hrw p. 97

9.1.4.2 b Invocation to the gods of the God's domain p. 98

9.1.4.3 c 'dd-mdw jn'-formula p. 99

9.1.4.4 d Listing genealogies and titles p. 99

9.1.4.5 Transitional text types between text types 4.) and 6.) p. 99

9.1.5 Text type 5 p. 100

9.1.6 Text type 6 - texts with one occurrence so far p. 100

10 Transliteration and translation of the texts of the pictorial field p. 102

10.1 Transliteration and translation of texts of register I p. 102

10.1.1a Texts of register Ia of hypocephali showing text type 1 p. 102

10.1.2a Texts of register Ia of hypocephali showing text type 2 p. 107

10.1.2a Transitional. Texts of register Ia of hypocephali showing transitional text group 2 p. 107

10.1.3a Texts of register Ia of hypocephali showing text type 3 p. 108

10.1.4a Texts of register Ia of hypocephali showing text type 4 p. 108

10.1.5a Texts of register Ia of hypocephali showing text type 5 p. 109

10.1.6a Texts of register Ia of hypocephali showing text type 6 p. 109

10.1.1b Texts of register Ib of hypocephali showing text type 1 p. 110

10.1.2b Texts of register Ib of hypocephali showing text type 2 p. 112

10.1.2b Transitional. Texts of register Ib of hypocephali showing transitional texts of text type 2 p. 113

10.1.3b Texts of register Ib of hypocephali showing text type 3 p. 114

10.1.4b Texts of register Ib of hypocephali showing text type 4 p. 114

10.1.5b Texts of register Ib of hypocephali showing text type 5 p. 115

10.1.6b Texts of register Ib of hypocephali showing text type 6 p. 115

10.2 Texts of register II p. 116

10.2.1 Texts of register II of hypocephali showing text type 1 p. 116

10.2.2 Texts of register II of hypocephali showing text type 2 p. 118

10.2.3 Texts of register II of hypocephali showing text type 3 p. 119

10.2.4 Texts of register II of hypocephali showing text type 4 p. 120

10.2.5 Texts of register II of hypocephali showing text type 5 p. 120

10.2.6 Texts of register II of hypocephali showing text type 6 p. 120

10.2.7 Texts of register II of concentric discs p. 121

10.3 Texts of section IIIa (transliterations and translations) p. 121

10.3.1 Texts of section IIIa of hypocephali showing text type 1 p. 121

10.3.2 Texts of section IIIa of hypocephali showing text type 2 p. 122

10.3.2 Transitional. Texts of section IIIa of hypocephali showing transitional text type 2 p. 123

10.3.3 Texts of section IIIa of hypocephali showing text type 3 p. 123

10.3.4 Texts of section IIIa of hypocephali showing type 4 p. 123

10.3.5 Texts of section IIIa of hypocephali showing text type 6 p. 123

11 Workshop traditions p. 125

11.1 Theban hypocephali p. 125

11.1.2 The place of hypocephali in the order of funerary equipment p. 125

11.1.3 Systematisation of Theban hypocephali p. 127

11.1.3.1 An overview of the text-chronology p. 127

11.1.3.2 The register system and iconography p. 128

11.2 Akhmimic hypocephali p. 129

11.2.1 Difficulties of the research p. 129

11.2.2 Definition of the Akhmimic dialect p. 131

11.2.2.1 Peculiarities p. 131

11.2.2.2 The ortography p. 131

11.2.2.3 Peculiarities of the iconography p. 132

11.3 Hypocephali of Tuna el-Gebel p. 136

11.4 Abydenian hypocephali p. 137

11.4.1 Introduction - The place of hypocephali in the order of the funerary equipment p. 137

11.4.2 Examination of hypocephali - orographic peculiarities p. 138

11.4.2.1 Definition of the Abydenian dialect p. 139

11.4.3 Piece No. 111 p. 141

11.5 Hypocephali of Memphis p. 141

11.5.1 Introduction - The place of hypocephali in the order of funerary equipment p. 141

11.5.2 Peculiarities of Memphite hypocephali p. 142.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 314-341) and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the George Clapp Vaillant Book Fund.

ISBN:

9781789693331

1789693330

OCLC:

1125269056

Publisher Number:

99984340691