Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 7.djvu/166

118 OBSERVATIONS ON AN EGYPTIAN CALENDAR, Phtha, was the Meri en Phtha, or " beloved of Phtlia," so this other goddess was the wife of Ra. The word hck, sometimes Avritten Jwh-ta, in the plural, I believe, means " mind, intelligence, inspiration, thought, idea," analogous to the Coptic kik,^ " demon, magic, divination," or ik/i,"^ having the same meaning, and h/'gi, an unexplained word, but evi- dently " the mind " or " spirit." ^ The adjective " old " being placed before becomes in the superlative degree, and the god- dess consequently means " the oldest " or " first of minds ! " The lower line is more difficult still to explain : it reads, sa ru nccht-ta neter em ha Meri en Ra hur hekau er teha t recJi. All that I can read with certainty here is, " in the temple of Meri en Ra." I suppose from this, that the monument belonged to the temple of the goddess. It is by no means improbable that a calendar was attached to every principal temple throughout Egypt, in order to preserve for the priests a knowledge of the due order of the festivals. From the third dynasty, as it is stated, extracts of these calendars are given in the sepulchral monuments. Frag- ments of a calendar of Thothmes III., of the 18th dynast}^ remain in the island of Elephantina.^ A complete calendar of the festivals, drawn up in the reign of Menephthah of the 19th dynasty, mentions each, day by day, and the condition of the days, whether fortunate or unlucky, and what to do and what to avoid. ^ Another, of the reign of Rameses III., 20th dynasty, at Medinat Haboo, contains a list of festivals.^ Two astronomical calendars, detailing the rise of each star nightly, are found in the tombs of Rameses VI. and IX. ,^ perhaps similar to the golden zodiac* removed from the Ramesseum by Cambyses. In the temple of Esnah is a calendar drawn up in the reign of Claudius.^ ^ Peyron., Lex. Ling. Copt., p. 34G. - Papyrus Sallier, iv., in the Select Pa- 7 Ibid., p. 59. pyri of the British Museum, folio, Loncl., 8 Peyr.,1. e.,p. 374. For example, it is 1843, PI. 144, and foil. Dr. Ilinc-ks, in said anger is an anguish of A////, i.e., Duhl. Univ. lleview, 1. c, gives a full the spirit or mind. Compare, for the account of this manuscript. 8en.se of the hieroglyphieal group hd:, the ^ Cham]>ollion, Not., p. 370 ; Lepsius, legends of Horus, Leemans, Mon. Eg., Einleit., s. ()2. XII. 10.53, b. 4 ; 1040, b. 4 ; XIII. 1056, ' Champollion, Mon. de PEg., t. iii., PI. b. 2. " I have spoken in thy name, I have CCLXXIII. bis ; Lei)sius, Einleit., s. G"2. executed (s/ic< Mf/) by thy inspiration" (c?ft •Also the calendar of the offerings hch uk). Also the chapter Lepsius, Todt. made on the 1st day of each decade, to the xvi., c. 31, in which it also seems to have soul of the heaven ('oung, Hier.,Pl. 37), this meaning. " by the king, to protect the earth by his ' Lepsius, Einleitung, s. C2 ; Young, glovingforehead,togivevater and breezes Hieroglyphics, PI. 59. to the fields." ' Diod.Sic. i.4fi; Young's Hier., PI. 50.