Stela of Neswy
From Thebes,
Egypt
Ptolemaic Period, perhaps 3rd century
BC
Neswy and the 'Great
Ennead'
Numerous wooden
stelae
made in the Ptolemaic period have been found in Thebes, but almost
nothing is known of their exact origin. It is likely that they come
from shaft tombs with one or two chambers, probably without
structures above ground level. The coffins from Neswy's
burial are now in
Stockholm.
Neswy is shown
adoring a multitude of deities. At the top Neswy and his
ba
spirit (the small human-headed bird) are shown worshipping six gods
of the 'Great
Ennead'. In the lower register is
'the great ennead of the West'; this group of
deities are concerned with the welfare of the deceased. Included
here are
Osiris,
Isis,
and
Horus,
as well as
Anubis.
The lower part of the stela is a five-line prayer to the solar
deities
Re-Horakhty
and
Khepri.
The two wooden feet at the bottom allow the stela to be
free-standing.
M.L. Bierbrier (ed.), Hieroglyphic texts from Egyp-5, Part 11 (London, The British Museum Press, 1987)
