The shrine stela of Ineny

From Thebes, Egypt
Late 18th Dynasty, around 1350 BC

Porter of Amun

This shrine is presumably from Ineny's tomb. It combines elements of the pyramidion, which during the New Kingdom (about 1550-1070 BC) was placed on top of the tomb chapel of private tombs, with those of a shrine. Pyramidions often contained niches in which were placed statues of the tomb owner holding a stela. This feature has been enlarged and placed in the shrine, where a figure of a god, such as Amun, might be expected.

Here the figure of the tomb owner has been reduced to just his head and hands, protruding above the stela on each face of the shrine. The hieroglyphic inscriptions around each niche records the traditional offering formula, naming a different god on each side. The hieroglyphs become closer together towards the end of each line, as if the craftsman had misjudged the space available. The text on each stela gives a summary of Ineny's hymn to Re.

'Praising Re when he rises, until it happens that he sets on life, by the Porter of [Amun] Ineny. He says: "Hail to you: how beautiful is your rising!"'

The name of Amun has been deliberately erased in the offering inscription on one side. This damage must have occurred during the Amarna Period.

H.R. Hall (ed.), Hieroglyphic texts from Egyp-3, Part 7 (London, British Museum, 1925)

R. Parkinson, Cracking codes: the Rosetta St (London, The British Museum Press, 1999)