Asset number
386872001
Description
Funerary stela of Senitef: a limestone Middle Kingdom funerary stela, in sunk relief. The top horizontal line describes the dedicator of the stela in Middle Egyptian. The text, continues above the scene which shows offerings being made to a royal statue, which also faces right. Unusually, there is no figure of Senitef receiving offerings on the stela, but he is represented by a scene of other individuals fulfilling his cultic role. The final words of his speech, comprising Amenemhat II's throne name, Nubkaure, are cleverly aligned so that they also form a caption identifying the royal statue in the scene. The two figures facing the statue are labelled. These hieroglyphs face the same direction as their figures, as does the caption describing their actions. Below the scene is a row of Senitef's relatives, who face in the same direction as the statue. Their names are written in a horizontal line above them, subdivided into sections. The lunette at the top of stelae with royal figures is often occupied by a protective winged sun-disk, but here it is occupied by a pile of offerings, representing Senitef's duty and his hope for recompense; a large circular loaf is wittily placed in the position usually occupied by the sun-disk and other heraldic devices.
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