Barta JNES 58 1999 Copy

THE TITLE PRIEST OF HEKET IN THE EGYPTIAN OLD KINGDOM

MlROSLAV BARTA Charles University Prague

T H E R E is no doubt that especially during the Old Kingdom the titles of officials are a major source of information about their careers and their duties in the state administration and service to the king and his family During the last few decades there has been general agreement in the understanding of many of the most frequently occurring titles There remains however a large number of elusive titles that seem to have been neglected or undervalued due to their sporadic attestations uncertain meaning or their (in many cases) tacitly supposed irrelevance to the general character of the duties executed by the officials Nevertheless a more detailed analysis of some of these specific titles is desirable and can sometimes cast new light on duties concealed behind such minor titles

In this paper I suggest a new interpretation of one such title namely that of priest of Heket (hm-ntr Hkt) Information on the holders of this title was collected and sum- marized by B Begelsbacher-Fischer and revised and supplemented by N Strudwick A clear chronological pattern and division within the distribution of the title is apparent The title is attested only twice during the early Fourth Dynasty (Pehernefer3 from Saqqara and Wepemneferet from Giza) Most of the holders of this title date to the period of the Fifth Dynasty (Kaaper Abusir South$ Weserkafankh A b u ~ i r ~ Seshemnefer I Giza anonymous

For important comments and stimulating discussion of the preliminary draft of this article I am indebted to V G Callender PJrinosi J Milek and M Verner For assistance with the English I thank J Milek

W Helck Untersuchungen zu den Beamtentiteln des agyptischen Alten Reiches ~gyptologische For- schungen 18 (Gliickstadt 1954) E Martin-Pardey Untersuchungen zur agyptischen Provinzialvenvaltung bis zum Ende des Alten Reiches Hildesheimer Agyp- tologische Beitrlge 1 (Hildesheim 1976) N Strud-wick The Administration ofEgypt in the Old Kingdom Studies in Egyptology (London 1976)

B L Begelsbacher-Fischer Untersuchungen zur Gottetwelt des Alten Reiches im Spiegel der Privat- graber der IV und V Dynastie Orbis Biblicus et Ori- entalis 37 (Fribourg and Gottingen 1981) p 230 Strudwick Administration pp 184-85 pl 9

[JNES 58 no 2 (1999)] O 1999 by The University of Chicago All rights reserved 0022-296819915802-0003$200

B Porter R Moss and J Milek A Topographi- cal Bibliography of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Texts Reliefs and Paintings III 2d ed (Oxford 1974- 81) p 502 (hereafter cited as PM 110 For the titles see H Junker Phrnfr ZAS 75 (1939) 63-73 and H G Fischer The Butchcr Ph-r-nfr Orientalia ns 29 (1960) 168-90

PM 111 p 57 For the titles see G A Reisner A History of the Giza Necropolis I (London 1942) p 385 and pl 17a

For the titles see Fischer A Scribe of the Army in a Saqqara Mastaba of the Early Fifth Dynasty JNES 18 (1959) 257-69 and M Verner The Mastaba of Kaaper U S120 (1993) 102-3 fig 16 a-b

PM Ill p 344 early Fifth Dynasty For the titles see L Borchardt Das Grabdenkmal des Ko- nigs Ne-user-re Wissenschaftliche Veroffentlichun-gen der Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 7 (Leipzig 1907) p 113 PM Ill p 142 early Fifth Dynasty For the titles see H Junker Grabungen auf dem Friedhof des Alten Reiches vol 3 Die Mastabas der vorgeschrittenen V Dynastie auf dem Westfriedhof (Vienna und Leipzig 1938) p 9 and LD 11 pls 27 and 29

107

Abusiq8 Rashepses S a q q ~ a ~ Pehenuika Saqqara1deg Seshemnefer Heba Saqqarall Kai Saqqara12 Ankhmahor Saqqara13 Ptahhotep 11 Saqqara14 Ankhemakai Saqqara15 Akhti- hotep Saqqara16)

The first feature associated with the title priest of Heket is that it occurs in two principal and distinctive periods in the early Fourth Dynasty and then for most of the Fifth Dynasty (if we ignore Ankhmahor and Akhtihotep from the Sixth Dynasty) Altogether there are fourteen attested holders of this title The first group represented by only two holders is dated to the early Fourth Dynasty whereas the second group consisting of ten officials is dated exclusively to the Fifth Dynasty while only two officials (Ankhmahor and Ahktihotep) date to the Sixth Dynasty What is rather surprising and significant for further analysis is that there are virtually no holders of this title during the whole Fourth Dynasty (with the exceptions of Pehernefer and Wepemneferet at the very beginning of the Fourth Dynasty) when the cemetery at Giza was in vogue

The second feature is that the title seems to be closely associated with the Saqqara- Abusir area The fact that only two holders of the title were buried at Giza can be easily explained by the time of their burials in the early Fourth Dynasty (Wepemneferet) and the early Fifth Dynasty (Seshemnefer I) which were transitional periods when the principal cemetery moved from Saqqara to Giza (early Fourth Dynasty) and then back from Giza to Abusir-Saqqara (early Fifth Dynasty) All other holders of the title priest of Heket were buried either in Abusir or in Saqqara to where the principal cemetery returned in the early Fifth Dynasty

The rare occurrence of the title priest of Heket during the Sixth Dynasty can be explained by the fact that Ankhmahor held the titles of shd hm-ntr Qd-jzwt Ttj (Inspector of Priests of the Pyramid Complex of Teti) and hntj-s Qd-jzwt Ttj (Palace Attendant of the Pyramid Complex of Teti)I7 whereas Akhtihotep held the title of hm-ntr Nfr-jzwt Wnjs (Priest of the Pyramid Complex of Unas)I8 These titles indicate that both Ankhmahor and Akhtihotep served in the funerary complexes of Unas and Teti in Central Saqqara ie in the area where the majority of other priests of Heket had earlier performed their duties

The only holder of this title who was buried outside the Memphite necropolis is the official Uni from Abydos19 It is known however that he spent much of his career at the

Borchardt Das Grabdenkmal des Konigs Nefer- l 4 PM 111 p 600 late Fifth early Sixth Dynasties ir-ke3-rec Wissenschaftliche Veroffentlichungen der For the titles see R F E Paget and A A Pirie The Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 11 (Leipzig 1909) p 68 Tomb of Ptah-hetep (London 1898) pl 39 fig 74 reign of Neferirkare or later l5 PM 111 p 481 reign of Neussere or later Mari-

PM 111 p 494 mid-Fifth Dynasty For the titles ette Mastabas pp 213-20 missing in Begelsbacher- see LD 11 pls 63-64 Fischer Gotrewelt

O PM I l l p 491 mid-Fifth Dynasty For the titles l6 PM 111 p 633 late Sixth Dynasty H F Petrie see LD 11 pls 46 and 48 and M A Murray Seven Memphite Tomb Chapels

l 1 PMIII p 595 Fifth Dynasty reign of Djedkare (London 1952) pl 6 For the titles see A Mariette Les mastabas de 1An- l7 Kanawati and Hassan Ankhmahor pls 1-2 cien Empire (Paris 1885) pp 399-400 34-35

l 2 PM Ill p 479 late Fifth Dynasty For the titles l a Mariette Mastabas pp 424-25 see Mariette Mastabas pp 228-29 l9 K Sethe Urkunden des Alten Reiches vol 1

l3 PM 111 p 512 early Sixth Dynasty For the (Leipzig 1933) pp 98-1 10 (hereafter Urk I) A Roc-titles see N Kanawati and A Hassan The Teti Cem- cati uvol 6 (Wiesbaden 1986) pp 85 1-52 false- etery at Saqqara vol 2 The Tomb of Ankhmahor door Borchardt Denkmaler des Alten Reiches (ausser ACE Reports 9 (Warminster 1997) pp 11-12 22 den Statuenj im Museum von Kairo Nr 1295-1808 34-36 Teil 2 (Cairo 1964) CG 1574 pp 53-54

Memphite Residence serving under the kings Teti20 Pepi I21 and Merenre22 and only later in his life did he decide to return to the city where he was born The inclusion of the title hm-ntr Hkt in his titulary can be easily explained by the fact that he spent most of his career as an official in the Residence of the king Teti23 and therefore could participate in the funeral processions of other officials buried in the Abusir-Saqqara cemeteries especially those buried during his reign before the shift of the cemetery and Residence of the king further south to South Saqqara (during the reign of Pepi I)

These characteristics of the title holders lead us to develop the discussion of the title a little further despite the considerable paucity of reliable evidence for the significance of the title during the Old Kingdom Thus the following discussion will review indirect evidence that could be relevant for the analysis of the title W Helck supposed that the title bore some relationship to the duties or rank of the scribes24 and N Strudwick associated the title with certain legal titles25 These conclusions do not provide a feasible explanation for the specific features connected with this title In an attempt to gain a more precise understanding of the title under examination however the titles most frequently occurring in association with priest of Heket and the nature of the goddess Heket will be examined The titles occurring in conjunction with the title priest of Heket are listed below (Table 1) It will be shown that the concurrence of various titles may provide some indirect but important evidence for the interpretation of the title

It is possible to divide the titles given in Table 1 into two principal groups26 The first group consisting of ten titles can be associated with the central state administration t3jjtj (30 n z3b 4-mr n z3b nzt bntt hrj-sft3 n wd-mdw nbt nt njswt hrj-sSt3 jmj-r k3t nbt nt njswt jmj-r zS -njswt jrj-jbt n j s ~ t ~ Wr md SmCw hrj-tp njswt

Some of these titles provide evidence that officials concerned with the state administration were also associated with the management of the cemeteries perhaps supervising the locations of planned tombs28 and also taking part in burial ceremonies The office of Over- seer of All Works of the King probably included responsibility for supervising building activities in the most important cemetery compounds of the time29 Interestingly both Wepemneferet and Uni lack the title of jmj-r k3t nbt nt njswt (Overseer of All Works of the King) but the titles of Wepemneferet and the autobiography of Uni show that they also were involved in supervising various building a c t i ~ i t i e s ~ ~

20 Urk I p 9812 28 This assumption is now supported by the con- 21 Ibid p 9815 clusion arrived at by A M Roth in A Cemetery of 22 Ibid p 10512 Palace Attendants Including G 2084-2099 G 2230-23 Ibid p 9812-16 2231 and G 2240 Giza Mastabas vol 6 (Boston 24 Helck Beamtentitel p 48 1995) p 1 Her analysis of the distribution of tombs 25 Strudwick Administration pp 185 and 207 within the cemetery has shown that there was a central 26 For the general character of titles given here in institution that administered control over the develop-

Table 1 consult Helck Beamtentitel ing cemetery 27 The title of the property custodian of the king 29 For the nature of the title see Strudwick Admin-

disappears from the titularies of the state officials only istration pp 240-44 shortly after the beginning of the Fifth Dynasty and is 30 For Wepemneferet see Helck Untersuchungen from the latter half of the Fifth Dynasty on associated zur Thinitenzeit Agyptologische Abhandlungen 45 with the titularies used by the Old Kingdom funerary (Wiesbaden 1987) pp 284-85 and for Uni F Pia-temple officials (in contrast to its meaning in the prov- centini Lautobiograjia di Uni principe e governatore inces) see my Tombs of Middle- and Lower-Rank dellalto Egitto (Pisa 1990) and Urk I p 106 44 ff I Officials at Abusir South (PhD diss Charles Uni- thank E Pardey for this information versity Prague 1997) Excursus D pp 295-314

TABLE 1 LISTOF TITLES MOST FREQUENTLY WITH THE HOLDERSASSOCIATED OF THE hm-nrr Hkt TITLE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

t3jtj (3tj n z3b X X X X

d-mr n z3b X X X X X X X

nzt hnrr ( n z3b) X X X X X X

hm-ntr Jnpw X X X X

hm-ntr M Y t X X X X X X X

hrj sSr3 n wd-mdw nbr (nr njswt) X X X X X X

hrj-sit3 X X X X

jmj-r k3t nbt nr njswt X X X X X X X X X

jmj-r ZS -njswt X X X X

jrj-jhr njswr X X X

Jwnw-knmwr X X X X X X X X

mdw rhjt X X X X X X X

Wr md Smcw X X X X x X

hrj-tp njswr X X X X X X X X X X X X X hrp wshr X X X X X X

jmj-hr H3 X X X X X X X X X X

NOTE Pehernefer 1 Wepemneferet 2 Kaaper 3 Weserkafankh 4 Seshemnefer I 5 anonymous 6 Rashepses 7 Pehenuika 8 Seshemnefer Heba 9 Kai 10 Ankhmahor 11 Ptahhotep 11 12 Ankhemakai 13 Akhtihotep 14 Only those titles attested at least three times are given

The second group of six titles is considerably smaller and it includes titles that relate to priestly offices andor honorofic titles hm-ntr Jnpw hm-ntr MjCt Jwnw-knmwt mdw rhjt hrp wsht jmj-ht H3

By far the most frequently occurring title of this group is that of jmj-ht H3 (Follower of the God Kha)31 It was Helck who drew attention to the possible relationship between this title and that of hm-ntr Hkt According to him both titles were Ehrentitel bound up with the office of the scribes Moreover these two titles are also mentioned several times in the titularies of judges overseers of works and viziers of the Fifth Dynasty32 He suggested that the title jmj-ht H3 was in some way related to juridical functions (Rechtsprechung) All holders of this title also held the title hm-ntr Hkt33 during the Old Kingdom period

The god H3 is known superficially during the Old Kingdom Except for several priests of this deity and possibly some of his statutes detailed information as to his nature is very sporadic throughout that period34 The later evidence however indicates that he was pre- dominantly associated with the west being quite frequently referred to as the Lord of the West consonant with his association with the necropolis and funerary rituals that were carried out prior to an official burial in a cemetery during the period of the Old Kingdom

31 Helck Beamtentitel pp 47-48 D Wildung sociated with the goddess Heket This clearly shows Two Representations of God from the Early Old that there must have been a difference between the Kingdom in Miszellanea Wilbouriana I (New York god H3 referred to as (gtP and as T 1972) pp 157-60 Begelsbacher-Fischer Gotrenvelr 32 Helck Beamtentitel pp 47-48 p 229 mentions another four holders of the title hm- 33 Wildung Miszellanea Wilbouriana p 157 n 68 nrr H3 In this case however the god H3 is referred to 34 For the summary of evidence from later periods as as a kind of labris None of them is however as- well see Wildung Miszellanea Wilbouriana pp 157 ff

According to P Posener-KriCger the title Director of the wsht hall is in this context probably associated with the person responsible for the offerings carried out in the court- yard of the tomb35

It is now time to review the most pertinent evidence available for defining the nature of the goddess Heket36 who was worshiped in the form of the frog and is already well attested in personal names during the first two dynasties37 From this time onwards Heket was venerated as a symbol of life and resurrection and later on she figures on the coffins as a protective deity of the dead38 She is also one of the gods assisting at ~ h i l d b i r t h ~ ~ Small statuettes of Heket occur as early as the First and Second D y n a ~ t i e s ~ ~ It is of some interest to recall that certain species of frog are known to hibernate in the mud for up to ten years waiting for sufficient water to be able to breed41

There is no doubt that the goddess Heket is connected with the cycle of rebirth and re- generation although the most explicit evidence is later than the Old Kingdom42 Be that as it may it is fair to admit at the outset that explicit evidence for the goddess Heket as a guarantor of resurrection in the Old Kingdom is still missing but there is however no compelling reason to suppose that the Old Kingdom concept of the goddess differed fun- damentally from that encountered from the early Middle Kingdom

During the Middle Kingdom Heket occurs in Abydos in connection with the ritual mysteries associated with burial and resurrection rites Heket occurs on three stelae originating from Abydos that date to the early Middle Kingdomd4 (stela Louvre C345 stela Leiden V 446 and stela BM 56747 dated by Simpson to the reigns of Sesostris I and

35 P Posener-KriCger Les archives du temple (Wiesbaden 1956) p 105 funeraire de Neferirkart-Kakai (les papyrus dAbou- 39 L Kikosy Lampvol 2 (Wiesbaden 1977) pp sir) traduction er commentaire 1-11 Bibliothkque 1123-24 dCtude 65 (Cairo 19761 pp 499-501 Accordingly 40 G Dreyer Elephantine VIII Der Tempe1 der unlike G Lapp Die Opferformel des Alren Reiches Satet Die Funde der Fruhzeir und des Alten Reiches unter Berucksichtigung einiger sparerer Formen Archaologische Veroffentlichungen 39 (Mainz 1986) (Mainz 1986) p 106 $188 who supposes that certain pp 75 115 pl 32 offerings originated from the wshr court I favor the 41 See also P F Houlihan The Animal World of the possibility that these offerings were to be presented in Pharaohs (London 1996) p 122 the court of the tomb which could be called wsht too 42 E Hornung and E Staehelin Skarabiien und

36 For general characteristics and literature see andere Siegelamulette aus Basler Sammlungen H Kees Der Gotterglaube im Alren Agypren 2d ed Agyptische Denkmaler in der Schweiz vol 1 (Mainz (Leipzig and Berlin 1956) pp 61-63 H Bonnet 1976) p 112 Reallexikon der agyprischen Religionsgeschichte pp 43 See Spiegel Die GBtter von Abydos pp 82-85 284-85 (hereafter Bonnet RARG) P Kaplony Li 44 For an overview see ibid p 82 vol 2 (Wiesbaden l977) pp 1123-24 and S Schoske 45 A Gayet Musee du Louvre st2les de la XIIe Dy- and D Wildung Gotr und Gotrer im alren Agypren 2d nastie vol 1 (Paris 1886) pl 4 W K Simpson The ed (Mainz 19931 p 107 no 74 For the period fol- Terrace of the Great God at Abydos The Offering lowing the Old Kingdom see J Spiegel Die Gotrer Chapels of Dynasties I 2 and I3 (New Haven and Phil- von Abydos Srudien zum agyprischen Synkretismus adelphia 1974) pl 14 P Vernus La Stkle C 3 du Gottinger Orientforschungen 4 Reihe Agypten 1 Louvre RdE 25 (1973) 217-34 CI Obsomer Sk-(Wiesbaden 1973) pp 82-88 C Andrews Amulets of sosrris ler Etude chronologique et historique du r2gne Ancient Egypt (London 1994) p 63 (Brussels 1995) pp 554-59

37 Kaplony Die lnschrifren der dgyptischen 46 P A A Boesser Beschrijving van de Egyp- Friihzeir I Agyptologische Abhandlungen 8 (Wies- tische Verzameling in her Rijksmuseum van Oudheden baden 1963) p 230 both attestations come from the te Leiden vol 2 (Leiden 1909) pl 4 Simpson Ter-cemetery at Helwan race of the Great God pl 30 Obsomer Sesostris ler A Iacoby and W Spiegelberg Der Frosch als pp 535-39 Symbol der Auferstehung bei den Aegyptern Sphinx 7 47 Hieroglyphic Texts from Egyptian Stelae erc in (1903) 215-28 Bonnet H R G pp 284-85 W Helck the British Museum part 2 (London 1912) pl 5 Simp- and E Otto Kleines Worterbuch der ~ ~ y p t o l o g i e son Terrace of the Great God pl 22

Amenemhet II)48 In each case Heket occurs along with the god Khnum as a guarantor of the prt-hrw offerings There is also some sparse evidence for a limited cult of Heket at Abydos during the New Kingdom In explaining the early Middle Kingdom occurrence of Heket at Abydos J Spiegel supposed that it was related to the Heracleopolitan period although in the very specific context of funeral rites (see below)50

It seems probable that it was the nature of the goddess Heket that was responsible for her introduction to Abydos at the end of the Old Kingdom According to H Keessl and H it was precisely at the end of the Old Kingdom (dominated by the Abydos family of Khui) and the First Intermediate period that the cult of Osiris was introduced to Abydos This cult was based on the gods assimilation with Khentamenti who was originally worshiped at A b y d ~ s ~ ~ Heket could perhaps be part of the same development due mainly to her close association with funeral rites and the forces of resurrection It can be assumed that she was introduced to Abydos contemporaneously with Osiris A close mutual relationship between Saqqara and Abydos is discernible as early as the Fifth and Sixth D y n a ~ t i e s ~ ~and reflected in the penetration of the Abydene Osiris epithets into Saqqara already by the end of the Sixth D y n a ~ t y ~ ~ This feature further supports the hypothesis of Hekets prominence in the Saqqara-Abusir area during the Old Kingdom This importance continued under the local rulers residing in Memphis during the Seventh and Eighth Dynasties and contributed considerably to her parallel adoption at A b y d ~ s ~ ~

The goddess Heket is also closely associated with the lake that appears in scenes of funeral ritualss7 dated to the Middle Kingdom and early New Kingdom During the Middle Kingdom three artificial basins (ie bodies of water) associated with the god Khepri and the goddess Heket figure as a part of the burial rituals8 The caption related to this ritual speaks of doing things (ie making offerings) in the basins of Khepri and Heket the small the medium and the large Later on during the New Kingdom the three lakes associated with Khepri Heket and Sokar were depicted within the sacred compound5y

48 Simpson Terrace of the Great God p 27 dom Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate 49 Helck Materialien zur Wirtschaftsgeschichte Period c 2686-1552 BC in B G Trigger D OCon-

des Neuen Reiches (Teil II) Abhandlungen der Aka- nor and A B Lloyd eds Ancient Egypt A Social demie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur in Mainz History (Cambridge 1983) pp 112-13 A Zivie u

alnz 1961) p 167 vol 4 (Wiesbaden 1982) p 27 E Martin-Pardey (M50 Kees Giitterglaube p 335 Spiegel Die Giitfer uvol 6 (Wiesbaden 1986) p 1438 C Vander- von Abydos pp 84-85 sleyen LEgypte et la vallee du Nil Tome 2 De l a j n

Kees Giitterglaube pp 333-34 idem To- de IXncien Empire a la j n du Nouvel Empire (Paris renglauben und Jenseirsvorsrellungen der alten 1995) pp 5-9 Agypter Grundlagen und Entwicklung bis zum Ende 57 J Settgast Unrersuchungen zu alriigyprischen des Mirrleren Reiches 2d ed (Leipzig 1956) Besrarrungsdarsrellungen Abhandlungen des Deut-pp 133-59 schen Archaologischen Instituts Kairo 3 (Gliickstadt

52 H Stock Die erste Zwischenzeit Agyptens 19601 pp 57-61 Analaecta Orientalia vol 31 (Rome 1949) pp 6 ff 58 See Coffin Texts 111 301 C l T and AlC (Spell (hereafter Stock 1 Zwischenzeit) 234)

53 Ibid pp 25-26 s9 Tomb of Tetiki see N G Davies The Tomb of 54 For an overview see E Brovarski Abydos in Tetaky at Thebes (No 15)

the Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period Part JEA 11 (1925) pl 5 tomb of Heri unpublished Set- 1 in C Berger G Clerc and N Grimal eds Hom- tgast Besrattungsdarstellungenp 117 Ineni E Dzi-mages a Jean Leclant vol 1 Etudes pharaoniques obek Das Grab des Ineni Theben Nr 81 Bibliothkque dCtude 106 (Cairo 1994) p 99 Archaologische Veroffentlichungen 68 (Mainz 1992)

55 Stock I Zwischenzeit pp 26-27 pl 24b tomb of Weser Davies Five Theban Tombs 56 See for instance ibid B Kemp Old King- (London 1913) pl 21

The underlying concept was that of self-generation from the mud in the watery element60 It will be shown that the three bodies of water represent the three lakes of the Saqqara- Abusir area The link between the funeral procession crossing the lake on the way to the cemetery and the self-creating creatures living in the lake (frogs) is plausible Moreover the idea of burying the deceased in his tomb is de facto identical with that of regenerating and entering the a f t e r ~ o r l d ~ Noteworthy is the stela Leiden V 4 which mentions officials of the first day who built their tombs on the shore of Heket at the time of Geb62 em- phasizing the importance and role played by Heket during burial ceremonies

Is it possible that the later tradition of three lakes depicted within the sacred compound was based on some real geological fact that later on became an indispensable part of tradition It seems that the Saqqara-Abusir area might provide relevant evidence for the very existence of these three lakes which provided main approaches to the cemeteries

There is the theory proposed by L Giddy D Jeffreys and A Tavares that there were at least two lakes within the Saqqara-Abusir area each facilitating the approach to the cemeteries and also providing a reliable means of t ran~porta t ion~~ The first lake was situated east of the Abusir royal mortuary complexes excavated by BorchardL6he valley temples of Sahure and Neuserre were furnished with docking facilities in the case of Sahure oriented not only to the east but also to the The second lake existed at the valley temple of U n a ~ ~ ~

Now there is sufficient evidence to suppose that there was a third lake in the area-the so-called Lake of A b ~ s i r ~ ~ This lake occupied the area between Abusir and Saqqara and it is likely that at one time a bay existed to the west of the North Saqqara plateau This lake was situated below the 25-meter line68 which in fact applies to the lake at the valley temple of Unas as welP9 (see fig 1 below) The topography of the Old Kingdom private tombs excavated by Mariette at Saqqara and situated to the west of the Archaic Cemetery

60 Bonnet RARG pp 198-99 Hornung and Stae- 6orchardt Ne-user-rec pl 28 helin Skarabiien pp 112-13 Krikosy Lampvol 2 65 Idem Das Grabdenkmal des KSinigs Sca2hu-rec (Wiesbaden 1977) pp 334-36 Der Bau Wissenschaftliche Veroffentlichungen der

61 W Barta Aufbau und Bedeurung der alriigypri- Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 14 (Leipzig 1910) schen Opferformel Agyptologische Forschungen 24 pl 16 See also photograph in E Freier and S Grunert (Gliickstadt 1968) p 306 Eine Reise durch Agypten Nach Zeichnungen der

62 Boesser Leiden 11 pl 4 lines 3-4 Obsomer Lepsius-Expedition in den Jahren 1842-1845 (Berlin Sesostris lerp 537 1984) p 49

63 No matter whether the theory of the Grand 66 A Labrousse and A M Moussa Le tenlple dhc- Canal running in the north-south direction along the cueil du complexe funeraire du roi Unas Bibliothkque Memphite pyramid cemeteries holds true or not On detude 11 1 (Cairo 1996) p 5 fig 1 Labrousse Lar-this theory see especially G Goyon Les ports des chitecture des pyramides a textes Bibliothkque dttude pyramides et le grand canal de Memphis RdE 23 114 (Cairo 1996) pls A2 and B (1971) 137-53 G Goyon Le secret des b6risseurs 67 LD I pl 32 M Verner Excavations at Abusir des grandes pyramides Kheops (Paris 1977) pp 131- Season 199011991-Preliminary Report 11 Archaeo- 38 J Kerisel Genie et demeseure dun pharaon logical Survey of Abusir 119 (1992) pp 123- Kheops (Paris 1996) pp 162-73 168 fig 58 and 24 123 fig 5 see also R Stadelmann Die agypti- inset between pp 192-93 L Giddy Memphis and schen Pyramiden 2d ed (Mainz 1991) p 181 fig 57 Saqqara during the Late Old Kingdom Some Topo- Altes Seebecken van Abusir See also M Lehner graphical Considerations in C Berger G Clerc and The Complete Pyramids (Cairo 1997) fig on p 83 N Grimal eds Hommages a Jean Leclant vol 1 68 Verner Excavations at Abusir p 123 Leh- Etudespharaoniques (Cairo 1994) p 195 D Jeffreys ner The Complete Pyramids pp 10-11 the 25-m and A Tavares The Historic Landscape of Early Dy- contour line nastic Memphis MDAIK 50 (1994) 156 and 159 69 Labrousse Pyramides d textes pl A2

FIG1-Plan of the Abusir-Saqqara Cemetery during the Old Kingdom The arrows show locations of three lakes and principal approaches to the cemeteries 1-pyramid complex of Sahure 2-pyramid com-plex of Neuserre 3-pyramid complex of Neferirkare 4-pyramid complex of Khentkaus 5-pyramid complex of Neferefre 6-Lepsius pyramid 297-pyramid complex of Teti 8-pyramid complex of Userkaf and 9-pyramid complex of Unas For the position of the Old Kingdom capital see now J Mblek The Temples at Memphis Problems Highlighted by the EES Survey in S Quirke ed The Temple in Ancient Egypt New Discoveries and Recent Research (London 1997) pp 90-95 and p 94 fig 1 (map after Lehner The Complete Pyramids p 83)

excavated by Quibell early in this century70 also tends to support the idea that there was a flooded bay bordered by private tombs on its shore If one looks at the position of these tombs71 a pattern emerges suggesting that they were situated on the shore of the lake the tombs in the northern part of this cemetery seem to have been arranged in a crescent shape Moreover many tombs excavated by Mariette in this area have their entrances oriented to the north precisely toward the lake that might have provided the most likely approach to the cemetery (normally the tombs were oriented to the east ie to the valley side)72 The famous tomb of Ti should be counted among these tombs

The close association of Heket with burial ceremonies also indicates her role in the Saqqara-Abusir area during the Old Kingdom with her priests officiating in the burial ceremonies that were performed there The above evidence also explains why there were no holders of this title during the Fourth Dynasty when all important officials of the capital were buried in Giza With the removal of the principal cemetery back to Abusir and later on to Central Saqqara during the Fifth Dynasty the title reappears With the final shift of the cemetery to South Saqqara the title disappears once and for all This evidence shows that the title was strongly connected to the Abusir-Saqqara topography dominated by the three lakes

Furthermore it is only during the early Middle Kingdom that the so-called Abydosfahrt ritual evolved73 This ritual has certain aspects that enable us to associate it with the burial ceremonies carried out in the Saqqara-Abusir necropolis (for example the transport of the deceased by boat) during the Old Kingdom In this context H Altenmiiller concluded that Abydos diirfte der Kultname eines bestimmten Ortes der Nekropole sein der vordem im Ritual mit einem anderen Namen belegt worden ist Die Wahl der Ortsbezeichnung Abydos ware dann eine Folge des Vordringens des Osirisglaubens am Ende des AR 74 This interpretation makes perfect sense in light of the previous discussion and I can only add the hypothesis that the ritual of the Abydosfahrt was possibly connected with the burial processions by boat in the Saqqara-Abusir area The fact that the Abydosfahrt appears only after the cemeteries in Saqqara and Abusir fell into disuse and that the central role in this burial ritual was played by Abydos (ie the site which by the end of the Old Kingdom took over the importance of the principal cemeteries in Saqqara and Abusir) seems to make this hypothesis fairly likely

The close association of Heket with burial ceremonies is indicated by the very similar role she played during the Old Kingdom in the Saqqara-Abusir area The title of hm-ntr Hkt seems to be associated with some priestly duties carried out during burial ceremonies and is closely associated with the Saqqara-Abusir cemeteries and with the burial ceremonies and journey with the deceased by boat across the lakes there The fact that three lakes existed in the immediate vicinity of these cemeteries probably played a vital role in the introduction of the title associated with the frog-goddess Heket These lakes were used for the transport of the deceased to the cemetery and as a main means of communication between the area of the living and the area of the dead The title falls into oblivion after the Sixth Dynasty

70 J E Quibell Archaic Mastabas Excavations 72 For these tombs see Mariette Mastabas tombs at Saqqara 1912-1914 (Cairo 1923) pls 1 and 2 B 8 12 C 3 5 8 14 22 24 D 1 11 19 20 23 28

71 See for instance the map of the Saqqara Ceme- 40 41 42 43 45 47 48 52 60 61 70 tery by W S Smith in Reisner The Development of 73 For the Abydosfahrt itself see H Altenmiiller the Egyptian Tomb down to the Accession of Cheops uvol 1 (Wiesbaden 1975) pp 42-48 (London 1936) or PM 111 pls 45 and 46 74 Ibid p 47

Finally there is one more relevant feature that should be mentioned in connection with the title priest of Heket and the burial ceremonies in which its holders took part It is the tekenu sledge which was an essential component of the funeral ceremonies from the Old Kingdom on75 The tekenu is an object considered mysterious in origin but it is also sometimes depicted as a man wrapped in a skin or as a sack drawn on a sledge It is usually depicted in the funeral procession together with the coffin containing the body of the deceased and the canopic box Despite the various suggestions regarding its interpretation it seems certain that it was thought essential for the successful resurrection of the deceased76 J Settgast even suggested that the tekenu could have been played by the person of the priest77 G Griffith and H Willems raised the possibility of identification of the tekenu with the sem-priest78 It is probably no accident however that the shape of the tekenu strongly resembles the contours of a frog and this may be the intention behind its appearance from the Middle Kingdom on Furthermore the tekenu has always been described as covered by a brown-painted skin a most appropriate representation of the skin of the frog Could it be then that the tekenu represents the priest of Heket

75 Bonnet M R G pp 774-76 Helck and Otto 76 Bonnet M R G p 775 Shaw and Nicholson Kleines Wb p 366 Settgast Bestattungsdarstellungen Dictionary of Ancient Egypt p 284 pp 44-45 pls 1-2 and 4 Helck uvol 6 (Wiesba- 77 Settgast Bestattungsdarstellungen p 45 den 1986) pp 308-9 Hornung Geist der Pharaonen- 78 J G Griffith The Tekenu the Nubians and the zeit (Munich 1993) p 172 I Shaw and P Nicholson Butic Ritual Kush 6 (1958) 106-20 H Willems British Museum Dictionary of Ancient Egypt (London The Cofin of Heqata (Cairo JdE 36418) Orientalia 1995) pp 284-85 Lovaniensia Analecta 70 (Leuven 1996) pp 110-15

Abusiq8 Rashepses S a q q ~ a ~ Pehenuika Saqqara1deg Seshemnefer Heba Saqqarall Kai Saqqara12 Ankhmahor Saqqara13 Ptahhotep 11 Saqqara14 Ankhemakai Saqqara15 Akhti- hotep Saqqara16)

The first feature associated with the title priest of Heket is that it occurs in two principal and distinctive periods in the early Fourth Dynasty and then for most of the Fifth Dynasty (if we ignore Ankhmahor and Akhtihotep from the Sixth Dynasty) Altogether there are fourteen attested holders of this title The first group represented by only two holders is dated to the early Fourth Dynasty whereas the second group consisting of ten officials is dated exclusively to the Fifth Dynasty while only two officials (Ankhmahor and Ahktihotep) date to the Sixth Dynasty What is rather surprising and significant for further analysis is that there are virtually no holders of this title during the whole Fourth Dynasty (with the exceptions of Pehernefer and Wepemneferet at the very beginning of the Fourth Dynasty) when the cemetery at Giza was in vogue

The second feature is that the title seems to be closely associated with the Saqqara- Abusir area The fact that only two holders of the title were buried at Giza can be easily explained by the time of their burials in the early Fourth Dynasty (Wepemneferet) and the early Fifth Dynasty (Seshemnefer I) which were transitional periods when the principal cemetery moved from Saqqara to Giza (early Fourth Dynasty) and then back from Giza to Abusir-Saqqara (early Fifth Dynasty) All other holders of the title priest of Heket were buried either in Abusir or in Saqqara to where the principal cemetery returned in the early Fifth Dynasty

The rare occurrence of the title priest of Heket during the Sixth Dynasty can be explained by the fact that Ankhmahor held the titles of shd hm-ntr Qd-jzwt Ttj (Inspector of Priests of the Pyramid Complex of Teti) and hntj-s Qd-jzwt Ttj (Palace Attendant of the Pyramid Complex of Teti)I7 whereas Akhtihotep held the title of hm-ntr Nfr-jzwt Wnjs (Priest of the Pyramid Complex of Unas)I8 These titles indicate that both Ankhmahor and Akhtihotep served in the funerary complexes of Unas and Teti in Central Saqqara ie in the area where the majority of other priests of Heket had earlier performed their duties

The only holder of this title who was buried outside the Memphite necropolis is the official Uni from Abydos19 It is known however that he spent much of his career at the

Borchardt Das Grabdenkmal des Konigs Nefer- l 4 PM 111 p 600 late Fifth early Sixth Dynasties ir-ke3-rec Wissenschaftliche Veroffentlichungen der For the titles see R F E Paget and A A Pirie The Deutschen Orient-Gesellschaft 11 (Leipzig 1909) p 68 Tomb of Ptah-hetep (London 1898) pl 39 fig 74 reign of Neferirkare or later l5 PM 111 p 481 reign of Neussere or later Mari-

PM 111 p 494 mid-Fifth Dynasty For the titles ette Mastabas pp 213-20 missing in Begelsbacher- see LD 11 pls 63-64 Fischer Gotrewelt

O PM I l l p 491 mid-Fifth Dynasty For the titles l6 PM 111 p 633 late Sixth Dynasty H F Petrie see LD 11 pls 46 and 48 and M A Murray Seven Memphite Tomb Chapels

l 1 PMIII p 595 Fifth Dynasty reign of Djedkare (London 1952) pl 6 For the titles see A Mariette Les mastabas de 1An- l7 Kanawati and Hassan Ankhmahor pls 1-2 cien Empire (Paris 1885) pp 399-400 34-35

l 2 PM Ill p 479 late Fifth Dynasty For the titles l a Mariette Mastabas pp 424-25 see Mariette Mastabas pp 228-29 l9 K Sethe Urkunden des Alten Reiches vol 1

l3 PM 111 p 512 early Sixth Dynasty For the (Leipzig 1933) pp 98-1 10 (hereafter Urk I) A Roc-titles see N Kanawati and A Hassan The Teti Cem- cati uvol 6 (Wiesbaden 1986) pp 85 1-52 false- etery at Saqqara vol 2 The Tomb of Ankhmahor door Borchardt Denkmaler des Alten Reiches (ausser ACE Reports 9 (Warminster 1997) pp 11-12 22 den Statuenj im Museum von Kairo Nr 1295-1808 34-36 Teil 2 (Cairo 1964) CG 1574 pp 53-54









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