Central Door (144-151)

Esna 144

• Location: Facade, central door, corniche over left (north) pillar
• Date: Domitian
• Hieroglyphic Text
• Bibliography: None

Cartouche of Domitian.

Esna 145

• Location: Facade, central door, corniche over left (north) pillar
  
• Date: Unknown
  
• Hieroglyphic Text
  
• Bibliography: None

Title

¹ḥnk mḏ n mw.t=f

¹ Offering unguent to his mother.

Neith

² […]
³nb.t tȝ-sn.t

² […]
³ Lady of Esna.

Esna 146

• Location: Central Door, left side
  
• Date: Unknown, probably Domitian
  
• Hieroglyphic Text
  
• Bibliography: None

NB: This text contains many lacunae, making it difficult to restore partially-preserved words with any confidence.

¹[…] n ḫnti sḫ.t=f […]
s[…]
[…] ([…])
mry ẖnmw-[Rʿ] nb sḫ.t
[…]
swḏȝ tȝ r-ḏr=f
ḥr snṯ=f

[…] of Foremost of his Field,
[…]
[…] ([…])
beloved of Khnum-[Re] Lord of the Field,
[he who…],
and who keeps the whole world safe
upon its foundation.

²ʿnḫ nṯr nfr
ỉḥy-Nwn
pr m wsr.t
pr.t ȝḫ.t
pr m nṯr
ms.tw=f r nb-wʿ

mḥ=f tȝ ẖ(r) kȝ.w
m hȝw=f
ssȝỉ=f ḥr.w
nỉ […] mnḫ n […]

nsw.t-bỉty
nb-tȝ.wy
(ȝwt[wkrtr ksr]s)
mry nb.t-ww nb.t tȝ-sn.t
tfn.t […r]šw
ỉmȝ-ỉb n sn=s
ḥnʿ zȝ=s

² Live the good god,
the Ihy-Nun,³⁸⁰
who came forth from the Mighty,
the luminous seed,
who came forth from the god,
he was born to be the sole lord.

He fills³⁸¹ the land with food
in his time,
and satiates everybody
without […] effective for […]

King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Lord of the Two Lands,
(Aut[okrator Caesar])
beloved of Nebtu, Lady of Esna,³⁸²
Tefnut³⁸³ […j]oy,
who pleases the heart of her brother
as well as her son.³⁸⁴

Esna 147

• Location: Central Door, Left
  
• Date: Domitian
  
• Hieroglyphic Text
  
• Bibliography: None.

NB: As Sauneron noted in the original edition, very similar parallels exist in KO 325; 423, 1-2; Philä I, 279. These variants help to confirm certain readings.

wnn gb.t smn.tw ḥr sḫn.w=s
wnn tȝ mn(.w) ḥr ndb.wt=f
wnn ẖnmw-Rʿ (ḥr) wbn m skt.t
mȝwy=f (ḥr) sḥḏ tȝ.wy
wnn ỉʿḥ ḥr psḏ m wḫȝ
wnn sȝḥ m bȝ n Wsỉr
spd.t m ḥqȝ ḫȝbs.w
ḥw.t-nṯr ẖr ʿḫm.w=sn
wnn ḥʿpỉ (ḥr) ỉỉ r nw=f
[ȝḫ].t (ḥr) sqʿ rḏ.w=s
ỉrw n Is.t mn(.w) n Wsỉr
mn.ty mn(.w) ḥr s.t=sn

wnn ḥw.t-N.t mn.tw r-nḥḥ
zȝ-Rʿ (tmtyns nty-ḫwỉ)
nsw.t-bỉty
ḥr ns.t=f ḏ.t

As the sky is estbalished upon its supports;
as the earth is stable upon its foundations;
as Khnum-Re shines in the day bark,
his rays illumiing the two lands;
as the moon shines in the night;
as Orion is the Ba of Osiris³⁸⁵,
Sothis as Ruler of the Decan stars,
the temple bearing their statues;
as the Inundation arrives at his time,
[the lan]d spits out its plants,
that which Isis did remains for Osiris,
the mountains remaining in their places;

Then the temple of Neith remains³⁸⁶ forever,
the son of Re, (Domitian Augustus),
King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
is upon his throne, eternally.

Esna 148

• Location: Facade, central door, corniche over right (south) pillar
• Date: Domitian
• Hieroglyphic Text
• Bibliography: None

Cartouche of Domitian.

Esna 149

• Location: Facade, central door, corniche over right (south) pillar
  
• Date: Unknown
  
• Hieroglyphic Text
  
• Bibliography: None

Cartouche

¹nsw.t-bjty
nb-tȝ.wy
(twmtyns (nty)-ḫwj)
¹ King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
Lord of the Two Lands,
Domitian Augustus.

Title

²jr mḏ n jt=f

² Doing unguent for [his] father.

Khnum-Re

³ẖnmw-Rʿ nb tȝ-⁴sn.t

³ Khnum-Re Lord of E⁴sna.

Esna 150

• Location: Central Door, right side
  
• Date: Most likely Domitian
  
• Hieroglyphic Text
  
• Bibliography: None
  

  ¹[…] psḏ m mḥn
  rr.n Mnḥy.t […]
  […]

  ²[…ḫỉ] n wr-ḥkȝw
  nb mȝʿ-ḫrw
  sỉȝ(.w) ḫnt ẖ.t
  nỉ pr=f [r tȝ…]
  [ṯnỉ] šȝy ḥr-tp msḫn.t
  rḏỉ.n nb.ty mnḏ.ty=sn
  sṯỉ-rȝ=f
  ṯnỉ sw rr.ty
  tp nwd.t=f

  Km.t bʿḥ(.tw) m rk=f
  nsw.t-bỉty
  nb-tȝ.wy
  (ȝwtkrtr k[sr]s)
  mry
  ḥkȝ pȝ ẖrd
  ʿȝ wr tpy n ẖnmw
  ḫy nfr
  wḥm msḫʿ.w m šmʿ-mḥw

  ¹ […] who shines³⁸⁷ in the uraeus,
  nurtured by Menhyt […]
  […]j

  ² […child] of the Greatest of Magic³⁸⁸,
  Lord of justification,
  who was recognized already in the womb,
  before he had come forth [on earth…],
  whom Shai [distinguished] upon the birth-brick,
  to whom the Two Ladies gave³⁸⁹ their breasts
  during his breakfast,³⁹⁰
  whom the birth-goddesses distinguished
  while still atop his swaddling clothes.

  Egypt is flooded during his era,
  the King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
  Lord of the Two Lands,³⁹¹
  (Autokrator Ca[esar])
  beloved of
  Heka the Child,
  the very great, first-born of Khnum,
  good child,
  who repeats births in Upper and Lower Egypt.

Esna 151

• Location: Central Door, right (south) side
  
• Date: Domitian
  
• Hieroglyphic Text
  
• Bibliography: None

wnn sḫt-šzp=f
(ḥr) wbn m ȝḫ.t
st.wt=f (ḥr) pẖr tȝ.wy

wnn nṯr.w p.t […]
[…] ỉm=s m ỉhy rʿ-nb

wnn ḥw.t-ẖnmw
nt ẖnmw Mnḥy.t Nb.t-ww
(ḥr) pr m wpy

wnn zȝ-Rʿ
(tmtyns ḫwỉ)
[…] ḏ.t

While He who Weaves his Light³⁹²
is rising in the Akhet,
his rays encircling the two lands;

while the gods of the sky […]
[…] therein, are in jubliation, every day;

while the Temple of Khnum,
of Khnum, Menhyet, and Nebtuu,
is coming forth in festival;

the son of Re,
(Domitian Augustus)
[is ….] eternally.