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Egyptian Texts:  5.4


EPITAPH OF TAIMHOTEP

Text:   BM 147   [ TM 58339 ]
Provenance:   Memphis
Date: 42 B.C.
Language:   Hieroglyphic
Translated by:   C. Maystre
Format:   see key to translations

  Adapted from the French translation by C. Maystre, "Les grands prêtres de Ptah de Memphis" (1992), no. 201.

For a summary of what is known about Taimhotep (whose name is sometimes spelt as Tayimhotep, Tjaiemhotep, or Taimuthes), see the genealogy compiled by Chris Bennett.


Royal offering for Sokar-Osiris who is pre-eminent in the Mansion of the ka of Sokar, great god in (?) Rutisut, and for Apis-Osiris who is pre-eminent in the West, king of the gods, king of eternity and lord of everlasting, and for Isis the great, mother of the god, eye of Rê, mistress of the sky and sovereign of all the gods, and for Nephthys sister of the god, and for Horus 2 assistant of his father, great god in Rutisut, and for Anubis who is on his mountain, who is among the bandages and pre-eminent in the seh-neter, and for all the gods and goddesses who are in the Beautiful Western Desert of Het-ka-ptah {temple in Memphis}, so that they give the "coming forth to the voice" - bread, beer, oxen, birds, incense, oil and all the good things which appear on their altars - to the ka of 3 Osiris, the noble one, great in adornments and great in acclaim, the lady of grace, perfect in character and sweet of love in speech to everyone, great in the praise which she receives from her friends, the (?) worthy young person, skilled in speaking pleasantly, who gives good counsel, Taimhotep, justified, daughter of the god's father, beloved of the god, sem-priest, servant of Ptah, wab of the gods 4 of the White Wall {Memphis}, prophet of Min lord of Senut and of Khnum lord of Semenu-hor, prophet of Horus lord of Letopolis, master of secrets in Yat-udjat, master of secrets in Letopolis and in Iyt, Khahapi, born to the accomplished musician of Ptah the great who is to the south of his wall, lord of Ankh-tawi, Herankh.

5 She said: O scribes, . . ., leaders, nobles, ordinary men, all you who enter this burial chamber, come, listen to what happened to me. The 9th day of the (?) fourth month of Akhet, in the 9th year of the reign of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt and lord of the Two Lands, the god Philopator Philadelphos the new Dionysos, son of Rê, lord of diadems, Ptolemy-ever-living, beloved of Ptah and Isis, {9 Choiak = 17 December 73 B.C.}, 6 was the day I was born. On the first (?) day of the third month of Shemu, in year 23 of the reign of this Lord of the Two Lands {1 Epeiph = 4 July 58 B.C.}, my father gave me in marriage to the prophet of Ptah, scribe of the sacred books, prophet of the library and of the House of the Morning, wab of the gods of the White Wall {Memphis}, director of the prophets of the gods and goddesses of Upper and Lower Egypt, eyes of the king of the south, ears of the king of the north, second to the king when the Djed Pillar is erected, baton of the king in the temples, 7 noble in the Place of Geb, lector priest in the Place of Thoth, the one who renews the shaping (? ) of the Ram, the one who ... (? ) the Wadjet, the one who has access to the Wadjet at the time (?) of the great ... (?), the one for whom there remains the great god born by his work, the chief of artificers Psherenptah, son of the one who bore the same titles, Pedubast, justified, born 8 to the splendid musician, giver of rhythm for Ptah the great, who is to the south of his wall, lord of Ankh-tawi, Herankh, justified. The chief of artificers was extremely happy. I conceived for him three times, giving birth to three girls, but without giving birth to a male child . Therefore along with the chief of artificers, 9 I prayed to his majesty the all-powerful god, great in marvels . . . the giver of sons to those who do not have any, Imhotep son of Ptah. He listened to our pleas, and he took heed of the prayers addressed to him. His majesty the god visited the dwelling of the chief of artificers in a dream, and said to him: 10 "If you have a great work done in the sanctuary of Ankh-Tawi, the place where my body is hidden, I will reward you with a male child." When he awoke from this dream, he prostrated himself before the great god. He revealed the matter to the prophets, 11 the masters of the secrets, the wab priests and to the sculptors of the Golden Mansion. He told them to make a perfect edifice in the sacred sanctuary, and they made it just as he had said. Then he performed the opening-of-the-mouth for the august god; and he made a great offering of all the finest things; he rewarded the sculptors of the god, 12 and he delighted their hearts with all sorts of good things. In recompense for this, the god made me conceive a son and I gave birth to him on the 15th day of the third month of Shemu, in the sixth year of the reign of the sovereign and mistress of the Two Lands Cleopatra (l.p.h.) {15 Epeiph = 15 July 46 B.C.}, in the eighth hour of the day; 13 this is the day of "the feast of offerings which are put on the altar" of the august god Imhotep, son of Ptah. His form resembled that of the son of Him who is to the south of his wall. There were [offerings ?] for him from the inhabitants of the White Wall {Memphis}. The boy was given the name of Imhotep, also called Pedubast, and everyone rejoiced over him. 14 The [16th] day of the second month of Peret, in the [10th] year {16 Mecheir = 15 February 42 B.C.}, was the day when I arrived in the tomb. My husband, the God's father and prophet of Ptah, servant of Osiris lord of Rostau, prophet of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt, the lord of the Two Lands Ptolemy, justified, master of the secrets of temple of Ptah, master of the secrets of heaven earth and underworld, master of the secrets of Rostau, master of the secrets of Ro-qedit, the chief of artificers Psherenptah placed me in the necropolis. 15 He accorded me all the customary rites, which are performed for perfect mummies. He buried me with an excellent burial; and he laid me in his tomb, behind Ro-qedit.

O brother, husband, friend, chief of artificers, cease not to drink, to eat, to feast, 16 to make love, to make the day joyful, to follow your heart day and night; suffer not grief to enter your heart. What are these year upon the earth? The West is a land of sleep and of deep darkness, a place which overwhelms those who stay there. The august dead are asleep in their mummy forms. 17 They do not wake to see their brothers; they do not see their father or their mother. Their hearts forget their wives and their children. The living water of the earth is for everyone upon it, but for me there is [no] water. 18 The water flows to anyone who is upon the earth, but I have [none], not even the water close by me! I know not any more where I am, since I arrived in this valley. Give me running water and say to me: "Do not remove your vase (?) from the water!" 19 Set my face towards the north wind by the side of the water, and may my heart be delivered from its torment!

When he, who is called "Complete death comes", has summoned everyone into his presence, they come to him, terrified in their hearts through fear of him. 20 No-one amongst the gods or men dares to look at him, and before him the great are no different from the humble. He does not save any favourites; he takes away the child from its mother in the same way that he takes away the old man. Anyone who meets him on the way feels dread. Everyone begs him for mercy, but he does pay attention to them. Nobody offers prayers to him; 21 he does not listen when he is implored. He is not seen, even if he is given of all kinds of offerings.   O all you who come to this desert, offer me [sustenance], put incense on the fire for me, give me a libation at all the feasts of the Western One !

The engraving scribe, the scholar, master of the secrets of the . . . house in the Tenenet, prophet of Horus, Imhotep, son of the prophet Khahapi, engraved this.

Epitaph of her husband Psherenptah


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