The Sloping and The Northern Passages
The sloping passage leading from the hall towards the
Temple of Seti was inscribed on the South side with the 17th chapter,
on the North side with the 99th chapter, of the Book of the Dead .
Above the inscription on each side was a frieze of figures of which it was
possible to copy only one, from the north side . The rapid silting up of the
passage by heavy falls of sand and stones made it impossible to copy more than
a few lines of the inscriptions, which are only enough to show the chapters
from which they are taken .
The 99th chapter is the Chapter of bringing
the Makhent boat ; the 17th is one of the most ancient chapters, of
which the meaning was so obscure, even in the earliest times of which we have
any knowledge of it, that it is accompanied by a running commentary by ancient
theologians . By degrees, the commentary became confounded with the text .
The lintel or roofing stone, which still remains in
position, was painted in black on a grey ground . It was probably the intention
of the builders to engrave the hieroglyphs, but it was left, like the east side
of the North passage, merely sketched in .
The whole roof of the passage was probably covered
with the names of stars, and possibly with astronomical data, of which not a
vestige remains except this one small section .
The passage leading northwards out of the Great Hall
is sculptured and painted with scenes from the " Book of Gates " . On
the west ( to the left when entering from the Great Hall ) wall, and the "
Book of Caverns " on the east ( to the right when entering from the Great
Hall ) wall . On the East wall is the representation of the sunrise, on the
West wall is the sunset . The latter was considered more important, for the
West wall is sculptured, the East wall being merely painted .
Surrounding the whole scene is the pathway of the sun,
with the disk of the sun placed half-way . The disk has been painted red, and
was scribbled over with a half-legible Greek graffito .
The West Wall :-
The first scene on the west wall shows the Boat of the
Sun upheld by Nu, the primaeval Waters . The hieroglyphs explain that "
These two arms go forth from the water ; they raise this god " . In the
centre of the boat is the beetle ( scarab ), emblem of the resurrection,
supporting the sun's disk . On either side are Isis ( right ) and Nephthys (
left ), whose headdresses are the hieroglyphs which form their names ; towards
the stern of the boat and behind Isis, are five divinities, Geb, Shu, Heka, Hu,
and one unnamed ; the two last manage the great oars by which the boat is
steered . Above is the sentence " The god [ ? gods ] of the Atet-boat
following this god [ when he ] sets " . On the other side of the beetle,
and behind Nephthys, are three gods named Sa . Above them are the words, "
Those who are with him " . In the prow kneels the king with upraised hands
in an attitude of worship, with his name and titles above his head, " Lord
of the Two Lands, Ba-en-Ra mer-Ptah, true of voice " . This is the only
instance we know of the king appearing in the boat of the immortals .
Over the boat is a straight line, above which are two
figures upside down . The upper one is represented with the feet turned back
till they almost touch the head . According to the hieroglyphs this is "
Osiris encircling the Duat " ; the Duat being the other World through
which the sun passed at night . Osiris with raised arms supports the goddess
Nut on his head . The hieroglyphs beside her read, " Nut receiving Ra
" ; the theory being that the sun was born of Nut every morning, and died
in her arms every evening .
This scene of the circular Osiris is very rare ; it
occurs on the sarcophagus of Seti I and in the tomb of Ramses VI . The straight
line above the boat we take to be the line of the horizon, Osiris and Nut being
below the horizon . It was impossible to represent both sides of the horizon on
an upright wall without having some of the figures wrong way up . The artist
was forced to sacrifice truth to the exigencies of the case ; the boat and its
passengers, being the most important, are placed correctly, therefore Osiris
and Nut, who are merely subordinate characters, are reversed .
The sunset is separated from the next scene by five
lines of hieroglyphs . In the line nearest the boat are two serpents ; the one
at the top is upside down, and wears the head-dress of Isis ; that at the
bottom wears the head-dress of Nephthys . The inscription between the two
serpents reads, " They are the guard of the secret gate of the souls who
are in Amentet, after entering this
gate " . Between the other lines of hieroglyphs are two serpents standing
on their tails, the one called Sbay, " He of the gate " [ or
perhaps Duay, " He who praises " ], the
other called Pekhery, " He who
surrounds " .
The hieroglyphs read from right to left, the
inscription therefore begins on the right-hand side . " (1) He [ who ] is
on this door, he opens unto Ra . Sa [ says ] unto Pekhery, Open thy gate unto
Ra, unbolt thy door for the Horizon-god . It is that he makes light the thick
darkness . (2) The gate it is of entrance (?) before the souls who are in Amentet, after entering this gate . (3) He [ who ] is on this gate, he opens
unto Ra . Sa [ says ] to Pekhery, Open thy gate to Ra, unbolt thy door to the
Horizon-god . He is accustomed to make light the thick darkness . (4) The Gate
it is of entrance before the souls who are in Amentet after entering this gate of Amentet . He rises behind
this great god .
The long line of inscription at the extreme right of
the scene begins the next scene : " This great god arrives at this pylon .
The gods, who are in it, worship him " .
Then comes the picture of a structure which has given
the name of " Book of Gates " to this portion of the religious
literature of Egypt . The Duat was divided into twelve parts, corresponding
with the twelve hours of the night ; at the end of each hour was a gate through
which the sun passed in his nightly journey through the Duat . The gate itself
was a narrow passage between high walls, on the tops of which was the kheker-ornament forming a sort of chevaux-de-frise . The name of this
gate, which is partly obliterated, can be restored as Zesert-bau, " Sacred of souls ", from the sarcophagus
of Seti I . A human guardian stands at the entrance and the exit, the one at
the top holds a knife and is called Bay ; the rest of the hieroglyphs read,
" He stretches out his two hands unto Ra, kindling a spark for Ra " .
At the angles are two serpents, from whose mouths flow a continuous stream of
poison. Beside the gate are two tall poles surmounted by human heads ; these
are respectively Khepera and Atum, the morning sun and evening sun ; their
names being inscribed above their heads . The line of hieroglyphs between them
reads : " They stand upon their heads . They are upon their long poles,
standing upon them at the gate in the earth " .
This scene shows the eleventh division of the Duat or
Other World . It occurs in other places, but perhaps one of the best
representations is on the sarcophagus of Seti I . The scene is divided, as is
usual, into three horizontal registers ; the middle one (B) representing the
way of the solar boat, which is preceded by various divinities, the upper (A)
and lower (C) registers represent the banks of the river on which the boat
floats .
(A) . A crocodile-headed god leads the way ; he holds
an uas-sceptre in his right hand, and in his left, which is
behind his back, is a serpent with its head erect . His name is Sebek-er, or
Sebek-Ra . Eight women seated on coiled serpents, one hand resting on the
serpent's head, the other holding a star . These are the stars of dawn, and are
called " All the stars which are in Nut " . Three hawk-headed figures
standing . Their names are Sopd, an almost obliterated word, which reads
Shenebt on the sarcophagus of Seti, and He who is in the Double Boat . Four
ram-headed figures standing, called respectively, Khnum, Peneter, Dend, and Ba .
The inscription is the same as that on the sarcophagus of Seti .
The inscription reads : " ...... not arrives Ra .
Those who are in this scene, their sceptres are in their hands, it is they who
make firm the shrine, their two arms being at the side of the body which is in
the Double Boat of the god, after issuing from the gate of the land of Sma .
They place the oars in heaven [ when ] the hour which is in front [ i.e. the
future ] comes into being ........ Those who are in this scene, their serpents
being under them, their hands holding stars, they issue from the double
sanctuary of this great god, two to the east and two to the west . It is they
who worship their souls of the east . They offer praises to this god, they
worship him after his going forth, and Sedeti [ when ] he issues in his shapes .
It is they who lead this god, they adore this god, they .......... to them,
their serpents rising upwards behind him in this scene . He advances at their
advance, they take their station before this god . They turn round the gods at
this gate ...... of Amentet " . The meaning
of the concluding sentence is not clear ; so we have not translated it .
(B) . A god standing, holding an uas-sceptre in one hand and an ankh in the other . His name is Sebekhti, " He of the Pylon " . Two women standing,
wearing the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt . Their names are not at all clear
in meaning, and the sarcophagus of Seti gives no help .
Four monkeys, each holding a gigantic hand, Mesu uaut, " The children of the roads " . Then comes
a snake chained to the earth with four chains fastened with hooks shaped like
the hieroglyph for S . This is Apep ( or Apophis ), the serpent of evil, the
enemy of Osiris and the gods . Advancing towards him are eight figures, four
jackal-headed and four human-headed, each carrying a knife and a hook of the
shape like the hooks which fasten Apep .
The inscription reads : " .... the children when
they strike him, they rest in Nut . Those who are in this scene, they spread
out his chains . It is that his teeth are in heaven, and his poison goes down
to Amentet . Those who are in this scene, it is they who
establish Ra in the eastern horizon of heaven . They direct this god, their
staves (?) in (?) their hands, two to the left and two to the right, in the two
sanctuaries of this god . They go forth behind him, praising his soul [ when ]
they see it . It is they who make firm his disk . Those who are in this scene,
they turn themselves towards this pylon of Duaty [ Him of the Duat ], opening
the caverns and making firm their secret pylons . The souls, they arise behind
him " .
(C) . A cat-headed god holding an uas-sceptre in his right hand ; in his left, which is behind his back, is a
lotus . On the sarcophagus of Seti the god holds a serpent . The name is Mauty, " He of the cat " . Four men bowing, called Auityu . Four women standing and wearing the crown of Lower Egypt, [ Ke ] byut, " The mourners " . Four
women standing and wearing the crown of Upper Egypt .
The inscription reads : " ..... behind him, their
bodies are in their place . Those who are in this scene, naming Ra ; great are
the names of his transformations . Their souls, they ascend behind him, when
their bodies remain in their place . Those who are in this scene raise up truth
and make it firm in the shrine of Ra when he sets in Nut . Their souls, they
ascend behind him, their bodies remain in their place . Those who are in this
scene, it is they who fix the duration of time, and make the years to come into
existence for the guardians of the desolate ones in the Duat and for the Living
Ones in heaven, namely, they who follow this god . Those who are in this scene
in this pylon, they are uncovered as to their hair before this great god in Amentet . They turn themselves towards this pylon, entering not into heaven .
Those who are in this scene they worship Ra, they offer praises to him, they
adore him when they worship the gods who are in the Duat and the gatekeepers of
the secret places . They remain in their place . The doorkeeper of the cavern (
Qerert ) remains in his place " .
The East Wall :-
The sunrise is shown on the east wall of the north
passage . It had been painted in red and black, but is now greatly faded, and
in places the figures and hieroglyphs are barely visible . I think that it is
still unfinished, and that the painting was merely a temporary decoration put
up until it was possible to sculpture the scenes in the same way as on the
opposite wall . Otherwise we cannot account for the first draft of the
inscription being still visible here and there, as is shown by the signs in
dotted lines, which were as distinct as the other hieroglyphs . Only two
colours, red and black, were used here, whereas four colours, red, black,
white, and blue, were used on the sculptured walls . It seems probable then
that this East wall shows us merely the artist's sketch, which was never
finished .
The scene has the pathway of the sun, as in the
sunset, with the solar disk in the middle . From the disk issue Horus the
Child, emblematic of the youthful Sun, and the ram-headed Beetle, emblematic of
creation and resurrection . Two pathways diverge from the disk diagonally
across the scene, defining the limits of the celestial river . Above the upper
diagonal path are seven bowing figures, turned upside down . They are called, Sheta Kheperu, " Secret of transformations " ; Sheta yru, " Secret of forms " ; Az (?) mesut, " ..... of births " ; Ymy ta, " He who is in the earth " ; Khenti-ta, " Chief of the earth " ; Meny, " He who establishes " ; Khesny . Between them and the sun's path are three lines of hieroglyphs :
" These gods who are in this scene, they give praise (?) to Ra
............. companion (?) when he enters (?) from the womb of Nut " .
Between the diverging paths are eight lines of
hieroglyphs : (1) " We draw Ra, we follow this only lord, (2) Khepera,
chief lord . Hail to thee, the great one, (3) ye are glorious . Living soul of
my transformations . (4) Peace, peace, within his disk . Ra rests within (5)
his disk . This great god enters into his eastern hill, chief of the (6) gods,
seeing the past generations ( pat ), shining on the present generations (
rekhyt ) (7) blessed is the face of him upon earth by these
gods " . The last line is too obscure to translate .
For more information please see Part ( 5 )
Part ( 10 ) .. Coming SoOoOon .....
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