Gebel Doscha

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Speos of Thutmose III .; Remains of decoration to the right of the entrance; top left the stele of Seti I.

Gebel Doscha , a rock spur made of sandstone , is an ancient site about five kilometers north of Soleb between the second and third Nile cataracts on the west bank in Nubia , today's Sudan . In the 15th century BC A rock chapel ( Speos ) of the ancient Egyptian king Thutmose III was built here. Later other monuments were carved out of the rock, including a royal stele of Seti I and at least one stele of Amenemipet , viceroy of Kush . The most extensive documentation of the site has survived from the Prussian expedition to Egypt under Richard Lepsius , who visited it in 1844.

Chapel of Thutmose III.

Relief representation of Thutmose III. , who was dedicated to the deified Sesostris III. sacrifices. Drawing: Maximilian Ferdinand Weidenbach , 1844

The rock chapel is a few meters above the bank with a view of the Nile . The main building program was under Thutmose III. carried out. In type and content it is similar to his rock chapel in Ellesija , which is now in the Museo Egizio in Turin. It consists of a transverse hall and a rectangular naos inside with the remains of three seated statues on the back wall, which were carved out of the rock. Small niches in the back wall and the side walls of the naos were added later. As the chapel was reused as a home and accommodation, it suffered some damage.

The decoration program, which was once of high quality, has only survived in fragments. It consisted mainly of scenes depicting Thutmose III. showed at sacrifice before various deities. On the east wall he prayed the deified Sesostris III. on. The statues on the back wall are also badly mutilated and therefore difficult to identify. The central figure is almost certainly Thutmose III, perhaps with the White Crown of the South . The figure on the left wears two long feathers as a headdress, which could mean Amun-Re . The right statue is more damaged than the others, leaving its identity unclear.

Modifications of the original decoration from the 19th dynasty (presumably under Seti I) probably also showed two officials who could have been viceroys of Kush.

Noticeable is a series of deep, rectangular holes that extend in a line to the right from a point directly above the entrance to the chapel. Presumably these were attached to hold wooden beams, but their exact function remains unclear. Similar holes were found in connection with the rock chapel of Ellesija.

Stele of Seti I and depictions of walking figures

The stele of Seti I.

The stele of Seti I is a few meters to the left above the rock chapel. It has a rectangular shape and is about 1.5 m high. In the horizontal register at the top, Seti I is shown together with deities from the region: Khnum , Satet and Anuket . The left scene in the register below shows the kneeling Amenemipetus, Viceroy of Kush, who was responsible for the creation of this monument. The rest of the stele contains 15 horizontal lines, the content of which has not yet been fully recorded and examined. Some parts of it are damaged, but others are in good condition.

Certainly contemporary to the stele of Seti I, a few meters to the left of it is the depiction of three male figures, each about 40 cm high. It looks like they are walking around the rock with their arms raised in reverence toward the stele. Before each, a column of hieroglyphics mentions their titles and names: the priest Sabschek, the scribe Neb and the priest Maimes.

A second, comparable group of three officers is on the right and below the stele. Their arms are pointing down and it looks like they are stepping away from the stele. The name of the first character is lost, but it began with the element "Iry ...". The second can be identified as priest Saabschek. The hieroglyphs belonging to the third figure are still unclear and require further investigation.

More steles

Low relief with Amenemipet, viceroy of Kush, worshiping the moon god and Satet.

A little further to the right of the second group of figures, a small stele with a rounded tip was carved out of the rock and consists of two horizontal registers. The upper one contains a scene showing Amenemipet, viceroy of Kush, standing and sacrificing before the two seated deities, Khnum and Satet. In the lower register, two other officials are shown with their arms raised in reverence. The hieroglyphic inscriptions are somewhat blurred and require further investigation.

A little further to the right of the stele of Amenemipet is a similar stele by a scribe named Keny. He worships “Amun-Re of the pure mountain” and Satet. Possibly the "pure mountain" here refers to the Gebel Doscha.

At the northeast corner of the Gebel Doscha, a finely carved relief scene shows a standing man with raised arms and behind it sacrificial vases on a stand. The hieroglyphs show him as the “bearer of Buhen ” Sebachau (?). This name is also attested from other inscriptions from the early Ramesside period. It is possible that a rock inscription on Ibrim was dedicated to this man .

A few meters to the left of the chapel of Thutmose III, about a meter above the bank, there are the remains of another stele. The left side shows the kneeling figure of an official worshiping two deities on the right. The scene is crowned by a winged disk of the sun. The identity of the first deity is still unclear, it may be a moon god. The second is the goddess Satet. The official's name and title have almost completely disappeared. The quality and style of the monument suggest, however, that it is another representation of the Viceroy Amenemipetus.

A few more steles originally decorated the rock wall to the right of the Thutmose III chapel. Unfortunately, their inscriptions are no longer preserved.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ WV Davies: The Egyptian Inscriptions at Jebel Dosha, Sudan. 2004, pp. 1-2.
  2. ^ WV Davies: The Egyptian Inscriptions at Jebel Dosha, Sudan. 2004, p. 4.
  3. ^ WV Davies: The Egyptian Inscriptions at Jebel Dosha, Sudan. 2004, pp. 2-3.
  4. ^ WV Davies: The Egyptian Inscriptions at Jebel Dosha, Sudan. 2004, pp. 3-4.

Coordinates: 20 ° 28 ′ 49.6 ″  N , 30 ° 18 ′ 52.9 ″  E