Cairo stone

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The Cairo Stone , also known as Cairo Fragment No. 1 (abbreviations: C1 , K1 ), is one of the two larger fragments of the Annals Stone of the 5th Dynasty , which together with the Palermo Stone and other smaller parts originally contained the names of the kings ( Pharaohs ) from predynastic times to the 5th dynasty (2504–2347 BC). This section got its name because of its current location in the collection of the Egyptian Museum of Cairo , in which, together with the Cairo stone, there are four other parts ( Cairo fragments No. 2–5 / C2 – C5 / K2 – K5 ) of the same annals stone are located.

Basics - Annalenstein

See also the main article Annal Stone of the 5th Dynasty

Former form

The original annal stone is a black diorite plate , the dimensions of which were probably 220 × 140 cm. For reasons unknown, the artifact broke into several fragments. The two largest fragments are called " Palermostein " and "Kairostein" because of their exhibition locations, a significantly smaller fragment (P1) is in the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology in London . The presumed total inscription was ultimately only re-indexed by scientists in various variants from all known fragments and the actual partial inscriptions on them. All fragments are therefore still the subject of ongoing research, also and especially on the original overall inscription of the annals stone and possible interpretations of the same.

Former overall lettering

The stone tablet is inscribed on the front and back, with the front being divided into modern-looking, horizontal tables and lines. In the top line, the names of predynastic rulers are entered in rectangular vignettes . This includes all the pharaohs of the 1st to 4th dynasties . The names of the rulers, titles and cartouche names , as well as the names of the respective royal mother , are entered in the free lines that separate the tables . The names of the kings are always positioned so that they are exactly in the middle above the associated table. Directly below, the most important annual events are shown from right to left in narrow windows, e.g. B. the escort of Horus and the cattle count , listed, but also special events. The current annual status of the Nile flood is shown in a very thin extra line under each window .

The tables of rulers always end with an indication of the calendar year in which the king died. The count of the year for the successor king does not begin with the takeover of government, but only names the year in which the respective king ascended the throne. The Egyptian administrative calendar was chosen as the calendar form, the beginning of which always began with the 1st Achet I in the Egyptian season "flood" . The entire front of the former memorial plaque is built according to this principle. The back is dedicated to the kings of the 5th Dynasty.

Lettering of the Cairo stone

The lettering that still exists on the Cairo stone therefore only represents a larger part of the overall lettering on the former Annalenstein.

The entries for the following kings can be read on the front of the Cairo stone:

other people:

On the back of the Cairo stone, the division into the windows is much less, the inscription there is partly incomplete.

See also

literature

  • Patrick F. O'Mara: The Cairo Stone: Questions of Workmanship and Provenance. In: Göttinger Miszellen : Contributions to the Egyptological discussion. No. 168, Göttingen 1999, ISSN  0344-385X , pp. 73-82.
  • Patrick F. O'Mara: The Cairo Stone II. The Question of Authenticity. In: Göttinger Miszellen: Contributions to the Egyptological discussion. No. 170, Göttingen 1999, pp. 69-82.
  • Patrick F. O'Mara: Is the Cairo Stone a Fake? An Example of Proof by Default (= Discussions in Egyptology. (DE) Vol. 4). Oxford 1986, ISSN  0268-3083 , pp. 33-40.
  • Wolfgang Helck : Investigations on the Thinite Age (= Ägyptologische Abhandlungen. (ÄA) Vol. 45 ). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 1987, ISBN 3-447-02677-4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c [1] Francesco Raffaele: all fragments of the Annalenstein after W. Helck.
  2. ^ [2] Upper part of the fragment in London.
  3. ↑ [3] Cairo fragment (C1) with further parts (C3 – C5). Various reconstructions and transcriptions.
  4. ^ Siegfried Schott: Ancient Egyptian festival dates. Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz / Wiesbaden 1950, p. 53.