List of Aegean place names from the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III.
The list of Aegean place names from the 14th century BC Amenophis III built mortuary temple. (also: List E N ) in Kom el-Hetan (now Arabic كوم الحيطان COM / Hardly al-Hitan ) is an ancient Egyptian list, the place names from the Aegean room lists. The inscription was found in 1965 in the necropolis of Kom el-Hetan in Thebes-West and is on the base of a statue in the north portico. It belongs to a series of several place name lists that were discovered in the mortuary temple.
inscription
The inscription runs in 17 columns from left to right, the inscriptions of the last two columns being lost and the third from the last being illegible. The first two columns (a, b) look to the left and show the names Keftiu and Tanaja. It is assumed that the countries Crete and Greece are meant and then individual places in these countries are designated. This interpretation of the list is generally recognized in research, albeit with reservations.
To the right of column a follow several columns, all of which look to the right and contain place names. The first three place names (1,2,3) were subsequently changed. A place name occurs twice (1.11). The identification of the individual places with Mycenaean and ancient place names is not completely certain and is partly controversial. The safest are Knossos and Amnisos, as they are adjacent and are named one after the other in the list, Kydonia and Kythera are also generally recognized. All other names are considered less secure for various reasons. The most uncertain is the name Wilaja (?), For which various places in Crete are suggested, such as the ancient Elaea (possibly near Phalasarna ) in western Crete or, more attractive, the ancient Heleia (Ἥλεια) near the Bronze Age city of Palaikastro in eastern Crete. Other researchers suggest Elis (Ἦλις, eleisch: Ϝαλις / Wālis /) in the Peloponnese or even Ilion-Troy (Ἴλιον <* Wilion). The latter interpretation is highly unlikely. In addition, the two Mycenaean place names wa-e-ro and wi-ja-er-ra 2 are proposed, which cannot be reliably located, but were in the realm of Pylos .
Finally, illegible column 13 is sometimes added as ** Sitaja, a Cretan place name, but this is speculative.
Only four names show the sign “foreign land”, namely Keftiu (a), Mezana (6), Nauplia (7) and Kutira (8). There is a possibility that these four names are country names while the other names denote cities. Then Nauplia would have to be reinterpreted, since only one city of this name is known until then.
Two fragments excavated in 2004 (F N ; G N ) possibly mention Ionia and other names in the Aegean region.
List E N
Above the 17 columns with the place names is the heading: "Foreign countries far in the north of Asia". Since columns a and b are looking to the left, column b is on the left edge and column 1 follows column a.
| column | inscription | transcription | syllabic transcription | myk. Surname | ancient name | Identification and remarks | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign countries far in the north of Asia | ||||||||||||||
| a. |
|
kf-tj-w foreign country | ka-f-tu | - | Κρήτη | Crete , cf. akkad . Kaptara, bibl. Caphtor | ||||||||
| b. |
|
tj-n3-yy-w | ta-na-ju or ta.na-ja | - | Δαναοί | In Homer, Danaer is one of several names used by the Greeks before Troy. Tanaju is very likely to refer to the Mycenaean part of mainland Greece | ||||||||
| 1. |
|
[] ʿ-mni-š3 | ʿA-m-ni-ša | a-mi-ni-so Amnīsos |
Άμνισός | Amnisos , kret. Port with myk. Remains | ||||||||
| 1b. | about [] ʿ-mk-ra |
ʿA-mk-la | - | Ἀμύκλαι | Amyklai , a sanctuary in Laconia that dates back to the Bronze Age | |||||||||
| 2. |
|
b3-yy-š3-tj | bi-ja-š-ta | pa-i-to P h aistos |
Φαιστός | Phaistos , cret. City with a Minoan palace | ||||||||
| 2 B. | via b3-i-š3-jj or b3-i-s3tjj |
bi-ša-yes | pi-sa 2 pīswā |
Πῖσα | possibly the Pylian province of Piswa or the Pisatis in Elis . | |||||||||
| 3. |
|
k3-tw-n3-yy | ku-tu-well | ku-do-ni-ja Kudōnia |
Κυδωνία | Kydonia , Crete. City, with myk. palace | ||||||||
| 3b. | about k3-tw-mi - [] - ra |
ku-tu-mi - [] - ra | - | not clear | ||||||||||
| 4th |
|
mw-k-jʿ-nw | mu-k-ʿa-nu | (* Mukānā) | Μυκῆναι | Mycenae , Mycenaean. palace | ||||||||
| 5. |
|
dj-q3j-j3-z | di-qa-ja-s | te-qa T h ēg u ai |
Θῆβαι | Thebes in Boeotia, myk. Palace. Since Thebes is somewhat distant, an identification with Tegea (Τεγέα) in Arcadia is also being considered. | ||||||||
| 6th |
|
mj-ḏ3-n3-j foreign land | mi-ḏa-na-j | me-za-na Med z ānā |
Μεσσάνα | Possibly Messene , but this is uncertain as the ancient Messene did not exist until the 4th century BC. Founded and so far no myk. Objects were found. The sign "foreign country" may indicate a country name, so Messinia could be meant. | ||||||||
| 7th |
|
nw-pj-r3-j-yj foreign country | nu-pi-ra-yes | na-u-pi-ri-jo Nauplioi Ethn. |
Ναυπλία | Nauplia , port in the Argolis with Mycenaean finds. It has also been suggested that Tiryns once bore this name. However, the character “foreign country” may indicate a country name and cannot then be reliably identified. | ||||||||
| 8th. |
|
k3-tj-j-rʿ foreign land | ku-ti-ra | ku-te-ra 3 Kut h ērai Ethn. |
Κύθηρα | the island of Kythera with myk. Found | ||||||||
| 9. |
|
w3-yw-r-yy-y | wa-i-ra-yes | - | - | not clear; various places on Crete or in the Peloponnese as well as Ilion-Troia (Ἴλιον <* Wilion) are proposed ; see above. | ||||||||
| 10. |
|
k3-jn-jw-š3 | ku-nu-ša | ko-no-so Knosos |
Κνωσός | Knossos in Crete, Minoan palace, after myk. Conquest of Crete continued. | ||||||||
| 11. |
|
jʿ-m-ni-š3 | ʿA-m-ni-ša | a-mi-ni-so Amnīsos |
Άμνισός | see column 1 | ||||||||
| 12. |
|
rj-k3-tj | ri-ka-ta | ru-ki-to Luk (i) tos / Lukistos? |
Λύκτος | Lyktos , cret. City. The myk. But the name could be more identical to Lykastus . | ||||||||
| 13. | [] -j [] - t3- [] | - | - | - | The inscription is only partially legible and cannot be identified. | |||||||||
| 14th | lost | |||||||||||||
| 15th | lost | |||||||||||||
List F N and G N
Two fragments that came to light during the 2004/05 excavations also give further geographical names. The lists are designated with F N (2 names recognizable) and G N (5 names recognizable). Although the inscriptions were apparently not completed, the context points to areas north of Egypt, i.e. Aegean and Anatolia.
The exact localization and identification of these names is problematic because the name cartridges are partially broken off at the bottom. The first publications identified the toponyms with well-known names such as Greater Ionia , Luwien , Mitanni and Naharina . or Adana and Tarsus Today only the reading “Groß-Jonien” is considered to be more or less certain. In addition, the Danaer are mentioned again.
| column | inscription | transcription | syllabic transcription | possible interpretation | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F N x + 1 |
|
tj-n- [3-jj-w] | ta-na-ji | Danaer, as in list E N , after Haider Danaja (= eastern Peloponnese ) | ||||||||||
| F N x + 2 |
or
|
š-gr- [] or š-pr- [] |
ša-g / par / l ... | after Haider Šakarita in Anatolia; Šaparanta near Tyana or Šaparašana or Šaparima in Anatolia; or similar place name in the Aegean Sea (see SU-KI-RI-TA ) | ||||||||||
| G N x + 1 | [] | |||||||||||||
| G N x + 2 |
|
ra-ʿa-w3-3-n-3 | r / la-wa-na; | Luwana / Lamena in Cilicia or an unknown place in the Aegean region. The interpretation as "Luwien" is no longer recognized for reasons of sound. | ||||||||||
| G N x + 3 |
|
yy-w-nj-ʿ3 Det. -ʿ3 | ju-ni-a / ja-wa-ni-a (or similar) | Greater Ionia, after a few Ionia in Western Anatolia, after Haider more central Greece. | ||||||||||
| G N x + 4 |
|
mʿ-dwn- [] | ma-you-na- [] | Maddunašša, a border town of Mira in Anatolia or a place in the Aegean region | ||||||||||
| G N x + 5 | [] |
literature
- Michael C. Astour: Aegean Place-Names in an Egyptian Inscription. In: American Journal of Archeology , Volume 70, 1966, pp. 313-317 ( online at www.jstor.org ).
- John Strange: Caphtor / Keftiu: A New Investigation (= Acta Theologica Danica. Volume 14). Brill, Leiden 1980, ISBN 90-04-06256-4 .
- Wolfgang Helck : The relationship between Egypt and the Middle East and the Aegean until the 7th century BC Chr. 2nd edition, University Press Society, Darmstadt 1995, ISBN 978-3-534-12904-1 .
- Elmar Edel , Manfred Görg : The place name lists in the northern columned courtyard of the mortuary temple of Amenophis III. Hanstein, Bonn 2005, ISBN 978-3-447-05219-1 .
- Eric H. Cline & Steven M. Stannish: Sailing the Great Green Sea? Amenhotep III's “Aegean List” from Kom el-Hetan, Once More. Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections, Vol. 3: 2, 2011, 6-16. ( online ; academia.edu ).
- John Bennet : The Geography of the Mycenaean Kingdoms. In: Yves Duhoux , Anna Morpurgo Davies (Ed.): A Companion to Linear B. Mycenaean Greek Texts and their World. Volume 2, Peeters, Louvain 2011, ISBN 978-90-429-2403-1 , pp. 137-168.
- Peter W. Haider: Was a "Greater Ionia" actually around 1360 BC. Existed in western Asia Minor? In: Klio , Volume 90, Number 2, 2008, pp. 291-306.
Individual evidence
- ^ A b c John Bennet : The Geography of the Mycenaean Kingdoms. Louvain 2011, p. 160.
- ^ MC Astour: Aegean Place-Names in an Egyptian Inscription. 1966, p. 315.
- ↑ H. Sorouzian, R. Stadelmann: The oldest mentions of Ionians and Danaans . In: Ancient World . (AW) Volume 36, No. 6, 2005, pp. 79-83.
- ↑ M. Görg: Ionia and Asia Minor in early non-biblical evidence. In: Biblical Notes. New series, Volume 127, 2005, pp. 5-10.
- ↑ a b c Peter W. Haider: Was a "Greater Ionia" actually around 1360 BC. Existed in western Asia Minor? In: Manfred von Clauss, Peter Funke, Hans-Joachim Gehrke (eds.): Klio. Contributions to ancient history . 90, volume 2. de Gruyter, 2008, ISSN 0075-6334 , p. 291-306 .