Wooden tomb stelae placed in the offering chamber of the tomb are a characteristic feature of the Late Period. Another typical element of this period is that the veneration of the deity depicted on these stelae, as also on the present example, is not that of the mortuary godOsiris but of the sun god. In the top of the stela the winged sun disk stands over the hieroglyph for heaven. Beneath it is a tightly framed scene with an offering table and the sun god Re and Atum on the left and to the right the lady Mer-hathor-ites. The prayer for offerings is written in six lines underneath. It is directed to the sun god in his name of Harakhty, to the Memphite mortuary god Sokar-Osiris, and to Anubis. Osiris is invoked at the end.
Behdeti, the great god, the lord of heaven, many-coloured of plumage. An offering which the king gives to Harakhty, the great god, the lord of heaven, many-coloured of plumage, who appears as Re-Harakhti-Sokar-Osiris, the great (god), Lord of the Shetit shrine, and Anubis who is upon his mountain, Imiut, Lord of Ta-djeser, so that they may give a funerary offering of bread and beer, bulls and geese, wine, milk, incense, ointment, linen, food and offerings, all good and pure things on which a god lives, (to) the Ka of the Osiris Mer-hathor-ites true of voice, daughter of Hor-pef-netjer true of voice, born of the mistress of the house, Hathor-es-ankh, true of voice, with Osiris-Khontamenti, the great god, Lord of Abydos, Wenen-nofer, ruler of eternity, lord of everlastingness.
Bibliography
Satzinger, H., Das Kunsthistorische Museum in Wien. Die Ägyptisch-Orientalische Sammlung. Zaberns Bildbände zur Archäologie 14 und Antike Welt (Sonderheft), Mainz (1994) 43, Abb. 26.
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