Volume 8 (2025)

First page of the paper.

Sous le Ciel Étoilé: Proscynème Cordial au Dr Nadine GUILHOU–AMBROISE

A Middle Kingdom Funerary Stela of the Steward Wah–Ka in the Cairo Museum (CG 20549)

Mansour, Ahmed; Ezzat, Azza

Abstract:

Towards the end of the Twelſth Dynasty, there were three famous officials who bore the name of Wah–ka: Wah–ka I, Wah–ka II and Wah–ka III. Wah–ka I (owner of Τomb 7 at Qaw ᾽el-Kabīr) governed the region of Anteopolis (Qaw ᾽el-Kabīr) during the Middle Kingdom; then Wah–ka II (owner of Τomb 18 at Qaw ᾽el-Ka­bīr) had maintained a flourishing career during the reigns of Amūn–em–hāt II, Sesōstris I and Amūn–em–hāt III and followed him; meanwhile, Wah–ka III is only attested through his scarab seal. This paper reinvesti­gates a stela that is currently kept at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo (CG 20549). It approximately dates to the end of the Twelſth Dynasty. It is a rectangular stela, made out of limestone and tends to be in a reasonably good state of preservation. It is carved on one side only, and is fascinating because of the good quality of the workmanship and the clear arrangement of texts and figures. The stela provides important information on the high status of Middle Kingdom officials and their administrative titles, as it provides a reference to various titles, as well as personal names. Likewise, it gives important insights on the status of Asiatics in ancient Egypt. In addition, the present paper would suggest that Wah–ka was of Asiatic origin, who was egyptianised and settled in Egypt for a long period. Therefore, the present paper will discuss a mo­dified translation and interpretation of the stela in an attempt to add more value and better understanding of the position of Asiatics in Middle Kingdom.

Citation:

Mansour, A., Ezzat, A. 2025. «A Middle Kingdom Funerary Stela of the Steward Wah–Ka in the Cairo Museum (CG 20549) », JHIE 8: 249–263

DOI:

10.5281/zenodo.19061971

Language: en

Submitted on 2024-05-14; accepted on 2024-08-12

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