604

Daressy #: 260

Owner: TT 34 Montuemhat

Reasons: Inscription and provenience

Transliteration: Asjr Hm-nTr 4 nw jmn mnTw-m-HAt mAa-xrw Asjr HAtj-a jmj-rA Smaw mnTw-m-HAt mAa-xrw

Translation: Osiris, fourth prophet of Amun, Montuemhat justified. Osiris, mayor, overseer of Upper Egypt, Montuemhat justified.

Date: 25th Dynasty Taharqa to 26th Dyn. Psamtik I.

Length: 10.1 digits (Stadler and Zauzich 2021: Textband p. 225, Tafelband Taf. 74), 11.2 digits (Bosticco 1994 [Vicino Oriente 9]: 127); 11.5 digits (KhM: 5747. Personal communication between Kento Zenihiro and Dr. Regina Hölzl at Kunsthistorisches Museum. 10th Mar. 2008), 11.7 digits (NMI: L1030:74), 12.0 digits (Louvre: E 19987 (MG 2488, CF 156)).

Colours: Thick white. Some of other Montuemhat cones (# 418, # 419, # 420, # 461, # 472, # 485, and # 486) also exhibit a similar thick white layer. This practice was not exclusive to Montuemhat, but was also observed in the cases of other Late Dynasty officials, including TT 36 Ibi (# 450, # 451, # 610, and # 641/B.14), TT 410 Mutirdis (# 48, # 387, # 603, and # 608. # 48 and # 603), TT 196 Padihorresnet (# 515), and TT 279 Pabasa (# 92, # 468, and # 469). The presence of a thick white layer on the cones of these individuals suggests a potential influence from Montuemhat, who was the earliest active and powerful figure among the five.

Findspots:

• One from near TT 341 (01-290 in Davies's notebook).

• One (MMA: 97.4.2) from Asasif or at Deir el Bahari.

• One from TT 103 (Ibid.).

• One from TT 27 (Bosticco 1994 [Vicino Oriente 9]: 127).

• One (probably of this cone) from TT 34 (Nasr 1997: 221-222).

• One from Asasif (Budka 2010: 318, 740).

Remarks: 

• The ascribed owner is identical to those of # 409, # 410, # 411, # 418, # 419, # 420, # 449, # 460, # 461, # 472, # 473, # 485, # 486, and # 656/B.29.

• Of the 15 known types of seal impressions, 11 (# 411, # 418, # 419, # 420, # 449, # 461, # 472, # 485, # 486, # 604, and # 656/B.29) are certain to be authentic and to have existed. The dimensions, design, textual content, and inscription style of # 411, # 418, # 419, # 420, # 449, # 461, # 472, # 485, and # 486 suggest that the maker of them is the same indivisual. However, it is unclear whether they were produced simultaneously or at different points in time. Montuemhat is known to have had three wives, each of whom is represented by a cone # 418, # 419, # 420, # 472, and # 485. If Montuemhat married the three wives simultaneously, it is possible that these cones were made at the same time. However, if he married the three wives sequentially, it is possible that each cone was created in the order of the marriages, or they might have been made simultaneously after he married the third wife.

• See also 01-291 in Davies's notebook, 05-066 in Macadam's DALEX file 1 and 06-063, 068, 085, & 101 in his DALEX file 2.

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