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Limestone ostracon

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Title/s	Limestone ostracon
Category	written document
Name	writing board
Description	writing board, part missing. Ruled Egyptian text in Demotic script from the 'Tale of Pedubastet'. Both the Egyptian Demotic language and Greek co-existed during the Ptolemaic period but Greek was the official language of administration. Demotic is a cursive form of hieroglyphic script. There are two holes across the left-hand edge, about 0.8 cm in diamter and 6 cm apart, of unknown purpose
Field Collection	Egypt
Dimensions	thickness 1.9 cm length 16.3 cm width 11.8 cm
Period	Ptolemaic period
Date	circa 332 B.C. — 30 B.C.
Provenance	bequeathed: Gayer-Anderson, R.G. (Major) 1943 (Filtered for: Antiquities)
Inscriptions/Marks	inscription Position: recto Content: 1. ] r xhr 2. ] n na iwnw [n] pA grH 3. hr]wt gm.f pA xpr 4. ] Sm iw xrw.f xy Dd in 5. ] in wn ntr nty qy [r] pA ra 6. ] ... nb Htp. in wn gl-Sr 7. ] it wsir nsw irt-[n]-Hr-r.w in 8. ] ir.k Htr wn wat mrt (?) 9. X ]r n iwnw na tA-Hwt Interpretation: part of Petubastis cycle Translation: 1. ] about to happen. 2. ] to the men of Heliopolis [in] the night 3. feast ] He found what had happened 4. ] went, his voice being raised, saying, 'Is 5. ... ] ? Is there a god who is higher [than] Pre? 6. ] every [ ] rest? Is there a warrior 7. ] father Osiris King Inaros? Is 8. ] you are compelled (?). There is a boat (?) 9. Syria ] to Heliopolis [and] Natho (?)' inscription Position: verso Content: Dd xpr nty (?) Interpretation: probably practice signs rather than connected text (according to J.D.R.)
Documentation	Ray, J.D. Two inscribed objects in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge [page: 247-251] Source title: Journal of Egyptian Archaeology (1972)
Material/s	limestone varnish
Accession Number	E.GA.4695.1943 (Antiquities) (Reference Number: 59142; Input Date: 2003-03-25 / Last Edit: 2011-07-12)

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Limestone ostracon