The Paser Crossword Stela is an ancient Egyptian limestone stela that dates from the 20th Dynasty. It was constructed by Paser, ca. 1150 BC, during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses VI. [1]
The stela's text is a hymn to the goddess Mut. It is constructed to be read horizontally, vertically, and around its perimeter, therefore three times. The text employs a complex arrangement of single hieroglyphs and single hieroglyphic blocks, as well as special uses of hieroglyphs, word play, and double entendres, techniques which were popular in ancient Egyptian writings. The crossword-style grid was originally painted blue; [2] the hieroglyphs are incised, in sunken relief.
The stele originally formed a 67-by-80-line vertical rectangle, [3] now much damaged, especially on its base and right side. A roughly 50-by-50-line square area survives in good enough condition to be read easily; other sections have large lacunae, but some other topics can be partially constructed to complete the themes of a hymn to Mut.
The grid is read starting at the upper right, right-to-left in the missing corner of the stela; separator register lines are used for the grid.
The stela is constructed from a block of limestone 112 cm (44 in) tall, 84.5 cm (33.3 in) wide, and 11.5 cm (4.5 in) deep. A row of vertical standing gods adorn the region above the hieroglyphs in a horizontal frieze above the first horizontal row; the standing individuals presumably face the goddess Mut; the frieze only forms a short perimeter on the upper part of the stela. The stela is signed by "Paser, True of Voice".
The stela is in the British Museum (catalogue no. EA 194). It was discovered in the vicinity of the Temple of Amun at the Karnak Temple Complex by Giovanni Batista Belzoni. [4]
A sample block: [4]
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Because the stela reads right-to-left, Block 5 corresponds to column 42, Block 1 to column 38.
The four rows are translated as follows: [4]
The starting 4 blocks of Columns 38-42 are translated as follows: (reading downwards through the blocks) [4]
Rows one to four, columns 38-42 and their equivalents: [4]
Col 38 | Col 39 | Col 40 | Col 41 | Col 42 | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
'3t | 3Kh | Determinative- | s-hdj | dj | ||
phtj | jrt | s-hdj | dj | n:s | ||
m-(owl) preposition- | shdj | dj | n:s | t3wj-dw3 | ||
khft | hr | r' | Determinative- | m3 | ||
Because the Gardiner's Sign List hieroglyph font only face left, the table above is the reverse-facing direction from the Paser Crossword Stela.
The Stela features prominently in the novel The Third Translation (2005) by Matt Bondurant.
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This page list topics related to ancient Egypt.
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