May6] PROCEEDINGS. [1890.for the reigns of Cheops andChephren,andM. Maspero withequal
justice repeatsthe assertion.* Nowthe most cursoryinspection
of the inscriptions collectedby Lepsius, Mariette, de Rouge and
Maspero,will show thatalmosteverypersonwhohas left an inscrip
tion bearing his name, had among his titles at least oneof an
unmistakeably sacerdotal character, suchas <~»j[J'^3^7 xer'l'e^>
or J j of Ra, Sut, Osiris, Horus,Ptah,Sekru,Chnum,Sesheta,Heqait,
Maat, andother deities, besides those whosepriestlyoffices were
due to the ka of this or that sovereign. Theladieswerepriestesses
of Hathor or Neith. M. de Rouge, speakingof the wife of Ti, says :
" Comme toutesles princesses, Nefer-hotep-sdtaitpretresse."t
Of the fewgreat personages of whom we cannot prove the
priestlycharacter,it is equally impossible to prove thattheydid not
possessit.
Besides the titles whichare at once recognized as sacerdotal,
thereare others whichare not less certainlyof sacerdotal origin.
It will be generally admittedthatthe ^^ V V, the I 1\ M*,the o <w , the -S^i <=^>wereessentiallypriests,whatevercivil
functionstheymayalsohavedischarged.
Dr. Erman has directed attention to the fact that the important
officeof \ ^ is combined withpriestlyofficesof every kind, but
particularlywiththe priesthoods of Maat and of Heqait. J
M. de Rouge, in enumerating the titles of a prince of the family
of Chafra, says: " II porte le titre de 11 1 en J§^_... le grand des
cinqde la demeure de Thoth." Andhe goes on to say : " Le sens
de ces mots m'a 6te reVele par la liste des principaux sacerdocesde
l'Egyptequej'ai trouve' a Edfou ; c'&ait le titre officieldu premier
pretrede Thoth a Sesun ou Hermopolis. Le prince Ra-en-Kait,
cite plus haut,possedaitla meme dignity."§ This is quite true,and
it is certain that theseimportant listsof priesthoods bothat Edfu
andDendera,thoughactuallywrittenat a late date,are traditional* "Des renseignementsrecueillisdansleurstombeauxon pourralt reconstituer
/ Almannch Royalde la cour de Khoufou jusquedansses plus petitsdetails."
Histoireanriennedes Peuplesde VOrient, p. 59.
t Monuments ou'onpentattribueraux Six Premieres Dynasties,p. 97.
\ Aegypten, p. 125.
§ Monuments des Six Premieres Dynasties,p. 62.
357