Proceedings of the Society of Biblical Archaeology

Nov.5] PROCEEDINGS. [1889.

NOTEONTHE D'ORBINEY PAPYRUS.

Dear Mr. Rylands,
The D'Orbiney papyrus contains on page 17, line 4, the
followingpassage:—

ISiflPTfJk^S^J

I

which has been variously renderedby the eminent Egyptologists
whohavetranslatedthis interesting document.

The late M. Chabas translated: " His Majesty wearing the

pectoralof lapis" (Sa Majeste portanlle pectoralde lapis) ;

M. Le Page Renouf: "HisMajesty was wearingthe collar of

lapis-lazuli."

Whilst an entirely different interpretation is given by the

followingscholars:—

M. Maspero : " His Majestywentforthfromthe portal of lapis-

lazuli" (Sa Majeste sortitdu portailde lapis-lazuli) ;

M. Groff: "His Majesty went forth from the portal(?) of

xesbet" (Sa Majestesortitdu portail(?) de yesbet).

I beg to offer below, and to support by a short analysis of

the two questionable groups, a translation differing but slightly

fromthatof M. Le Page Renouf.

The use of the group Q is well known in the sense of

appear,comeinto view, as the sun or a star frombelowthe horizon,

bringforthin procession the sacred shrines. It has also a secondary

meaning in the sense of adorned or invested (with the emblem of

royalty), croivned(as king). (See Brugsch, Lexicon, vii, p. 899.)

In our text it is connected withthe group l5*3^,. This word

is here written with two determinatives, the cord, c=>^;, and the

planof a house, c~D. In this form it signifies an aperture in the

wallof a building for admission of light andair,a window. (See

Brugsch,Lexicon,vii, p. 1135.) Therecan however be little doubt,

thatthe determinative c-^ is here superfluous,andthatwe have

to deal with one of those orthographic peculiarities signalled by

M. Chabas, who,in his Melanges, i, p. 99, quotes otherinstances of

a similar nature. In the present case, it seems certain that the

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