Patenemheb(fl. 14th century B.C.E.)Priestly official of
the Eighteenth Dynasty
He served AKHENATEN (r. 1353–1335 B.C.E.) and then
HOREMHAB(r. 1319–1307 B.C.E.). Patenemheb was the
high priest of RÉwho witnessed the rise of the cult of ATEN
and the subsequent fall of ’AMARNA. He retained his rank
during Akhenaten’s reign because solar cults were not
suppressed. When ’Amarna collapsed, Patenemheb re-
ceived the patronage of Horemhab and aided in the res-
toration of the traditional temple rites in the Nile Valley.
Pawara(fl. 14th century B.C.E.)Egyptian diplomat of the
Eighteenth Dynasty who was murdered
He served AKHENATEN(r. 1353–1335 B.C.E.) and was mur-
dered while in Amurru, a vassal city-state on the Levan-
tine coast ruled by King AZIRU. Pawara was the legate of
Egypt when he was slain by Aziru’s agents. Egypt was
forced to evacuate Amurru as a result of the death. Akhen-
aten did not charge Aziru and did not retaliate for the
death of his faithful servant. The Egyptian Empire was
imperiled by such inactivity during the ’AMARNAperiod.
Pawero(fl. 12th century B.C.E.)Prince and count of the
Twentieth Dynasty, convicted of tomb robbery
Pawero prospered during the reign of RAMESSES IX
(1131–1112 B.C.E.) but was then brought to trial on
charges of conspiracy and robbery. He was the chief of
the necropolis police in THEBES during a period of
increasing tomb vandalisms. PASER (3),the mayor of
Thebes, accused Pawero of involvement in a ring of tomb
invaders, and Pawero retaliated with threats and abuse.
Paser, however, took the case to Ramesses IX, and Pawero
was arrested. He and his gang of thieves were allied to
high officials, thus causing a serious scandal.
The ABBOTT PAPYRUS and AMHERST PAPYRUS give
accounts of the affair, in which lesser individuals con-
fessed, implicating Pawero and others. A series of court
hearings was held to express the criminal elements, and
the convicted individuals received sentences of whip-
pings, mutilations, exile, and even death. Sacrilege and
blasphemy were part of such criminal activities, resulting
in severe penalties for the guilty.
Pay Lands This is the original site where the gods
came into being on the “FIRST OCCASION,” the moment of
creation according to cosmological traditions over the
centuries. The deities associated with the PRIMEVAL
MOUNDformed the Pay Lands with their sacred utterings.
These unique sites were called Djeba and Hareoty, the
Blessed Islands, and were depicted in tomb reliefs in the
temple of EDFU. PTAH, as Nefer-her, rose on the Djeba,
and RÉ’s cosmological traditions involved a similar emer-
gence. The falcon or hawk, the symbol of HORUS, was the
lord of these abodes.
The traditions of Ré’s cult denoted the Pay Lands as
being associated with that deity’s coming to his eternal
mansion, called the Hinterland of WARET,the Island of
Fury, the Mansion of Shooting, the Mansion of the Mys-
tery, the House of Combat, and the Seat of the Two Gods.
These sites were not geographically identified but main-
tained powerful connotations as spiritual domains of Ré.
In other traditions, the Pay Lands, called “the Place
of the Ghosts” in some eras, were held to be gardens and
marsh areas, sacred to the seats of several gods. The ene-
mies of Egypt could not enter the Pay Lands because they
were annihilated there. The Pay Lands were also eternal
paradises commemorating creation. The Pay Lands
revered throughout Egypt includedMound of the Radiant One
The Island of Ré
The Djed Pillar of the Earth
The High Hill
The Oil Tree Land
Behdet (Edfu)
He-Who-Is-Rich-in Kas
The Great Seat Where Enemies Are Slain
The Throne
The Praise of Ré
The Territory of Ré’s Circuit
The Hinterland of waret
The Island of Fury
The House of Combat
The Seat of the Two GodsThe Egyptian traditions normally designated specific
spiritual realms as the source of their theological con-
cepts and other sites as the destination of deceased
humans. The Pay Lands thus added a mythological basis
to the various cultic rituals and by their existence in the
various traditions rooted the beliefs of each new genera-
tion in a quasi-historical reality. The custom of maintain-
ing older traditions alongside newer revelations was
bolstered by the celebration of such historical sites and
events as the Pay Lands.
See also COSMOGONY.Peak of the West This is the modern site of SHEIKH
ABD’ EL QURNAon the western shore of the Nile at THEBES.
Identified as the peak of the west in a DEIR EL-MEDINA
stela, the site was the home of the goddess MERESGER(1),
called “the Lover of Silence” and “the Lady of Heaven.”
The Peak of the West is a spur of the hill that faces
Thebes.Pebatma(fl. eighth century B.C.E.) Royal Nubian woman
of the Twenty-fifth Dynasty
She was the consort of KASHTA(r. 770–750 B.C.E.) and the
mother of PIANKHI (1), SHABAKA, ABAR, and, possibly,Pebatma 297