Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 7.djvu/164

 116 OBSERVATIONS ON AN EGYPTIAN CALENDAR, Yl)ich a priest presents in a small slieaf of the same shape as here and at Karnak to the god. It is consequently evident that this festival must have been that of the harvest after the age of Rameses II. Even in the Book of the Dead, the deceased, the priest who holds Khem in one hand has corn in the other. ^ It also had a connexion with the coronation.^ The cartouche of the king in this compartment is empty and unfinished, but there can be no doubt but that it represents the same monarch making a solemn offering of the produce of harvest to the god. The god stands mummied, holding a whip in his right hand and the fascinum in his left, on his head is the usual disk and tall plumes, and there is an urseus on his forehead, but he has not the teshr or red crown of lower Egypt. Behind the god is his naos or shrine — sbecht — in which he was kept enshrined, surmounted by a sceptre, and two trees, emblems of his character as god of agriculture; and at Karnak the large unrolled screen called ser C?) Neter, or " the sacred screen," is represented ; and before him are twelve standards, probably allusive to the twelve months of the year. The band which passes from his head to the ground I regard as the metal rod hj which the statue was held in its place, and prevented from falling over the pedestal, in shape of the cubit of Truth — -Ma. There is a great deal of difficulty about reading the name of this god, which is always written with the bolt, generally, but not always, with the standard, which is sometimes omitted. This is the deter- mination of chem or sechem,^ and the god has been con- jectured to be Khem,* supposing him to be the eponymous deity of Kliemmo. On the other hand, the name is accom- panied by a coiled band, in the name of a person in the Ritual,^ and has been conjectured^ to be Uta or Uga, the name of the s^^mbolical eye of the Sun. Nor does it appear impossible that his name may be Kabtu or Kevtu,-' the same as that of Coptos, which would connect him with the AP2AcMi2.^ Of the functions and reason of this type some explana- tions are given in the Book of the Dead, ^ in a chai^ter • Lopsius, Todtciibuch, vii., c. 1 7 ; f. g. ^ Ibid. 1.11. - Burt. E. 11, PI. 3, .5, 7. 2 Wilk., Man. and Gust., vol. v., PI. 70". '' Stcph. Byz. voce Panopolis. The •■' Bunsen, Egypt's Place, p. ,'573; Biivli, p.scudo-j'lut. de Isid. Gallery, p. 5. 'J Lepsius, Todt. vii., c. 17, li. 1. 11. ' Wilk., Man. and Cust., Scr. II., vol. i., The Rubric j>tar erf sn mean.s "let him p. -.S7. mukrstand," or " interpret it." •' Lepsius, Todt. i. 1. 1, 1 II.