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Stele Turin CGT 50057 (= Cat. 1514) im ikonografischen und prosopografischen Kontext Deir el-Medines: nb.t-pr Mw.t(-m-wjA) (vi) im Spannungsfeld der Mächte der Taweret und des Seth?
JournalArticle (Originalarbeit in einer wissenschaftlichen Zeitschrift)
Stele Turin CGT 50057 (= Cat. 1514) im ikonografischen und prosopografischen Kontext Deir el-Medines: nb.t-pr Mw.t(-m-wjA) (vi) im Spannungsfeld der Mächte der Taweret und des Seth?
Journal
Revista del Museo Egizio
Volume
1
Pages / Article-Number
1-34
Abstract
Stela Turin CGT 50057 shows an unusual combination of gods, namely, a triad consisting of Amun-Re, Taweret and Seth, who is represented twice as a small red hippopotamus referred to as “4tj (nTr) nfr ” and “sA Nw.t ”. Exceptionally, this limestone stela illustrates many women. Of the fifteen depicted individuals, twelve are female, eleven of whom are designated as kin of the mistress of the house Mw.t shown in the centre of the stela. Such a prevalence of women is unparalleled among stelae from Deir el-Medina. A discussion of the iconographic and prosopographic elements of the three registers and their figures reveals strong connections with the family of Nfr-rnp.t (i), (or possibly Nfr-rnp.t iii, iv or VII) and the family of the foreman of the left side QAHA (i), whose sister Mw.t(-m-wjA) (vi) appears to be the focus of the Turin stela. Mw.t(-m-wjA) was probably the first wife of the owner of the stela, Nfr-rnp(.)t .The father of QAHA and of Mw.t(-m-wjA), 1wj (ii), possibly donated the stela to wish his daughter and his son-in-law a healthy offspring. The addition of many female relatives in combination with the goddess Taweret points to a fertility context (pregnancy or birth). Taweret and Seth appear in hieratic texts from the community of workmen where the wise woman is consulted. According to these texts, the bAw-powers of both gods were responsible for a failed/unsuccessful pregnancy or the death of infants. The presence of this particular constellation of deities in the first register of the stela thus suggests that such a misfortune may have actually befallen Nfr-rnp.t and Mw.t, and that the scene is a graphical transposition of formulations from the above texts, to the purpose of warding off the bAw of Seth and Taweret.
