Tomb of Mersyankh III, G 7530-7540 at the Eastern Cemetery at Giza.
The best preserved tomb chapel in the Eastern Cemetery
at Giza is that Of Queen Mersyankh III. From the evidence obtained from a study
of its reliefs and inscriptions, as well as that deduced from other monuments can
be determined with some degree of certainty.' Her father was Prince Kawab, son of
Khufu
(Cheops)
by Queen Merytyotes, presumably buried in G1a Pyramid , the northernmost of the
three small pyramids of Khufu's queens.
Prince Kawab was buried in G7110 + 20, the northernmost of the great double mastabas in the westernmost row of the East Cemetery. Mersyankh's mother was Queen Hetepheres II, a daughter of Cheops, who seems to have been queen to Djedefra (Radjedef) after the death of Kawab, and later to Khafra (Chephren) - and also to have married her daughter Mersyankh III to Khafra. Hetepheres probably lived into the reign of Shepseskaf and died as an old woman of well over seventy.
Transliteration
| 1 | Htp di inpw nb tA Dsr qrst nfrt xr nTr aA prt xrw n.s t Hnqt pAt kA m Hb nb ra nb xt nbt nfrt m Htp di nswt wAH n.s pXr t Hnqt pAt stp n.s stpt Apd kAt iAwti nfrt Spsst xr inpw xnty sH nTr |
| 2 | MAAt Hr-STh mrsy-anx |
| 3 | SAt nswt nt Xt.f mAAt Hr-StH smrt Hr mrmsy-anx (left-2-right) |
| 4 | SAt nswt nt Xt.f Hmt nswt mrsy-anx |
| 5 | SAt nswt nt Xt.f tist Hr xt Hr mrsy-anx |
| 6 | Smrt Hr mrt.f mrsy-anx |
| 7 | SA nswt n Xt.f DwA-Ra (left-2-right) |
| 8 | SA nswt n Xt.f ny wsr Ra anx |
| 9 | wrt Hts xt Hr mrsy-anx |
Translation
| 1 | An offering which Anubis, Lord of the Divine Land, gives. A good burial before the Great God, that funerary offerings go forth to her of bread, beer, cakes, and cattle on every festival and every day as a royal boon. That there is dedicated to her a choice of selection of offerings of birds and cattle, because she has grown gracefully old and is noble in the sight of Anubis, foremost of the Divine Booth. |
| 2 | Great favourite, follower of Horus, Mersyankh |
| 3 | Beholder of Horus and Seth, Mersyankh(of his body indicating she was his biological daughter rather than that this was a honorific title) |
| 4 | King’s Daughter, of his body, King’s Wife Mersyankh |
| 5 | Companion of Horus, the beloved Mersyankh |
| 6 | King’s Daughter, of his body, beholder of Horus and Seth, companion of Horus Mersyankh |
| 7 | King’s son, of his body, Djwah-Re |
| 8 | King’s Daughter, of his body, intimate of Horus, follower of Horus Mersyankh |
| 9 | King’s Son, of his body, Ni-User-Re Life (ruled c.2445-2421 BC) |
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Source: Photos: |