Abu Ghurab inscription

Abu Ghurab: inscription, translation

(click here to see the inscription)
(following Helck 1977, the reconstruction of the text is highly hypothetical)

Order of his majesty to give a divine offering for his father Ra, in Shesep-ib-Ra, for his festival offerings:

line 1:

Day of the new year: pzn 1000, cattle 1, goose 10, honey, milk, sweets. Day of the wag festival, 1st akhet, 18th day: bread 1300, cattle 1st. Day of the Djehutet Festival, 1st akhet, day 20, portions 1300, cattle 1 for the divine offering of Hathor. His majesty went on the ship of Hathor.... Memphite nome, Sankhre Niuserre

line 2:

day of the sadj festival of the akhet season; going of ...; drawing, stretching the cord, preparing the bricks, chopping the earth, putting sand in the foundation hole, making work in the great house of the palace. Day of dressing of Anubis on his mountain, 2nd akhet, 17th day: portions 1300, cattle 1; day of driving out of Re in Shesep-ib-Re, 2nd akhet, 29th day: portions 1300, cattle 1.

line 3:

day of raising the flats for the burning offerings ... 3rd akhet, day ... portions 1300, cattle 1; day of the shesep-iteru, this dinner; 3rd akhet, day ...: wdn.t portions 30000, cattle 10; day of the Sokar festival, 4th akhet, day 26, drawing of Sokar. His majesty made a drive on the ship: who is in his cave: portions 1300, cattle 1; day of the driving out of Ra in Shepsep-ib-Re, 4th month akhet, day 29: portions 1300, cattle 1;

line 4:

New years day, 1st peret, day 1: portions 1300, cattle 1; day of the reqeh festival, 2 peret, day 9: portions 1300, cattle 1; day of driving out of Re from Shepsep-ib, 3 peret, day 29: portions 1300, cattle 1;

line 5 -9:

day of inspection of the granary (?), stretching the cord, preparing the bricks, chopping the earth, putting sand in the foundation, making works in Shesep-ib-Re.... His majesty build this temple in stone, because his majesty had found its columns in wood, its wall build with bricks. His majesty build an obelisk in stone, 20 foot inches(ellen) long, 20 inches wide, ... inches high.... his majesty dug a new lake, adorned with trees... His presented vessels from gold..., from silver, 107 hs-vases and 19 other vessels made in bronze and copper, 8 offering tables made from Asiatic copper, normal vessels .... He gave him in the nome .... Ra-niuserre, Serudjre-Niuserre, Meryre-ireret-Niuserre, Nihotep-niuserre, ......in the nome .... Isetib-nebti, Inethernub-netjernire, Sementre-niuserre, Sehetepre-niuserre, ...-hernubntjeri-ni-re..., in the 15th lower Egyptian nome: .... His majesty did this as something, what he did for the offering table of Ra at all places where Re is: wdnt portions 30000, cattle ..., vessels with honey for cake.

line 10:

Forthcoming of Min, 1st shemu, day 11: pesen 1000, cattle 1, goose 10, honey, sekhet, grain, sweets. Day of driving out of Re from Shesep-ib-Re, 1st shemu, day 29: portions: 1300, cattle 1. Day of ... 2nd shemu, day... His majesty made a journey of Re in Shesep-ib-Re, portions: 1300, cattle 1. Day of the festival of Bastet, 2nd shemu, day 18: portions 1300, cattle 1

line 11-13:

Day of ... festival, 2nd shemu, day 29: portions 1300, cattle 1. Day of drive out of Ra in Shesep-ib-Re, 2nd shemu, day 29: portions 1300, cattle 1. His majesty donated a ship, inlaide with green stone, 10 wH-scepter from lapis lazuli, 100 paddle in fir wood. His majesty did this as something, what he did for the altar of Re at all places, at which Re is: wdnt portions 30,000, cattle x, vessels of honey for the cake. Day of the monthly sad-festival of shemu ... 3rd shemu ... drive out of Re... portion ...4th shemu ... drive out of Re ... as priest ... 5 epagomens ... pezen 1000, cattle 1, goose 10 ... account portions 1000 (8) 00, psn 77(2)0, jAw-cattle 1002, goose 1000...

line 14

... 1 gazelle ... cake 1000+x ... honey, portions from Upper and Lower Egypt...

line 15

... at every new years day ... pzn .. as something he did for his altar at this place ... bread, like of the palace ...