Object number1989.19.2
Funerary Stele of Isis-en-kheb(et)
Date6th c BCE
Artist
Egyptian
(Egyptian, NA)
CultureEgyptian
MediumGrey painted limestone
DimensionsSight: 23 x 14 x 3 1/4 in. (58.42 x 35.56 x 8.26 cm)
Credit LineGift of Margaret Lanphier Wengren, class of 1938
On View
On viewPeriodearly 6th c BCE
Classification(s)
Terms
Label TextThis stele is from Abydos in Upper Egypt, the ancient cult center for the god Osiris, the ancient Egyptian god of the dead, the afterlife, rebirth, and agriculture. Steles in ancient Egypt served as tombstones, but they also functioned as commemorative markers and votive monuments in temples. The images and text on this stele suggest that it designated the tomb of the aristocratic woman, Isis-en-kheb(et), as a site for offerings.
The lunette, the semi-circular top of the stele, contains conventional funerary symbols. The band below the lunette depicts and describes the deceased (on the far right) as the daughter of a 2nd-ranking priest of Osiris, Pa-di-Isis. On the other side of the offering table and facing the deceased are three deities (from right to left): Osiris, Horus, and Isis. The hieroglyphics in the large rectangular portion of the stele ask, in the name of the king and Osiris, that offerings of meat, fowl, wine, milk, “pure and sweet things” be made to feed the ka (spirit) of the deceased. Genealogical information follows this appeal.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge.
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