Sehel Island lies within the First Cataract o

The Island of Sehel - An Epigraphic Hotspot
Situated halfway between the modern city of Aswan and the Old Dam (“Low
Dam”), Sehel Island lies within the First Cataract of the Nile, c. 2 km to the south
of Elephantine Island. It is famous not only for its picturesque landscape with
high-towering granite formations but also for the more than 600 ancient rock
inscriptions and images that have been carved into the surfaces of these rocks.
Dating from the Prehistoric to the Graeco-Roman Period, the inscriptions bear
witness to almost 4000 years of the island’s history.
Particularly during the New Kingdom (c. 1550 - 1070 BC), the people
of Elephantine Island as well as travellers and non-local personnel employed in
the region have eternalized themselves by leaving texts giving their names and
titles. In case of the larger tableaus, to this most basic information were often
added prayers as well as depictions of the inscription’s owner and of the god(s)
venerated by him. Far less frequent are the texts that give an account of specific
historical events or the reason why an inscription was carved in this place.
Yet, it is evident that rock inscriptions are inseparably linked to the
setting they are placed in. By means of them, the island’s natural landscape was
gradually shaped by men and thus transformed into a 'living' body of texts that
formed part of the cultural and sacral landscape of the First Cataract as a whole.
The Rocks of Sehel Island - Telling Witnesses to the History of the First Cataract
Located on top of an intrusive granite-granodiorite pluton, the area of Aswan is
characterized by large outcrops of igneous rocks such as pink granite, which are exposed
along the Nile and form its First Cataract. Especially during the pharaonic era, the surfaces
of these rocks were widely used for carving inscriptions and images. Thousands of these
inscriptions can still be found throughout the city area and today represent an important
and unique part of Aswan’s cultural heritage.
Besides the specific geographical conditions, epigraphic usage of the landscape
was also stimulated by the continuous strategic role as well as the economic, political and
social importance of the First Cataract. For since the beginning of its colonization more
than 5000 years ago, the region has always been a border area with mixed population,
an important military base, a place of extensive granite and diorite quarries and a rich
centre of trade between Egypt and Sub-Saharan Africa. That is why there has always been
a continual coming and going of state officials, military personnel and (since the New
Kingdom) priests, who belonged mainly to the administration of the great Theban temples
and were sent to supervise the clergy of the provincial sanctuaries.
Especially these non-local people often took the opportunity to leave a visual
mark at prominent sites they had worked at, or they had visited, in order to participate in
cult activities. For this reason it is fundamental to firstly study the titles mentioned in the
texts and to determine the social composition of the persons represented. Secondly, one
has to link this set of people and their memorial inscriptions to the topographical setting.
By this means, in many cases the ancient landscape and its functional aspects can be
reconstructed, and the question why a certain place was chosen can be answered.
The by far largest group of rock inscriptions can be found in the southern part of
Sehel Island. A close look at the profession and social status of the people eternalized here as
well as the content of the texts reveals that the island had once been an important religious
site within the First Cataract region. Most of the inscriptions are connected to the cult of
the goddess Anuket, the so-called lady of Sehel. The large tableaus, in particular, frequently
show the inscription’s owner while venerating Anuket, and she is also the one most often
invoked in the prayers. From other sources it is known, that a sanctuary of Anuket was
situated on Sehel Island, and that her annual feast centered on a river procession, in which
a cult image of the goddess travelled from Elephantine to Sehel and back. It was believed
that by placing a rock inscription near the ritual place or the processional path one could
participate eternally in this major local cult and its public festival(s).
Scholars on Sehel Island - 200 Years of Studying the Island’s History
The island of Sehel and its vast amount of rock inscriptions aroused scholarly interest as
early as the beginning of the 19th century. Among the first European travellers visiting the
First Cataract region was the British adventurer William John Bankes (1786-1855), whose
folio of notes and drawings give an account of local monuments and other archaeological
remnants, that are today largely destroyed or damaged. The first scientific studies in the
area of Aswan were conducted by the Royal Prussian Expedition to Egypt and Sudan
(1842-1845), led by Carl Richard Lepsius. The expedition’s team, which included scholars,
geographers, architects and surveyors (e.g. Georg Gustav Erbkam; see an entry of his diary
cited below), as well as artists, also copied some of the most prominent monumental
inscriptions. This was followed by a series of epigraphic ventures carried out by Auguste
Mariette (1867), Heinrich Brugsch (1884), and Jacques De Morgan (1893), who, with the help
of his colleagues, recorded and published 230 of the island’s texts.
In the 20th century, Labib Habachi (1906-1994) devoted a great deal of his time
and research to the rock inscriptions of the Aswan area and, thereby, gained many in-depth
insights into the meaning and significance of the epigraphic heritage of the First Cataract
region. However, while revising the copies made by De Morgan and others, it became
evident that the hitherto existing catalogue needed to be replaced by a new one that also
incorporated new discoveries. Eventually, a large volume, covering more than 550 texts
displayed on the rocks of Sehel, was released in 2007 by Annie Gasse and Vincent Rondot.
Even after almost 200 years, research on the island’s history and the textual
tradition of its inscriptions is still not completed and will require further investigation.
Sunday 29th Sept(ember) 1844
“My birthday and departure from Philae. [...]
As for the continuation of our journey, navigating through the rapids and past the shallows called for
our utmost attention [...]; We were on top of the boat’s roof watching the spectacle with keen interest,
and gazed at the changing landscapes, while passing along the desert on the west bank and a great
variety of towering rock islands. Later, we disembarked on the beautiful island of Sehele, opposite
another island called Senarti. On the former, we found the remains of ancient monuments and,
covered in potsherds, large outcrops of rock featuring a multitude of stelae, which were 'exploited' by
(Carl Richard) Lepsius and Max (Weidenbach); [...]”
Georg Gustav Erbkam, Tagebuch meiner aegyptischen Reise (Diary of my Egyptian Journey)
How to explore the Rocks of Sehel
A Guide
to the
Pharaonic Rock Inscriptions
and
Archaeological Remains
on the Island
01 Large Tableau belonging to the viceroy of Kush, Huy. During the New Kingdom,
Kush was an Egyptian province in Lower Nubia that was governed by a viceroy, who
was appointed by the Egyptian king. Huy, who lived in the 19th Dynasty and served
under king Ramesses II (1279-1213 BCE), is shown in the lower part of the relief, his
hands uplifted in adoration. In the upper part, his master, Ramesses II, offers wine
to the local gods Khnum, Satet and Anuket, who form the Triad of Elephantine. The
text underneath his elbow reads: “Giving wine to his father (i.e. Khnum)”.
05
02
02
Most inscriptions’ owners have themselves depicted with insignia of office
and rank. In this case, Payamen, with shaven head and short apron, carries an armshaped censer, in which he is burning incense grains in front of the cartouche of
Amenophis II (18th Dynasty, 1428-1397 BCE). His handling of the ritual instrument
as well as his dress both illustrate the titles of Payamen mentioned in the accompanying text. He was an 'offerer of Amun', 'scribe of the god’s offering' and 'bearer of
the arm-shaped censer of this perfect god', all of which are priestly titles.
03 Anuket was the most revered goddess and the main recipient of the cult on
Sehel. Hence, she is often depicted and appealed to in the local rock inscriptions.
But only rarely is the adoration of a statue of Anuket shown - e.g. in the tableau of
the 'chief portrait sculptor in the Temple of Ra', Amenemipet (New Kingdom, 19th
Dynasty). Here, the sculptor, who himself was responsible for the carving of temple
statues, is adoring a statue of the island’s goddess, which is placed on a pedestal
and holding a papyrus scepter (wadj-sign) as well as a symbol of life (ankh-sign).
04 Unlike Amenemipet (03), who was probably from Thebes and just inspecting
the quarries of Aswan, Khnumemwesekhet was mayor of Elephantine and, thus, belonged to the administrative elite of the region. He and his wife Hener, a chant-euse of Khnum, the lord of Elephantine, are shown worshipping a seated statue of
Anuket. Furthermore, the inscription attests to the ancient practice of damnatio
memoriae, i.e. the erasure of the name and the symbolic damaging of the face and
hands of a person who has fallen from grace and should not be remembered.
05 Throughout antiquity, Aswan was famous for its extensive red granite quarries,
where many of Egypt’s great monuments such as obelisks were cut. In this context,
a great number of officials who supervised works in the quarries commemorated
themselves in rock inscriptions. One of them, Amenhotep, not only held the title
of 'director of works in the great house of granite' during the reign of Hatshepsut
(c. 1479-1458 BCE), but also was appointed high priest of Anuket. That is why, in his
tableau, he is wearing a leopard’s skin, which is part of the high priest’s sacred robe.
06 Besides the Triad of Elephantine (Khnum, Satet and Anuket), in
Bakenkhons’ inscription also Amun, 'king of the gods' and main god
of the New Kingdom, as well as Ramesses VI (20th Dynasty, c. 11421134 BCE) are venerated. Bakenkhons is known from the so-called
Turin Indictment Papyrus (“Elephantine scandal”). There it is reported
that other priests had plotted to prevent him from being promoted
to the position of high priest of Khnum by manipulating the oracle’s
decision. But they failed and, eventually, their scheme was exposed.
06
04
01
03
07 In front of Ramesses II (19th Dynasty, 1279-1213 BCE), one of his officials, Khnumemhab, is depicted on a smaller scale in the act of adoration. While his right hand is
lifted, his left holds either a scribe’s palette or a papyrus roll. The attribute refers to
his profession as a 'chief archivist in the two royal treasuries', 'chief scribe in the temple of Amun', and 'overseer of sealed goods in the southern foreign lands'. Particularly the latter title links Khnumemhab to the extraction and delivery of gold from
Nubia’s eastern desert, which were, at this time, under the control of Amun’s temple.
09 The epigraphic usage of Sehel’s landscape started already in the Old Kingdom.
The Inscriptions of that period are concentrated especially near the southern bay
and, for the most part, only give the name and title of the inscription’s owner. Lacking further information, it is difficult to determine why people commemorated
themselves in this place. However, it can be assumed that Sehel played an important role in the control of the border region at the First Cataract. Furthermore, it is
likely that already early in the island’s history it was viewed as a religious site.
10 The prominent, high-lying rock features three inscriptions from different times.
In the upper part, the viceroy of Kush Sethy is shown kneeling and adoring the cartouches of king Siptah (19th Dynasty, c. 1194-1186 BCE). Beneath it, the depiction
and name of another viceroy, Usersatet (temp. Amenophis II, 1428-1397 BCE), who
somehow must have fallen into disgrace, are partly erased. At his feet, three small
male figures of varying colours probably represent the deities Petempamentes, Petensetis and Petensenis, who were venerated on Sehel Island in the Ptolemaic era.
12 In ancient times, the First Cataract was considered the gateway to Nubia and
in order to travel southwards, both trade expeditions as well as military troops had
to pass through it. The importance of this route is illustrated by a group of texts
located along the eastern hillside of Bibi Tagug. Among them, a tableau dating from
the reign of Senwosret III (c. 1872-1853 BCE) commemorates the king’s campaign
against Nubia and his command to clear out a navigation channel near Sehel, that
was hence named “Beautiful are the ways of Khakaure (Senwosret III) eternally”.
© German Archaeological Institute,
Department Cairo, 2015
Text/Layout: Linda Borrmann
Print: IFAO, Cairo
German Archaeological Institute,
Department Cairo
31, Sh. Abu el-Feda
11211 Cairo - Zamalek, Egypt
Phone: +20-2-2735-1460
Fax: +20-2-2737-0770
[email protected]
www.dainst.org
Have a Safe Sehel Experience!
Please stick to the footpaths and mind your step,
as the rocky paths may be slippery.
Don‘t climb the steep slopes and cliffs,
as they are very unstable.
Please do not drop litter and help us to keep the
archaeological site tidy.
08
The Shrine of Anuket
The Lady of Sehel and her Shrine at Hussein Tagug
The main goddess venerated on Sehel Island was Anuket, who was also commonly called
the lady of Sehel. The site of her shrine was most probably located on a narrow terrace
embedded within the eastern hillside of Hussein Tagug, where a broad niche had been
cut into the face of the hill’s granite. Today no visible traces of the shrine’s architecture,
however humble it may have been, are left, but there is strong evidence for the existence of
a prominent ancient sanctuary in this area. First and foremost, the overwhelming number
of dedicatory rock inscriptions assembled opposite and around the niche (see inscription
of Kaemkemet cited below) attests to its religious importance (at least from the late Middle
Kingdom onwards). In addition, two relief slabs made of sandstone were found at Sehel,
of which one was later sold to the Brooklyn Museum in New York (see picture below). It
displays two symmetrical offering scenes, in which king Sobekhotep (13th Dynasty, c.
1744-1741 BCE) presents a vase to both female deities of the Triad of Elephantine, and it
once formed part either of a small shrine or an altar dedicated to Anuket.
The situation is thus similar to other sanctuaries in the First Cataract region. As in
the case of the temple of Satet at Elephantine, it is likely that also on Sehel Island the local
goddess was believed to be immanent in a conspicuous feature of the natural landscape.
Apparently, specific rock formations such as niches, exceptionally shaped boulders or large
potholes were often considered as sacred and, as a result, used as ritual places.
The relief of Sobekhotep III
(13th Dynasty, c. 1744-1741
BCE) shows the king offering
a vessel each to the goddess
Satet (left) and to the goddess
Anuket (right). It probably
formed part of a shrine that
housed the cult image of
Anuket on Sehel Island.
(courtesy of the
Brooklyn Museum,
New York)
Rock Inscription of Kaemkemet (see picture above)
“An offering that the king gives (to) Khnum, Satet, Anuket, and the gods, the lords of Elephantine.
An offering that the king gives (to) Anuket, the lady of Sehel,
Osiris, foremost of the west, and Anubis, who is upon his hill,
so that they may give
a thousand of beer and bread, a thousand of flesh and fowl, a thousand of offerings,
a thousand of incense and oil, as well as a thousand of every good and pure thing
to the Ka (i.e. the soul of a deceased person) of the high priest of Satet, Anuket, and the gods,
the lords of Ta-seti (i.e. region to the south of Egypt), Ka(em)kemet.”
Column 1-5 (Praying for Offerings)
New Kingdom, 20th Dynasty (c. 1186-1070)
“O living ones upon the earth,
every priest, every god’s-father (i.e. a priest), every lector priest, every scribe,
and everyone who knows his spell who may pass by this stela:
the gods of your town shall favor you, you shall be loved (by) the king of your time,
and shall bequeath your office to your children after old age,
if you will say:
'An offering that the king gives (to) Khnum, Satet, and Anuket of all good and pure things to the Ka of
the high priest of Khnum, Satet, and Anuket, Kaemkemet!' “
Column 6-12 (Appeal to the Living)
11
The Famine Stela - An Extraordinary Text and its Historical Background
The Famine Stela
One of the most discussed and most intriguing inscriptions carved on the rocks of Sehel
Island is the so-called Famine Stela. The monumental stela, measuring 180 cm x 171 cm,
is featured on the face of a large free-standing granite boulder on the summit of Bibi
Tagug and facing in a south-eastern direction. When it was found in 1890 by the American
archaeologist Charles Wilbour, the text instantly caused some puzzlement over its dating
and authorship. For though language and phrasing clearly indicate that it is a work of the
Ptolemaic era (304-30 BCE), the events described are stated to have taken place in the Old
Kingdom, during the reign of king Djoser (c. 2665-2645 BCE).
In 32 vertical lines (columns) the inscription recounts that one year the river Nile
failed to rise high enough to flood the lands and that, hereupon, Egypt was afflicted by a
severe seven-year-long famine. Distraught over the hardship his people are facing, Djoser,
second king of the 3rd Dynasty, writes to the 'governor of the domains of the south', Mesir,
who is probably stationed at Elephantine Island. The king tells him that he has consulted
a wise lector-priest in order to obtain knowledge on the source of the Nile and how to
influence its actions. From him he has learned that the god Khnum of Elephantine, like a
divine doorkeeper, controls the coming of the Nile flood as it enters Egypt on its southern
border. Later, Khnum appears to Djoser in a dream promising him to restore the inundation
and, thus, to end the famine. Relieved and deeply grateful, the king now issues a decree.
Therein, he donates the region of the Dodekaschoinos (“twelve mile land”, i.e. northern
part of Lower Nubia, from the First Cataract to Takompso) as well as a 10 percent share
each of the revenue derived from it and from Nubian trade to the temple of Khnum on
Elephantine Island. Moreover, it is ordered that the temple shall be restored and its new
resources shall be used as offerings to Khnum. Accordingly, right above the text of the
stela, king Djoser is depicted, while burning incense for (i.e. offering to) Khnum-Ra, Satet,
and Anuket, which form the Triad of Elephantine.
To this day, it is still uncertain who originally composed the text of the Famine Stela,
and when it was cut into the stone. Although a few scholars believe it to originate from a
genuine decree of the 3rd Dynasty, the majority of Egyptologists regard the inscription’s
early date as fiction. Hence, it was argued that the clergy of the temple of Khnum had
been responsible for setting up the stela, because, in the Ptolemaic era, the temples of the
local deities such as Khnum were eventually overshadowed by the Isis temple of Philae that
was greatly enhanced at that time. Possibly the priests of Khnum – rivalling those of Isis –
wanted to strengthen their position and claims with the aid of a 'pious forgery'.
The Famine Stela, Column 1-4 (The King’s Lament)
Column 6-9 (Source of the Nile)
Columns 18-22 (Khnum’s Revelation)
Columns 22-23 (The King’s Donation)
“I was in mourning on my throne,
Those of the palace were in grief,
My heart was in great affliction,
Because Hapy [i.e. the deified Nile]
had failed to come in time
In a period of seven years. [...]
Courtiers were needy, temples were shut,
Shrines covered in dust,
Everyone was in distress.”
“There is a town in the midst of the deep,
Surrounded by Hapy, Yebu by name; [...]
Khnum is the god [who rules] there,
[He is enthroned above the deep],
His sandals resting on the flood;
He holds the door bolt in his hand,
Opens the gate as he wishes.
He is eternal there as Shu [i.e. god of wind and air],
Bounty-giver, Lord-of-fields, so his name is called.”
“I am Khnum, your maker!
My arms are around you,
To steady your body, to safeguard your limbs.
[...] The shrine I dwell in has two lips,
When I open up the well,
I know Hapy hugs the field,
A hug that fills each nose with life,
For when hugged the field is reborn! [...]
Hearts will be happier than ever before!”
“I awoke with speeding heart.
Freed of fatigue I made this decree
On behalf of my father Khnum.
A royal offering to Khnum,
Lord of the cataract region and chief of Nubia [...]”
(For full translation, see M. Lichtheim,
Ancient Egyptian Literature, 3:94-103.)
Unveiling the Secrets of Sehel - Ongoing Epigraphic Research
For almost 30 years, the German Archaeological Institute, in close co-operation with the
Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities, has been working on the epigraphic heritage of the Aswan
region. Since 2014, the team has also been conducting field work on Sehel. Its aims are to
check and revise already published copies of texts, to survey and protect the area, as well
as to detect and to document so far unknown rock inscriptions and images. Additionally,
all available information about the local landscape and the ancient environment is being
gathered. Thus, the scholars try to answer crucial questions regarding the different
functional aspects of the island and the chronology of its usage during Pharaonic times.
Amongst others, until now more than 60 dynastic rock images, mostly standing
male figures lacking an inscription, were newly discovered. These figures can be
considered as self-representations of a semi-literate or illiterate personnel employed on
Sehel Island from the Old Kingdom onwards and seem to be connected rather to the
island’s function as an important check point within the First Cataract than to the local
cult of Anuket. While controlling and monitoring the border area south of Aswan, these
people seem to have depicted themselves and their professional routine in the immediate
vicinity of their workplace. It can be expected that further research on those depictions
may shed light on various aspects such as the economic function and the evolution of
the epigraphic usage of the island of Sehel, which are not yet entirely understood.
How to Get to Sehel Island
A 20 minute motor boat or felucca trip from Aswan Harbour
upstream the Nile, will get you to Sehel Island. Also, it is possible to
take the local public ferry, a rowing boat, which is signed from the
road south of the Aswan Stadium. At the landing place, a path leads
up from the river bank to the entrance of the archaeological site
with its two large hills of Hussein Tagug and Bibi Tagug, which are
now enclosed by a metal fence.