Egyptian Limestone Narrow Round-Topped Stele

Origin: Egypt
Circa: Late Middle - Early Kingdom, 18TH DYNASTY, 1783-1479 B.C.
Dimensions: 19" Height x 7.5" Width x 1.75" Depth, 26" Height x 13.4" Width x 3" Depth
Medium: Limestone

Carved in sunk relief, the arching top with a Shen ring in between wedjat-eyes, with three registers below depicting figures amidst hieroglyphs, the largest register at the top with a man and a woman seated on chairs facing right, kneeling figures beside the chairs, a diminutive male standing before them presenting lilies and other offerings, an ibis on a standard before the seated man indicating his name, Djehuty-nakht, as a theophore containing the deity Djehuty (Thoth), and hieroglyphs above the woman, reading "his wife;" the lower two registers both with two females, each seated on the ground with her left leg bent, each identified as having "Thoth" as part of her given name (now illegible), a diminutive male standing before them presenting lilies; with five rows of hieroglyphs below containing a Hetep-di-nesu formula, reading right to left: "A Royal Offering Formula (to) Osiris, the Great God(?) and Anubis(?)...that he may give(?) Invocation-Offerings of bread and beer, oxen and fowl, every good and pure thing on which lives...every good and pure(?) thing, for the Ka of the Venerated One before Thoth Lord of Ashmunein (Hermopolis)...Djehuty-nakht, Justified."