Revised in August 2013

Twin Stelae1 of a Well-Traveled Theban, Khetty

Tomb 65, Stela 1

Htp-di-(n)swt wsir nb Ddw xnt(i) imntiw nTr aA nb AbDw

prt-xrw Ssr kAw Apdw nt rx-(n)swt mry mAa nb.f mH ib (n)swt m Spssw.f

Hzy n.f ra r x(A)w(i) dd(i) mTAmw n nfrwt

dd(i) Skrw n Hmwt mrrt (n)swt (i)m(i)-r nwDw Spsw

ip r-idr Smaw dd(i) SAbw n saHw

irr(i) m xr(t) prw-kAw tp(i) r sStA(w) n pr-dwA (i)m(i)-r S(i) $ty Dd

ink aqA Sw m snkt skm ns m zH n sriw

irr wp(w)t m aqAt nn rwiwt.s nbt

ink HD-Hr rdiw xt m iSwt nt Dt rdi.n n(.i) Hm n nb.i

ni zp iry(.i) Hr n r(m)T nb m ip r-idt n pr-(n)swt

1
Lord Carnarvon’s Excavations, Cairo Museum.
 r aHaw ir.n(.i) wp(w)t imAx(y) (i)m(i)-r S(i) $ty

Tomb 65, Stela 2

Htp-di-(n)swt wsir nb Ddw nTr aA nb AbDw prt-xrw Ssr kAw Apdw

nt xtmt(i)-bit(i) smr-wat(i) imAx(y) (i)m(i)-r S(i) $ty Dd

ink xtmt(i) nTr m sidt xAswt wn(.i) m biAw mA.n(.i) sw dbn.n(.i) xAswt Tnht

wn(.i) m prw nw mHti xtm.n(.i) prw-HD.f m Dw pf

n pr-Hrw-n-xtiw-mfkAt […] mfkAt im m HTt nt pr-SmA

wHm.n(.i) a m kt HTt HTt-nt-m […] xrt r.s xprt n Hrw Ds.f

Sm.k(w) m wp(w)t nt nb Hrw pn

ir.n(.i) mrt.n.f ink wpt.f xtm ib.f snw n pHt ib.f

ir.n(.i) n.f mrrt.f mi iryt n nTr Ds.f xsf.n(.i) n aAmw Hr xAswt.sn

in snD.f rdi Sfwt(.i) idt.f rdi Hr(y)t(.i)

wn xAswt ipf spr(.i) r.s Hr hy zp 2 n bAw.f

 mrwt.f snwH n.f tAwi nTrw Hr sxws hAw.f

ii.n(.i) m Htp r aH.f in.n(.i) n.f xw xAswt

m biA mA(wi) n bAwt biA psD n ihi biA rwD n mnkAw

m mfkAt Hrrwtt xsbD n tfrrt m zAhrt tpt Dww

xt-aAwA m Dw n Hstiw r-nTT m bAwq-dSrt

m mdww nw r-SAAwt msDmt nt khbw

Twin Stelae of a Well-Traveled Theban, Khetty
Vocabulary
,   wsir Osiris   aqA precise, accurate

    Ddw Busiris (Delta town)   snkt darkness, obscurity

 xnt at the head of, in front of   skm be(come) grey haired

    imnti western, westerner  ,   ns tongue

  AbDw Abydos   zH council, advice

  prt-xrw invocation offering ,   sri official

  rx-(n)swt king’s acquaintance ,    wpwt message, business,

(official title) mission, assignment

,    mAa true, proper, correct   rwit interruption

  Hzi bless   HD (adjective-verb) bright, white

  xAwi night   iSt possessions, belongings

TAm clothe, dress, veil   Dt estate

,   Xkrw, Skrw (royal) insignia,   zp happen

ornaments, panoply
  xtmt(i) seal bearer/treasurer (official title)
  Hmt woman, wife
  bit(i) king of Lower Egypt
  nwdw ointments, unguents
 smr wat(i) courtier lit. unique companion
  ip allot, assign, count, reckon up, set in (official title)
order
sid make impotent
  idr herd (of cattle), r-idr cattle-
list   biAw mining region, mine

  SAbw meals, food  dbn go/travel around (a region)

  saH noble, dignitary   Tnht Tjenehet (unknown locality)

  xrt state, condition, affairs,   mHti northern

concerns
,    pr-HD treasury
  sStA secret, mystery, confidential
  Dw mountain
matter
  
  Hrw Horus
  snwH impassion, inflame, marriage
  xtiw platform, dais, terraced
hillside   zxws make prosperous

  mfkAt turquoise   xw unique, exceptional, best

,   Htt quarry, mine;     Htwt   mAwi new

(plural)
  rwD/rwd firm, hard
  pr-SmA Per-Shema (unknown
locality)   psD shine

  wHm repeat; wHm a repeat; m wHm a   bAtw/bAwt Batu/Baut (unknown locality)

repeatedly
 ihi Ihi (group writing, unknown
  wpwti messenger, emissary, locality)
agent, commissioner
  mnkAw Menkau (unknown locality)
  pH end, result
  Hrrwtt Hrerutet (lit.
  xsf punish, bar flowery land, unknown locality)

  Sfi respect tfrrt Tefreret (unknown locality,

probably near the Caspian sea)
  idt dew, fragrance, censing,
influence  zAhrt sahret (unknown
mineral)
  Hryt terror, dread, respect
,    xsbD/xsbd lapis lazuli
 spr reach, attain (r arrive at)
  Hstiw Hesetiu (unknown locality)
 hy shout
  r-SAAwt Reshaaut
 hy Hail! (unknown locality)
  zp 2 ditto sign   bAwq-dSrt
Bauk-of-the-Red-Land (unknown locality)
hyhy make acclamation
  msdmt black eye paint
 bAw impressiveness
     khbw Khabu (unknown locality)
 
 
 
 
 
Twin Stelae1 of a Well-Traveled Theban, Khetty

Grammar Points
Tomb 65, Stela 1
Tomb 65 of the Theban official Khetty2 was discovered during 1913-14 in Lord Carnarvon’s ex-
cavations and, according to Howard Carter, the two limestone stelae may have adorned the two
sides of the entrance door.
The Grammar Points here are based on the analysis in Gardiner’s article3 containing a de-
tailed account on the tomb. The two stelae of Khetty do not mention the ruling pharaoh but the
word Mentuhotep appears twice (first in a cartouche and second without) on one of the walls.
Based on scanty evidence (Mentuhoteps ruled during the 11th Dynasty and also during the 17th
and18th Dynasties), the date of the tomb is disputed. Gardiner makes a compelling argument for
the possible date as the end of the 11th Dynasty.

Htp-di-(n)swt wsir nb Ddw xnt(i) imntiw nTr aA nb AbDw

The stela starts with the usual Htp-di-nswt dedicatory formula:4 “A royal offering of …” The fal-
con on standard is the ideogram for imnt west.

prt-xrw Ssr kAw Apdw nt rx-(n)swt mry mAa nb.f mH ib (n)swt m Spssw.f
The typical albeit short invocation offering is followed by the perfective relative form mry of mri
“love” with nb.i “my lord” in honorific transposition: “beloved of my lord.”
The perfective active participle of the 2-lit. verb mH “fill” is preceded by nswt in yet
another honorific transposition. (In fact, counting in rx-nswt “king’s acquaintance” there are a
total of three honorific transpositions in this passage.)
The collective noun Spssw “fine things” (derived from the 3ae-gem. adjective-verb Spss
“fine, noble, special”) here has a more abstract meaning reflected in Gardiner’s translation as

                                                            
1
 Lord Carnarvon’s Excavations, Cairo Museum.
2
Howard Carter’s transcription; Gardiner transcribes this name as Akhthoy.
3
JEA, 4 (1917) 28-38.
4
Gardiner, Excursus B, pp. 170-173, and Allen (24.10). For a more recent discussion on the formula, see D. Franke,
JEA, 89 (2003) pp. 39-57.
“preciousness.”

Hzy n.f ra r x(A)w(i) dd(i) mTAmw n nfrwt

Hzy is a perfective passive participle of the 3-ae-inf. verb Hzi “praise, bless.” In the stela xAwi

“dusk” is carved as three columns; these are replaced here by the customary xw columned
hall, a variant spelling for x(A)w(i). The phrase ra r xAwi, lit.“day to night” is not attested else-
where; Gunn translates this passage as: “all day and till nightfall.”
dd(i) is a clearly recognizable imperfective active participle of rdi “give.”
Gardiner notes that the noun mTAm “veil” is obtained form TAm “clinging dress (to women),
veil” by the so-called ‘m formation’. In fact, a few nouns of Middle Egyptian are formed by pre-

fixing a verb with formative m (and dropping an initial weak consonant i or w if needed).

Other examples are wrH “anoint” which gives mrHt “oil” and wnx

“clothe (oneself)” which gives mnxt “clothing.”

dd(i) Skrw n Hmwt mrrt (n)swt (i)m(i)-r nwDw Spsw

The object of the participle dd(i) is Skrw, a variant writing of the noun Xkrw “ornaments, insig-
nia.” mrrt is the feminine imperfective relative form of the 3ae-inf. verb mri “love.” In the
phrase nwDw Spsw5 “precious ointments” the determinative is usually the more suggestive oil-jar

6
, for example: .

ip r-idr Smaw dd(i) SAbw n saHw

In the official title ip r-idr “(one) who revises the cattle list, ”the 2-lit. verb ip “allot, assign” is in
perfective active participle form.
idr (usually with the cattle determinative and plural strokes) means “herd of cattle” and
the mouth should be interpreted as “list.”
As the next passage shows SAbw “meals, food” should not be taken literally as the
                                                            
5
See also [Urk. IV, 175, 5; 503, 11].
6
[Urk. IV, 175, 5]
recipients saHw are the “noble dead.”

irr(i) m xr(t) prw-kAw tp(i) r sStA(w) n pr-dwA (i)m(i)-r S(i) $ty7 Dd

In the verb + preposition combination iri m “act in” (an official) irr(i) is the imperfective active
participle of iri. This, along with xrt “affairs, concerns” (with the t ending missing) means “man-
age,” lit. “act in the affairs.”
Note also that in the noun phrase “ka-houses” the stela has an extra row of enclosures on

the top of the sign .

The prepositional nisbe tpi “who is upon” along with the preposition r “concerning” has
the meaning “(who is) presiding over.”
The palace location pr-dwA “House of Adoration” has been described by Gardiner8 as the
chamber where the king made his toilet.
One needs to discuss Khetty’s title imi-r Si in detail. As Gardiner notes, the crucial sign

could mean “land or water,” and the translation varies accordingly. Just what exactly were
Khetty’s duties has already been detailed previously. His wide ranging functions included assist-
ing the ladies of the royal harem to beautify themselves, controlling precious oil, revising the cat-
tle-lists, managing the king’s wardrobe, etc. These do not help pinning down the meaning of imi-
r Si, however. On the other hand, it is reasonable to assume that in this role he was entrusted by
the pharaoh to organize and manage distant expeditions which involved sea as well as land travel.
Gardiner chooses the nautical title “sea captain” noting that “transport-officer” would probably
be a better fit. Based on the details of Khetty’s duties provided in the second stela to be discussed
next one may also choose the title: “quarry-overseer.”

ink aqA Sw m snkt skm ns m zH n sriw

The simple grammar (A B nominal sentence with B being aqA “straight, accurate” derived from
the 3-lit. adjective verb with the same spelling and meaning) hides some subtleties in some infre-
quently used phrases here. A negative confession starts with the usual participial phrase Sw m
“devoid of, free of” in which Sw is a participle (of the 3ae-inf. adjective-verb Swi) modifying the
                                                            
7
Howard Carter’s transcription; Gardiner transcribes this name as Akhthoy.
8
Gardiner, Notes of the Story of Sinuhe, pp. 109-110, 162.
antecedent aqA. In the following noun snkt the “sun with rays” determinative is suggestive to the
meaning: “darkness” or more abstractly “obscurity.”
In the next even more rare expression skm ns the first word means “grey haired” (as the
hair determinative suggests). This combined with the tongue points to a “venerable, wise per-
son.” Gardiner translates this as “hoary-tongued.”

irr wp(w)t m aqAt nn rwiwt.s nbt

The somewhat repetitive list goes on here detailing Khetty’s exactness. This passage first de-
scribes his work in positive terms (how Khetty performed his tasks) employing the noun wpwt
“business, mission.”
The sentence ends with an attached nn A negative construction (denying existence) em-
ploying the noun rwit “interruption” (doubtless related to the 3ae. verb rwi “cease”). The femi-
nine suffix pronoun refers to wpwt.

ink HD-Hr rdiw xt m iSt nt Dt rdi.n n(.i) Hm n nb.i

The nfr-Hr construction HD-Hr means “cheerful,” lit. “bright of face.”
The participle/verbal noun9 rdiw “giver” is the first part of a direct genitive. It is clear
from the context that the second part xt “thing” here means “gift.” The place where the donations
are coming from is iSt nt Dt “belongings/ possessions of the estate.” Inserting the missing 1MS
suffix pronoun in the dative n.i makes the attached modifier clear: rdi.n is a perfect relative form
of rdi followed by the subject Hm n nb.i “majesty, my lord.”

ni zp iry(.i) Hr n r(m)T nb
m ip r-idr n pr-(n)swt r aHaw ir.n(.i) wp(w)t
imAx(y) (i)m(i)-r S(i) $ty
The negated indicative/perfective ni zp starts this passage with past meaning. The subject of

                                                            
9
See the discussion at the beginning of the Grammar Points of The Instruction Addressed to Kagemni.
the verb zp “happen” is the prospective/subjunctive sDm.f of the 3ae-inf. verb iri.
As Gardiner notes, iri Hr n is related to rdi m Hr n “give a command/charge to/of (some-
one)” so that the literal translation is: “(that) I would do a command of any people did not hap-

pen.” Another example to this construction: ni zp

iry.i xt nbt Dwi r r(m)T nb.10
The two attached adverbial phrases give further details: m ip r-idt... “as one who revises
the cattle list…” followed by r aHaw ir.n.i wpwt “during the lifetime that I conducted business.”
Here ir.n.i is a perfect relative form modifying aHaw. Finally, tomb biographies and stelae fre-
quently contain the word imAxy “revered, honored.” This and the equivalent phrase nb imAx “pos-
sessor of imAx” has no English equivalent.11

Tomb 65, Stela 2

Htp-di-(n)swt wsir nb Ddw nTr aA nb AbDw prt-xrw Ssr kAw Apdw nt xtmt(i)-bit(i) smr-wat(i) imAx(y)
(i)m(i)-r S(i) $ty Dd
Once again the stela starts with the usual Htp-di-nswt dedicatory formula and introduces Khetty
with various titles including imi-r Si discussed previously.

ink xtmt(i) nTr m sidt xAswt wn(.i) m biAw mA.n(.i) sw dbn.n(.i) xAswt Tnht
Khetty asserts yet another of his titles in an A B nominal sentence. Since nTr “god” clearly refers
to the pharaoh, the phrase xtmt(i) nTr can be translated as “royal seal bearer” or “treasurer.” In
the m + infinitive construction the caus. 2-lit. verb sid “make impotent” is used. (For this verb
class, the infinitive has a t ending.)
The next passage starts with an initial adverb clause wn.i m biAw “When I was in the min-
ing region…” with wnn being indicative/perfective sDm.f, expressing past existence. This is an
emphatic construction with the perfect relative forms of the verbs mAA “see, inspect” and dbn
“travel round (a region)” used non-attributively (with mAA using the usual base stem). The suffix

                                                            
10
Allen (20.5) [CG 20729 a 3].
11
For a detailed discussion, see Allen, Essay 21.
pronoun .i is systematically absent (since it has been stated at the beginning in the form of the 1S
independent pronoun ink).
Gardiner points out that biAw “mining region” should refer to the Sinai peninsula and it
should not have an extended view to designate a land rich in minerals. It sporadically occurs in
various texts, such as the Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor,12 and in a letter of King Neferkare

(Pepi II, 6th Dynasty) to @r-xw.f, Harkhuf :

13
mr Hm mAA dng pw r inw biA(w) pwnt “My majesty de-
sires to see this pygmy more than the gifts of the mine-land and of Punt!”14 The geographical
location of Tnht “Tjenehet” is unknown and so are the ones occurring in lines 3-5.

wn(.i) m prw nw mHti xtm.n(.i) prw-HD.f m Dw pf n pr-Hrw-n-xtiw-mfkAt

[…] mfkAt im m HTt nt pr-SmA
In this passage Khetty relates his deeds in Sinai. He visits prw nw mHti “the houses of the Nor-
thener” and xtm “seals up” his treasures.
The grammar parallels the previous passage: wnn is indicative/perfective sDm.f and the 3-
lit. verb xtm “seal, shut” is a perfect relative form used non-attributively. According to Gunn,
Khetty does this to secure the turquoise here for shipment back to Egypt before he moves on to
inspect another mine.
According to Gardiner’s reconstruction, the name of the mountain contains the phrase
xtiw-mfkAt “Turquoise-Terraces” otherwise attested in the Sinai.15 As another examples,

16
xtiw nw aS “cedar terraces” in Lebanon and

17
xtiw antiw pwnt “terraces of myrrh of Punt” both with the suggestive determinative .

The noun Htt/HTt “mine, quarry” is well-attested in a variety of spellings and and

                                                            
12
[ShS. 21].
13
[Urk. I, 130, 14-15].
14
Lichtheim’s translation.
15
See Neferkara’s Wadi Maghara inscriptions [Urk. I, 113, 5].
16
[Urk. IV, 778, 14].
17
[Urk. IV, 325, 13].
plural . The locality pr-SmA “Per-Shema” is unknown.

wHm.n(.i) a m kt HTt HTt-nt-m… xrt r.s xprt n Hrw Ds.f

This passage begins with the circumstantial sDm.n.f /perfect with wHm a, a variant of the 3-lit.
verb wHm “repeat.”
The name of the quarry is lost but it is emphasized that it belongs to “Horus himself” (the
pharaoh) using the feminine nisbe xrt along with the feminine passive participle xprt, lit. “what
belongs to that which has been made for...” (Note that xpr in passive voice is a synonym for iri
“make.”)

Sm.k(w) m wp(w)t nt nb.i pn ir.n(.i) mrt.n.f ink wp(w)t(i).f xtm ib.f snw n pHt ib.f
Using simple grammar (stative followed by circumstantial sDm.n.f /perfect), Khetty now makes a
general statement that he was on wpwt “mission” as wpwti “emissary” of the pharaoh.
The construction ir.n.i mrt.n.f “I have done what he desired/wished” employing the fe-
minine perfect relative form of mri is a typical statement in tomb biographies.
Gardiner translates the noun phrases xtm ib.f, lit. “seal of his heart” (the presence of t ex-
cludes the possibility that the cylinder seal means saH “privilege”) and snw n pHt ib.f lit. “second
end of his heart” as “equal of his heart” or “counterpart of his breast,” respectively.

ir.n(.i) n.f mrrt.f mi iryt n nTr Ds.f xsf.n(.i) n aAmw Hr xAswt.sn

The previous construction ir.n(.i) mrt.n.f employing the perfect relative form of the verb mri
“wish, love, desire” is now modified using the imperfective relative form of the same verb. The
latter emphasizes the imperfect, a repeated action.
The subject of the preposition mi “like” is yet another participle, the feminine passive
perfective participle of the weak verb iri “do,” mi iryt lit. “like that which is done.”

in snD.f rdi Sfwt(.i) idt.f rdi Hr(y)t(.i) wn xAswt ipf spr(.i) r.s Hr hy zp 2 n bAw.f
A clearly recognizable participial statement starts this passage: in + the noun phrase snD.f, and
the passage can be rendered as: “it was the fear of him.” The perfective active participle of the
verb rdi modifies snD.f with literal meaning: “(that) which made.” The intrusive w in Sft “re-
spect” is noted by Gardiner along with other examples. In a perfect symmetry, the particle in also
governs the second clause in which (as Gardiner notes again) the feminine noun idt “dew” is
used metaphorically as “influence,” translated as: “it was his influence…”
The next clause has the overall pattern wn.f Hr sDm (with nominal, instead of suffixed
subject). Since it expresses result, the verb form of wnn is prospective/subjunctive sDm.f (with
ungeminated stem wn). The subject xAswt ipf spr.i r.s contains the older form of the PL demon-
strative pronoun ipf “those,” and the perfective relative form of spr r “reach,” lit. “those coun-
tries that I reached.”

In the Hr + infinitive construction, as the determinative of the word Hy also shows, the
2-lit. verb “shout, cry” is used (and not the interjection hy “hail” which carries the determinative

18
). Nevertheless the scribe was also thinking of the interjection hy since he inserted the
Egyptian ditto sign zp 2 indicating “hail, hail” (to his might); the shouts of the people welcoming
the visiting Khetty. Alternatively, the ditto sign can also be interpreted as doubling: hyhy mean-
ing “make acclamation.”

mrwt.f snwH n.f tAwi nTrw Hr sxws hAw.f

As Gardiner notes, the particle in from the previous passage is meant to govern mrwt.f. Accept-
ing this, the participial statement begins as: “it is the love of him.”
Gardiner mollifies the perfective active participle of the caus. 3-lit. verb snwH “impassion,
inflame” (with the rare and somewhat obscene determinative) to “marriage.”
The passage ends with the syntactically adverb clause employing a Hr + infinitive con-
struction. The clause has subject nTrw, the predicate is the infinitive of the caus. 3-lit verb sxws
“make prosperous,” and the object is hAw.f “his time.”

ii.n(.i) m Htp r aH.f in.n(.i) n.f xw xAswt

Two perfect sDm.n.f forms in initial position indicate emphatic construction: “I returned…I
brought.” The object of the second verb is xw “unique, exceptional,” Gardiner’s “best.”

                                                            
18
Gardiner (§258).
m biA mA(wi) n bAwt biA psD n ihi biA rwD n mnkAw
In the last part of the stela, Khetty lists the various types of metals, minerals and other precious
commodities that he brought to the pharaoh. Their origins, most of which are unknown are also
meticulously written down.

The phonetic value of or is unclear. As the context suggests, it should mean “met-

al.” The generic word for “metal” (also “copper, bronze”) is biA with various spellings

, , , , in which the determinatives or (for ob-

scure reasons) are invariably present. (Actually these signs are sometimes also ideograms for
“cauldron” or “copper.”) On the other hand, the nw-pot and its approximate hieratic equivalents

and do appear in the words nwH “band of metal” and nws “sheet metal”
which seem to point to processed metal. Due to these ambiguities, following Sethe19, in the text

we invariably transliterate as biA.

The types of metal or copper: “new, shining, hard” are unknown. There is only scanty
clue on the whereabouts of the localities mentioned: bAwt (or bAtw) “Baut/Batu,” ihi “Ihi”20 (the
syllabic writing pointing to old location) and mnkAw “Menkau.”

m mfkAt Hrrwtt xsbD n tfrrt m zAhrt tpt Dww

The list continues with mfkAt “turquoise,” xsbD “lapis lazuli” and a completely unknown mineral
zAhrt “sahret” (except that it is found on the top of mountains as the text states with the feminine
nisbe tpt “(one) which is on the top”).
Hrrwtt “Hrerutet” means “flowery land” (from Hrr “flower”) but is does not help much to
identify this locality, but (lapis lazuli of) tfrrt “Tefreret” sporadically occurs in later texts with

the spelling . It is conjectured to be near the Caspian Sea simply because lapis la-
zuli is not found anywhere nearer to Egypt.

                                                            
19
JEA, I, 234, footnote 2.
20
As Gardiner (§60) pointed out, this word appears in a group writing and the correct spelling should be ihi and not
ihwiw.
xt-aAwA m Dw n Hstiw r-nTT m bAwq-dSrt

m mdww nw r-SAAwt msDmt nt khbw

The rest of the precious commodities “khet-aaua, rentjetj,” etc., and their localities “Hesetiu,
Bauk-of-the-Red-Land, Reshaaut, Khebu” are even more obscure.
About the first commodity Gardiner makes the interesting comment. Assuming that in an

Edfu inscription the sign was mistakenly written as then xt-

aAwA is a product from Punt.
The locality r-SAAwt “Reshaaut” is mentioned on a Karnak obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut

for its turquoise quarries21 (but not for sticks or staves): .

Finally, msDmt may be a variant spelling of msdmt “black eye-paint” made from the natu-
rally occurring metallic element antimony.

                                                            
21
[Urk. IV, 373, 2]