The Biographical Inscription of Ptahshepses from Saqqara: A Newly Identified Fragment *

Abstract

A limestone block in the collection of the Oriental Institute Museum (OIM 11048), can now be identified as belonging to the niched chapel wall of Ptahshepses in The British Museum (BM EA 682), known for its biographical text recounting the life of this priestly official under successive reigns during the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties. The OIM block supplies the names of two additional kings, Userkaf and Sahure, to the Ptahshepses inscription, the former of whom is the ruler who gave his daughter, Khamaat, to Ptahshepses in marriage. A grammatical and structural analysis of the inscribed façade sets the text within the context of other early biographies, and suggests that its overtly poetic structure was intended as a performative signal to invite the active participation of visitors through recitation. Finally, the value of the Ptahshepses façade as a contemporary chronological record is briefly reassessed in relation to the Ramesside king lists and the Manethonic tradition.