A West Semitic title on an Egyptian stela in Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

A preliminary publication is given of the stela Cat. 2442 of the National Museum at Rio de Janeiro, which features a couple, Raia and Maia, of about the Nineteenth Dynasty, worshipping Osiris with a short hymn. Raia's only title is q-d̲-n (in group-writing), otherwise unknown in Egyptian (and different from kd̲n/kt̲n, ‘charioteer’). This word is probably a loan from West Semitic qṣ, ‘commander/leader/boss’; perhaps Raia had been so termed by foreigners in his charge.