Abstract
Following Gardiner's analysis of the ḥtp dì nsw formula, two different translations of the opening phrase of the formula have been customary: using parallel clauses to introduce the king and god(s) for Old Kingdom texts, and using a dative construction to introduce the god(s) for texts of Middle Kingdom date and later. However, the palaeographic variation in the writing of the word ‘Anubis’ by the late Old Kingdom—a change-over from the jackal over a ḥtp-sign to a jackal on a stand—suggests that the transformation of the formula had already occurred by that time.
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