Carpentras Stela Egypt 400 BCE

For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts

This tablet has 2 scenes. The top scene shows an Egyptian funeral feast with the seated vegetation god Osirus. The bottom  scene shows the ritual embalming the body. It is now located at the Bibliothèque Inguimbertine (Inguimbertine Library) in Carpentras, France.  It's numbers are KAI 269, CIS II 141 and TAD C20.5. 
Photo from Wikimadia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carpentras_Stela,_in_CIS_II_141.jpg
Also in: William (editor) (1875) The Paleographical Society Facsimiles of  Manuscripts and Inscriptions, page 284.  Printed by W. Clowes.https://archive.org/details/gri_33125010468029/page/n283/mode/2up?view=theater
The seated god shown on the tablet is the green vegetation god Osirus who represents the power of resurrection as shown by  vegetation in the spring. This photo is from the tomb of Pharoah Horemheb showing the gods Osiris, Anubis, and Horus. It is from Wikimedia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_Tombe_de_Horemheb_cropped.jpg

Map showing the location of Memphis (Egyptian Menefer) in the middle of ancient Egypt.

Carpentras Stela Egypt 400 BCE

(January 7, 2024) The Carpentras Stele was reportedly found in Memphis, Egypt in 1704. It was brought to Marseille, France by Jean-Pierre Rigord. It was then bought by Joseph-Dominique d'Inguimbert, the Bishop of Carpentras from 1735 to 1754, for his new public library there called the Bibliothèque Inguimbertine (Inguimbertine Library).  

This text was written during one of the times which the Persians controlled Egypt and it    is a debate concerning the role of magic in regards to life and death. The history of Persian Egypt is divided into two eras following the first Persain Achaemenid conquest of Egypt punctuated by an interval of independence:

The text reads (top 2 lines are anti-magic while bottom 2 lines are pro-magic):

  1. Activity from magic-crafters (motion power priests) can make stormy the life-threads.  Activity can expel the flock (network birds).  Life-threads are being ruled by the winds (spirits).  Fertility-fluids are being filtered by involving Su (dark moon motion power source god).   Life--manifestations can be emotion-cursed by influences ....
  2. Fertility-fluid revelations are being fate-cursed.  Repel those Thu powers (motion power connections).  Nothing is causing pain for the shepherds (magic crafters). Activate the Weaver's (goddess Ayu's) love and nourishments.  The Observer (dark moon god Su) is not doing the irrigation which is restraining the Weaver (Ayu).  Astrology-magic energizes fertility-fluids.
  3. The pasture is being revealed.  The foundations can be revealed by magic-crafters. (Their) Activity can frustrate the death-powers.  Emotional-energy can guarantee the revelations of the fertility-fluids. The fertility-fluids can be made-stormy by life-channels for the revelations. .....
  4. Emotional-energy is lacking.  The water-carrier's greasing can energize the Revealer's (Yahu's) fertility-fluids. Emotion-curses .....

This text was first published in 1704 by Jean-Pierre Rigord in an article focused on Rigord's description of the hieratic script; the article represented the first recognition of a non-hieroglyphic Egyptian script in modern times. Rigord wrote that 

Rigord had a number of plaster casts made and distributed to others in the academic community, mostly in Southern France. The stele was subsequently reviewed by Anne Claude de Caylus, Bernard de Montfaucon and Jean-Jacques Barthélemy.  A consensus formed that the inscription was really Phoenician and not Punic. This consensus was to last until the beginning of the 19th century when it was claimed that the letter style did not fit Phoenician either. It was then given the name of Aramaic being the first text given that label.

This letter style is actually a mix of Maltese and Iberian but it also shows a simplification indicating that this style came after those other two. This puts it after 400 BCE into the Egyptian Persian period.

Reference

Rigord, M. (1704) "Lettre de Monsieur Rigord Commissaire de la Marine aux journalistes de Trevoux sur une ceinture de toile trouvée en Egypte autour d'une Mumie." Mémoires pour l'histoire des Sciences et les beaux Arts, Trevoux, 978–1000.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpentras_Stele
Bibliothèque Inguimbertine (Inguimbertine Library). Online at: https://www.inha.fr/fr/bibliotheque/repertoire-des-bibliotheques/provence-alpes-cote-d-azur/bibliotheque-municipale-inguimbertine-archives-et-musee.html

(January 18, 2024)  This is in the Persian empire letter style commonly called Aramaic. Letter assignments by Olmsted. Photo from Wikimadia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carpentras_Stela,_in_CIS_II_141.jpg

Translation of Lines 1 and 2 in Akkadian (Med Text 50)

(read right to left. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Vowels are italic bold) 
  1. Ṣu  UDu  UMu  Qu.  Ṣu  AṢu  UQu.  Qu  PaLu  ZiQu.  Ma  NaPu  Ku  Su.  Du  ṬeDu  LaŠu  U..... (Med 50.1)
  2. Mu  Nu  U'a.  NaṢu  A  Ṭu.  E  YaYa  Re'u.  Ṣu  UTu  LuWu  U  Bu.  ADu  E  IKu.  WaNu  UTu.  Tu  Mu  Gu. (Med 50.2)

(Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration)

In English

  1. Activity from magic-crafters (motion power priests) can make stormy the life-threads.  Activity can expel the flock (network birds).  Life-threads are being ruled by the winds (spirits).  Fertility-fluids are being filtered by involving Su (dark moon motion power source god).   Life--manifestations can be emotion-cursed by influences ....
  2. Fertility-fluid revelations are being fate-cursed.  Repel those Thu powers (motion power connections).  Nothing is causing pain for the shepherds (magic crafters). Activate the Weaver's (goddess Ayu's) love and nourishments.  The Observer (dark moon god Su) is not doing the irrigation which is restraining the Weaver (Ayu).  Astrology-magic energizes fertility-fluids.

(January 18, 2024)  This is in the Persian empire letter style commonly called Aramaic. Line 3 has spaces for sentence dividers! Letter assignments by Olmsted. Photo from Wikimadia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Carpentras_Stela,_in_CIS_II_141.jpg

Translation of Lines 3 and 4 in Akkadian (Med Text 50)

(read left to right. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Vowels are italic bold) 
  1. TaWu  Nu.  UŠu  Nu  UDu.  Ṣu  UZu  UGu.  Gi  LaLu  Nu  Mu.  Mu  UMu  IDu  Nu.  ?  U?  M?  L?  M  (Med 50.3)
  2. Gi  Lu.  DaLu  IPu  Gu  Nu  Mu.   TuDu  ?  U? NP ......   (Med 50.4)

(Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration)

In English

  1. The pasture is being revealed.  The foundations can be revealed by magic-crafters. (Their) Activity can frustrate the death-powers.  Emotional-energy can guarantee the revelations of the fertility-fluids. The fertility-fluids can be made-stormy by life-channels for the revelations. .....
  2. Emotional-energy is lacking.  The water-carrier's greasing can energize the Revealer's (Yahu's) fertility-fluids. Emotion-curses .....