Translation of Mining Texts at Serabit el-Khadim in Sinai During Great Drought (1200-1150 BCE)

This is a brief description of the 1930 Harvard Expedition of Kirsopp Lake and Robert Blake to Serabit el Khadim, a remote site in the Sinai Desert of Egypt. The difficult adventure resulted in the recovery of several examples of an the earliest complete alphabetic script which came to be known as Proto-Sinaitic. Prior to this time alphabetic letters were mixed in with phonetic signs as exemplified by the Minoan texts.

http://www.semiticmuseum.fas.harvard.edu

(November 10, 2023) Along with re-opening the mines, Pharaoh Hatshepsut turned two natural side-by-side cave grottos into a temple. One side and grotto was dedicated to the goddess Hathor (equivalent to Mediterranean Ayu) and the other to the god Sopdu. 

Egyptian Hathor (Druid crescent moon goddess Ayu) had a grotto there because she was associated with the blue sky which brought the manifested fertility fluids like rain, sun light, and heat. Turquoise was blue like the sky. This was the primary deity of the Minoans.

Sopdu seems to have been a god representing the local people, that is, the Israelites who would have done most of the mining under the organization of the Minoans. It is an  Akkadian compound word meaning "Community of the Life-Powers" from Sâpu.Du. From their ancient texts, the Israelites were devoted to the life power class of divine powers more than any other culture.  When female Pharaoh Hatshepsut (1473-1458 BCE.) converted the grottos into temples she had one of the columns show her hugging Sopdu.  

The pharaohs who came after her kept expanding the walkway to the Hathor temple as shown in figure 2. The steles at the farthest entrance are dedicated to Pharaoh Sethnakht (reigned 1186-1184) and Ramesses II (reigned 1279-1213). The end of building indicates that the mine ceased major organized operations around 1180 BCE during the economic collapse brought about by the great drought which ended the Bronze Age. Yet the last offering tokens to these deities found in the grottos date to the time of Pharaoh Ramesses VI (1143-1136 BCE.) (Petrie 1906: p 149). 

The walkway leading to the grottos was mostly lined with numerous stone monuments dedicated to the goddess Hathor. Yet, some of these had other images including those of Egyptian ships and one even had a giraffe. A few of these monuments even had the date of their dedication inscribed on them. One of the earliest such inscriptions predates the temple dating to the 40th year of pharaoh Amenemhat III (1831-1786 BCE) and it reads:

References

(November 6, 2023) This tablet carved in bas-relief on the wall near the entrance to mine L contains an image of a supervisor holding a long staff inside a building. It seems to reference the beginning of the Great Drought which ended the Bronze Age. This anti-magic-crafter theme indicates it was written by the Israelite culture.

Text In Akkadian 

1. ETû  Di’u  Nu  Ma  Ṣu (Sinai 2.1)
2. Zu  DuQu  TuDu  Qu  Ṣi (Sinai 2.2)     (The Ṣi is Minoan Linear A)

In English

1. The boundary of the divine-powers can reveal the fertility-fluid's activity-level
2. The emanations are confirming the emotion-cursing of the thread's activity-powers

(November 6, 2023) This text blames human emotion magic for causing chaos in the network. It absolves from blame the astrological motion powers. This anti-magic-crafter theme indicates it was written by the Israelite culture.

Text In Akkadian

Right Column (Sinai Text 3.1)

1. ETû  DâṢu  Nu  Mû
2. ṢaMȗ  Ḫu  Bā’u  LeTû

Middle Column (Sinai Text 3.2)

3. INu  EŠû  NâṢu
4. A  Gȗ  U  Tu (Gu is Linear A)

Left Column (Sinai Text 3.3)

5. E  ITtu  ŠâMu
6. A  Tu  Lu  Dȗ  LâŠu  Nu

In English

Right Column - agreement on the problem

1. The boundary is disrespecting the revealer of fertility-fluids (Yahu)
2. The dehydration of Hu is nesting the splitters (eagle-vultures who trim life network)

Middle Column - magic motion powers are the cause

3. The moon-eyed-ones (astrological magic crafters) are confusing the currents
4. That energizing is being done by astrology-magic

Left Column - life powers are the cause

5. Nothing is obligated by the omens
6. These magic-powers are lacking the life-manifestations which can influence the Revealer

The right column is blaming the life power's middle layer of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm (boundary) for a drought. The network is not allowing fertility fluids to flow through it. These fertility fluids are needed to trigger the life form manifestations by the Revealer (god Yahu). The drying-out (dehydration) of fertility fluids  causes the network (nest) represented by the sun god Hu to split-off from the Revealer.

The middle column blames the magic crafters for making the flow of the fertility fluids chaotic. These fluids are pushed through the channels by repulsion.

The last column absolves the motion powers from the astrological night sky. The drought is not due to fate but due to magic crafters.

(May 31, 2023) This graffito blames the astrological motion power and full moon god Su for the drought.

Text in Akkadian

Vertical Column (top to bottom, Text 4.1)

1. ANnu  TaṢû  INu
2. ZiKu  MūTu  ABu
3. Du  Mu  Nu
4. (lines illustrating the flowing fertility-fluids)

Horizontal Row (right to left, Text 4.2)

1. Le’ȗ  QaRȗ  ARû
2. Mu  A’û.
3. Mu  Dû.

Text in English

Vertical Text (top to bottom)

1. Considerations (focused feelings) are being fooled by the moon-eye (Su) 
2. Purify the sacrificial-place of the Life-Priests (fathers)
3. Life-Manifestations are revealed by fertility fluids
4. (lines in the lower left corner are an illustration of the fertility fluids coming down to earth)

Horizontal Text (right to left) 

1. Astrological-powers control the divine-queries
2. Fertility-fluids are being motion-empowered.
3. Fertility-fluids are being manifested

 Previously Attempted Hebrew Translations

The two following Hebrew translations by Butin and Rainey fail. Additionally, they are completely different from each other.

Butin's translation is as follows:

• The gang, consisting of nine men, successfully protected the baskets (of turquoise?) for the superior officer (sheik?); (thereupon) R-M and his people (his compatriots [?], or clansmen [?]) made a great celebration'; or: 'The gang, consisting of nine men, successfully protected the huts (camp) of the superior officer (sheik?); (thereupon) R-M and his people (compatriots, clansmen) made a great celebration.' (Butin 1928, page 42)

Butin says this about his letter assignments showing just how tentative he thought they were (differences from my letter assignments in red):

Butin’s translation fails because of incorrect letter assignments which is not unusual from an early pioneer in the field. It also fails because of the many guessed at word assignments.  

In 1975 A.F. Rainey (Rainey 1975) attempted another Hebrew translation His letter assignments for the vertical line are shown below (our differences are in red):

ANT TPN DKM LABB MNK (top to bottom)

Anat tapanu dukkema li’ababa minka

Besides incorrect letter assignments Rainy incorrectly converts an aleph to an ayin in the word “LABB.” He also is claiming the 7 lines are the letter K at the end of the line.

His letter assignments for the Horizontal line are:

SM’A MRA RB NQ _ (left to right)

Sim’a’ mar’u rabba naq [banima(?)]

The letters “B N” do not exist in any form in the text so Rainey seems to added them just to make his translation which is translation fraud. Rainy also ignored the last letter which is an ayin.

These produced his proposed translation:

• You, Thapan, crush (hammer out) for Ababa from you (i.e. from your ore); (signed) Sim’a’, the squire of the chief of the mi [ners?].

This is a failed translation due to:

1. Translation fraud (adding letters not in the text) 
2. Having incorrect letter assignments
3. Using names with their arbitrary letter pattersn to substitute for words

References

(November 6, 2023) This red sandstone statuette was found on the floor of the Hathor temple at the turquoise mine at Serabit el-Khadim in the Sinai. It has graffiti inscriptions on top, front, and two sides. It now resides in the Cairo museum in Egypt.

Right Text in Akkadian

1. ELu  Zu  Gu.  Mu  Ne'u  Tu (letter T on on the front panel)

In English

1. The high-life-power's emanations are being energized. Fertility-fluids are being energized by astrology-magic

Left Text in Akkadian (starts at bottom for right to left reading)

1. [rubbed out word] Nu Le’ȗ

In English

1. [missing word] is revealing the astrological-powers

(November 6, 2023)

Right Text in Akkadian (end indicated by horizontal line)

1.  (a continuation of the top text)

Left Text in Akkadian

1. MaTu  LaBā’u  Lu  Tu

Left Text in English

1. Murder will circle without astrology-magic

Butin’s Attempted Translation

Romain Butin’s 1928 Hebrew translation based upon incorrect letter assignments and assumes that Hebrew existed at this time despite it lack of attestation elsewhere. In contrast, cuneiform Akkadian has been found in Egypt from this same time period. It was being used to write diplomatic letters to neighboring states in a series of texts known as the Amarna Letters (1360-1332 BCE). Butin’s translation is also read in the unlikely order of side, then right column, then left column. This is his translation:

• This (statue is set up) for the withdrawal of the raider, according to the wish of the handmaid (priestess) of Ba'alat, (and) according to the wish of the head stone-setter (engraver). (Butin 1928, page 46)

(August 4, 2022) This red sandstone statuette was found on the floor of the Hathor temple at the turquoise mine at Serabit el-Khadim in the Sinai. It is blaming the life-priests with their grilled meat fat (aroma) offerings to Hathor (the feminine connective life power of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm).

Top Text in Akkadian (right to left reading)

1. SeLȗ Mâ’u Mu A

In English

1. Selu is pushing away these fertility-fluids

Bottom Text in Akkadian (right to left reading)

1. Bu Zu Du

In English

1. Nourishments can be emanated by life-powers

(August 5, 2022) This graffito is  pro-magic again

Text in Akkadian (Sinai 6.2)

1. Tu  Le’ȗ  DaLû
2. Pu  ŠâKu  Nâ[Pu]

In English

1. Astrology-Magic's astrological-powers bring-water.
2. The Openers (life-powers) are making-narrow the fil[ter] (life-network)

Thu is the magical hermaphrodite connective motion power deity of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm.

Line 1 is stating that the motion powers brought to earth by Thu are important for manifesting rain.

Line 2 is stating that some of the blame for a drought lies with the life network thread openers which are restricting the number of threads which reach earth.

References