The unusual writings of the name of the god Duamutef in the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom
The unusual writings of the name of the god Duamutef in the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom

Summary/Abstract: The First Intermediate Period and the beginning of Middle Kingdom witnessed many important changes in almost all areas of ancient Egyptian reality. One of the most important innovations is the introduction in the provinces of a vast and diverse corpus of ritualistic texts known as Coffin Texts. Nearly a century long inde pendent development of the provinces and the Memphite region caused some important differences in their funerary culture. Re unification of Egypt by Mentuhotep II quickened the process of the cultural exchange between the provinces and the Memphite region. The study based on the 67 items from the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom reveals the development of various writings of the name of the canine god Duamutef. The two major writings are highlighted – one normal including the sign, and another cryp tographic, in which the sign is being replaced by the hand signs and later . For the sake of com parison, the evolution of the name of Iunmutef is considered, which performs the similar phenomenon. The paper sets forth the possible reasons for it and traces the subsequent standardization of the divinity’s name during the reign of Senwosret III up to the reign of Autibre Hor I in the early Thirteenth Dynasty.

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