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VIVÓ (2008) Cons Funeraris Museu Montserrat
VIVÓ (2008) Cons Funeraris Museu Montserrat
MONTSERRAT proceeding to illustrate the Bible of Montserrat, as he himself said, but he was
also building the foundations for the first solid example of a school of ancient
Orientalism in Catalonia. Nowadays, the Montserrat Museum, has managed
to bring together the largest and most important collection of Egyptian anti-
quities in Catalonia, but it is precisely the size of the collection that has, until
now, made it difficult to compile a sufficiently detailed work with which to let
www.montserratvisita.com
these treasures be known to specialists and also to the general public
LA COL·LECCIÓ
EGÍPCIA DEL MUSEU DE
MONTSERRAT
Coordinadors:
JAVIER URIACH
JAUME VIVÓ
ISBN: 978-84-611-9807-8
Dipòsit legal: B-48249-07
001-013_Primeres pagines:Boceto 22x22 16/10/07 12:02 Página 6
S UMARI
Presentació 9
Rvdm. P. Josep Maria Soler
Pròleg 11
Josep Padró
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Cronologia 40 Materials 87
El poder de la paraula 63
Andrés Ayén
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CONS FUNERARIS
E
ls anomenats cons funeraris són uns elements arquitectònics de forma cònica, fets amb fang,
modelats a mà i cuits posteriorment a altes temperatures per endurir-los, en la base dels quals apa-
reixen una sèrie de textos jeroglífics. Les seves mides oscil·len entre 10 i 35 cm de llargada, amb una
base d’entre 5 i 10 cm. Segons les evidències arqueològiques, i tal com es pot veure en algunes represen-
tacions en els parets de les tombes i en alguns papirs, aquests elements estaven col·locats en fileres for-
mant un fris pel damunt de la porta d’entrada, encastats en la superestructura de tovots de la façana de
les capelles funeràries decorades, o també decorant les piràmides de tovots que coronaven les tombes que
es van fer excavar els alts funcionaris de l’estat a la necròpolis tebana.
La primera constatació de la utilització de cons funeraris en els tombes tebanes data de la dinastia
XI, però en aquells inicis no estaven inscrits i eren d’una mida sensiblement més gran, i poden arribar a
tenir uns 50 cm de llargada. Originàriament, i pel seu aspecte, aquests elements probablement simbolit-
zarien els extrems de les bigues de fusta que sobresortien del sostre en les façanes de les cases. No fou,
però, fins a inicis de la dinastia XVIII, a l’Imperi Nou, que en la base plana d’aquests elements de fang s’hi
van començar a inscriure textos jeroglífics relatius al difunt. Una vegada modelats, en nombre suficient
per decorar l’espai previst i abans de coure’ls, s’hi aplicava una matriu feta de fusta o pedra on hi havia
inscrits, en negatiu, uns textos jeroglífics amb el nom del difunt i els seus títols principals. Algunes vega-
des també hi apareixia el nom de l’esposa, els fills o els pares, així com el nom del rei al qual van servir1.
Des de Champollion, que és la primera persona de qui tenim notícia que va fer esment d’aquests
objectes, molts estudiosos es van sentir atrets per aquests enigmàtics elements de forma cònica. S’ha de
pensar que, en aquells temps, els cons funeraris es trobaven escampats per terra entre les runes de la
necròpolis tebana, i encara no se sabia per a què servien. S’havien anat formulant moltes teories sobre
aquests cons. Per la seva forma es va dir que eren simulacres de pans d’ofrena dedicats als difunts, o
també mollons que, clavats a terra, delimitaven l’espai sagrat de la tomba. Pel que fa a les inscripcions,
s’apuntava la possibilitat que fossin segells per segellar la tomba, o també una mena de targetes de visita
que els parents i amics dipositaven en les tombes quan les anaven a visitar. Finalment, van ser Borchardt,
Königsberger i Ricke2, en un estudi acurat sobre aquests elements, els qui en van donar la solució defini-
tiva, confirmada anys més tard per la troballa in situ de dues fileres de cons sense inscripcions encastats
en la façana d’una tomba de l’Imperi Mitjà damunt de la porta d’entrada de la capella funerària.
Des dels inicis de l’egiptologia diversos autors reuniren i publicaren les inscripcions jeroglífiques
estampades sobre la base dels cons funeraris, però no va ser fins l’any 1957 que M. F. Laming Macadam
va editar un corpus que agrupava totes les inscripcions conegudes fins a aquell moment, recollides i dibui-
xades amb molta cura per Norman de Garis Davies a la necròpolis tebana3. Des de llavors, són molt pocs
els exemplars amb estampacions noves que han aparegut4.
La utilització dels cons funeraris queda restringida únicament a la necròpolis de Tebes Oest, enca-
ra que, excepcionalment, alguns exemplars han estat trobats al jaciment d’Aniba5, l’antiga Miam, que va
ser centre administratiu de la regió de Uauat, a la Baixa Núbia, entre la primera i la segona cascada. Cal
aclarir que els cons trobats pertanyien a un personatge que va ser enterrat a Tebes, on també s’han trobat
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cons similars, cosa que indicaria que els trobats a Aniba formarien part d’un cenotafi que aquest alt fun-
cionari reial s’hauria fet construir mentre va estar destinat sota les ordres del virrei a Núbia. No obstant
això, recentment s’han trobat alguns exemplars de cons funeraris entre les restes d’una tomba d’estil tebà
a la regió de Tombos, a la Núbia sudanesa6.
Durant l’Imperi Nou, i sobretot a la dinastia XVIII, la utilització de cons funeraris per decorar les
tombes tebanes es va generalitzar, però a inicis de la següent dinastia en va anar decreixent l’ús fins a
extingir-se completament, per tornar a aparèixer, uns 500 anys més tard, en les grans tombes saïtes de la
dinastia XXVI. Cada tomba podia tenir uns 200 o 300 cons similars fets amb la mateixa matriu, i hi havia
tombes que tenien diversos tipus de cons, tots, però, pertanyents al mateix personatge propietari de la
tomba.
S’han pogut trobar poc més de 600 tipus de cons funeraris diferents pertanyents a uns 440 perso-
natges diferents, que sens dubte es van fer enterrar en una tomba decorada a la necròpolis tebana, però
de tots aquests cons, sols una tercera part aproximadament s’han pogut vincular a una tomba coneguda.
Resten encara, en el moment actual, dues terceres parts del total de cons funeraris coneguts que no s’ha
pogut identificar a quina tomba pertanyerien7.
El Museu de Montserrat conserva set cons funeraris8 pertanyents a tres personatges diferents, que
van ser adquirits pel pare Ubach al final del setembre de l’any 1923 directament al Museu Egipci d’El
Caire. Dels set exemplars, quatre9 porten la mateixa inscripció10 i pertanyen a un escriba anomenat Nakht
propietari de la tomba TT 52 (‘Theban Tomb’) de la necròpolis tebana11; un altre exemplar12 pertany a
un cap de l’exèrcit, de nom Amenemheb13, propietari de la tomba TT 8514, i els dos exemplars restants15
pertanyen a Pabasa16, intendent en cap de la divina adoratriu Nitocris i propietari de la tomba TT 279,
també de la necròpolis tebana17. J.V.
(1) VIVÓ 1998, pp. 67-80. (2) BORCHARDT, KÖNIGSBERGER i RICKE 1934, pp. 25-35. (3) DAVIES i MACADAM 1957. (4) VIVÓ i
COSTA 1998, pp. 59-72. (5) STEINDORFF 1937, p. 61, pl. 35(1), p. 187. (6) SMITH 1996-1998. (7) VIVÓ 2002, pp. 5-30. (8)
BAQUÉS 1973, pp. 107-109; BAQUÉS 1976, pp. 13-15. (9) Números d’inventari: 610.301, 610.302, 610.305 i 610.307. (10) DAVIES i
MACADAM 1957, núm. 157. (11) PORTER i MOSS 1970, pp. 99-102; VIVÓ 2002, p. 23. (12) Número d’inventari: 610.303. (13)
DAVIES i MACADAM 1957, núm. 270. (14) PORTER i MOSS 1970, pp. 170-175; VIVÓ 2002, p. 24. (15) Números d’inventari: 610.304
i 610.306. (16) DAVIES i MACADAM 1957, núm. 468. (17) PORTER i MOSS 1970, pp. 357-359; VIVÓ 2002, p. 26.
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what seems to be the cobra goddess Uadjet. To the haps boundary stones that were stuck into the The Montserrat Museum keeps seven funerary
left is a symbol which is hard to interpret, but ground to mark the border of the tomb’s sacred cones that belonged to three different people and
doubtless symbolic of protective power. On the space, whilst it was also suggested that because of that were bought by Father Ubach at the end of
lower part, and holding the three previously men- they were used to seal tombs because of their ins- September 1923 directly from Cairo Museum. Out
tioned symbols, appears the Nebu sign, which can criptions, or perhaps they were a kind of calling of these seven cones, four have the same inscrip-
be translated as “gold,” but which may have the card left in the tomb when friends or family of the tion on them and belonged to a scribe called
idea of eternity in this context. dead person went to visit them. Finally it was Bor- Nakht, owner of the TT 52 tomb in the Theban
On the other face, there are three symbols, chardt, Königsberger and Ricke, in a careful study necropolis; another one of them belonged to an
which correspond to the following words: Men, of these objects, which offered a definite solution, army chief called Amenemheb, owner of tomb TT
nebu and seret. They can be interpreted in various confirmed several years later in the in situ finding of 85 and the two remaining cones belonged to Psam-
ways, since the various possible combinations give two rows of cones, without inscriptions, stuck into metik, Chief Steward to the Divine Adoratrice,
very different readings. J.U. the façade of a Middle Kingdom tomb above the Nitocris and owner of tomb TT 279, also in the
entrance door to the funerary shrine. Theban Necropolis. J.V.
Pag. 174 There have been several authors who have uni-
Funerary cones ted and published articles about hieroglyphic ins- 92
The so called funerary cones are architectonic criptions on the base of funerary cones since the Funerary cone of Nakht
elements with a conical shape, hand made of clay, beginning of Egyptology but it was not until 1957 This whole funerary cone was hand made and is
and fired afterwards at high temperatures to harden that M.F. Laming Macadam edited a Corpus that well preserved except from the top left part of the
them, and that have hieroglyphic texts on their included all the known inscriptions from the The- base that is slightly worn but not affecting the texts
base. They measure between 10-35 cm long and ban necropolis up until then. These cones were that are readable. Although the base is almost
their base is 5-10 cm wide. According to archaeolo- collected and very carefully drawn by Norman round the stamp is rectangular with short, rounded
gical evidence and from some illustrations found Garis Davies. Since then, very few new stamped edges, and this kind corresponds to number 157 of
on tomb walls and some papyri it would appear examples have been found. Davies and Macadam’s Corpus. Its reddish colour
that these objects were inserted as lines making Using funerary cones was restricted to the west comes from the fired clay whilst the trunk and base
friezes over the tomb entrance doors. They were Theban necropolis, although as an exception, a few of the cone still have remains of white paint. The
stuck into the sun-dried brick façade of decorated examples have been found at the Aniba site, text is written in three separate columns separated
funerary shrines also decorating the sun-dried ancient Mem that was the managerial centre of the by two vertical lines and is read from top to bottom
brick pyramids that crowned tombs and that high Wawat region, in Lower Nubia between the first and left to right, which is normal in this kind of
state officers ordered to be dug out in the Theban and second Cataract. It must be explained that the object: “I stand honoured before Osiris, astrono-
necropolis. cones found there belonged to someone who had mer of Amun, Scribe Nakht. His wife, the songs-
The first record of the use of funerary cones in been buried in Thebes where similar cones were tress of Amun, Taui”.
Theban tombs dates back to the 11th dynasty but in also found, which would indicate that the ones From the information obtained from this text it
those days they had no inscriptions on them and found in Aniba formed part of a funerary monu- is known that it refers to the same person who had
they were noticeably bigger, measuring up to 50cm ment that this high royal officer had ordered to be a tomb built in the Sheik Abd el-Gurna region in
long. Originally, because of their shape, these objects made, during his rule under orders from the Vice- the Theban necropolis and currently has the num-
probably symbolised the end of the wooden lintels roy in Nubia. However, having stated that, recently ber TT52. The tomb was studied by the New York
that stuck out from under the roof on house façades. some funerary cones have been found within the Metropolitan Museum between 1907 and 1910
It was not until the 18th dynasty that the flat base of remains of a Theban style tomb in the area of Tom- who made life-size copies of all its coloured pain-
these clay objects began to have hieroglyphic writing bos, in southern Nubia. tings.
referring to the deceased person on them. Once During the New Kingdom and especially the The small Nakht tomb is one of the most well
enough of them to decorate the allotted space had 18th dynasty using funerary cones to decorate The- preserved tombs of the necropolis, possibly becau-
been moulded, and before they were fired, a wooden ban tombs became popular but at the beginning of se it was not discovered until 1889, and although it
or stone negative mould was applied with hierogly- the following dynasty their use decreased until it was unfinished it contained a large number of
phic texts including the name and main titles of the totally extinguished, reappearing again, about 500 everyday life scenes, painted with bright colours
dead person. Sometimes the names of their wives, years later, in the 26th dynasty Saite tombs. and many details covering the walls of the transver-
children and parents appeared as well as the name of Each tomb could have two or three hundred sal chamber, the only one that was decorated.
the king whom they had served. cones all made with the same mould, with some When the tomb was discovered some funerary
After Champollion, who was the first person to tombs having different types of cones in them but cones, similar to the one mentioned, had already
name the objects, many scholars felt attracted to all belonging to the same owner. A few more than been found. Apart from the Nakht cone, the Mont-
these enigmatic conical shaped objects. It must be 600 types of funerary cones have been found serrat Museum preserves three other similar cones
born in mind that in those days, funerary cones belonging to about 440 different people, who were with the same description (inventory numbers
were found spread out amongst the grounds of the no doubt buried in decorated tombs in the Theban 610.301, 610.302 and 610.307). There are no more
ruins of the Theban necropolis and nobody had yet necropolis but out of all these cones only a third of than a hundred cones of this type in different
discovered their use. Many theories were propo- them have been connected to a particular tomb. At museums around the world. Here, in this country,
sed. Due to their shape, it was thought that they this moment, two thirds of the known cones are there are other examples kept at the Archaeological
were bread models offered to the deceased, or per- still unidentified. Museum of Barcelona (Griñó 1968, pp. 253-261).
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Very little is known about Nakht because he is in the necropolis that was totally finished, although better state, the inscription is not complete because it
only well-known due to his unfinished tomb, the nowadays it is very badly preserved. The writings has broken into several pieces.
funerary cones and a stele like statue that was lost in the tomb inform us that Amenemheb, also The inscription on this cone offers several of the
when is was moved to New York in 1915. The tomb known as Mahu, possessed the honorific title of titles held by its owner, apart from information
inscriptions do not include any other title that is noble, prince, only friend and stamp holder of the about his parent’s names. “Osiris, priest of Amun-
not already included on the funerary cones. The king of Lower Egypt, and also that of ‘child of the Re king of the gods, chief priest of the gods of
title of “Scribe”, without specifying any particular royal harem’ that indicates that he was brought up Upper Egypt, steward of the South City, steward of
function, only indicates that Nakht formed part of in the palace school together with the children of the Divine Adoratrice, Pabasa. Son of the divine
the body of state officials that knew how to read the king and other nobles. Amenemheb developed father, loved of the god, Padibastet. His mother,
and write. The second title “Astronomer of Amun” his military career as chief archer under the reign of Tasenetenhor”.
also translated as “Observer of the hour of Amun” Thutmosis III, who he accompanied in at least five Pabasa was a high state officer during the reign of
suggests that he could have been in charge of the military campaigns abroad and possibly serving Psammetik I, and was under the orders of his
timetables of the different Amun worshipping later on under the orders of his son Amenhotep II daughter Nitocris, Divine Adoratrice of Amun, as
rituals in the Temple Complex of Karnak. Both in with the rank of Commander of soldiers. An auto- Chief Steward and Chief Administrator of all
the tomb and on the cones, there is information biographic stele of Amenemheb, engraved on the domains. This position was highly important since
that Nakht’s wife, called Taui, was known as “The walls of his tomb, illustrates with great detail all his the Divine Adoratrice of Amun exerted political
Songstress of Amun”, a duty reserved only for the military actions next to the king and for which he and religious power from Thebes, whilst the king
high ladies of the court and who accompanied the was compensated on many occasions It also descri- resided at that time in Saite in Lower Egypt. Paba-
god during processions. In the tomb there are refe- bes the death of Thutmosis III and the ascension to sa also held the honorific position of crown prince,
rences to several presumable children but only the the throne of Egypt by his son Amenhotep II. only friend and stamp holder of the king together
name of one of them Amenemipet, is known Amenemheb’s wife was called Baki and was a with other priestly positions. He ordered one of the
nowadays. very important woman, because she held the pres- largest tombs to be built in the Theban necropolis,
No king’s name appears in the tomb but, due to tigious title of “royal ornament” and was one of in the el-Assasif area, near to where every year the
the fact that Amun’s name was rubbed off all the nanny’s to the prince and future king, Amenhotep barque of Amun, the god of Karnak passed by in a
wall paintings where it appeared, it can be deduced II. One of the tomb’s scenes shows her offering a procession to visit the temples on the west side of
that Nakht lived in the times before Akhenaten’s bunch of flowers directly to the king, something Thebes in the so called Beautiful Feast of the Valley.
reign. This can also be confirmed by the characte- unheard of, because apparently this ritual was Nowadays Pabasa’s tomb is number TT 279 and
ristic way in which it was painted and if compared reserved exclusively for the tomb’s owner. Pro- is made up of a huge superstructure on two sun-
to other similar tombs, can be dated back to the bably, Amenemheb and Baki had several children dried brick pillars, and is possibly the place where
end of Thutmosis IV’s reign or the beginning of but only the name of one of them called, Iamu, has the funerary cones were destined to. Apart from
Amenhotep’s III reign. J.V. been preserved and he was also brought up in the these two Montserrat cones there are few more
royal harem just like his father. than thirty examples that are known about and that
93 Up to now a total of forty cones about this per- are in museums around the world. Pabasa’s tomb
Funerary cone of Amenemheb son with the same inscription have been found and had three other kinds of cones, with different
Handmade funerary cone with the lower trunk are kept in several museums around the world but stamps although very few examples of them are
missing and rather badly preserved. The broken some of them have the physical characteristic of known.
part shows up the black colour caused by firing. On having a square section with a slightly pyramidal Two of them are identified in Davies and Maca-
the cone’s trunk remains of white paint can be trunk. J.V. dam’s Corpus with numbers 469 and 470. They are
observed and red remains on the base. This cone’s smaller than the others although the signs are set
stamp corresponds to number 270 of Davies and 94 out in the same way but one of them is read from
Macadam’s Corpus. The base of the cone is round Funerary cone of Pabasa left to right and the other from right to left. In spite
and shows a stamp with two columns of hierogly- A whole handmade funerary cone in rather a good of everything, it is possible that the cone numbered
phic texts inscribed inside a slightly oval circle and state of preservation except for the inscription that is 470 in the Corpus did not really exist. The third
separated by a central, vertical line. The texts read almost unreadable. The clay used to mould this cone model has square sections with four vertical
from top to bottom and from left to right that is contains small particles of vegetable remains. The columns of writing and is number 92 in Davies and
normal in this kind of object: “Amenemheb, Com- stamp on the base of the cone is completely round Macadam’s Corpus. J.V.
mander of soldiers”. All the cones corresponding and the texts are shared out into four written lines in
to this person have a defect in the mould used for between five horizontal separations. The hierogly- Pag. 182
printing the texts and the last sign of the second phic texts read from right to left and from top to bot- Funerary models
column is irregular. tom and this cone corresponds to the model number The set of figures, placed inside tombs represen-
In spite of the small amount of information offe- 468 of Davies and Macadam’s Corpus. The cone’s ting the characters belonging to the dead person’s
red by this cone it no doubt belongs to the same red colour is due to it having been fired. Remains of surroundings and scenes of everyday life, are called
person who had a tomb dug out in the Theban white paint can still be seen on the surface. The funerary models. For Ancient Egyptians the After-
necropolis, towards the west in the Sheik Abd el- Montserrat Museum keeps an example with an life was just as real as life on earth that is why once
Gurna area, identified by number TT 85. The identical inscription and has the inventory number they were dead the deceased had to assure that they
decoration in Amenemheb’s tomb is one of the few 610.304 and although the hieroglyphic signs are in a had everything they needed to live eternally.
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