An Ancient Egyptian Spell in the Tomb of Neha at el-Qatta

A translation and commentary on the spell in the tomb of Neha at el-Qatta previously discussed by H. D. Schneider (1977) and T. J. Allen (2013). The spell was believed to provide Neha, after his death, with magical powers over representations (possibly statuettes) of his “workers-kAwtyw” designed to serve him in the next world. However, as an indispensable condition for the effectiveness of the spell was considered to be the faultlessness of the acquisition of the representations, the latter was asserted in passages resembling an ideal autobiography. The expression mr(y)t(=f) Ds=f “his own household people” in l. 22 is the Middle Kingdom colloquial equivalent of the mr(y)t=f n(y)t Dt=f, which has survived in nomarch Nehery’s tomb at el-Bersheh and on the pedestal of a sculptural group of four figurines from the mastaba of Shepi at Dahshur (CG 512). The latter parallel is of special significance, since in the selection and arrangement of other spells Neha’s burial chamber is also comparable to certain tombs in the Dahshur–Lisht region. Neha was most likely influenced by one of the magical traditions of this metropolitan area. If Neha, like Shepi, had a sculptural group of four “household people”, this could explain his words about acquiring “the fourth one (fdnw)” to serve very early and late extra meals (ll. 23 ̶ 24). The noun nDs in l. 17 and the use of the word Ds with the meaning “own” in connection with people date the composition to no later than the reign of Senusret I.