This limestone fragment retains an inscription,
and the profile head of Ptah (or Peteh), one of the
most important gods of the Egyptian pantheon.
He is believed to have dreamed creation and
called it into being; his name literally translates
as the opener, opening his mouth to call creation
into existence. He is held to be the “primordial
mound”, taking the physical form of a
mummified man or as Apis, the bull. The
markers of his office include the ankh (key to the
underworld), the was (sceptre) and the djed
(pillar), and he is usually represented wearing a
skull cap, as in the current case.
He is intimately linked with most areas of
Egyptian dynastic religion, giving rise to Atum
(technically Nefertum, Atum’s younger form),
becoming the specific god or protector for
reincarnation, stonecutters/masons, sculptors,
blacksmiths, architects, boat builders, artists,
craftsmen and tomb-builders, as well as being a
patron of the arts. His high priest was given the
title of wr khrp hmw, "Great Leader of the
Craftsmen", and his priests were probably linked
to the different crafts. The opening of the mouth
ceremony, designed to release spirits from their
host bodies, is said to have been created by Ptah.
The preponderance of tombs (and thus
masons etc) at Thebes meant that his support
was particularly strong here, and he was
eventually hyphenated with Seker, who was also
a deity of reincarnation and craftsmen. Ptah-
Seker – due to the endless evolution of religious
icons – resurfaced as the husband of Sekhmet,
then as the personification of the sun during
night hours. The rationale for this was that the
sun was nightly reincarnated through the power
of the subterranean primordial mound
represented by Ptah. By the Middle Kingdom he
had become largely subsumed by Osiris, but the
terms were evidently interchangeable as there
are various references to Ptah-Seker-Osiris, the
addendum designed to reflect his underworld
status.
In this 26th dynasty fragment Ptah is represented
with what appears to be a tunic, wearing his
skullcap and elongated beard. Looking to the
right, his almond shaped eyes and aquiline nose
are clearly visible, though his badges of office
cannot be seen. The accompanying hieroglyphic
inscription is fragmentary, but reads “... beloved
of Ptah, the king [unclear], the lord of heaven...”.
This was probably originally a part of a tomb
wall, as the numerous links Ptah has with death,
resurrection, tomb-making and masonry makes
him a thoroughly appropriate funerary motif. The
royal link implies that the tomb may have
belonged to a pharaoh or a member of his
family.
This striking piece of ancient masonry is both
socially and historically important, depicting a
deity described by the Book of the Dead as “...a
master architect, and framer of everything in the
universe”. This is an unbeatable piece for the
discerning collector or any refined domestic
setting.