Twin steles of Decree of Nectanebo I

The Naukratisstele includes the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Nectanebo I adopted decree in favor of the Sais temple of the goddess Neith, of Nectanebo I. as " Mistress of the Sea" and was worshiped accordingly named as beneficiary of taxes on line 12 of Naukratisstele. The stele was founded in 1899 in the village of Kum Gaief, the ancient Naucratis, discovered and brought on the initiative of Sultan Hussein Kamil in the Musée de Giza. Today it is in the archives of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and was to be seen in the exhibition " Hidden Treasures of the Egyptian Museum in 2002 for the 100th anniversary of the Museum.

Background

Sais was the center of the Greco -Egyptian trade. At the beginning of the 26th Dynasty Psammetichus I. had risen after the suppression of the Assyrian domination Sais the capital of the fourth and fifth Neith - nome. Herodotus reported that the ruler of the 26th Dynasty were buried in the temple of Neith. Nectanebo I came from the village of Sebennytos, which was in the immediate vicinity of Sais.

The Naukratisstele regulated the tax levy of the cities Naucratis and Herakleion. 2001 was the archaeologist Franck Goddio find the counterpart of the stele in Herakleion. It is just like the Naukratisstele black granite and has 1.95 m height, 0.88 m width and 0.34 m depth exactly the same dimensions.

Content

The decree was issued by Nectanebo I in his first year of reign on 13 and 13, respectively Mesori Schemu IV in 379 BC.

"His Majesty ( Nectanebo ) came to the palace of Sais, and he entered the temple of Neith. He raised ( in the temple ), the red crown next to his mother ( Neith ) ... Then his majesty said, Let the tenth part given by gold and silver, wood and processed wood, and of all the goods from Wadj - Who (Mediterranean ) of the Hau - nebu come and belong to the royal domain called Henet; as the tenth part of all that is Per-meru/Pa-meru ( Niut - keret ) brought to the house of the port, named because it counts (the house of the port) and to the royal domain; all these things shall be given to all eternity Neith. These come as a daily offerings to my mother Neith part of an ox, a fat goose and five measures of wine, for she is the mistress of the sea. "