Setka (prince)

Šetka was a prince of the ancient Egyptian 4th dynasty and son of Pharaoh Radjedef; his mother is unknown. Šetka is only known from a statue that comes from the Pyramid district of his father in Abu Roasch.

Šetka as possible Pharaoh

According to a proposal by Aidan Dodson Šetka might have come for a few years on the Egyptian throne after the death of his father and his uncle Radjedef Chephren. He would then be identical to a sparsely occupied Pharaoh, whom the historian Manetho Bicheris calls. Dodson cites in its deliberations on a signature from a pyramid in Saujet el- Arjan, whose reading is unclear and he interprets as Sethka. Šetka would therefore have slightly changed its name to the throne. Dodson's proposal was so far in the professional world, however, no general agreement. So Bicheris is identified by a number of other researchers with Baka, another son Radjedefs, but in addition there are other readings for the signature of Saujet el- Arjan.

Statue

The statue of Šetka was discovered by Émile Chassinat at an excavation in the pyramid complex of Radjedef in winter 1900/ 01 and located since 1907 in the Louvre in Paris ( Inv. No. E 12639 and E 12631 ). It is one of the oldest known examples of a so-called writer statue.

The statue consists of three parts: the actual writer granite statue, and two pedestals. The outer platform consists of limestone and measures 64 × 66 × 17 cm. On top of an inscription is engraved, calls the name and title of the owner. In the middle there is a semicircular recess in which the second pedestal is recessed from wood. It measures 30.5 × 17.5 × 4.6 cm, and in turn has a recess in which finally the actual statue is embedded. It is 30 cm high, 23 cm wide and 17 cm deep. Šetka is shown sitting cross-legged, his only garment is a kilt. On his lap is an unrolled papyrus roll, which he holds with both hands. Index and middle fingers of the right hand are brought together, as if he would hold a writing instrument, which, however, was not executed by the sculptor.