Funerary Stela of the Royal Sealer Neferiu, 8th Dynasty -First Intermediate Period


Funerary Stela of the Royal Sealer Neferiu
Dynasty 8- First Intermediate Period (ca.2150-2010 BCE)
Painted Limestone, from Dendera (according to parallels
Gift of J. Pierpoint Morgan, 1912 (12.183.8)

Back in 2008, I was uncertain which piece this was. The info card I'd photographed described six different pieces. I narrowed it down to Neferiu's funerary stela, for the theme of a high pile of food before the deceased one insures they will be well-fed in the afterlife. Also, the 'nefer' hieroglyph is repeated often in the stela text, so it's a good chance it is 'Neferiu' they are describing. (And in 2012, I was able to check the Museum website and know for sure.)


(From Wilkinson's _Reading Egyptian Art_)


Translations, via the Museum website:
1st line:
Htp Di nswt Wsjr nb Dd.w pr.t-xrw n jmAx.w nfr-jw
Offerings which the king gives (and) Osiris lord of Busiris, invocation offerings, to the revered Neferiu
Above the offerings:
xA qbH.w t’ xA Hnq.t xA jH Apd gHs xA mA xA Ss xA mnx.t xA (j)x.t nb(.t) nfr(.t) n jmAx.w nfr-jw
Thousand of water libations and bread, thousand of beer, thousand of oxen, fowl, and gazelles, thousand of antelopes, thousand of alabaster (vessels), thousand of cloths, thousand of every good thing for the revered Neferiu
2nd line:
Htp Di nswt jnp.w tp(.j)-Dw=f jm.j-wt pr.t xrw n nfr-jw
Offerings which the king gives (and) Anubis who is upon his hill, Imiut, invocation offerings, to Neferiu