| Egyptian Journal of Archeological and Restoration Studies

Authors:
Maher, H.
Egyptology dept., Faculty of Arts, Mansoura Univ., Mansoura, Egypt.

Abstract:
This research includes a collection of bilingual funeral stelae (Egyptian-Carian texts) that were found in Saqqara dated to the 26th dynasty, as one of the most important settlements of Carians (the inhabitants of the western Anatolia region), who were brought by King Psamtik I (664-610 B.C.) to the Delta as mercenary soldiers to help him get rid of his rivals and ascend to the throne. It delves into the analysis of the number of funeral scenes, including the lunette, the offerings, the devotees, and the representations of the Egyptian deities, to identify the influence of Egyptian art and the extent of acceptance of the Egyptian belief among foreigners, focusing on translating the Egyptian and Carian texts accompanying the inscriptions to determine the relationship between the texts. Are they two sides of the same meaning or different? The study yielded purely Egyptian influences, depicting the usual funerary and funeral scenes without any foreign additions to the scenes themselves, with some foreign influences in separate scenes below the main funeral scenes. Although the Egyptian texts appear somewhat organized in most stelae, the Carian text seems more random, different, and sometimes difficult to obtain its true values. Finally, this paper suggests how these funerary inscriptions were used as a means of expressing the personal identities of the Carian soldiers who lived in Egypt and shows the cultural relationship between the Egyptians and foreign peoples during the Saite and early Persian periods.

Keywords:
Bilingual Caria Carian Stela Serapeum Saqqara

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