From a Row of Deities bringing Offerings ; Plate XC

The lower parts of the walls of Ramesside temples were frequently adorned with panels similar to the one reproduced here. This comes from a long sequence of deities alternately male and female, the former carrying cake, fruit, and ducks, and the latter jars of water. They symbolize different districts or towns of Egypt, the names of which are written in hieroglyphs over their heads. Here we have the personification of the town of Dendereh (called Iunet in Egyptian), and the column of writing to the left gives the words with which that town is supposed to accompany its gift: 'Redtation. I am come to the Lord of Diadems, Rarmesse-mi­ amun, and I bring him all manner offood. ' Thecolumn of hieroglyphs on the right, which reads: 'Recitation. I am come to the Lord of the Two lands, Usimare, and I bring him this refreshment\ represents the words of the water-bearing goddess in the adjoining panel. Such personifications of localities are commonly designated as 'Nile-deities' by Egyptologists, and the name is justified to the extent that the mode of depiction is that generally accorded to J:Iarpy, the inundation-god, himself The flesh-tint is blue to recall the colour of water, while the wig is green like the papyrus from the marshes which our present 'Nile-deity' holds in one hand. The rolls of fat upon the breast symbolize the abundance produced by the bounty of the Nile. The golden collar, bracelets, and arm­ lets similarly betoken riches. The piled-up offerings rest upon the sign cA:. for a 'peace-offering '; see Plate LXXXVII. From the arm that bears them hangs the emblem of 'life' f twice depicted for reasons of symmetry, and through the centre of the gifts runs the emblem of 'wealth' 1. The offerings themselves consist of loavesof different sizes and shapes, ducks, pomegranates, and figs, besides grapes that have lost their original black. All this was painted upon a background of green grass or foliage from which the colour has completely vanished, and as usual the whole is sur­ mounted by a bunch of lotuses.