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The Abusir decrees of King Djedkare and the scribes of the royal chancery

Publication at Faculty of Arts |
2019

Abstract

The Abusir papyrus archives are among the most important discoveries achieved by the Czech Institute of Egyptology FA CU during its six decades of exploration of the necropolis. A small part of these archives is comprised of royal decrees, issued mostly by King Djedkare in the late Fifth Dynasty, which granted access to offerings to named individuals.

It is not entirely clear whether these offerings were intended for the cults of deceased officials or for the attendants of the pyramid complex ant the king's funerary cult. The long rule of King Djedkare allows us, however, to discuss the royal scribes who may have been involved in writing these documents in the royal chancery.

The titles of Djedkare's high dignitaries indicate a close connection to the king's documents and decrees, but the individual scribes who wrote down his decisions can hardly be identified today.