OBELISK OF PIANKHY FROM KADAKOL

Abstract

The article is concerned with the study of the monument of the king from the XXV dynasty of Piankhy. It is a pillar with inscriptions on 4 sides. In the scientific literature, it is called an obelisk. The present article attempted to point out the circumstances that make it possible to restore its original form, as well as to compare it with Egyptian obelisks. The monument was found outside the archaeological context, so the focus was on the inscriptions that have been preserved on it. The study of these inscriptions showed that the presence of the formula saHa n.f txn, the similarity in the structure of the text, in particular the royal titulature, which are found on Egyptian obelisks, give reason to restore the original form of the Piankhy monument as an obelisk. Analysis of the inscriptions allowed us to identifying common features in comparison with the Egyptian obelisks, and distinctive local features related to the placement of the text and images, as well as the paleographic specifics in the outline of the idiographic hieroglyphic signs.