Identification
Title Water clock (Nekau II)
Water Clock ID WCO 2 (see catalogue of water clocks)
Type Astronomical Representation
EAT3 Number and Name 34 Necho
EAT3 Pages and Plates 42-44, 152-3, Pl 22B and Fig 9
EAT3 Decan List Family Misc, but similar to Tanis
Publications Montet (1946)
Location

Egyptian Museum, Cairo; on display in Room P50

JE 67096a, b, and c (the three main fragments are labelled individually)

Date 26th dynasty, time of Nekau II.  The Museum label attributes is to Ahmose II (Ahmasis), but the readable traces in the cartouche strongly support a Nekau II identification.

 

Content
Registers 3
Circumpolar Group and Deities Not preserved
Planets None preserved
Decan Names Yes
Decanal Stars One per decan as a determinative only
Personifications of the Decans No
Cluster Numbers Yes
Depictions of Decanal Constellations None preserved
Decanal Deity Names Yes
Decanal Deity Figures No
Lunar Months Yes
Civil Months None preserved
Nut No
Other features

The third (lowest) register contains the hours of the night.

The spout of the water clock is situated below the figure of a baboon sitting on a djed-pillar.

 

Notes

The fragments of this water clock preserve a small part of the decan list, two lunar months, and three of the hours of the night.  Neugebauer and Parker calculated the dimensions of the orignal vessel would have been:  37 cm high, diameter 57 cm at top and 52 cm at bottom.

 

Schematic

The layout is unique.  The top register contains the lunar months.  Next come decan names, with a separate row for decanal deity names.  Below that is a row of text addressed by the king to Amun (their figures are depicted in this row and part of the decanal deity row), and finally, the top part of a register of night hours is preserved.

See the drawing below for details.

Decan List

Neugebauer and Parker note that the decans preserved are consistent with Tanis.  The orthography matches as well.  However, the deities are different in all cases and unique to this list.  The writing of sA qd is the oldest known instance of using sA instead of sAwy.

 

   
  Ha[py]
[xntw] Hr[w] Horus who burns
<xntw> Xrw

Horus in his district xt <4-nwt>

qd

Children of Horus

sA qd

Hapy, Kebehsenuf

xAw

Horus protector of his father

arw

Osiris bull of the west, foremost of his [ ]

rmn Hr[y sAH]

(the heads of the king and Amun occupy this space)
 
  Anubis
   

As this decan list is unique, no decan numbers are shown. 

Grey shading = damage

< > = omitted but understood

[ ] = damaged text

( ) = explanatory notes or additional material

 

Image

EAT3 Figure 9:

34Necho image