The axe-head of Khufu

In showcase E5, on the right-hand side of the main hall, is an axe-head of hardened copper with an inscription in hieroglyphs. This axe-head was found in 1911 near the Roman bridge at the mouth of the River Adonis (Nahr Ibrahim), in what today is Lebanon (in 1911, part of Syria). The axe-head dates to the time of Old Kingdom Egypt (c. 2500 BC), and more specifically to the time of King Khufu, also known as Cheops (IVth dynasty).

An Egyptian axe in Lebanon?

One question that may certainly arise is: why do we find an Egyptian axe in Lebanon? Royal Egyptian expeditions sailed north to Lebanon to procure cedar and other woods, which were lacking in Egypt. Senefrew, Khufu’s father, is known to have sent a fleet to the Phoenician coast, and it should be no surprise for Khufu to have done the same.

The inscription

Written in very early hieroglyphs, the inscription reads:

Pacified-is-the-Two-Falcons-of-Gold;
Foundation [gang] of the Larboard [watch]

Pacified-is-the-Two-Falcons-of-Gold is the name of the boat crew. Two-Falcons-of-Gold was a title of King Khufu or Cheops (IVth dynasty). A few other kings used the same title, but scholars consider Khufu the probable reference here. Two Falcons normally refers to the two gods Horus and Seth.

Each boat crew was divided into watches, named after the parts of the ship, here the Larboard, and further divided into gangs, here the Foundation gang.

Who was Khufu?

Khufu or Cheops was an Egyptian king of the IVth dynasty, in the first half of the Old Kingdom period (c. 2589–2566 BC). He is generally accepted as the builder of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Little is known of other aspects of his reign.

Bibliography

• A. Mallon, “Une hache égyptienne trouvée en Syrie”, Mélanges de l’Université Saint-Joseph 10/2 (1925) 51–54 + 1 pl.
• A. Rowe, “Addendum A. Axe-Head of the Royal Boat-Crew of Cheops (or, Sahew-Ra (?))”, in A Catalogue of Egyptian Scarabs, Scaraboids, Seals and Amulets in the Palestine Archaeological Museum, Le Caire 1935, pp. 283–289.