Stèle de Baqubah

“A stele, you say?” a curious voice asks, right here in front of the Stèle de Baqubah. This fragmented stele whispers tales from the late Eleventh Dynasty of Egypt. The Stèle de Baqubah, originating from Abydos, now resides in the Louvre Museum. It showcases a variety of scenes. At the bottom, a couple sits on lion-footed chairs, partaking in a funerary meal. They breathe in the fragrance of lotus flowers from a vase. A smaller figure offers a leg of beef at an offering table. Nearby, other figures perform a lustration ritual. Two women with tripartite wigs present menat necklaces. A false door is also depicted. The center of the Stèle de Baqubah illustrates a burial procession. A mummy rests within a divine barque, surrounded by a festive scene with divine emblems. Hieroglyphic inscriptions cover the Stèle de Baqubah. They contain biographical details about Âbkaou, the stele’s owner. Âbkaou held the title “director of horned animals.” The inscriptions also mention the construction of a temple at Abydos. They include references to Osirian mysteries and calls to the living. Names such as Imemi, Âbkaou’s wife, also appear. The Stèle de Baqubah, made of limestone, features raised bas-reliefs. It stands 112.5 cm tall and 102.5 cm wide, with a depth of 9 cm. This artifact was once part of Bernardino Michele Maria Drovetti’s collection. The Louvre acquired it in 1827. It was even featured in an exhibition titled “Between the Old and the New, Ancient Egypt’s Middle Kingdom” at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.