Stela of Neskhonsu
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Description
This round-topped painted wooden stela of Neskhons was found at Deir el-Bahri in an area dedicated for the burials of the priests of god Montu. Neskhons' husband was a priest of Montu. The stela is framed by the arched body of the sky goddess Nut who touches the earth with the tips of her fingers and her feet. A winged sun disc spans above hieroglyphs that read Behdety (a form of Horus of Edfu). The central scene on the stela shows Neskhons embraced by goddess Maat as she stands at an altar, her hands are raised in adoration before the falcon-headed god Re-Horakhty and the goddess of the West. On the lower part of the stela, an offering formula asks god Re-Horakhty to grant Neskhons provisions for the afterlife. Neskhons was apparently a descendant of a priestly family, as in the text her father Hormaa is referred to as the 'beloved of the god at Karnak'.