Translations of Graffiti at Wadi el-Ḥôl Egypt (1500 BCE)

A pair of graffiti texts defending and then attacking the use of magic. These texts are in a variant of Minoan Linear A which was probably taught to these caravanners by the Minoans.

For translation methodology see: How to Translate Alphabetic Akkadian Texts

Map showing caravan route out of the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor through the Wadi el-Ḥôl
Map showing caravan route out of the ancient Egyptian city of Luxor through the  Wadi el-Ḥôl and heading towards the oases in the desert. The inscriptions were found one day out from Luxor where the caravanners would have camped.

Wadi el-Ḥôl in Egypt

(Jan 15, 2023) This is the first translation of the two graffiti texts found at the exit of Wadi el-Ḥôl ("Wadi of Terror") in the Qena bend area of Egypt. These texts were found by John and Deborah Darnell during their 1993-94  excavation season (Darnell, and all 2005). Their location was the first night’s camping spot on a caravan route out of Luxor, the longtime Egyptian capital in the center of the country. At the time Luxor was re-establishing its power and would soon become the capital of a newly reunited Egypt in 1550 BCE. Its 18th dynasty rulers (1550-1295 BCE) would soon reunite Egypt by throwing out the Akkadian speaking rulers from the Levant known as the Hyksos (c. 1640-1550 BC). Based upon later Minoan buildings found in the Hyksos capital of Avaris, the Luxor Egyptians seem to formed an alliance with the Minoans who taught their writing to the Akkadian speakers of the Levant (the Israelites).

References

Darnell, J.C.; Dobbs-Allsopp, F.W.; Lundberg, M.J.; McCarter, P.K.; Zuckerman, B. (2005) Two Early Alphabetic Inscriptions from the Wadi el-Ḥôl. The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research, Volume 59. Boston. American School of Oriental Research. Online at: https://www.academia.edu/19066825/Two_Early_Alphabetic_Inscriptions_from_the_Wadi_el_H%C3%B4l_New_Evidence_for_the_Origin_of_the_Alphabet_from_the_Western_Desert_of_Egypt
Shaw, Ian -editor (2000) Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press
Egyptian Wadi el-Ḥôl Horizontal Inscription. Photo from Darnell and all, 2005. Sign assignments by Olmsted using Bronze Age Sign Chart.

Photo from West Semitic Research Project, Photo by Bruce Zuckerman with scratched inscriptions inked for clarity by Marylin Lundberg 1999. Online at:  https://dornsife.usc.edu/wsrp/
White letter assignments added by David Olmsted

The Horizontal Inscription at Wadi el-Ḥôl Is a Minoan Linear A Variant Which Defends Magic (1500 BCE)

(October 3, 2023, updated February 27, 2025)  The shapes of these signs are intermediate between the signs of the Phaistos Disk and Linear A dating it to about 1500 BCE.

Akkadian Translation (Sinai Text 1.2)

(read  left to right. Capital letters on object. Small letters are inferred Inner vowels. Verbs are italic bold. Dual use letters are E/H, I/Y, U/W, and '/A in which vowel appears at beginning of words except for Yahu which is keeping its traditional Hebrew transliteration)
Letter Chart used: Bronze Age Runes
  1. ASu  MūBû  Na.  ḪaMû  Ya  Nu.  Ku  Nu.  MaNu  LeBu  Gu.

English

  1. The Celestial-Healer (Selu/Selene) can mobilize (energize) the Revealer.  Don't paralyze the Revealer.  Involve the Revealer (with the motion powers). Support the liberation of energy.

Comment: The Revealer is the revealer of fate which is the underworld goddess Kate/Hekate. She is a life power who must be energized and get involved with the motion powers.

Egyptian Wadi el-Ḥôl Vertical Inscription. Photo from Darnell and all, 2005. Sign assignments by Olmsted using Bronze Age Sign Char
Egyptian Wadi el-Ḥôl Vertical Inscription. Photo from Darnell and all, 2005. Sign assignments by Olmsted using Bronze Age Sign Chart.

The Vertical Inscription at Wadi el-Ḥôl Is a Minoan Linear A Variant Which Attacks Magic (1500 BCE)

(May 30, 2023, updated February 27, 2025) The large Egyptian Ankh life sign (head, outstretched arms, body) indicates the text is about life powers. The text is blaming astrology magic for interfering with the life powers. 

The shapes of these signs are intermediate between the signs of the Phaistos Disk and Linear A dating it to about 1500 BCE. 

Akkadian Translation (Sinai Text 1.1)

(read top to bottom. Large letters on items, small letters are inferred inner vowels. Verb in italic bold)
Letter Chart used: Bronze Age Runes
  1. Mu Wa Tu Gu 
  2. Ḫu Pu Qu
  3. Tu Ya 
  4. Wa Ri Lu

English

  1. Fertility-fluids can be fate-cursed by astrology-magic's energy.
  2. Hu (Sun god representing the life network) can open the life-threads
  3. Don't do astrology-magic
  4. Fate-curses cause a lack of eagle-vulture-powers (which edit the life network)

Comment


Eagle-Vultures edit the connections of the life threads (channels)
Western face of the spur in Wadi el-Hol where the inscriptions were found

Wadi el-Hol Inscription Site

Western face of the spur in Wadi el-Hol where the inscriptions were found (from Darnell and all 2005)
White boxes show the location of the two Wadi el-Hol inscriptions on the spur

Boxes Show Locations of Wadi el-Hol Inscriptions

White boxes show the location of the two Wadi el-Hol inscriptions on the spur (from Darnell and all 2005)
Merneptah Stele as it now appears in the Cairo Museum.
Merneptah Stele as it now appears in the Cairo Museum.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Merenptah_Israel_Stele_Cairo.jpg

Merneptah Stele May or May not Mention "Israel." In Either Case the Entity is an Egyptian Ally and not an Enemy

(August 1, 2022) The Merneptah Stele is an inscription by Commisioned by Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah (1213–1203 BCE). It was discovered by Flinders Petrie at Thebes in 1896 and it is now housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

The stele is mostly a description of his successful war against the Libyans but Merneptah also went against their Libyan's allies up the coast in the Levant. The traditional translation (not done to any standard so accuracy uncertain) of its last three lines divided into sentences is:

  1. The princes are prostrate, saying, "Peace!"
  2. Not one is raising his head among the Nine Bows.
  3. Now that Tehenu (Libya) has come to ruin,
  4. Hatti is pacified;
  5. (new paragraph starting the Levant list)
  6. The Canaan has been plundered into every sort of woe:
  7. Ashkelon has been overcome;
  8. Gezer has been captured;
  9. Yano'am is made non-existent.
  10. Israel is laid waste and his seed is not; 
  11. (end of paragraph should be here)
  12. Hurru is become a widow because of Egypt. (Hurru or Hurrians are not in the Levant but are located in northern Mesopotamia)

The traditional translation of line 9 is wrong given that "Israel" is an Akkadian word. The sound of its  Egyptian hieroglyphic is:

While the sound of the first part is suggestive of the word "Israel" the sound of the last part of the word is uncertain because the images which represent it are seemingly unknown from other texts. Most Egyptian translators think is a word suffix is Egyptian meaning "people" but that is just a guess. If so the word would mix Akkadian with Egyptian which is unlikely.

In any case the traditional translation of the sentence is wrong as shown below:

It should be (assuming isr[ ]  means Israel :

A negation is always applied to the verb ahead of it. This correct translation shows that Israel was not an enemy but was an ally of Egypt which Egypt is helping to defend.

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele