Ancient Egyptian Tablet’s Mysterious Engravings Resembles A Modern Aircraft’s Control Panel
The “offering tablet of Defdji” is unusual since it is round, while most offering tablets are rectangular. The Egyptian hieroglyph for “offering” is “hetep,” which looks like a reed mat with a loaf of bread on it. This shape is sometimes used for tablets. Defdji’s round offering tablet has a lot of small details. Defdji was an important official with the titles “King’s Friend, Highly Esteemed by the Great God, Unique Friend, Great One of Upper Egypt.” But why does this particular ancient Egyptian tablet resemble an aircraft panel? Let’s find out.
10 The contents of the tablet
This ancient Egyptian tablet is 13 cm thick and is made of white alabaster. The hetep sign has been put in raised relief across the middle, going from left to right. There are two dishes above the sign, two small vases, and a jug in a bowl below it. The whole surface is broken up into small compartments, each with the name of a dish, a drink, or something that cleans. There are more than 90 items in total. It was often used to decorate tombs and other places, and it weighs up to 75 kg.
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9 Depictions from cult traditions
On the top panel are seven shallow holes, each of which is meant to hold a special, holy oil. Seven different oils were used to anoint the statue of the dead that was part of a cult. From right to left, they are called “festive ointment,” “laudation oil,” “balm,” “nekhenem oil,” “Tuawet oil,” “top quality cedar oil,” and “top quality Libyan oil.” On the right side of each little cup, it says, “for Defdji,” so it’s clear who it’s for.
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8 But this amazing item is unlike anything else made
Nothing similar has been discovered today. It has circular openings and almost unreadable reliefs that experts and researchers have been trying to figure out for years but haven’t been able to do so. The things seen on it make it look like the control table of a modern airplane.
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7 The Dutch Museum owns this ancient relic
It dates back to 2,200 BC and belongs to the Leiden Museum of Antiquities (Rijksmuseum van Ouheden), Netherlands. The Dutch museum bought this artifact in 1828. But it is not known in which temple, tomb, or even place it was found. Its origin (where it came from) is often forgotten, but its validity can still be checked.
Img Src: museum.nl
