Restoration Stela

{{Infobox artifact

| name = Restoration Stela

| image =

| image_size =

| image_alt =

| type = Religious decree

| caption =

| size = Height: 2.54m
Width: 1.29m
Thickness: 0.38m{{cite web | title=Restoration Stela of Tutankhamen – Digital Karnak | website=Digital Karnak – University of California Santa Cruz | url=https://digitalkarnak.ucsc.edu/restoration-stela-of-tutankhamen/ | access-date=2025-05-11}}

| writing = Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs

| created = {{circa}} 1327 BC
(4th year of Tutankhamun reign)

| discovered_date = July 1905

| discovered_place = Great Hypostyle Hall, Egypt

| discovered_by = George Legrain

| period = Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt
New Kingdom of Egypt

| location = Egyptian Museum

| wikisource =

}}

The Restoration Stela, also known as the Restoration Stela of Tutankhamun, is an ancient Egyptian text from the reign of pharaoh Tutankhamun decreeing the religiopolitical countermand of the Atenism religion of the pharaoh Akhenaten. It is a record of the governmental policy change wherein Atenism was officially repealed, and the original, indigenous religion of ancient Egypt was reinstated. It was discovered in 1905 by Egypologist Georges Legrain in fragmented condition.

In overview, the writing details the deplorable conditions of the polytheistic religious institutions and society overall during the Atenism era, and how the pharaoh Tutankhamun enacted a system of revitalizing those religious institutions and reharmonizing society. These policies included various architectural and employment renovations.

Egyptologist Ray Johnson referred to Tutankhamun's reign as "one of the greatest periods of restoration in the history of Egypt".{{cite web | last=Johnson | first=W. Raymond | title=Warrior Tut | website=Archaeology Magazine Archive | url=https://archive.archaeology.org/1003/etc/tut.html | access-date=2025-05-17}}

Discovery

File:Theban region, Temple Complex of Amon in Karnak, 19th century pictures, 1870-1888, photo 35 of 91 - Archivio fotografico Museo Egizio, Turin INV17 004.jpg in the Karnak Temple Complex, ending with the Third Pylon ({{circa}} 1877)}}]]

The Restoration Stela of Tutankhamun was found by the French Egyptologist Georges Legrain in July 1905, temple of Amun at Karnak. The Stela was lying underground about half of a meter, in the North-East corner of the Great Hypostyle Hall before the Third Pylon. As discovered by Legrain, the stela was shattered into five parts because one of the columns of the Hall had fallen on it. At some time it had also been subjected to an attempt to split it by drilling holes down its center line, presumably to utilize the stone, but the attempt was unsuccessful.{{cite journal | last=Bennett | first=John | title=The Restoration Inscription of Tut'ankhamun | journal=The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology | volume=25 | issue=1 | date=1939 | doi=10.2307/3854924 | page=8 | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3854924?origin=crossref | access-date=2025-05-11| url-access=subscription }} A fragment of a duplicate was found at the Temple of Montu (Medamud).{{cite web | last=Publishing | first=Current | title=The First Resurrection of Tutankhamun | website=Ancient Egypt Magazine | date=2022-10-13 | url=https://ancientegyptmagazine.com/the-first-resurrection-of-tutankhamun.html | access-date=2025-05-14}}

Summary

The purpose of the Restoration Stela is to document and celebrate of the official governmental reversal of the Atenism religion. The composition of the artifact is approximately dated to 1327 BC, the fourth year of the reign of Tutankhamun. The artifact more specifically dates itself as Year 1, fourth month of Akhet, day 19. Both the beginning and end of the document state royal and divine names and titles. The writing details various aspects of the societal turmoil in Egypt at the time of Atenism, and the actions that Tutankhamun took to repeal and remedy the situation. Egyptologist John Bennett writes:

"The grammar and orthography of the inscription are transitional, and seem to reflect the unsettled state of the country after the reign of Akhenaten. As the period is one of struggle between the reactionary party of Amun and the revolutionary followers of the Aten, so the inscription a mixture of old and new words and phrases."

The writing generally records Tutankhamun's rebuilding of expensive religious properties, refunding of religious institutions and reemploying of religious institutional personnel. For example, the document purports that the Egyptian military was underperforming during the reign of Akhenaten, as the document reads:

If an army was sent to Djahy to extend the boundaries if Egypt, it would have no success.

This excerpt is historically consistent with pharaoh Akhenaten's unsuccessful attack on Kadesh.{{cite book | last=Gabolde | first=Marc | title=D'Akhenaton à Toutânkhamon | publisher=Univ. Lumière-Lyon 2, Inst. d'Archéologie et d'Histoire de l'Antiquité | publication-place=Lyon | date=1998 | isbn=978-2-911971-02-0 | language=fr | pages=195–205}} The document also details a wide assortment of architectural endeavors undertaken. When Tutankhamun reversed Atenism, he reemphasized religiosity of the god Amun, the god of his own namesake. For instance, the stela reads:

He made his father Amun 13 poles long... although the majesty of this noble god had been only 7 poles long before.

The stela also elaborates on how Tutankhamun increased financial support to religious institutions and their employees that were neglected in Atenism. Notably, wealth tributes from foreign countries, such as gold, are repeatedly mentioned as financial sources for Tutankhamun's reconstructive efforts.

= Artwork =

The artifact contains an artistic depiction of Tutankhamun making an offering of lotus and papyrus to the god Amun-Ra. The god is depicted responding affirmatively, while an inscribed caption narrates the ceremony as giving flowers make a "given life". Also, there was an image of Ankhesenamun standing behind Tutankhamun on the stela in its original state. However, when Horemheb ursuped the document, he completely erased her replacing the image with an inscription.{{cite journal | last=Kawai | first=Nozomu | title=Ay versus horemheb: the political situation in the late eighteenth dynasty revisited | journal=Journal of Egyptian History | volume=3 | issue=2 | date=2010 | issn=1874-1657 | doi=10.1163/187416610X541727 | pages=288–289 | url=https://brill.com/view/journals/jeh/3/2/article-p261_3.xml | access-date=2025-05-14| url-access=subscription }}

= Authorship =

At the time of the creation of the Restoration Stela, Tutankhamun was approximately thirteen years old. It was customary for an ancient Egyptian prince to receive a comprehensive education, rendering Tutankhamun scholastically capable of authoring the text. Throughout the writing, Tutankhamun is referred to in the third person perspective, as His Majesty, as is customary for such documents. In one sentence of the writing, the first person perspective grammar is used, employing the word "I". It refers to how the author is committed to protecting the newly hired servants, musicians and dancers:

I shall have them protected and guarded for my ancestors, the gods, in the hope that they will be contented, by doing what their ka's wish while they protect Egypt.

Generally Tutankhamun is referred to as the author of the Restoration Stela, overseeing its composition, meaning that that first person usage is self-referent.{{cite journal | last=Brand | first=Peter | title=Reuse and Restoration | journal=UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology | volume=1 | issue=1 | date=2010-09-25 | url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2vp6065d | access-date=2025-05-14 | page=}}{{cite journal | last=بیومی | first=ترنیم | title=بحث نصوص الترمیم ، الصیغ و المصطلحات التی أستخدمها ملوک الدولة الحدیثة فی ترمیم أثار أسلافهم | journal=المجلة العلمیة لکلیة السیاحة و الفنادق جامعة الأسکندریة | volume=17 | issue=2 | date=2020-12-01 | issn=2682-2180 | doi=10.21608/thalexu.2020.30766.1018 | doi-access=free | pages=203–218 | url=https://thalexu.journals.ekb.eg/article_134642_83238077b89a918fd7245eb78a478cc3.pdf | language=ar | access-date=2025-05-14}} An alternative interpretation is that Horemheb is the author, as a power behind the throne.{{cite web | title=Interview: Tutankhamun’s World, with Prof. Nozomu Kawai Transcript | url=https://arce.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Kawai-Transcript-.pdf | access-date=2025-05-14}}{{cite web | title=Interview: Tutankhamun's World (with Prof. Nozomu Kawai) | website=Spotify | date=2021-09-17 | url=https://open.spotify.com/episode/1cfLsQz41ixVxYRNPfPkmq | access-date=2025-05-14}} However, the writing style is distinct from the writing style of the Edict of Horemheb document, known to be authored by Horemheb, which was more criminologically oriented, recording the establishment of Horemheb's new legalistic authority and penalties for criminal violations.{{cite web | last=Elderton | first=Jono | title=Horemheb: The Military Leader Who Restored of Ancient Egypt | website=TheCollector | date=2019-12-25 | url=https://www.thecollector.com/horemheb-restored-ancient-egypt-after-the-chaos-of-amarna-kings/ | access-date=2025-05-14}} The writing style is also distinct form the writing style of vizier Ay in his authored letters, such as in the Zannanza affair.

== Usurpation of Horemheb ==

As part of a standard damnatio memoriae, Horemheb later scarcely usurped the stela during his reign, only supplanting Tutankhamun's name with his own. Egyptologist John Bennett writes:

"Wherever they occur the nomen and prenomen of Tutankhamun have been erased and replaced by those of Horemheb. In many cases it is possible to distinguish the signs of Tutankhamun's name under those of Horemheb. The only untouched group in the nomina is the name of Amun. Curiously enough, the other names of Tutankhamun's titulary have not been altered."

Horemheb's usurpation of the stela was relatively gentle, as it generally perseveres the rest of text.

English Translation

An English translation of an excerpt from the central body of the text is below:{{cite web | last=Myers | first=Robert | title=Restoration stela of Tutankhamun | website=Academia.edu | date=2017-11-10 | url=https://www.academia.edu/35114193/Restoration_stela_of_Tutankhamun | access-date=2025-05-13}}

He restored everything that was ruined, to be his monument forever and ever. He has vanquished chaos from the whole land and has restored Ma'at to her place. He has made lying a crime, the whole land being made as it was at the time of creation.

Now when His Majesty was crowned King the temples and the estates of the gods and goddesses from Elephantine as far as the marshes of Delta had fallen into ruin. Their shrines had fallen down, turned into piles of rubble and overgrown with weeds. Their sanctuaries were as if they had never existed at all. Their temples had become footpaths. The world was in chaos and the gods had turned their backs on this land. If an army was sent to Djahy to extend the boundaries if Egypt, it would have no success. If you asked a god for advice, he would not attend; and if one spoke to a goddess likewise she would not attend. Hearts were faint in bodies because everything that had been, was destroyed.

Now some days after His Majesty appeared upon the throne of his father and he ruled the Two Banks of Horus, the Black Land and the Red Land being under his authority and every land bowed down before his might. How His Majesty was in his palace which was in the House of Aakheperkare, being like the Sun in the sky, and His Majesty carried out the works of this land and everything the Two Lands needed every day. Then His Majesty considered in his heart and looked for something which would be effective for his father Amun. He made the holy statue out of genuine electrum, giving to it more than he had done before. He made his father Amun 13 poles long, the holy statue being made of electrum, lapis lazuli, turquoise and every noble and precious stone, although the majesty of this noble god had been only 7 poles long before. His Majesty made monuments for the gods, making their statues from electrum from the tribute of the foreign lands. He renewed their sanctuaries as his monuments forever and ever, endowing them with offerings forever, laying aside for them divine offerings daily, laying aside bread from the earth. He added great wealth on top of that which existed before, doing more than his predecessors had ever done. He allocated waab-priests, God's Servants and the heirs of the Chiefs of the Cities to be the sons of wise men whose reputation is established. He has enriched their tables with gold and silver, bronze and copper without limit. He has filled their storehouses with male and female workers and with His Majesty's loot. He has added to the wealth of every temple, doubling, trebling and quadrupling the silver, gold, lapis lazuli, turquoise and every noble precious stone, together with byssus, white linen, ordinary linen, oil, fat, resin, incense, perfumes and myrrh without limit.

His Majesty, Life Prosperity Health, has made quays for the river from new wood from the hill-slopes from the pick of Negau, inlaid with gold, the tribute of foreign countries, so that they might decorate the river. His Majesty, Life Prosperity Health, picked male and female servants, musicians and dancers who had been women of the palace, their cost being charged to the palace and to the treasury of the Two Lands. I shall have them protected and guarded for my ancestors, the gods, in the hope that they will be contented, by doing what their ka's wish while they protect Egypt.