Graffito On the Birthday of Osiris

A message to the future from a dying culture. The Temple of Isis at Philae, at the south end of the Nile,  is the last-known site where the ancient Egyptian religion as an institution was still alive.

Located near Hadrian’s gate is the  hieroglyphic graffito (Philae 436) of Esmet-Akhom, one of the last ancient Egyptian priests at the Temple of Isis.  It was written on the birthday of Osiris, “year 110 of Roman Emperor Diocletian” (August 24, 394 AD), as the ancient religion was dying out and being replaced by Christianity.  It is the last known writing in hieroglyphs before all who understood them disappeared.

.

The people were coming
from the Red Sea hills
to pay homage to Osiris
in the year of Diocletian

Few visit anymore;
Pharaoh and Osiris are in their tomb
the armies of the new God
speak a new language

while the people of the temple,
now pagans,  are ignorant of the word;
yet only the ancients can read
the writing on the temple wall

Do not forget us Osiris;
the ancient one tapped gently into stone
knowing not his words would be the last
carved in ancient form

“I, Esmot-Akhom, scribe of the House of Isis
performed work on this figure of Mandulis for everlasting
for he is kindly of face unto me;
on this day, the birth of Osiris, his festival, year 110″

.

———————————————