| Bentresh Stela | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Material | Sandstone |
| Height | 222 cm |
| Width | 109 cm |
| Writing | Egyptian hieroglyphs |
| Created | c. 525 BCE - 300 BCE |
| Discovered | Temple of Khonsu (1829) |
| Present location | Louvre |
| Identification | C 284 |
The Bentresh StelaorBakhtan Stela is an ancient Egyptian sandstone stela with a hieroglyphic text telling the story of Bentresh, daughter of the prince of Bakhtan (i.e. Bactria), who fell ill and was healed by the Egyptian god Khonsu.
The narrative is set during the reign of Ramesses II (Bentresh is his sister-in-law in the story), but
the text is commonly regarded as pseudo-epigraphical; despite being carefully composed and carved in the New Kingdom fashion, the text itself betrays a much later execution.[1]: 66
Adolf Erman suggested an early Ptolemaic datation for the stela, an opinion shared by Kim Ryholt; others scholars instead interpreted the text as anti-Persian propaganda and dated the stela to the 27th Dynasty.[1]: 66
Its purpose might have been to reminisce on Egypt's old glory during foreign Persian or Ptolemaic rule, or to glorify Khonsu-Neferhotep, "the merciful" and Khonsu-Pairsekher, "the provider", the two aspects of the god worshiped in Thebes, or was inspired by the rivalry of their respective priesthoods.[2]: 90
The alleged marriage between Ramesses II and the daughter of the prince of Bactria has recently been interpreted as an example of imitatio alexandri, i.e. the imitation of Alexander the Great.[1]: 67ff
The stela is made of black sandstone; its proportions are 222×109 cm. It was found in 1829 in a small Ptolemaic shrine that stood next to the Khonsu templeofRamesses IIIinKarnak. It is now in the Louvre (Louvre C 284).[2]: 90 [1]: 65
The lunette shows Ramesses II giving incense offerings to Khonsu of Thebes.
The text consists of 28 lines,[2]: 90 begins with the titles of Ramesses, then recounts the story: When His Majesty traveled to Naharin, the Prince of Bakhtan gave him his eldest daughter in marriage. The pharaoh named the girl Neferure (she was possibly modeled on Ramesses' foreign Great Royal Wife Maathorneferure) and made her his queen. In the 23rd regnal year the Pharaoh received news that Neferure's younger sister Bentresh became ill. Ramesses sent her the wise scribe Djehutyemheb to heal her, but he didn't succeed, because the girl was seized by a demon. The Prince of Bakhtan asked the Pharaoh to send a god. Ramesses asked the help of Khonsu-Neferhotep who gave his magical protection to Khonsu-Pairsekher, whose statue was then dispatched to Bakhtan. The god expelled the demon and healed the princess. The Prince of Bakhtan failed to send the god back to Egypt, thus Khonsu spent 3 years and 9 months in Bakhtan, but one night the Prince saw a dream: the god changed into a golden falcon, left his shrine and flew back to Egypt. The Prince understood that he had to let the god go, and ordered the statue to be taken back to Egypt.[2]: 91–94
The story of Bentresh has been suggested to have inspired the Christian Legend of Hilaria.[3] There are, however, major differences between the two stories.
