Bubastite Portal



The Bubastite Portal gate is located in Karnak, within the Precinct of Amun-Re temple complex, between the temple of Ramesses III and the second pylon. It records the conquests and military campaigns c. 925 BC of Shoshenq I, of the Twenty-second Dynasty. Shoshenq has been identified with the biblical Shishaq, such that the relief is also known as the Shishak Inscription or Shishaq Relief.

History
This gate was erected by the kings of the Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt, also known as the "Bubastite Dynasty". It is located to the south-east side of the Temple of Ramesses III.

Although Karnak had been known to Europeans since the end of the Middle Ages, the possible significance of the Bubastite Portal was not apparent prior to the decipherment of hieroglyphs. Jean-François Champollion visited Karnak in 1828, six years after his publication of the Rosetta Stone translation. In his letters he wrote: "'In this wonderful palace, I have contemplated the portraits of most of the old Pharaohs known for their great deeds, and these are true portraits.... one sees Mandoueï fighting the enemies of Egypt, and returning as triumphator to his homeland; farther along [in the series of images, one sees] the campaigns of Ramses-Sesostris; elsewhere, [one sees] Sésonchis hanging about at the feet of the Theban trinity (Amun, Mut and Khonsu), [and] the chiefs of more than thirty conquered nations, among which I found, as it should have been, fully spelled out, Ioudahamalek, 'the kingdom of the Jews,' or '[the kingdom] of Judah'. There is in that [inscription] a commentary to connect to chapter 14 of the third book of Kings, which recounts in effect the arrival of Sésonchis (Sheshonq) at Jerusalem and his success [there]: thus, the identity that we have established between the Egyptian Sheschonck, the Sésonchis of Manetho and the Shishak or Scheschôk of the Bible is confirmed in the most satisfactory manner.'"

Description
One facade shows King Shoshenq I, Takelot I, and Osorkon I of the Twenty-second Dynasty of Egypt making offerings to the gods and goddesses. Another scene shows Shoshenq grasping a group of captives by the hair and smiting them by his mace. Behind and below him are the names of Canaanite towns in several rows. Many of these are lost, but initially, there were 156 names, and one of the most exciting names mentioned is 'The Field of Abram.' The inscriptions give no details about this expedition and mention only the victory over the Asiatics (ꜥꜣm.w).

Transliterations and translations
Below is a translation of the one hundred fifty-five names on the inscription.

Section One
Row I - Listing of the Nine bows 1. tꜣ rsy - Southern Land (i.e. Upper Egypt) 2. tꜣ mḥw = Northern Land (i.e. Lower Egypt) 3. jwn.tjw = Tribesmen 4. ṯhnw = Tjehenu 5. sḫt[-jꜣmw] - Field [of tents] 6. mn[.tjw] = Bedouin 7. pḏ[.tjw swt] = Bow[men of the feather] 8. šꜣt = Swamp (Upper Nubia) 9. ḥꜣ[.w-n]b.w = Northerners

Section Two - Coastal plain, Shephelah, Meggido plain and Jezreel plain
10. mj.tj ꜥ[r.t] = Copy of the [scroll] 11. g[...] = unknown 12. m[]ꜣ[] = Makkedah 13. rwbꜣ = Rubate

Row II 14. tꜣꜥnkj = Taanach 15. šꜣnmꜥ = Shunem 16. bꜣtšꜣn swr = Beth-Shean 17. rwꜣḫbꜣ = Rehob 18. ꜣḫpwrwm = Hapharaim 19. jdrw[m] = Adoraim (unknown locality in Israelite Kingdom, different from Adoraim in Judah) 20. (destroyed) 21. šꜣꜣwꜣd = unknown 22. mjꜣḥꜣnjmꜥ - Mahanaim 23. qbꜣꜥꜣnꜣ = Gibeon 24. bꜣtꜣḥwꜣrwn = Beth-Horon 25. qꜣdṯm = Kiriath-jearim or Gath-Gittaim 26. jywrwn = Aijalon

Row III 27. mjkdjw = Megiddo 28. jdrw = (Ataroth-)Addar 29. ywd-hꜥmrwk = Yad Hammelek ("hand of the king") 30. []rwt = unknown 31. ḥꜣjꜣnm = Henam 32. ꜥꜣrn = Aruna 33. bꜣrwmꜣꜥ = Borim 34. ḏꜣdpṯrw = Giti-Padalla 35. y[]hꜣ[]mꜣ = Yehem 36. bꜣtꜥꜣrwmmꜣ = Beth 'Olam 37. kꜣꜥqꜣrw = unknown 38. šꜣjwkꜣ = Socoh 39. bꜣttꜣpw = Beth-Tappuah

Row IV 40. jbꜣrjꜣ = unknown 41. [...]ḥtp = unknown 42. (destroyed) 43. (destroyed) 44. (destroyed) 45. bꜣtḏb[...] = unknown 46. nbk[...] = unknown 47. [...]i[...] = unknown 48. (destroyed) 49. (destroyed) 50. (destroyed) 51. [...]ssḏ[...] = unknown 52. (destroyed)

Row V 53. [p]nwjrw = Penuel 54. ꜣḥꜣdšꜣt = Hadashah? 55. pktṯ / pꜣ-wr-ktṯ = unknown / "The great ktṯ " 56. jdmjꜣ = Adam 57. ḏꜣ[m]rwmmꜣ = Zemaraim 58. [...]drw = Migdol 59. [...]rwḏꜣjꜣ = Tirzah 60. [...]nꜣrw = unknown 61. [...]j = unknown 62. (destroyed) 63. (destroyed) 64. [...]gꜣpn = unknown 65. pꜣ-ꜥmq = "The valley"

Section Three - Negev area
Row VI 66. ꜥꜣjꜣḏꜣj = Ezem 67. jnꜣrw = unknown 68. pꜣ ꜣḥqꜣrwj = "the fort" 69. ftjywšꜣj = Photis 70. jrhrwrw = Jehallel / El-Hallal 71. pꜣ ꜣḥqꜣrwj = "the fort" 72. mrbꜣrmj = unknown 73. šꜣbꜣrwṯ = "stream" 74. ngbꜣrwy = of (Ezion-)Geber 75. šꜣbꜣrwṯ = "stream" 76. wꜣꜣrkytj = unknown 77. pꜣ ꜣḥqꜣrwj = "the fort" 78. nꜥḏꜣytj = unknown 79. dd[ ]j = unknown 80. ḏꜣpꜣqj = Sapek 81. mj[]j[] = unknown 82. tꜣp[...] = unknown

Row VII 83. gꜣnꜣt = unknown 84. pꜣ nꜣgbw = "The Negev" 85. ꜥꜣḏꜣḥꜥṯ = unknown 86. tꜣšdnꜣw = unknown 87. pꜣ ꜣḥqꜣrw[t] = "the fort" 88. šꜣnꜣyj = unknown 89. hꜣqꜣ = unknown 90. pꜣ ng[bw] = "The Neg[ev]" 91. wꜣhṯrwwꜣk[...] = unknown 92. pꜣ nꜣgbw = "The Negev" 93. jšꜣḥtjw[t] = Shuhah? 94. pꜣ ꜣḥgrwj = "the fort" 95. ꜣḥꜣnnj = (Ben-)Hanan 96. pꜣ ꜣḥgrwj = "the fort" 97. jrwqꜣd = El-Gad 98. jdꜣmꜣmt = unknown 99. ꜣḥꜣnꜣny = (Ben-)Hanan

Row VIII 100. jdrj = Adar 101. pꜣ ꜣḥgrw = "the fort" 102. [ṯrwꜣ]ꜣn = Tilon? 103. ꜣḥydbsꜣ = "Highlands"? 104. šꜣrwnrwjm = Shaaraim 105. []y[...] = "Highlands"? 106. dwꜣꜣṯ = unknown 107. ꜣḥqrwjm = "forts" 108. ꜥꜣrwdjꜣt = Arad 109. [rwbꜣṯ] = "Great" 110. ꜥꜣrwdjt = Arad (Tel Malhata?) 111. nbꜣpꜣttṯ = unknown 112. yꜣrẖjm = Yeroham 113. [...]j = unknown 114. (destroyed) 115. (destroyed) 116. jd[...] = unknown

Row IX 117. [jdr...] = Adar 118. [...bꜣyj] = unknown 119. [...ḥgj] = unknown 120. []ꜣrywk = unknown 121. frwtjmjj = Peleth? 122. [ꜥ]tbꜣr = unknown 123. bpꜣjrwrḏꜣ = unknown 124. bꜣṯꜥnṯ = Beth-Anath 125. šꜣrꜣḥꜣn = Sharuhen 126. jrmꜥṯn = El-mattan 127. grwn = "threshing floor"? 128. jdꜣmꜣm = unknown 129. [...]rꜣḥṯ = unknown 130. [...]r = unknown 131. mꜥrw[...] = unknown 132. jrwr[...] = unknown 133. ywrwꜣ[...] = Yurza

Row X 134. (destroyed) 135. (destroyed) 136. (destroyed) 137. (destroyed) 138. (destroyed) 139. ywrḥm = Yehoram 140. jwnn = Onam 141. (destroyed) 142. ꜣg[...] = Unknown 143. (destroyed) 144. (destroyed) 145. mꜥ[...] = unknown 146. j[]d[...] = unknown 147. (destroyed) 148. (destroyed) 149. [...]ꜣ = unknown 150. ywrwdn = uncertain

Row X extension 1a. šꜣrwdd = unknown 2a. rpꜣḥ = Raphiah 3a. rwbn = Laban 4a. ꜥngrwn = unknown 5a. hꜣm = unknown

Biblical narrative
The Biblical narrative recounts:

In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, because they had been unfaithful to the LORD, Shishaq king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem with 1,200 chariots and 60,000 horsemen. And the people were without number who came with him from Egypt— Libyans, Sukkiim, and Ethiopians. And he took the fortified cities of Judah and came as far as Jerusalem. Then Shemaiah the prophet came to Rehoboam and to the princes of Judah, who had gathered at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said to them, "Thus says the LORD, 'You abandoned me, so I have abandoned you to the hand of Shishaq.'" Then the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is righteous." When the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah: "They have humbled themselves. I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out on Jerusalem by the hand of Shishaq. Nevertheless, they shall be servants to him, that they may know my service and the service of the kingdoms of the countries." So Shishaq king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king’s house. He took away everything. He also took away the shields of gold that Solomon had made, and King Rehoboam made in their place shields of bronze and committed them to the hands of the officers of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house. And as often as the king went into the house of the LORD, the guard came and carried them and brought them back to the guardroom. And when he humbled himself the wrath of the LORD turned from him, so as not to make a complete destruction. Moreover, conditions were good in Judah.

The account of Shishak carrying off treasures from Jerusalem is thought by some scholars to be of dubious historicity; see.