Three Enigmatic Scenes of Merneptah in the Court of the Seventh Pylon at Karnak

Three scenes on the east wall of the court of the seventh pylon at Karnak are discussed in this paper. The larger scene at the top of the wall depicts a royal figure between the paws of a ram-headed sphinx with hacked cartouches. I propose that the royal figure represents Merneptah and that it might have been carved when he was still a crown prince, although this remains a hypothesis due to the absence of a princely title. Below, two previously unpublished small scenes represent Merneptah as king offering to Hathor and Shepsi respectively, the latter depiction a rarity at Karnak. This ensemble might have functioned as a votive locus where people would address prayers, as suggested by graffiti and grooves left nearby, as well as the presence of an object between the lower scenes, possibly to be identified with a sun disc (Cairo JE 38679) that was discovered in the area, which presumably crowned a ram protome.