Gerhekal of Abu Simbel

CIS I 112b1

Grhkl bn hlm ’š ‘l š šb lḥmh

Gerhekal son of Helem. I am the one who sailed upstream … to Abu Simbel.

 

Helem must be ḥelem (vocalisation and meaning uncertain) (Benz 109, Krahmalkov p.184)

 

Gerhekal = Ger-Hêkal (Fearer of Hekal) (Benz 104, Krahmalkov p.143).

 

Helem is an almost unknown word in the Phoenician world. Maybe the origin was Egyptian. Gerhekal is a Phoenician name. At the end of the inscription there stands clearly lḥmh, but Krahmalkov thinks we have to read dlḥms = Abu Simbel.

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