A
Statistical Study
It seemed probable that, by statistically relating
the characteristics (both text and tableaux) of stelae internally dated by the
ruling pharaoh’s cartouche, one could determine the reign in which an undated
stela was made. Using seventy stelae
from the Twelfth Dynasty (twenty from the reign of Senusret I, fifteen from
Amenemhat II, three from Senusret II, eleven from Senusret III, seventeen from
Amenemhat III and four from Amenemhat IV), I tabulated 180 characteristics from
them in four groups:
Stela pattern – shape, contents of the lunette, and kings’
names
Text content – gods and their epithets, formulae of
address to the living and the deceased, and offerings included;
Tableau contents – number of registers, furniture and
offerings, persons depicted and their dress;
Miscellaneous information – titles, biographical details, festivals
and prayers listed.
Because the stelae from the reigns of Senusret II
and Amenemhat IV were few, they were grouped with those of Senusret III and
Amenemhat III respectively, and the characteristics were analysed statistically
in the resulting four regnal periods. This analysis produced a decision table
that allows any stela known to have originated in the Twelfth Dynasty to be
dated to one of the four regnal periods.
The seventy stelae were analysed using this table
and only two were wrongly assigned, a result well within the statistical
expectation. This justifies the approach, but it applies only to stelae from
the Twelfth Dynasty. It has been successfully tried on over forty undated
stelae thought to belong to that dynasty. Given sufficient internally dated
stelae from several dynasties, it could be extended to estimate the dynasty and
the reign of origin of an undated stela.
Des Bright