Translations Texts at Egyptian Wadi el-Hol (1550

BCE) in Akkadian
By David D. Olmsted (July, 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 4.0 License)

Abstract
The inscriptions at Wadi el-Hol just north of Memphis, Egypt are a late variant of Minoan Linear A showing its
progression towards alphabetic writing with its treatment of phoneme signs more as wildcard signs able to be
followed by any vowel sound. The Minoans were in Egypt during the early 18th dynasty as revealed by Minoan
artwork discovered at Tell el-Dab’a (former Hyksos capital of Avaris). Full alphabetic writing would start
appearing 100 years later at the Egyptian turquoise mine at Serabit el-Khadim. The vertical inscription is
mostly pictographic illustrating an attack on a marching camp while the horizontal inscription is a text which
describes the reasons for the attack as hunger among some tribes.

Contents
1.0 Methodology ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
2.0 Letter Assignment Charts ……………………………………………………………………………. 4
3.0 Egyptian Minoan Connection ……………………………………………………………………… 7
4.0 Vertical Inscription ……………………..………………………………………………………………. 7
5.0 Horizontal Inscription …………………………………………………………………………………. 9
References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 12

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1.0 Methodology
These translations are done according to the scholar’s standard using the Alphabetic Akkadian Lexicon
(Olmsted May 2020). The scholar’s standard is:

1. The goal of translation is to transmit the intent of the writer, not to spin the text for any other purpose.
2. Letter assignments must be consistent and cannot be deliberately mis-assigned to make a word.
3. No consonant letters or word starting vowels can be added, subtracted, or shifted in the text to make a
word.
4. Each ancient word is assigned one and only one English word or phrase for its translation. The only
exception may be the word’s grammatical context. Semantic context (sentence meaning) is no reason
to change word definition. If the ancients used one word then so should we. Allowing multiple word
definitions just leads to translation bias.
5. Proper names are the last resort because they can represent any letter pattern and are a wild card.
Names do not represent a translation.
6. The lexicon providing word meanings must be based upon numerous independent texts with many
being long texts.

The letters are assigned using the letter assignment chart shown below in section 2.0. The words are assigned
using the Alphabetic Akkadian Lexicon (Olmsted 2020)

Making sense of any ancient text requires the reader to enter into the worldview of the times. The pre-
classical worldview is even significantly different from the classical era due to the cultural processes of
lordification and dualism which arose because of nation building. Lordification developed because distant,
mostly male, lords came to be seen as equivalent to the old nature powers. This caused deities to be perceived
as lords, that is, as more male and more human (“living gods”) instead of being labels for divine power clusters
which could be optionally personified (perceptheism). Lord gods had to be feared because of their human-like
capriciousness. They had to be appeased with flattery, praise, bribes, sacrifices, and so on. Dualism is the habit
of perceiving the world in terms of good versus evil (us versus them) instead of in terms of balance versus
chaos. This concept originated with Zoroastrianism and spread worldwide because empires loved it. Their
rulers could claim to be the good guys fighting evil (the neighboring people).

This ancient worldview is summarized in the chart of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm below. Notice that the
deities are evenly balanced between male and female because genders were assigned to different yet
complimentary roles in a causal network. The text sign assignment charts are also shown below:

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 Ancient Pagan Paradigm
In ancient times, all change on earth was thought to originate in the divine realm surrounding earth. The upper
sphere (day-time sky) was masculine while the lower sphere (night-time sky) was feminine. The dark lower sphere
was home to dead animal and human spirits. Only later with lordification did the whole divine realm become
masculine (Greek Uranus) while the earth itself became feminine (Greek Gaia). The change powers were divided
into the two classes as listed below:

Life-Growth Powers Motion Powers

• Powers which form and grow animal and plant • Powers which cause motion including the flow
life of divine network’s fertility-fluids
• Divine causal fluid for opening its objects: • Divine causal fluid for opening its objects:
fertility fluid (correspondences: red blood, milk) spiritual fluid (correspondences: breath, wind)
• By Greek times these feminine powers have • Sub-classes: emotional, astrological. By Greek
been mixed in with the motion powers. times these were the magical powers.
Fertility-Fluid Creation Home Creation (female) Wind-Spirit Creation Home Creation (female,
(male) (male, astrological emotional powers)
powers)
Source Layer – Du: Life-growth powers Source Layer – A’u: Motion powers
Sumerian: Anu (day time Sumerian: Erishkigal Mesopotamian: Su - full Sumerian: Ningirsu (lady
upper sky dome) (Ningal = lady of the moon, definer of time, of purification)
Medit: Alu (Alohim, chalice corresponding to shepherd of the stars, Medit: Mesu (the pure
‘elohim = “powers of Alu,” night sky lower sphere) astrological powers (Sin, night-time enabling place,
Allah = “power of Alu”) Medit: Selu (sheol) Suen = powers of Su) home of ancestral spirits)
Greek: Theo Greek: Selene (“powers of Medit: Su
Egyptian: Nu Selu” Egyptian: Tem, Atum?
Egyptian: Nut
Connecting Flow (male) Flow Guidance (female) Connecting Flow (male) Flow Guidance (female)
Mesopotamian: Atu Mesopotamian: Inanna, Sumerian: Mu’ulil (one Sumerian: Sud (SUD3 -
(Combined sun and bull) Ishtar (crescent moon) who sprouts wind), Enlil speaker), Ninlil (lady of
Medit: Atu – Hu, Shamash Medit: Ayu (called the (lord of breath) wind)
(sun) and Aḫḫāzu, Ba’al Reed Boat as the boat Medit: Thetsu (wind) Medit: Apu (clouds)
(chaotic storm bull) shaped crescent moon} Greek: Hermes Greek: Hermes as
Greek: Apollo (“life- Greek: Athena (“powers Egyptian: Wepi, Thoth? hermaphrodite
empowered Atu”) - Helios of Ayu”), Artemis (communication) Egyptian: Wepwawet
(sun “life-empowered (“Controller’s enabling
Hu”) and Zeus (storm bull) magic” where “Controller
Egyptian: Horus - Re (sun) is epithet for Ayu”)
and Seth (storm bull) Egyptian: Hathor,
Nephthys
Object Revealing (male) Flow Gating (female) Motion Revealing Emotion Gating
Sumerian: Nudimmud, Sumerian: Nunu, Ninki Sumerian: Pabilsag (one Mesopotamian:
Enki (lord of earth), Ea (lady of earth) who sprouts what’s inside) Medit: ?
Medit: Ea, E’u, I’u, Yahu Medit: Utu Medit: Ziqu (breath) Egyptian: Tefnut, Wadjet
(Yahweh = power of Yahu) Egyptian: Isis, Pet Egyptian: Shu
Egyptian: Osiris, Pe
By David Olmsted (July 2020) with a Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 4.0 License.

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2.0 Bronze Age Sign Assignment Chart (Chart 1)

Bronze Age Letters (Chart 1) DavidOlmsted–July2020,CreativeCommonsShare-AlikeLicense

Letter Akkadian Source Serabit el-Khadim Wadi el-Hol - Minoan Linear A – MinoanPhaistos Disc MinoanPhaistos
Semitic Word - Sinai Egypt Malia, Crete A - Crete Disc B - Crete
Greek
A Alpu Bull Bull
Aleph Bull, ox
Alpha Bull
Bull Bull
B Bētu Vulva Vulva
Bet House
Beta Biṣṣuru
Vulva
House Vulva House Vulva
D Daltu Door Door
Dalet Door
Delta
Door
H, E Ebissu Bundle Bundle Bundle
He * Bundle (roped)
Epsilon Bundle
G Gamlu Scyth Hide Hide
Gimel Scythe
Gamma Gildu, giladu Scythe
Animal -hide
Ḫ Ḫatû Panic Panic
Het Alarm, Panic
Eta
Panic Panic Panic
I, Y Id Channel
Yod * Channel
Iota Channel Channel Channel Channel
K Kappu Pray Hand Hand
Kap Hand
Kappa Karabu
To Pray Hand Hand
L Larsinnu Hoof Hoof Hoof
Lamed Hoof
Lamda
Hoof L’
M Māmȗ Water Fertility- Fertility-
Mem Physical Water fluid fluid
Mu Water
Fertility-fluid
Water

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 N Nūnu Eel Eel Eel Eel
Nun Eel (anarchy)
Nu
Eel
‘ A’û
Ayin motion-powers
Omicron (moving moon on sky-
Moon on Sky-Shell
shell, smoke Moon on Sky-Shell Moon Smoke
P Pāšu Divine-
Pe BattleAxe bird
Pi Pa’ȗ, paya Divine-bird
Battle-Axe Battle-Ax Battle-ax
Q Qâpu Incense
Qop War-club Burner
Phi Qataru War-club
Incense Burner Club Incense Burner
R Rešu Leader
Resh Leader
Ro
Leader Leader Leader
S Samāku Flail
Samak Full-grown
Xi Saku
(separates grain Pounder, Flail Full-grown (ripe) grain
from stalk) stalks Flail Flail
Š # Šedu
Sade Sprout
Psi Šadȗ
East Wind
Sprout Sprout Sail on mast
Ṣ # Ṣindu, Yoke Yoke Yoke Yoke
Shin Yoked Team
Sigma
T Tilpānu Bow Bow Bow
Taw Bow
Tau
Bow
Ṭ Ṭatu Beater Beater
Teth Contribution
Theta Ṭuru
Beater (for animal) Contribution (coin)
Contribution (coin)
W (V), U Upu Rain Rain Raining Louse
Vav * Raining Cloud cloud
Upsilon Uplu
Louse Raining cloud
Z Ziqqatû Fish Fish
Zayin Small Fish
Zeta Fish

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Minoan Phoneme Signs (Chart 2) DavidOlmsted–July2020, CreativeCommonsShare-AlikeLicense
Phaistos Disc Linear A Wadi-el Phoneme Akkadian Phaistos Disc Linear A Wadi-el Phoneme Akkadian
Hol Origin Hol Origin
Wing Be, Bi Be’u Na Nakapu
on Nesting-bird Battering ram
leg Nabaru
Fish trap
Ba Bārānû Pa Palašu
rebel To perforate
Babu Pagalu
gate Gate (2 door) Wine chalice Wine chalice
Da Dadu Qi Qiššu
Male favorite Cucumber
(child)

Ga Gappu Ri Ritu
wing claw, paw,
fishing
gaff-hook
Gi Gidlu Ša Šadȗ
plaited string East Wind
(Sail)

Gu Gulgullu Še, Ši Še’u

skull (animals, Beer, Barley
humans)
Ki Kibtu Šu Šulpu
wheat Stack of straw

Ku Kulilu Si Sinništu
fly woman

La Labaru Ta Ta’u
Old Pasture
(sheepin
coral-top
Li Lidanu W Wāṣitu
chick, baby Consonant Side canal
bird
Mi Mikru Y Yaritu
Irrigation Consonant Flower

udder Mu Mu Za Zananu
teat fertility-fluid Rain
(breastmilk)

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3.0 Egyptian Minoan Connection
The Wadi el-Hol inscriptions
were found at the exit of Wadi
el-Ḥôl ("Wadi of Terror") in the
Qena bend area of Egypt. They
were found by John and Deborah
Darnell during their 1993-94
excavation season (Darnell, and
all 2005). This was the first
night’s camping spot on a Figure 1. A mostly reconstructed Minoan fresco found at Tell el-Dab’a (former Hyksos capital of
Avaris) It likely dates to one of the first pharaohs of the 18th dynasty to between 1550 and 1425 BCE
caravan route out of Memphis, and its presence suggests an alliance which allowed Minoan traders access to Egypt. This fresco is
the longtime Egyptian capital in now at the Heraklion archaeological museum in Crete. (photo from Wikemedia commons)
the center of the country.

At the time Memphis was the capital of a newly reunited Egypt. Around 1550 BCE the rulers of Memphis had
reunited Egypt by throwing out the foreign rulers from the Levant known as the Hyksos. This ushered in the
18th dynasty and a new era of trade and building. One of their first building projects was to tear down the
Hyksos buildings at their capital of Avaris and replace them with Egyptian ones. Yet in the Egyptian palace
replacement at Avaris was found many Minoan frescos suggesting a likely alliance between the Minoans and
the early 18th dynasty Pharaohs. The Minoans seem to have brought their simpler writing system to Egypt.

4.0 The Vertical Inscription (1550

BCE)
The Vertical Inscription shown in figure 2 is an
illustrated text about an attack on the night camp
of a trading caravan. Consequently, its signs are
mostly pictographic with the only phonemes at the
very bottom within the green circle.

The main clue in determining the meaning of this

inscription is the large Egyptian Ankh sign (head,
outstretched arms, body) representing life. This
immediately suggests the main theme is about
surviving some crisis. Looking further we see most
the signs represent weapons according to chart 1.
So, this inscription is about surviving a battle.

The inscribed lines enhanced in black seem to

represent the boundaries of a marching camp set
against a cliff (top) and perhaps a pond
represented by the zig-zag line.
Figure 2. Vertical Inscription at Wadi el-Ḥôl in Egypt (West Semetic Research
Project, Photo by Bruce Zuckerman 1999. Colored areas added by David
Olmsted

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Green Area (Text)

These two letters explain why the camp was attacked. It reads

• They were not getting the Revealer (Yahu)

This indicates that the attacking force was hungry due to a deity called the “Revealer” not manifesting the
crops. From other later texts this “Revealer” is known to be Yahu of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm. The
attacker’s harvest had failed causing them in desperation to attack the traders for food and money. Yahu
would later become the national god of Judah as Yahweh which literally means “power of Yahu.”

Translation Justification

1. Na
2. Lamed

Words from Lexicon

1. N [Akkadian nu] revelation, revealer (noun), to reveal (if inanimate source), to say (animate source -
direct speech), to ask (animate source - direct speech) – A “revealer” is an epithet for Yahu who reveals
or manifests the invisible object images.
a. -A [Akkadian -a] “-er” – as a noun suffix this indicates the accusative case making the noun an
actor. It is equivalent to the “er” ending in English. As a verb suffix this indicates the 3 rd and 2nd
person feminine plural as in the example: “they nourish” (Ba). The masculine 3rd person plural
suffix is -U just like the nominative noun suffix.
2. L [Akkadian la, lu] by not, without (preposition), to not have, are without, are not getting (verb)

Blue Front Fight Area

This area is the battle at the front of the marching camp. Outside
the wall are images for a stone throwing sling and a boomerang
which would have been the weapons of the local tribes. Notice
the boomerang sign has its ends closed unlike the channel sign
which was adopted as the yod letter sign in Alphabetic Akkadian.

Inside the wall are images for bow, spear, and battle-ax. The
battle ax even has a hole in the blade in the early Egyptian style
Figure 3. Egyptian Sling. Egyptian slings had one or two
finger loops for holding the ends more securely. This is
1. Sling an example from Fayum, Egypt dating to the 22nd
2. Boomerang Dynasty (945-715 BCE). It is now in the Petrie Museum
3. Bow in London at
http://petriecat.museums.ucl.ac.uk/detail.aspx?parentp
4. Spear riref=.
5. Battle Axe

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Red Back Fight Area

The section of the inscription may represent the place where the
sling wielding attackers snuck in from the rear. Next to the sling is
a bow sign which was used by the defenders. Behind the bow is
the skull representing death and the sign of a running man
representing panic according to chart 1. The signs are from bottom
to top:
Figure 4. Copper axe heard from the2nd dynasty of the
1. Running man representing panic (head clearly seen) Egyptian Old Kingdom (2,686 – 2,890 BCE). This old axe
2. Skull representing death shows a single central hole like the axe seen in the
Vertical Inscription. It was found at Abydos. It is now at
3. Bow the Petrie Museum at
4. Sling http://petriecat.museums.ucl.ac.uk/detail.aspx?parent
5. Water boundary priref=

5.0 The Horizontal

Inscription
This sign shapes of this inscription lie
between the Minoan Linear A script
and the pure alphabetic texts of
Serabit el-Khadim (see figures 1 and
2) This indicates it was written by a
Minoan trader who was briefly in
Egypt around 1550 BCE. This sort of
writing is rare in Egypt indicating it
was not a native tradition. This
Minoan connection allows us to date
the text to about 1550 BCE.

The text is blaming the motion

Figure 5. Horizontal Inscription at Wadi el-Hol (West Semitic Research Project, Photo by Bruce
powers of the Ancient Pagan Zuckerman with scratched inscriptions inked for clarity by Marylin Lundberg 1999. Red labels
Paradigm for inhibiting the powers of added by David Olmsted)
Yahu which in turn is producing the
local drought. Notice these deities are representing divine powers and are not yet being seen as lordly people.

The text reads:

• Motion-Powers are making rigid the Revealer (Yahu) by paralyzing the vulture-eyes causing the
fertility-fluid revealer to disperse the abundant nourishments

Eagle-vultures are under the control of the motion class of powers of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm (astrology
and emotional magic) and this text is saying they are not properly trimming the life-growth network. This
results in misdirected divine fertility-fluids not evenly triggering the plant image revealing powers of Yahu. This
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is despite lots of properly prepared earthly fields which provide the material nourishment for the plants once
their growth has been triggered.

Linguistic Comment

A significant observation is that this inscription shows the transition between the Phaistos Disk sign for the
letter het (Ḫ) as a man running in terror and the later alphabetic version represented by a man praying with
both arms upraised. The sound of the letter het is more like an English /kh/ sound with the back of the tongue
pressed against the back of the throat. So linguistically it can easily drift between the simpler H-E and K. The
Akkadian word for prayer and/or blessing is Karabu so it would represent the letter K. The Akkadian word for
terror or panic is Ḫatû representing E-H and it is this sound which would become the alphabetic dual use letter
for H and E in the Sinai and beyond.

Translation Justification

Clause 1

1. Aleph (A) Vav (U or W)

2. Mem (M) Bet (B)
3. Na

Words from Lexicon

1. A’ or ‘W or AW or ‘ [Akkadian a’û] motion space, motion-powers (a’u + i) (noun) – One of the two
classes of divine powers of the Ancient Pagan Paradigm. Motion powers cause all movement on earth
and in the divine network’s fertility fluids. Its source deity is the masculine full moon Su. Its sub-powers
are: IM - emotional magic powers and IR - astrological powers. Their respective priests are: NŠ -
"emotional energy-raiser" and AMR - "seer" or "astrologer." The other class is the life-growth powers
(D from du). Compare to EM – human powers of lordly authority which can command the divine birds.
Also, the ayin letter sign by itself as the moon or as the moon traveling along the night sky symbolically
represents the motion powers allowing the sign to be used in isolation.
2. MB [Akkadian mūbû] - rigid (noun), to make rigid (verb)
3. Na [Akkadian nu] revelation, revealer (noun), to reveal (if inanimate source), to say (animate source -
direct speech), to ask (animate source - direct speech) – A “revealer” is an epithet for Yahu who reveals
or manifests the invisible object images.
a. -A [Akkadian -a] “-er” – as a noun suffix this indicates the accusative case making the noun an
actor. It is equivalent to the “er” ending in English. As a verb suffix this indicates the 3 rd and 2nd
person feminine plural as in the example: “they nourish” (Ba). The masculine 3rd person plural
suffix is -U just like the nominative noun suffix.

(ongoing form)
• Motion-Powers are making rigid the Revealer (Yahu)

Clause 2

1. Het (Ḫ) Mem (M)

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 2. Yod (I or Y) Nun (N)

Words from Lexicon

1. ḪM [Akkadian ḫamû] paralyzer (noun), to paralyze (verb) – often represented by a scorpion

2. IN [Akkadian īnu] vulture eyes (noun) - often an epithet for the sharp-eyed eagle-vultures which block
the fertility fluid flows through the divine network (compare to IG - eye)

(ongoing form with previous clause)

• by paralyzing the vulture-eyes

Clause 3

1. Kap (K)
2. Nun (N) Mem (M)

Words from Lexicon

1. K [Akkadian ku, ki] from, due to, caused by, causing (preposition), is from, is due to, is caused by, to
cause (verb) – a more general concept than in English referring to something that is from or for
someone else.
2. NM [Akkadian namû] fertility-fluid-revealer (noun) - It literally means “revealer.for fertility-fluids”
from Na.Mu. This is an epithet for Yahu.

(ongoing form with previous clause)

• causing the fertility-fluid revealer

Clause 4

1. Nun (N) Lamed (L)

2. Bet (B)
3. Gu

Words from Lexicon (Olmsted, May 2020)

1. NL [Akkadian nâlu] dispersal (noun), to disperse (verb)

2. B [Akkadian bu, bā] nourishment (noun), nourishing (participle), nourishing (adj), to nourish (verb), -
the nourishing process is the creating and growing process. It is the flow of amorphous matter (the
nutrition) or dust into invisible (platonic) images which define an object’s shape and material types.
These images must first be opened by the manifesting power of Yahu. The nourishment itself is
affected by both the life-growth power which governs the quantity of the flow and the motion power
which governs its rate of flow.
3. Gu [Akkadian gu - not known in cuneiform Akkadian] – abundance (noun), abundant (adj), to make
abundant (verb) – also an epithet for the life-growth stuff coming from above in contrast to the
“nourishment” (B) which comes from the earth and fills up opened object images.

• To disperse the abundant nourishments

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References
Darnell, J.C.; Dobbs-Allsopp, F.W.; Lundberg, M.J.; McCarter, P.K.; Zuckerman, B. (2005) Two Early Alphabetic
Inscriptions from the Wadi el-Ḥôl. The Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research, Volume 59.
Boston. American School of Oriental Research.

Levi, D. Carince, F. (1988) Festos e la Civilta Minoica, Roma

Olmsted, D. (May 2020) Alphabetic Akkadian (Aramaic) Lexicon - May 2020 Edition. Online at:
https://www.academia.edu/42970705/Alphabetic_Akkadian_Aramaic_Lexicon_-_May_2020_Edition

Olmsted, D. (June 2020) Translation of the Minoan Phaistos Disk in Alphabetic Akkadian. Online at:
https://www.academia.edu/43220051/Translation_of_the_Minoan_Phaistos_Disk_in_Alphabetic_Akkadian

Olmsted, D. (July 2020) Translation of 9 Commercial Minoan Linear A Texts from Malia (1700 BCE)
https://www.academia.edu/43647240/Translation_of_9_Commercial_Minoan_Linear_A_Texts_from_Malia_1
700_BCE

Shaw, Ian (2000) An Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press.

West Semitic Research Project: http://wsrp.usc.edu/information/wadi_el_hol/

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