The upper register

The most important part of an Egyptian stela is always the top. This scene shows that the stela was made for a tomb chapel, because we see the two gods who are responsible for the afterlife of the deceased. On the right is Osiris followed by his sister and wife, Isis. Osiris is depicted as a human king holding the scepters of the royal office in his hands. The mythology relates that Osiris was a king on earth before he was murdered and rose again from the dead as king of the Hereafter. Isis supported him in his resurrection with her knowledge of healing and magic. On the left is the sun god Re, in his form of Re-Harakhty (Re-Horus), who is always depicted with the head of a falcon and the sun disc as a crown. He is followed by the goddess Maat, a personification of the order of the universe that Re brought into being when he created heaven and earth and the underworld.

Most gods are depicted with a hieroglyph in their hands, which is the sign for “life” (ankh in Egyptian) which indicates that the gods are the masters of life on earth. The god Re-Horus also holds the hieroglyph for “power” as a staff in his other hand, showing that the god is the ruler over creation. Between the two main gods stands an offering table supporting a jug of water (a libation vessel, exactly like the one in fig. 1), with two lotus flowers aimed at the two gods that share this table.