Abstract
It is generally held that the name Osiris was not attested until the 5th dynasty, when it appears as a title of deceased kings in the Pyramid Texts. However, the name may be attested in the tomb of nb-m-3ḫt, an elder son of King Khafra. The mother of nb-m-3ḫt was queen mr-sy-‛nḫ III, one of Khafra’s wife. The prince had two tombs, called LG86 at Giza Central Field and LG12 in the Quarry Cemetery beside the pyramid of Khafra. Piacentini appears to report that an epithet including the name Osiris, im3ḫw ḫr wsir, is attested in LG86. However, an examination of the original report on LG86 shows that the name Osiris is attested not in LG86, but in LG12. From the name of the owner, nb-m-3ḫt, and the fact that one of his tombs was built in the site of quarry for Khafra’s pyramid, LG12 can be dated from the reign of Khafra to the end of the 4th dynasty. Thus, it is possible that the name of Osiris is attested at the end of the 4th dynasty.
