Egypt. Fragment of a bas-relief with a hieroglyphic inscription containing a cartouche with the name of the pharaoh Ptolemy (?) with an unusual spelling (in particular the first hieroglyph, the bird with outstretched wings, transcribing the phoneme P/PA). If the reading of the dynastic name is confirmed, this variant, which seems unknown, suggests that the inscription should be dated to Ptolemy I, when the transliteration of his Greek name into hieroglyphs had not yet been standardised by usage. Early Hellenistic period (c. 305-300 BC) ? Limestone. Height 38 cm, width 33 cm, thickness 3 cm. Damage, wear and visible gluing. Trace of rust from a screw fixing on an old display stand. Acquired in the late 1990s from Mr Jeuillard, an antique dealer specialising in Asian archaeology and art.