was viewed as a creator-god, a divine craftsman of the universe who was responsible for all existence. Creation was first a spiritual and intellectual activity, facilitated by the divine heart (thought) and tongue (speech/word) of Ptah. Then, creation became a physical activity carried out by Atum, who, created by Ptah's teeth and lips, produced the Ennead from his seed and hands. Summary Lines 61 through 64 summarize the text as a whole. Purpose According to Ragnhild Bjerre Finnestad, there are three theories on the possible purpose of the Shabaka text: To assert the supremacy of the Memphite theological system over the Heliopolitan To claim the hegemony of the Memphis and its priesthood over Heliopolis and its priesthood To present an ontology. As a temple text written down and set up in the temple of Ptah, it is likely that the Shabaka Stone served a religious, cultic-theological purpose, placing its subject matter within a cultic frame of reference. Damage Projecting from the rectangular hole in the center of the stone are radial rough stripes, which destroyed the inscription within a radius of 78 cm, measured from the middle of the stone. According to the secondary literature on the monument, this damage occurred because the stone was re-used as a millstone. The oldest reference speculating the stone's use as a millstone is found in the display of the British Museum of 1821. However, the stone could instead have been the foundation of something round, possibly a column or a pillar. Some parts of the stone were intentionally cut out during the Dynastic Period. This included the name of Seth (line 7), a god which was condemned during this time. Additionally, Psamtik II or Psamtik III erased the proper name and throne name of Shabaka from the stone. Psamtik III then engraved his name onto the stone, but his name was in turn erased by the Persians during their conquest. References Sources External links The Shabaka Stone, translation from An introduction to the history and culture of Pharaonic Egypt (preserved at Archive.org) 8th-century BC steles 1805 archaeological discoveries Ancient Egyptian stelas Stones Twenty-fifth Dynasty of Egypt Ancient Egyptian objects in the British Museum Ptah Creation myths