Here is Week 3 of my Hieroglyphic Word of the Day stories all compiled into a video! Learning any language – including hieroglyphs/Middle Egyptian doesnโt have to be difficult!
Letโs read some Hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! This False Door belonged to the Royal Sealer ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ Neferiu ๐ค๐ป๐ ฑ (8th-11th Dynasty).
False Door of Neferiu on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
These two pieces of text basically say what a great person Neferiu ๐ค๐ป๐ ฑ was and it also lists all of the wonderful things he did in his life!
I did not write out all of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช this time because it was too long! Please enjoy the translation though!ย
A closeup image of the top section of the False Door of Neferiu
This is the top line of text:
๐๐๐ต๐๐น๐จ๐ญ๐๐ฝ๐ง๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ค๐ป๐ ฑ – โAn offering the King gives Osiris, Lord of Djedu, a voice offering before and to the revered Neferiu.โ
This is the second line of text:
๐๐๐ต๐๐ฃ๐ถ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐๐๐ค๐ป๐ ฑ – โAn offering the king gives Anubis, Upon His Mountain, in the mummy wrappings, a voice offering before and to Neferiu.โย
A closeup of the bottom portion of the False Door of Neferiu
Inscription on the left side: โI gave bread ๐๐ to the hungry ๐๐๐๐ ฉ๐ and clothes ๐๐๐ด๐ ฑ๐ณ๐ฆ to the ๐ naked ๐ฟ๐๐๐ณ๐. I drove the boatless in my boat. I gave property to someone I knew as well as to the one I did not. The seal-bearer ๐จ๐ ฑ of the King of Lower Egypt ๐ค, the sole companion, the revered ๐ช๐ Neferiu ๐ค๐ป๐ ฑ.โ
Inscription on the right side: โO the living ๐๐๐น, those who are upon the Earth ๐พ, who love life ๐น๐๐, I gave assistance to those in the year ๐๐๐ณ๐๐ค of hardship. I acted mightily with my strong arm in order to endure among my children. It is Iqer who did it that I might become greater than the great ๐ ฉ๐ ones and the noblemenโฆof my entire town, who bore witness to me.โ
On the bottom, next to Neferiu ๐ค๐ป๐ ฑ and his wife ๐๐ on both sides the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช say:
๐๐๐ธ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ or โHis ๐ beloved ๐ธ๐ wife ๐๐ Wedjbet ๐๐.โ
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.
This bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ of the god ๐น Ptah ๐ช๐๐๐ฑ from the Third Intermediate Period is striking to see in person not just because of its wonderful state of preservation, but its size as well!
Bronze Statue of Ptah on display at the MET
For a bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ, it is quite large! In antiquity, this statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ would have been covered in gold ๐๐๐๐ leaf, and itโs amazing that you can still see some of the gold ๐๐๐๐ on the statue! Imagine how magnificent it would have looked in all gold ๐๐๐๐! I also love how the eyes ๐น๐๐ฆ are still perfectly preserved; they really stand out among the bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ and the gold ๐๐๐๐!ย
The staff that Ptah ๐ช๐๐๐ฑ is holding in his hands is actually a merging of the Djed Pillar ๐ฝ and the Was Scepter ๐. The hieroglyph ๐น๐ for Djed ๐ฝ means โstabilityโ while the hieroglyph ๐น๐ for the Was Scepter ๐ means โstrength,โ and this staff exemplifies Ptahโs ๐ช๐๐๐ฑ representation of both!
One of the epithets that follows Ptahโs ๐ช๐๐๐ฑ name ๐๐ in inscriptions is โThe One of Fair Face ๐ค๐ท๐ค๐ญโ and I think that description totally fits with how beautiful ๐ค๐๐ this particular statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ represents him! That epithet could also be translated as โKindly of Face ๐ค๐ท๐ค๐ญโ and can also be written as โ๐ค๐๐๐ท๐ค๐ญ.โ
Ptah ๐ช๐๐๐ฑ was not created; he existed before anyone else and anything. In short, he was the creator of the other creator gods ๐น๐น๐น, like Atum ๐๐๐๐ญ. Due to Ptahโs ๐ช๐๐๐ฑ creativity, he is also the designated god ๐น of all forms of craftsman such as carpenters , shipbuilders, potters, metalworkers, and sculptors.
This statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ would have been housed in a shrine ๐๐๐ ๐๐ and would have received offerings ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ from priests ๐น๐๐ช.
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.
Letโs Read some Hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช on this relief of Thutmosis III ๐ ๐ ๐ด!
Here is a very nice raised relief in limestone ๐๐๐๐ which depicts pharaoh ๐๐ป Thutmosis III ๐ ๐ ๐ด wearing the blue crown ๐ฃ๐๐๐ (left). He can be identified based off of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช of his name ๐๐ that appear to his right.
We are going to start reading from the right since that is the way the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช point! Here are the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช broken down:
Also on the right is the remnant of another person – most likely the pharaoh ๐๐ป Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช (a portion of a shoulder and a crown are seen, so the presence of the crown allows us to infer that it is in fact another royal figure).
What is super interesting about this piece is that the images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ of the pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ that are carved are not the actual pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ themselves, but statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช of them! This relief is depicting a religious precession that took place at Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐. This piece was excavated from the temple and is dated to c. 1478-1458 B.C.E.ย
This relief of Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ is on display at the Brooklyn Museum.
This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost.
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!ย Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to look at one of the ways to write โtomb ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐บโ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
Can you spot the word for “tomb ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐บ” in hieroglyphs?
Letโs break down each of the symbols:ย
The โreed ๐โ is a uniliteral phonogram for โฤฑอ (y),โ however it can also function as an ideogram for the word โreed ๐๐บ.โ
The โbundle of reeds ๐ฉโ is a biliteral phonogram that represents the sound โjz.โ
The โdoorbolt ๐โ symbol is a uniliteral phonogram which represents the sound โzโ or โs.โ Itโs also the ideogram for the word โdoorbolt.โ
The โschematic house plan ๐โ symbol is a biliteral phonogram for the sound โpr,โ but it can also function as an ideogram for the word โhouse ๐๐บ.โ This symbol is commonly used as a determinative for words that have to do with buildings (like our word of the day – tomb ๐๐ฉ๐๐) or places (Duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐).
The โstroke ๐บโ has many different uses but here it is used for aesthetic purposes! The โstroke ๐บโ is used to fill up that extra space after the โ๐โ symbol and can almost be thought of as punctuation!ย
The word “tomb” is highlighted in blue! Were you able to spot it in the first photo?
So how would โ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐บโ be pronounced? ๐๐ฉ๐๐๐บ would actually be said like โis.โ In Middle Egyptian, a bunch of the written words repeat sounds, but the repeated sounds arenโt pronounced at all. Itโs like how โ๐คโ and โ๐ค๐๐โ are both still pronounced โnfrโ even though the sounds repeat in the word.
Here are some other variants/ways to write โtombโ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช:
๐๐ฉ๐๐ – (without the stroke)
๐๐ – Mastaba (House of Eternity)
๐๐๐ด – Tomb/Mastaba
๐ฟ๐๐๐ด – Tomb/Mastaba
๐ฟ๐๐ธ – Tomb Shaft
๐ ๐๐๐ – Tomb of a King, Horizon
๐ป๐ด๐ – Tomb Chapel
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be learning about the Shabti Spell! The Shabti Spell was a special hieroglyphic inscription ๐๐ ฑ๐ which gave the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ figure the ability to perform tasks, such as manual labor, for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐.
We are going to look at the blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ that is in this picture!
The โShabti Spellโ usually starts off with the following phrase:
๐ด๐๐๐ถ – The Illuminated One
๐น๐จ๐ญ – The Osiris
Then the โShabti Spellโ will usually list the deceasedโs ๐ ๐๐ฑ job/titles:
๐ – Scribe
๐ – Treasury
So this specific ushabtiโs ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ spell starts off with โThe Illuminated One, The Osiris, The Scribe of the Treasuryโฆโ – after this, the name ๐๐ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ person would appear (we canโt see it the text wraps around the ushabti) and then the name ๐๐ of either the deceasedโs ๐ ๐๐ฑ mother ๐ ๐๐ or father ๐๐๐ would also be listed.
The word for โushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พโ also appears in the Shabti Spell! It is usually part of the phrase โO these Shabtis, if I am counted, if I am reckoned at any works in the godโs landโฆโ which is the part of the spell ๐๐๐ that calls on the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ to do the work for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ so it is very important because this is the whole point of the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ figure!ย
Let me know if you like the image above with the inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ highlighted!ย
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.
Come on a trip to Barnes & Noble with me (one of my favorite places) to look for Ancient Egypt books!
I always head to the ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ books section and the Star Wars section when I go book ๐ ๐๐๐ shopping!
I was so surprised to see the hieroglyphs book at Barnes & Noble because I have never seen it there before ๐น๐๐ช! That book is always my number one recommendation for people that want to learn to read hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! I also went to my other favorite section – the Star Wars section! I love reading Star Wars books and I am a huge fan!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! On my Instagram Stories, I have been doing a “Hieroglyphic Word of the Day” feature, where I feature a common Hieroglyphic Vocabulary word every single day! My goal with this feature is to make it easy for people to recognize words that are common in inscriptions so that the words are easy to spot and read!
This beautiful ๐ค๐๐ sarcophagus ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ at the Brooklyn Museum shows the goddess ๐น๐ Nephthys ๐๐๐๐๐ with the Four Sons of Horus! The Four Sons of Horus were an integral part of ancient Egyptian religion – usually in a funerary aspect so it makes sense that they would appear on a sarcophagus ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ!
The Four Sons of Horus usually appeared as the lids of canopic jars, which were the jars used to store the organs ๐๐ง๐๐น๐ฆ of a deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ person during the mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐ process. When they appears as amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช or on sarcophagi ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ๐ฅ, the Four Sons of Horus served as protectors ๐ ๐๐ก๐ of the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ.ย
The Four Sons of Horus are easy to recognize because they usually appear together in funerary art! Another way to recognize them is by reading their names ๐๐๐ฆ!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Something interesting about this sarcophagus ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ is the way the names ๐๐๐ฆ of the Four Sons of Horus are spelled! The spellings of the names ๐๐๐ฆ here are some interesting variants that arenโt seen too often! We will start reading from the left!
Hapi ๐๐ช๐(can also be spelled ๐๐๐ช๐๐ญ) had the head of a baboon and he protected the lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ.
Imseti ๐๐๐ฟ (can also be spelled ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ญ/๐๐๐ด๐๐ ) had the head of a human and he protected the liver ๐ ๐๐๐น๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ.
Duamutef ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐๐(can also be spelled ๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐ญ/๐ผ๐๐๐) had the head of a jackal and he protected the stomach ๐๐ฃ๐ป.
Qebehsenuef ๐๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐(can also be spelled ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐๐ญ) had the head of a Falcon and he protected the intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ.
Can you spot all of the names ๐๐๐ฆ in the inscription ๐๐ ฑ๐?
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.
