This beautiful ๐ค๐๐ art is from a Roman Period mummy mask of a woman and is dated to 60 – 70 A.D. Itโs always incredible to me how art that is just about 2000 years old has paint ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆ and colors that still look brand new! This art shows two Tyet Knots ๐ฌ and a Djed Pillar ๐ฝ (middle).ย
The origin of the Djed Pillar ๐ฝ is most likely from the predynastic times while Tyet Knot ๐ฌ is from the First Dynasty/Early Dynastic Period. This means that these symbols were over 3000 years old when this mask was made! It always amazes me how the same religious symbols just persisted through Egyptian history!
The Tyet Knot ๐ฌ, also known as the Isis knot ๐ฌ, was considered a very strong symbol of protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐ and came to be associated with Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ. The Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช believed that knots ๐ฌ were able to bind and then release magic ๐๐๐ฟ๐.
The Djed Pillar ๐ฝ represents the word and concept of Stability in ancient Egypt. The Djed pillar ๐ฝ is thought to be the spine ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฆ of Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ, hence why it takes on the meaning of โstability.โ
The Isis Knots ๐ฌ and the Djed Pillar ๐ฝ were also mostly used in a funerary context, such as amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ฆ that were placed on mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช or as part of spells ๐๐๐๐ฆ in the Book of the Dead ๐๐๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐บ๐ผ๐บ.
While both the Tyet Knot ๐ฌ and Djed Pillar appear in art frequently, they are also both hieroglyphic symbols and appear in inscriptions!
The โreed column ๐ฝโ more commonly known as the โDjed Pillarโ is a biliteral phonogram that has the sound โแธdโ which sounds like โDjed.โ It also functions as an ideogram for โStability.โ
The โtie ๐ฌโ is an ideogram for โTyet Knot ๐ฌโ or โIsis Knot ๐ฌโ and is a triliteral phonogram associated with the sound โtjtโ which would be pronounced like โtyet.โย
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