Author: ancientegyptblog7

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Reading Hieroglyphs

The Names of Pharaoh Merenptah (Usurped Statue Part II)

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!

TodayΒ π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³Β we are going to be taking a closer look at one of the statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ that MerenptahΒ π“‡³π“ƒ’π“ˆ–π“ˆ˜π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉΒ usurped from Amenhotep IIIΒ π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“Š΅π“‹Ύπ“‹†! There are definitely some familiar hieroglyphic π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ phrases here that some of you will recognize!! This statue is at the π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ MET!

The hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ here show three 𓏼 names π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“¦: the Horus Name, the Throne Name and the Given Name! Since the symbols are pointing to the left, let’s start reading from the left!Β 

π“‚‘π“ƒ’π“Ž›π“‚π“€ π“…“π“π“†„ – β€œThe Strong Bull Who Rejoiced in Truth” (Horus Name)

π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώ – Lord of the Two Lands

π“žπ“©π“ˆ˜π“ˆ–π“ƒ’ – β€œThe Soul of Ra, Beloved of Amun” (Ba en Ra, mery Amun) (Throne Name)

π“ŽŸπ“ˆπ“₯ – Lord of Appearances 

π“°π“§π“ˆ˜π“ˆ–π“Š΅π“·π“Ί – β€œBeloved of Ptah, Maat is Satisfied” (Mer en Ptah hotep her Maat) (Birth Name) 

Now let’s look at the bottom line of hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! 

π“ŒΊπ“žπ“©π“ˆ˜π“ˆ–π“ƒ’ – Ba en Ra, mery Amun (Throne Name)

𓅭𓇳 – Son of Ra

π“ŽŸπ“ˆπ“₯ – Lord of Appearances 

π“ŒΊπ“°π“§π“ˆ˜π“ˆ–π“Š΅π“·π“Ί – Merenptah (Birth Name) 

π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“‡³π“Ί – Amun-Ra

π“ŒΉ – Beloved 

𓋍 – this symbol on the side of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is thought to be representative of the unification of Upper π“‡“ and Lower π“†€ Egypt.

Something else that is interesting is that there are name π“‚‹π“ˆ– variants on the same statue π“„šπ“ˆ–𓏏𓏭𓀾! Name π“‚‹π“ˆ– variants were just different ways to write the same name π“‚‹π“ˆ– in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Usurped Statues of Amenhotep III (Part 1)

I must admit – I am very guilty of walking past these statuesΒ π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺΒ at the MET a lot because usually I want to go straight for the Temple of Dendur!! These pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 are from May, but when I went to the MET earlier this month I got some close up photos 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of these gorgeous π“„€ statuesΒ π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ, so I’m going to do a bit of a series on them! TodayΒ π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³Β we will learn the history, and then we will read the hieroglyphsΒ π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺΒ tomorrow 𓇼𓄿𓇳!Β 

These two 𓏻 statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ originally belonged to the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Amenhotep III π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“Š΅π“‹Ύπ“‹†. While these two 𓏻 statues π“„šπ“ˆ–𓏏𓏭𓀾π“ͺ now adorn the entrance to the museum exhibit of the Temple of Dendur, they originally were located at Amenhotep III’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“Š΅π“‹Ύπ“‹† temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ dedicated to Amun-Ra π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–𓇳𓏺 at Thebes π“Œ€π“π“Š– (modern day Luxor). Amenhotep III π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“Š΅π“‹Ύπ“‹† ruled π“‹Ύ Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– during the 18th Dynasty. 

Then in the 19th Dynasty, along came the pharaoh π“‰π“‰» Merenptah π“‡³π“ƒ’π“ˆ–π“ˆ˜π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ! Merenptah π“‡³π“ƒ’π“ˆ–π“ˆ˜π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ was the son π“…­ of Rameses II π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ˜π“‡³π“Ίπ“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“, and like father π“‡‹π“π“€€ like son π“…­, Merenptah π“‡³π“ƒ’π“ˆ–π“ˆ˜π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ usurped the statues π“„šπ“ˆ–𓏏𓏭𓀾π“ͺ of other pharaohs π“‰π“‰»π“¦ and put his name π“‚‹π“ˆ– on them! 

Usurping can be thought of as ancient plagiarism, and was very common during this time period. While I equate usurpation to plagiarism to put it in a modern context, the purpose wasn’t to defame the previous pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 of EgyptΒ π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–. The purpose was for the common pharaoh to promote his own rule π“‹Ύ, and what better way to do that than to use statuesΒ π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ, templesΒ π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰π“¦, etc. that already are made!?

It is always funny to see a statue π“„šπ“ˆ–𓏏𓏭𓀾 that has the facial features of one pharaoh π“‰π“‰», but has the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of another pharaoh π“‰π“‰» on it! Rameses II π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ˜π“‡³π“Ίπ“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“ did this all the time – that man’s name π“‚‹π“ˆ– is everywhere! 

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

The Horus Name of Rameses II

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!

Today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–𓇳 we are going to be looking at the Horus Name for the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Rameses II! So far, I have really only spoken about the Throne Name (π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ–) and the Birth Name (π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ˜π“‡³π“Ίπ“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“), so let’s take a closer look at the Horus Name! 

The Horus Name is the oldest way that a pharaoh’s 𓉐𓉻 name π“‚‹π“ˆ– was written/identified and is one of five 𓏾 ways to write the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. The Horus Name consists of three elements: the palace facade π“Š, Horus the Falcon π“…ƒ standing on top of the palace π“Š, and the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 within the palace π“Š. The palace π“Š hieroglyph π“ŠΉπ“Œƒ is pronounced like β€œserekh” and some Egyptologists are now referring to the Horus Name as the Serekh Name. This was basically the early version of the cartouche! 

Rameses II π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ˜π“‡³π“Ίπ“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“ had a lot of different variations of his Horus Name, so let’s take a look at the two 𓏻 that are pictured! 

π“‚‘π“ƒ’π“›π“ŒΊ – β€œStrong Bull, Beloved of Ra”

π“‚‘π“ƒ’π“§π“ŒΊ – β€œStrong Bull, Beloved of Maat”

β€œStrong Bull π“‚‘π“ƒ’β€œ was a very popular way to start off the Horus Name because bulls 𓃒𓃒𓃒 were a symbol of strength π“Œ€ and fertility, both of which are qualities that pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 wanted to have!

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Blog

“First Love”

I’ve had this written for a while but haven’t posted it because it is very feelings-y and very different from my usual posts. I am a huge fan of the group BTS. They are a Korean boy band whose music has basically gotten me through 2020. While I love all of their music, one of their songs has really struck a chord with me because it basically puts my feelings about ancient Egypt into words. The song is called β€œFirst Love” and it is written and performed by Min Yoongi (aka SUGA). While you would expect a song with this title to be about a person, it is in fact about Yoongi’s love for the piano from a very young age and his lifelong journey with his childhood piano.


I have always called Ancient Egypt my β€œfirst love” so when I listened to the song and I read the translation I immediately related to it. While I am passionate about many things, Egypt is always the thing that I will return to because Egypt’s history is just something I love so deeply. Throughout my life, I have so many beautiful memories in my Nonnoβ€˜s basement looking through his books and staring up at the bookcases hoping to one day be able to read every single word that they contain. So many memories of listening to my Nonno explain the significance of each piece in museums. These feelings of childish wonder are emotions that I always wish to return to.

β€œWhen I was fed up and lost, Back then when I fell into a pit of despair, Even when I pushed you away, Even when I resented meeting you, You were firmly by my side, You didn’t have to say anything, So don’t ever let go of my hand, I won’t let you go ever again either, My birth and the end of my life, You will be there to watch over it all” -First Love


I feel like a picture of me with my favorite Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ statue is appropriate for this type of post! I’m 16 in this picture!

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

The Temple of Dendur

The Temple of Dendur is gorgeous π“„€ – the room that it is located in makes it actually feel like you are along the Nile River π“‡‹π“π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ—π“ˆ˜π“ˆ‡π“Ί in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–!

This room is one of my absolute favorite places – sometimes I like to sit on one of the benches and just enjoy the atmosphere of it! Visiting the temple only makes me want to go to Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– more!


The temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ was actually commissioned by Augustus and building was complete by 10 B.C. Dendur is located in Nubia, and is just south of Aswan. Even though the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ was built by Augustus, it definitely follows Egyptian style and not Roman style. The emperor is actually presented as a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 worshipping Egyptian gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ on the walls of the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰. The temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ was primarily used to worship the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Ostraca of Senemut


Ostraca are basically the ancient Egyptian version of a sketch pad or scrap paper! They were used by scribes π“Ÿπ“€€π“ͺ or artists to practice their craft! The ostraca were usually chips of limestone or broken pottery.


These ostraca at the MET are very awesome because they depict Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό!! Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό was Hatshepsut’s 𓇳𓁦𓂓 most trusted advisor (and in my opinion, they were definitely much closer than that 😜). Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό was not only the tutor for Hatshepsut’s 𓇳𓁦𓂓 daughter 𓅭𓏏 Neferure 𓇳𓄀 π“„€ π“„€, the royal architect in charge of Deir el-Bahri, but he was also the Steward to Amun π“†“π“‰π“Ίπ“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– at Karnak.

The sketch of Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό on these ostraca are very similar to the sketches of Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό that are seen in his tomb!

These were always some of my favorite pieces to see as a kid! Not only because it was Senemut π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“…π“€Ό, but also I loved seeing how the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ used to do things!! Seeing the grids and seeing their β€œsketch pads” allowed me a glimpse into just how some of this incredible art was created!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Bronze Statue of Isis, Osiris and Horus


This bronze statue at the MET is from the Ptolemaic Period (664 – 31 B.C.E.) represents Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯, Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and Horus π“…ƒπ“€­- the main triad of the Egyptian pantheon.

Here, Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ is represented in his Greek form Harpokrates, with his trademarked “finger to lips” pose. This pose represents the β€œbe quiet” gesture because to the Greeks Harpokrates was the god π“ŠΉ of silence. What is interesting about this piece is that there are suspension loops on the back of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and Harpokrates – this piece is probably too big to be worn as a necklace, so the loops may have some type of unknown symbolic significance.

Many gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ in the Egyptian pantheon appeared in groups of threes 𓏼, which were known as Triads. They were groups of gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ that usually have some type of familial significance to each other. For example, one of the Memphis triads during this period was Ptah π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“±, Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“, and Nefertem 𓄀𓆑𓂋𓏏𓍃𓀯. Nefertem 𓄀𓆑𓂋𓏏𓍃𓀯 is the son of Ptah π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“± and Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“, just like Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ is the son of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­!!

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Large Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut

This is one of the grand, large kneeling statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ that were found during excavations of her temple at Deir el-Bahri. The excavations were a joint operation between the MET and the Egyptian government.

In this statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ, Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is depicted wearing the nemes headcloth, a false beard on her chin, and is kneeling with a nemset jar π“Œ in each hand 𓂧𓏏𓏺. These were meant to be offerings to the god π“ŠΉ Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–- an inscription on the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ states that Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is offering “maat” to Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–- while Maat π“™π“Œ΄π“‚£π“π“¦ was the goddess of truth, “maat” was also a concept held dearly by Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ. Her reign was guided by order, truth, and justice – all the principles of maat.

Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is seen kneeling, which is not too common for a Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 since they were considered to be gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ on Earth. However, since Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ was making an offering to the god π“ŠΉ Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–, she did this in a kneeling position. A pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 kneeled for no one – except for another god π“ŠΉ.

From this angle, the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ looks even more grand! I also love pink granite, which many of Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ are made out of. Granite is an extremely dense and durable rock (hence why it is used for countertops today), and these statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ were definitely built to last.

The image above is of the cartouches of Hatshepsut’s throne name, Maatkare 𓇳𓁦𓂓.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Small Kneeling Statue of Hatshepsut

This is a small, kneeling statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ made out of black/pink granite! The black and pink granite is traditionally found in Aswan (Upper Egypt). In the USA, black and pink granite is commonly found in Nevada and other western states! This piece is in the MET.

While not as grand as some of her other statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ that adorned her temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ at Deir el-Bahri, this one makes quite an impression. There are at least eight of these statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ, and many of them are in the MET. They were most likely used to line the upper court at her temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰, and are thought to be intended for her Heb Sed festival (a festival used to celebrate 30 π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž† years of rule, and then celebrated every three 𓏼 years after the initial 30 π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž†). Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ, ever the Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 to break from tradition, instead celebrated hers in the 16th π“Ž†π“Ώ year of her rule!

In this statue, Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is kneeling and is seen holding the nemset jar π“Œ. The jar π“Œ has the djed pillar π“Š½ adorning the front. The djed pillar π“Š½ is thought to be the spine of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­, and it represents stability and endurance – both are attributes a Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 needed in order to be a successful ruler!

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Book Recommendations

Book Review – “The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt”

“The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt” was one of my best book purchases of 2020! I have only just been able to read through most of it, and this is probably one of the most complete books that I have in regards to the Egyptian pantheon. I love how the book was organized, and how it also paid attention to the lesser known godsπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ and goddessesπ“ŠΉπ“π“ͺ in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–. The pictures were also spectacular and really added value to the text by only emphasizing the written words.

I have learned quite a few things from this book, and it is one I definitely recommend if you are interested in Egyptian mythology and religion. I wish I had gotten this book sooner – I got it on a trip to the MET in September 2020. I’m the type of person that likes to see my books before I purchase them, which is why I hadn’t gotten the book sooner.

I actually brought this book with money my Nonno had given me, so it still felt like he was the one that brought it for me ❀️.

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