Category: Reading Hieroglyphs

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Reading Hieroglyphs

The “Duck” Hieroglyph

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

Today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–𓇳 we are going to be looking at the β€œduck 𓅭” symbol! The β€œduck 𓅭” is biliteral phonogram and is thought to have the sound of β€œz3” (like β€œzae”). Although it is not technically classified as an ideogram, the β€œduck 𓅭”definitely functions like one as the word for β€œson.”

In most inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯, seeing the β€œduck 𓅭” symbol by itself (like in the inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ in the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏), it will translate to the word β€œson.” However, in β€œproper” grammar, the word for son actually is written as: π“…­π“€€! So the β€œduck 𓅭” functions as the phonogram, while the β€œman π“€€β€œ functions as the determinative! Grammar rules aside, I’m going to be honest, I’ve never seen son written as β€œπ“…­π“€€β€œ in a royal inscription! 

If you add a β€œπ“,” the word β€œson 𓅭” becomes β€œdaughter 𓅭𓏏!” ”Daughter” can be written with the determinative at the end too β€œ 𓅭𓏏𓁐,” but you will rarely see it. 

Here are some ways that the β€œduck 𓅭” can be used: 

𓇓𓅭 – Son of the King (prince) 

𓇓𓅭𓏏 – Daughter of the King (princess)

The most common way you will see this symbol is in the Royal Titles: 

𓅭𓇳 – Son of Ra

𓅭𓏏𓇳 – Daughter of Ra

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Coffin of Wah at the MET

Let’s take a look at the coffin π“‹΄π“…±π“Ž›π“π“†± of a man named π“‚‹π“ˆ– Wah, who lived during the early reign π“‹Ύ of the pharaoh π“‰π“‰» Amenemhat I π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–𓅓𓄂𓏏(12th Dynasty/Middle Kingdom). 

In the first picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 you can see a dedication to Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, which is better known as the β€œOffering Formula.” If you want to learn one 𓏺 phrase in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, learn this one!!! It is everywhere!!Β 

Here is the full inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯: π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™π“Ήπ“Š¨π“ŽŸπ“Š½π“‚§π“…±π“Š–. Let’s break down the offering formula because we haven’t done so in a while. Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!

π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™ – An Offering the King Gives

π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ – Osiris (his name is missing the determinative this time – usually it’s written as π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­)

π“ŽŸ – Lord 

π“Š½π“‚§π“Š– – Djedu (usually written as π“Š½π“‚§π“…±π“Š–)

So all together π“ˆ–π“Š—, this inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ reads: β€œAn Offering the King gives Osiris, Lord of Djedu.” Djedu π“Š½π“‚§π“…±π“Š– refers to the birthplace of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­. 

The eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦 on this side of the coffin π“‹΄π“…±π“Ž›π“π“†± would allow the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 to see outside of it! Inside the coffin π“‹΄π“…±π“Ž›π“π“†±, the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 would usually be laid on his side so his eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦 matched up with the eyes on the coffin π“‹΄π“…±π“Ž›π“π“†±! This was very typical of Middle Kingdom burial practices π“ˆŽπ“‚‹π“‹΄π“π“π“Š­, and it was something my Nonno would always point out to me when we were in a museum! 

As a kidΒ π“π“‡Œπ“€•Β (and even now as an adult) I found this practice absolutely fascinating! Now every time I am in a museum, I tell the story to someone about the eyes 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 of the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾, just like my Nonno told me!

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Inscription from the False Door of Mery at the MET

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

This inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ comes from the false door of a man named Mery (4th Dynasty/Old Kingdom), however the inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ is about his wife π“‚‘𓏏𓁐 Niankhwadjet π“ˆ–π“‡…π“π“‹Ή. 

Today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–𓇳 we are going to be looking at a different type of title! A title is a phrase that usually appears before someone’s name π“‚‹π“ˆ– in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ. A title is basically a summary of the person! I’ve only really talked about royal titles before, but today let’s look at a non-royal title! 

Right Hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ Column:

𓇓𓂋𓐍𓏏 – King’s Acquaintance (literally β€œKing’s 𓇓 Knowledge 𓂋𓐍𓏏(π“œ)”)

𓉑 – Hathor

π“ŠΉπ“› – Priest [Priestess in this case] (literally β€œGod’s Servant”) 

All together, this inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ would read β€œThe King’s Acquaintance, Priestess of Hathor…” The title β€œKing’s Acquaintance π“‡“π“‚‹π“π“β€œ is taken to mean that the person was close to the pharaoh π“‰π“‰»! 

Left Hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ Column: 

π“ŽŸ – Possessor

π“Œ³π“π“„ͺ – Reverence

π“ˆ–π“‡…π“π“‹Ή – Niankhwadjet

β€œPossessor of Reverence, Niankhwadjet.”

Let’s put it all together! 

π“‡“π“‚‹π“π“π“‰‘π“ŠΉπ“›π“ŽŸπ“Œ³π“π“„ͺπ“ˆ–π“‡…π“π“‹Ή

β€œThe King’s Acquaintance, Priestess of Hathor, Possessor of Reverence, Niankhwadjet.”

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Reading Hieroglyphs

The “Lotus Plant” Hieroglyph

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

Today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–𓇳 we are going to be looking at the β€œlotus plant 𓆼” symbol! The β€œlotus plant 𓆼” has many functions in Middle Egyptian and it is a symbol you will see a lot! It is a biliteral phonogram and represents the sound β€œαΈ«3.”

Some words that can be written with the β€œlotus plant 𓆼” are:

𓆼𓅑𓋴𓇼𓇼𓇼 – Starry Sky

𓆼𓏏𓉐𓏭 – Office

𓐍𓆼𓄿𓏏𓁣 – Illness/Disease

𓋴𓆼𓄿𓀁 – To Remember

The most common way you will see the β€œlotus plant 𓆼” symbol used is when it is used as an ideogram to represent the number β€œone thousand 𓆼.” For example: 

𓆼 – 1,000

𓆼𓆼 – 2,000

𓆼𓆼𓆼 – 3,000

Used in a sentence (the Offering Formula), it looks like this:

π“‰“π“†Όπ“π“Šπ“†Όπ“ƒΎπ“…Ώπ“†Όπ“±π“‹²

β€œ A voice offering 𓉓 (of) a thousand 𓆼 bread π“ and beer π“Š, a thousand 𓆼 ox π“ƒΎ and fowl π“…Ώ, a thousand 𓆼 alabaster π“± and linen π“‹².”

The Offering Formula on stelae π“Ž—𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏦 and False Doors will be the most common way you will see this symbol in inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯! 

The β€œlotus plant 𓆼” symbol can also be simply used as an ideogram for the word β€œlotus plant 𓆼𓏺.”

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Canopic Chest and Mummy of Ukhotep

This is the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 and canopic chest of a manΒ π“Šƒπ“€€π“€Β named Ukhotep π“‹‚π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ who lived during Dynasty 12 of the Middle Kingdom. Ukhotep π“‹‚π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ was the chief treasurer, which is why he probably received such gorgeous π“„€ funerary equipment π“ˆŽπ“‚‹π“‹΄π“π“π“Š­, such as this canopic chest that contains dedications to the Four Sons of Horus. The purpose of the canopic chest was to hold the four 𓏽 canopic jars which contained the organs 𓇋𓂧𓂋𓄹𓏦 of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱.Β 

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! Since the directional symbols are pointing towards the right, we will start reading from the right!

𓇋π“„ͺπ“π“‡Œ – Venerated/Revered/Honored

𓐍𓂋 – Before

𓇼𓅐𓏏𓆑 – Duamutef

π“‹‚π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ – Ukhotep

π“ŽŸπ“„ͺ – Possessor of Honor

π“™π“Š€ – True of Voice (Justified)

β€œHonor 𓇋π“„ͺ𓐍” is the full word while the phrase β€œπ“ŽŸπ“„ͺ Possessor of Honor” only uses the β€œspine and spinal chord π“„ͺ” symbol to write β€œHonor.” Also, β€œπ“ŽŸπ“„ͺ Possessor of Honor” can be written as β€œπ“ŽŸπ“„ͺ𓏺,” it just depends on the spacing on the object it is being inscribed on. 

As a beginner, the shortening of words can get confusing, but this is where practice comes in!Β 

These pieces are at the MET in NYC!

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Reading Hieroglyphs

“Treasury” in Hieroglyphs

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

Today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–𓇳 we are going to be looking at the word for β€œtreasury 𓉒.” I see this word pop up on False Doors a lot because people who worked in the treasury 𓉒 were wealthy enough to have a nice burial! 

The word β€œtreasury 𓉒” is written with a Composite Hieroglyph (which in this case also functions as an ideogram). A Composite Hieroglyphic symbol is a combination of multiple symbols into a single glyph. I like to think of Composite Hieroglyphs as a math equation! 

𓉐 + π“Œ‰ = π“‰’

pr + αΈ₯ḏ = prαΈ₯ḏ 

The β€œschematic house plan π“‰β€œ symbol is a biliteral phonogram for the sound β€œpr,” but it can also function as an ideogram for the word β€œhouse 𓉐𓏺.” This symbol is commonly used as a determinative for words that have to do with buildings (tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰) or places (Duat π“‡Όπ“„Ώπ“π“‰). 

The β€œmace with a round head π“Œ‰β€œ symbol is a biliteral phonogram for the sound β€œαΈ₯ḏ.” While I have seen it mostly used as a phonogram, this symbol can also be an ideogram for the word β€œmace π“Œ‰π“Ί.” 

What’s great about the Composite Hieroglyphs is that the two singular symbols retain their original meaning even when combined! This was a great space saving option on various objects, reliefs, etc. 

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Reading Hieroglyphs

The Cartouche of Seti II

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

Today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–𓇳 we are going to be looking at the cartouche of Pharaoh π“‰π“‰» Seti II π“£π“‡Œπ“ˆ˜π“ˆ–π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“°! Seti I π“£π“‡Œπ“ˆ˜π“ˆ–π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“° and Seti II π“£π“‡Œπ“ˆ˜π“ˆ–π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“° have the same birth name so we know that these cartouches belong to Seti II π“£π“‡Œπ“ˆ˜π“ˆ–π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“° based on the throne name/where the object was found. 

This piece is an inlay, which means that it was once part of a larger object. Seti II π“£π“‡Œπ“ˆ˜π“ˆ–π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“° (son π“…­ of Merenptah π“ŒΊπ“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“§π“ˆ–π“Š΅π“·π“Ί) ruled Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– for a couple of years towards the end of the 19th Dynasty (New Kingdom). 

Here’s the birth name:  π“£π“‡Œπ“ˆ˜π“ˆ–π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“°

π“£π“‡Œ – Belongs to Seth

π“ˆ˜π“ˆ– – Beloved 

π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“° – Ptah 

So all together, the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– reads β€œThe one who belongs to Seth, Beloved of Ptah.” This is only one of the variants of the birth name, as there are many different ways to write the cartouches of the pharaohs π“‰π“‰»π“¦! 

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Reading Hieroglyphs

“Lung and Windpipe” Hieroglyphic Symbol

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

Today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–𓇳 we are going to look more closely at the hieroglyphic π“ŠΉπ“Œƒ symbol of β€œπ“„₯.” Many will confuse this symbol with the ever popular β€œπ“„€ nfr” as they look very similar to each other! 

The β€œlung and windpipe π“„₯” is a triliteral phonogram which would represent the sound zm3/sm3. This symbol only functions as a phonogram! 

The 3 is part of the phonetic alphabet and sounds like β€œah” – it is a good idea to learn the phonetic alphabet of you want to learn the hieroglyphic β€œsounds”.

Here are some words that have the symbol π“„₯ in them:

π“Šƒπ“Œ΄π“„₯π“…±π“„Ί – Lungs

π“„₯𓏏𓂝𓏺𓃉 – Offering (variant of π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ𓏏𓏔𓏦)

π“„₯π“„Ώπ“œ / π“Šƒπ“Œ΄π“„₯ – Unite

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Two Alabaster Monkey Vases

These are two 𓏻 alabaster vases at the MET which show a mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 monkey holding a baby monkey!

These are dated to Dynasty Six of the Old Kingdom (c. 2289–2246 B.C.E.). Archaeologists think that these vases allude to fertility because they were probably given to some of the pharaoh’s π“‰π“‰» favorite couriers during the jubilee. In the second picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, the vase on the left is inscribed with the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of the pharaoh π“‰π“‰» Merenre π“‡³π“Œ»π“‚‹π“ˆ– and the vase on the right is inscribed with the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of the pharaoh π“‰π“‰» Pepi I π“Šͺ𓇋π“Šͺ𓇋 (you can’t see it in my picture – sorry!).

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

π“†₯ – King of Upper and Lower Egypt (He of the Sedge and the Bee)

(π“‡³π“Œ»π“‚‹π“ˆ–) – Merenre

𓆖 – Eternal

π“‹Ή – Life

I’ve said this before (it’s still true), that the names of the earlier pharaohs are a great way to practice reading phonogram hieroglyphs! Let’s take a closer look at Merenre π“‡³π“Œ»π“‚‹π“ˆ–! 

The symbol β€œπ“‡³ – sun” is usually seen as an ideogram for β€œRa/Re.” The symbol β€œπ“‡³ – sun” can also be a determinative for sun, day, and time. β€œRa 𓇳” is written in the cartouche first and said last due to honorific transposition.

The β€œhoe π“Œ»β€ (and it’s variants π“ŒΈ, π“ŒΊ, and π“ŒΈ) are biliteral phonograms that represent the sound β€œmr” (might have been pronounced like β€œmer”). 

The β€œ mouth – 𓂋” is a uniliteral phonogram for the sound β€œr” and can be an ideogram for the word β€œmouth 𓂋𓏺.” 

The β€œripple of water π“ˆ–β€ is also a phonogram sign, and it is also uniliteral sign. The β€œπ“ˆ–β€ is associated with the sound of β€œn!” 

All together, the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– Merenre π“‡³π“Œ»π“‚‹π“ˆ– means β€œThe Beloved of Re” or β€œThe One Re Loves.” 

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Reading Hieroglyphs

“Joy” and “Happiness”

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! This inscriptionΒ π“Ž˜π“…±π“Ž– is a new word for all of you! While I haven’t seen it often, it’s probably a good one to know!

β€œπ“„«π“π“„£β€ is the Middle Egyptian word for β€œjoy” or β€œhappiness!” What I love about this word is that if we were going to literally translate it into English, instead of joy or happiness, it would translate directly to β€œwide heart.” How cute is that?!?! 

Let’s break down each of the symbols! 

The β€œspine and spinal cord 𓄫” symbol is a biliteral phonogram that is used to represent the sound β€œ3w.” 

The β€œflat loaf of bread 𓏏” symbol is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound β€œt.” It also functions as the ideogram for the word β€œbread 𓏏𓏺” and can be used to make words feminine! 

The β€œheart 𓄣” symbol is an ideogram for heart and mind that can also be used to represent the sound β€œΔ±Ν—b”. The heart π“„£ can also be used as a determinative in the word for heart π“‡‹π“ƒ€π“„£. 

So all together, the transliteration of π“„«π“π“„£ would be 3wt-Δ±Ν—b. Other variations of the word are β€œ π“„«π“π“„£π“Ί,” or β€œ π“„«π“„£π“Ί.” 

What makes my heart wide π“„«π“π“„£? Going to museums, writing out my Instagram post each day, Marvel comic books, Harry Potter, and of course listening to BTS λ°©νƒ„μ†Œλ…„λ‹¨!!!!!

Let’s all share something that makes us happy/our hearts wide π“„«π“π“„£!