Category: Reading Hieroglyphs

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! 

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at an interesting word (𓂋𓐍𓏏 – rḫt) that has many meanings depending on its determinative hieroglyph 𓊹𓌃! The determinative symbol is the last symbol in a word 𓌃𓂧𓅱𓀁 that helps to summarize the meaning of the whole word 𓌃𓂧𓅱𓀁! 

In the context of the inscription 𓎘𓅱𓎖 in the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, this word 𓌃𓂧𓅱𓀁 means “acquaintance 𓂋𓐍𓏏” and the full inscription 𓎘𓅱𓎖 is the title of “King’s Acquaintance 𓇓𓂋𓐍𓏏.” In the title, the determinative in the word “acquaintance” is not written! Usually, when you see 𓂋𓐍𓏏 on its own without a determinative, it means “list 𓂋𓐍𓏏.” 

However, just like any language, simple small words can act as the root of bigger words or phrases! Pay attention to the determinatives at the end of some of these words and how they can relate to each other in some way! Let’s take a look at some of them: 

𓂋𓐍𓏏 – List

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓂝 – To Wash Clothes

𓇓𓂋𓐍𓏏 – King’s Acquaintance (Title)

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓏛 – Female Friend, Female Acquaintance

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓏛 – Knowledge, Number, Amount 

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓏛𓏦 – Knowledge, Number, Amount, List (notice how this version has two determinatives – the “𓏦” is making it plural)

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓐍𓏏𓏛𓏜 – The Wise

𓂋𓐍𓏏𓎟𓏏 – More, Most

Let’s breakdown the symbols:

The “mouth 𓂋” symbol functions most commonly as a uniliteral phonogram and is used to represent the sound “r.” It can also be used as an ideogram for the word “mouth 𓂋𓏺.” 

The “placenta or sieve 𓐍” symbol is a uniliteral phonogram and is associated with the sound “ḫ.” This symbol is actually considered “unclassified” because Egyptologists actually don’t know what it exactly represents! 

The “flat loaf of bread 𓏏” is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound “t.” It also functions as the ideogram for the word “bread 𓏏𓏺” and can be used to make words feminine when placed at the end of the word! 

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! 

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at a common word that is seen on many funerary objects 𓈎𓂋𓋴𓏏𓏏𓊭 such as stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏦! These hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 pictured translate to “Priest 𓊹𓍛,” “Prophet 𓊹𓍛, “High Priest 𓊹𓍛” or even “High Priestess 𓊹𓍛” in English, but if you were to breakdown the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪, it translates to “God’s Servant 𓊹𓍛” in Middle Egyptian! 

𓊹 – God 

𓍛 – Servant

The word for “Servant” on its own is usually written with the determinative and looks like this: 𓍛𓀀 (for males) and 𓍛𓏏𓁐 (for females). For a phrase such as “God’s Servant 𓊹𓍛,” the determinative is left out! 

Usually, the name 𓂋𓈖 of a god 𓊹 or goddess 𓊹𓏏 would come before the phrase “God’s Servant 𓊹𓍛.” For example, 𓉡𓊹𓍛 would translate to “High Priest of Hathor” and 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓊹𓍛 would translate to “High Priest of Ptah.” 

Let’s take a closer look at each of these symbols! 

The “cloth on a pole 𓊹“ symbol is an ideogram for the word god. 𓊹 is also a triliteral phonogram, and represents the letters “ntr” which may have been pronounced like “neter.” 𓊹 Is also a determinative for “god.” So the “cloth on a pole 𓊹“ symbol can function as all three types of hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪. If you see this symbol, you are most likely looking at a word that has to do with the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹!

The “launderer’s club 𓍛” is a biliteral phonogram which means it represents the sounds of two consonants. “𓍛” represents the sound “ḥm.”

There are so many different ways to write priest in Middle Egyptian because there were so many different types of priests! Here are some of the other popular ones: 

𓋴𓅓 – Sem Priests (responsible for the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony 𓄋𓏏𓂋𓏺)

𓃂 / 𓃂𓈗 – Wab Priest

𓀆 – To Be a Priest

𓂖 / 𓂗𓀀 – Ka Priest/Soul Priest/Priest of the Dead

𓂝𓈎𓂭𓂭𓀀 – Priest