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Egyptian Artifacts

Anubis as the Defender of Osiris/Dionysus

How cute is this little (4.9 cm) gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ?!?! This statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ is titled โ€œAnubis as Defender of Osiris/Dionysus (?).โ€ It is always so cool to see elements of Egyptian, Greek, or even Roman culture combined into a single statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ! This statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ is dated to the 2nd – 3rd Centiry A.D., which is the Roman Period of Egyptian history!

While the Romans equated Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ to Mercury, the Greeks actually equated Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ to Dionysus! One interpretation of the statue is this: Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ is dressed in a military outfit, in order to signify his role as a fighter against the enemies of Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ! Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ is holding a Thysrus in one hand ๐“‚๐“บ, which is a staff symbolic of/carried by the followers of Dionysus. In the other hand ๐“‚๐“บ, Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ is holding a falcon ๐“ƒ€๐“‡‹๐“Žก๐“…„.

Cool Connection! BTS actually have a song called โ€œDionysusโ€ and it is incredible with lots of cool mythological references/metaphors! My favorite line from the song is โ€œArt is alcohol too, if you can drink it, you’ll get drunk foolโ€ฆโ€ The song is about loving art so of course I love the lyrics because you all know how much I love Egyptian art!

In my independent study of Korean I did learn this though: The Korean word for โ€œartโ€ is ์˜ˆ์ˆ  (yesul) and the Korean word for โ€œalcoholโ€ is ์ˆ  (sul) so these lyrics are actually a word play! I just love languages and connecting the things I love together!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Unfinished Stela

Look at this unfinished stela ๐“Ž—๐“…ฑ๐“†“๐“‰ธ – there are no hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!!!! I love when museums have unfinished pieces of Egyptian art because itโ€™s so cool to see various steps in the artistic process! The empty boxes above the deceased (right) and Ra-Horakhty ๐“…Š๐“”๐“”๐“ค (left) are where the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช should be!

On the top of the stela ๐“Ž—๐“…ฑ๐“†“๐“‰ธ, there are two Wedjat ๐“‚€ symbols. The Wedjat ๐“‚€ is a very common symbol of protection ๐“…“๐“‚๐“Žก๐“€œ and regeneration. In between the Wedjats ๐“‚€๐“‚€ is the Shen ๐“ถ symbol! The Shen ๐“ถ symbol is a circle of rope that is tied at the end. The tied rope symbolizes completeness, infinity/eternity ๐“Ž›๐“‡ณ๐“Ž›, and is also a symbol of protection ๐“…“๐“‚๐“Žก๐“€œ. Both of these symbols could be worn by both the living ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ฆ and the dead ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ.

The deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ (right) is making an offering to the god ๐“Šน Ra-Horakhty ๐“…Š๐“”๐“”๐“ค (left). This image is a very popular one to appear on stelae ๐“Ž—๐“…ฑ๐“†“๐“‰ธ๐“ช.

Ra-Horakhty ๐“…Š๐“”๐“”๐“ค is a combination of Ra ๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“› and Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ into a single deity. I believe this is a depiction of Ra-Horakhty ๐“…Š๐“”๐“”๐“ค because he is wearing the sun-disc ๐“‡ณ๐“ค crown that has a Uraeus ๐“‡‹๐“‚๐“‚‹๐“๐“†— at the front. Also, Ra-Horakhty ๐“…Š๐“”๐“”๐“ค is holding a crook ๐“‹พ and flail ๐“Œ… and which is another common way to depict him. Ra-Horakhty ๐“…Š๐“”๐“”๐“ค is also sometimes shown holding a scepter ๐“Œ€ along with a flail ๐“Œ….

Based on the styling and the images ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“ฆ on the stela ๐“Ž—๐“…ฑ๐“†“๐“‰ธ, I am going to infer that this piece is dated to the 22nd-25th Dynasties. There are many stelae ๐“Ž—๐“…ฑ๐“†“๐“‰ธ๐“ช like this in other museums too (except they are mostly finished, not unfinished)!

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Sarcophagus of Artemidora

Details of the Winged Scarab on the Sarcophagus of Artemidora at The MET

This picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ shows the details on a sarcophagus ๐“ŽŸ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“๐“Šญ that belonged to a woman ๐“Šƒ๐“๐“‚‘๐“๐“ named ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Artemidora who lived in Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– during the Roman Period (A.D 90-100). The gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰, glass, stone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“Šช, and painted ๐“‡จ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ญ๐“ธ๐“ฆ details on this sarcophagus ๐“ŽŸ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“๐“Šญ are stunning ๐“„ค!

One of my favorite pieces of imagery from Egyptian art is the Winged Scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ! The wings ๐“‚ง๐“Œณ๐“๐“†ƒ๐“ฆ allowed the scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ to join the rising and setting of the sun ๐“‡ณ๐“บ each day – which to the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช represented the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The cycle was central to the ancient Egyptian ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“ religion! As a god ๐“Šน who was constantly reborn, Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“‡‹๐“› was associated with resurrection! On this sarcophagus, we can see the sun ๐“‡ณ๐“บ represented above the scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ; this was because Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“‡‹๐“› used to carry the sun ๐“‡ณ๐“บ across the sky ๐“Šช๐“๐“‡ฏ!

Below the winged ๐“‚ง๐“Œณ๐“๐“†ƒ scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ, we can see the shen ๐“ถ symbol! The shen ๐“ถ symbol is a circle of rope that is tied at the end. The tied rope symbolizes completeness, infinity/eternity ๐“Ž›๐“‡ณ๐“Ž›, and is also a symbol of protection ๐“…“๐“‚๐“Žก๐“€œ. The shen ๐“ถ was first seen during the Old Kingdom, and was a very popular symbol throughout Egyptian history; Nekhbet ๐“‡‘๐“ƒ€๐“๐“…๐“ŽŸ and Isis ๐“Šจ๐“๐“ฅ are frequently seen holding them!

Cool Fact: the wings ๐“‚ง๐“Œณ๐“๐“†ƒ๐“ฆ on the scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ are not those of a beetle, but are actually the wings ๐“‚ง๐“Œณ๐“๐“†ƒ๐“ฆ of a bird! Also, I just love the painted ๐“‡จ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ญ๐“ธ๐“ฆ details on these wings ๐“‚ง๐“Œณ๐“๐“†ƒ๐“ฆ; itโ€™s stunning ๐“„ค!

(from Left) Nephthys, Anubis, Horus, and Isis on the Sarcophagus of Artemidora at The MET

I really like this scene because you can see Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ and Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ standing with the mummy ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ of the deceased who is laying on a bed with a lion design. Anubisโ€™ ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ arms are raised, and Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ is holding the traditional crook ๐“‹พ and flail ๐“Œ…. Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ is my favorite Egyptian god ๐“Šน, and Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ is my sisterโ€™s ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“ favorite! I always like seeing Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ and Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ together ๐“ˆ–๐“Š— for that reason – it reminds me of me and my sister ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“!

To the left of Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ is the goddess ๐“Šน๐“ Nephthys ๐“‰ ๐“๐“†‡ and to the right of Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ is the goddess ๐“Šน๐“ Isis ๐“Šจ๐“๐“ฅ. Isis ๐“Šจ๐“๐“ฅ and Nephthys ๐“‰ ๐“๐“†‡ are the actual sisters ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ฆ in Egyptian mythology and in funerary scenes are usually depicted together!

You can tell which goddess ๐“Šน๐“ is which based off of the crowns on their head ๐“ถ๐“บ! The crown on Nephthysโ€™ head is ๐“‰  which is the hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ thatโ€™s part of her name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–, and the crown on Isisโ€™ head is ๐“Šจ which also corresponds with her name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–! If you also look at the text that is next to each of them, their names are also written – itโ€™s almost like a caption!

See if you can spot Isis ๐“Šจ๐“๐“ฅ and Nephthys ๐“‰ ๐“๐“†‡ in the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Canopic Jar Chest – Hieroglyphs

The Canopic Jar Chest at The MET

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!! These hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช that we will be looking at are from a Canopic Jar Case, which was put in a tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰! Itโ€™s function was to hold all four ๐“ฝ of the Canopic Jars together in one place! This case is gorgeous ๐“„ค – I mean, look at those stars ๐“‹ด๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“‡ผ๐“ฆ!!! The star ๐“‹ด๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“‡ผ design is a favorite of mine; itโ€™s even my phone case!

Since the directional symbols are pointing towards the right, we will start reading from the right! The hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช on the top line of the case say:

๐“‡‹๐“„ช๐“๐“‡Œ – Venerated/Revered
๐“๐“‚‹ – Before
๐“Œ๐“๐“‡ฏ – Nut
๐“‹‚๐“Šต – Ukhotep
๐“™๐“Šค – True of Voice (Justified)

Nut can also be written as โ€œ๐“Œ๐“๐“‡ฏ๐“€ญโ€ – in the inscription above, the determinative is missing! โ€œ๐“Œ๐“๐“‡ฏโ€ could also be translated as โ€œsky,โ€ but in the case of this inscription, translating โ€œ ๐“Œ๐“๐“‡ฏโ€ as the goddess ๐“Šน๐“ Nut ๐“Œ๐“๐“‡ฏ๐“€ญ makes more sense. Also, considering the star ๐“‹ด๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“‡ผ decorations, mentioning the goddess ๐“Šน๐“ of the sky ๐“Œ๐“๐“‡ฏ also makes perfect sense!

The symbol โ€œ๐“Šตโ€ has many uses and meanings; it can be used alone to represent words/ideas, part of names, but it can also be combined with other symbols to also represent those same words/ideas. For example, the more complete way to write โ€œ Satisfied, Content, At Peace, Offeringโ€ is โ€œ๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช.โ€œ

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Book of the Dead – The Field of Reeds

“The Field of Reeds” from the Book of the Dead of Imhotep (MET)

This is another closeup image ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ from Imhotep’s ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช Book of the Dead (Early Ptolemaic Period) at the MET. Fun fact: Imhotep’s ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช version of the Book of the Dead is mostly complete, and is over 70 ๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“Ž† feet long!

This page illustrates Spell 110, which gives Imhotep ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช the ability to enjoy various earthly activities. This takes place in the Field of Reeds ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ…๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“†ฐ๐“Š–. Spell 110 states โ€œโ€ฆbeing in control there, being a blessed one there, plowing and harvesting there, eating and drinking there, and doing everything that one was used to do on earth.โ€

Imhotep ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช is actually seen doing work in the field ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ‡ – he can be seen using a scythe to harvest grain (just like Spell 110 states)! So the things he used to do on earth, he could also accomplish in the Field of Reeds ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ…๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“†ฐ๐“Š–. This is where ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ figures came into play – instead of the deceased doing all of the work, the ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ figures would have taken care of it all!

The Field of Reeds ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ…๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“†ฐ๐“Š– was mentioned a lot on Marvelโ€™s show Moon Knight! In the show, Marc and Steven traveled through the Duat ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰ on a boat ๐“‚ง๐“Šช๐“๐“Šž, but in reality, this mode of transport was typically reserved just for pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ!

On the show, the Field of Reeds ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ…๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“†ฐ๐“Š– was literally depicted as just a field ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ‡, while in Egyptian culture it was meant to be a better version of life ๐“‹น on earth. There were many different depictions; a lush land with waterfalls, islands that could be traveled amongst by boats ๐“‚ง๐“Šช๐“๐“Šž๐“ฆ, farmland, and lots of parties! Access to the Nile ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ˆ—๐“ˆ˜๐“ˆ‡๐“บ and the ability to farm were considered to be the ultimate reward for a good and truthful ๐“™๐“Œด๐“‚ฃ๐“๐“†„ life ๐“‹น!

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Anubis and his Common Title

Here is a close up of an inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ from a sarcophagus ๐“ŽŸ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“๐“Šญ at the MET! While this is only part of the inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ, it is my favorite part! Itโ€™s my favorite because this is the part of the inscription that is the dedication to Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ! Whenever I see Anubisโ€™ ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– in the inscriptions ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ I get really excited – as if Iโ€™m seeing a celebrity!

Letsโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!

๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“ƒฃ – Anubis
๐“ถ๐“Šช๐“ˆ‹๐“บ๐“†‘ Upon His Hill

This inscription can also be written as: ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ ๐“ถ๐“บ๐“ˆ‹๐“†‘. If you notice, on the sarcophagus ๐“ŽŸ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“๐“Šญ, Anubisโ€™ ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– is missing the โ€œ๐“…ฑโ€ hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ! Anubisโ€™ ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– might have been pronounced โ€œInpw,โ€ but here itโ€™s written just as โ€œInp!โ€

Anubisโ€™ ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Can be written many different ways! Here are some common variations:
๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ
๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“ƒฃ
๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ
๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ข
๐“ƒฃ
๐“ƒค
๐“ข

Much like in English and other languages, the same words could have different spellings! In ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–, most of the time the different spellings had to do with the space that was available on the piece that was being inscribed!

โ€œUpon His Hill ๐“ถ๐“Šช๐“ˆ‹๐“บ๐“†‘โ€ refers to Anubisโ€™ ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ role as the protector of the tombs and cemeteries. Most of the time, tombs/cemeteries weโ€™re surrounded by cliffs, hence the title! It could also be translated as โ€œUpon His Mountain.โ€

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

The Emperor Augustus

The Emperor Augustus depicted on the Temple of Dendur at the MET

Here is the Emperor Augustus ๐“„ฟ๐“ฒ๐“๐“ˆŽ๐“‚‹๐“๐“‚‹! He doesnโ€™t look like an Emperor though – he looks like a pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป! Augustus is seen wearing the Atef crown ๐“‹š, a false beard, a broad collar ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹, armlets ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“Žก๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ฆ, and bracelets ๐“‚๐“ ๐“†‘๐“‚‹๐“๐“‡›๐“ฆ. These are all features that are associated with Egyptian pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ, even though Augustus was Roman.

In this sunken relief, Augustus ๐“„ฟ๐“ฒ๐“๐“ˆŽ๐“‚‹๐“๐“‚‹ is making an offering ๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช๐“๐“”๐“ฆ of Maat ๐“™๐“Œด๐“‚ฃ๐“๐“ฆ to another god ๐“Šน. Augustus had many temples ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰๐“ฆ constructed that adhered to Egyptian religion and culture instead of the Roman/Hellenistic ways. This was a strategy that Augustus used to legitimize himself as the ruler of Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– and gain the respect ๐“ˆ™๐“†‘๐“„… of the local population. This particular image ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ is from the Temple of Dendur, which is at the MET.

To me, what is most interesting though are the cartouches of Augustus! Unlike the Greek rulers of Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– that spelled out their names ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–๐“ฆ using phonogram symbols, Augustus went a different route when having his name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– represented in hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช. In this image ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ you can see two ๐“ป (of his three ๐“ผ) cartouches:

๐“„ฟ๐“ฒ๐“๐“ˆŽ๐“‚‹๐“๐“‚‹ Augustus (Autokrator)
๐“ˆŽ๐“‡Œ๐“Šƒ๐“‚‹๐“Šƒ๐“‹น๐“†– Augustus (Kaisaros)

โ€œAutokratorโ€ is the Greek word for โ€œEmperor,โ€ while โ€œKaisarosโ€ is the Greek word for โ€œCaesar.โ€

Augustus chose to have various words for โ€œrulerโ€ as his name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– in hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช. Again, this was probably a way to assert his power as the first Emperor of the Roman Empire. He didnโ€™t want anyone to question his right to rule!

A close-up of Augustus’ cartouche on the Temple of Dendur at the MET

Here is another variant of Augustusโ€™ cartouche:
๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“€€

This cartouche I have always found so fascinating because it is literally the word for pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป in Middle Egyptian plus the determinative sign ๐“€€. Most names (even when spelled out with phonograms) are followed by a determinative for a male ๐“€€ person or female ๐“ person. By choosing to have his name depicted in this way, Augustus was literally calling himself the Pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป of Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–!

In Middle Egyptian the word for pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป literally translates to โ€œGreat House. โ€œ this is a direct reference to the palace where the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป resided during his/her rule.

๐“‰ – House
๐“‰ป – Great

Augustus chose to have various synonyms for โ€œruler ๐“‹พโ€ as his name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– in hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช (Emperor, Caesar, Pharaoh). Again, this was probably a way to assert his power as the first Emperor of the Roman Empire. He didnโ€™t want anyone to question his right to rule!

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Reading Hieroglyphs

“The Great God”

The Great God ๐“Šน๐“„ค or The Perfect God ๐“Šน๐“„ค is another extremely common phrase you will find in hieroglyphic ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช inscriptions ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ across all different types of artifacts and monuments. It is definitely a good one to know and recognize because it is so common!

The Great God ๐“Šน๐“„ค is usually found before ๐“๐“‚‹ the titles that accompany the prenomen (throne name) cartouche of a pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป. Another popular title that often accompanies the prenomen is ๐“ŽŸ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ , which translates to โ€œLord of the Two Lands.โ€ Sometimes both titles will appear together!

Whether or not โ€œ๐“Šน๐“„คโ€ is translated as โ€œThe Great Godโ€ or โ€œThe Perfect Godโ€ is really up to the translator – I have equally seen it both ways in fantastic books!! I just tend to translate it as โ€œThe Great Godโ€ for some reason!

Letโ€™s break this down: ๐“Šน๐“„ค
๐“Šน – God
๐“„ค – Good/Beautiful/Perfect

For a female pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป, the title would look like this: ๐“Šน๐“๐“„ค which would translate to โ€œThe Perfect Goddess.โ€ Adding a โ€œ๐“โ€ to the word ๐“Šน makes it the feminine version!

๐“„ค on its own in inscriptions translates to โ€œbeautifulโ€ and appears often as well! This is another great word/symbol to be on the lookout for!

I hope you all are enjoying these little hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช phrase posts! Itโ€™s different from other things I have done but I have enjoyed going through my photos and making them!

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Reading Hieroglyphs

The Offering Formula

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!!! While I have spoken about this particular inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ a lot, itโ€™s a great one to review because it always shows up! Without fail if you got to a museum, you will see this inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ! It appears on pieces from pretty much every time period of Egyptian history! Also, look at how beautiful ๐“„ค these hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช are! The colors are so bright even after thousands of years!

This is the famous Offering Formula! The Offering Formula is: ๐“‡“๐“๐“Šต๐“™ which translates to โ€œAn Offering the King Gives.โ€ This particular inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ is arranged differently than usual because of the space that is available on the piece! If you know how to read these four ๐“ฝ symbols, you are well on your way to reading stelae ๐“Ž—๐“…ฑ๐“†“๐“‰ธ๐“ฆ, false doors, coffin ๐“…ฑ๐“‡‹๐“€พ/๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ inscriptions ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ and more! The offering ๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช๐“๐“”๐“ฆ was being made to the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ as a way to sustain them in the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰.

Letโ€™s break it down:
๐“‡“ – King
๐“๐“Šต – Offering (this is the shortened version of the word. ๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช๐“๐“”๐“ฆ is the actual word for offering)
๐“™ – Gives

๐“‡“๐“๐“Šต๐“™ Is always followed by the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of a god ๐“Šน (usually Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ or Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ, but other gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน will make appearances ๐“ˆ๐“ฆ too).

If you would like to read more about the full Offering Formula, check out my โ€œHieroglyph Fun Factsโ€ highlight – I have a lot of information there!

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Let’s Put it all Together!

These hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช are from the sarcophagus ๐“ŽŸ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“๐“Šญ of Nectanbo ๐“‡ณ๐“†ฃ๐“‚“, a pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป who ruled ๐“‹พ during the 30th Dynasty! The sarcophagus ๐“ŽŸ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“๐“Šญ is at the British Museum!

I think itโ€™s time we read a full inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ! We have gone through some of the popular titles that accompany the cartouches of the pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ, so letโ€™s put it all together! We will start reading from the right, since the symbols point to the right!

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!

๐“†ฅ – King of Upper and Lower Egypt
๐“ŽŸ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands
๐“‡ณ๐“†ฃ๐“‚“ – Kheperkare (Nectanboโ€™s Throne Name)
๐“…ญ๐“‡ณ – Son of Ra
๐“ŽŸ๐“ˆ๐“ฅ – Lord of Appearances
๐“ˆ–๐“†ฑ๐“๐“๐“‚ก๐“ƒญ๐“†‘ – Nectanbo (Nakht Nebef)

I hope you were able to recognize some of these phrases from previous posts! Keep practicing them! These titles come up frequently in inscriptions ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ! These were some of the first phrases I learned, and I was so proud when I was able to read a full inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ like this for the first time! I really studied cartouches too, and maybe we should do those next! The cartouches are another great way to learn phrases/symbols! Since I canโ€™t help myself, letโ€™s get started!

๐“‡ณ๐“†ฃ๐“‚“ Kheperkare (Nectanboโ€™s Throne Name) translates to โ€œThe manifestation of the soul is Ra.โ€

๐“‡ณ – Ra
๐“†ฃ – Manifestation (kheper)
๐“‚“ – Soul (ka)