This large piece at the MET is referred to as a “Doorjamb from a Temple of Rameses II.” Basically, that means these blocks came from a gateway at a temple that was built in honor of one of Rameses II’s 𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖 royal jubilees.
The offering scene that is on the doorjamb is Rameses II 𓇳𓄊𓁧𓇳𓍉𓈖 making an offering to the god 𓊹 Ptah-Tatanen 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁯, who was the patron god 𓊹 of the jubilee. Ptah-Tatanen 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁯 is a combination of the deities 𓊹𓊹𓊹 Ptah 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱 (the creator god 𓊹) and Tatanen 𓁯, a lesser known deity who was the personification of the primordial mound that rose during the Egyptian creation myth. Tatanen 𓁯 is often compared to Geb 𓅭𓃀𓀭 (the god 𓊹 of the Earth 𓇾𓇾), however Tatanen 𓁯 is often associated with things that come from the interior of the Earth 𓇾𓇾 such as minerals, rocks 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙𓏦, and plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰!
So Geb 𓅭𓃀𓀭 is the Earth’s 𓇾𓇾 surface (The Upper Earth), while Tatanen 𓁯 is the Earth’s 𓇾𓇾 interior (The Lower Earth)! As a geologist, I love how the ancient Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 were able to make this distinction between the spheres of the Earth 𓇾𓇾 in their mythology! They also recognized the atmosphere (another sphere of the Earth 𓇾𓇾) as the god 𓊹 Shu 𓆄𓅱𓀭! It’s all so impressive to me!
Ptah-Tatanen 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁯 in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 is broken down like this:
𓊪𓏏𓎛 – Ptah (spelled out with phonogram symbols)
𓁯 – Tatanen (the determinative/ideogram)
Ptah’s 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱 determinative was basically replaced with the determinative for Tatanen 𓁯 to make the god’s 𓊹 name 𓂋𓈖!
Can you spot Ptah-Tatanen 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁯 in the inscription on the doorjamb???
(Also Rameses III’s 𓇳𓄊𓁧𓈘𓇋𓏠𓈖 cartouches appear on this too on the bottom of the doorjamb – he clearly usurped this piece for his own use and didn’t change all of the cartouches!)
