Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at a very popular word that appears on a lot of funerary equipmentย ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ญ (coffins ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฆ, False Doors, Canopic Jar Cases, etc.)! This word can be tricky though because there are a lot of different variants of it – meaning that it can be spelled differently depending on how the word is used or the amount of space available on the object (in this case, the object is a woodenย ๐ฑ๐๐บย coffinย ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ). Different variants of the word can even appear on the same object, as I illustrate with the picturesย ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆย Iโm sharing todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ!
The word for today ๐๐๐๐ณ is โRevered/Revered One,โ which on the inscription ๐๐ ฑ๐ in the pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ, you can see two ๐ป of the popular variants:
๐๐ด๐ช๐
๐๐ช๐
Revered One/Revered can also be spelled like:
๐๐ด๐ช
๐๐ด๐ช๐ ฑ
๐๐ด๐ช๐๐
๐๐ด๐๐
๐ช๐
๐๐ช๐๐ ฑ
๐๐ด๐ช๐๐ ฑ (Revered Man – Dead)
๐ช๐๐๐ (Revered Woman – Dead)
Iโm sure I did not list all of the variants either! Word variants can be confusing for people who are just starting to read hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช and thatโs okay! It will just take some practice, and the best way to practice is to just keep reading real Egyptian inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ!
Next time you go to a museum, see if you can find a variant for โRevered/Revered One!โ Iโm sure you will!!
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at the name ๐๐ of not only a very popular deity ๐น, but also one of my favorite deities ๐น๐น๐น (besides Anubisย ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃย of course)!!ย
This is the name ๐๐ of the god ๐น Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! The name ๐๐ Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ is actually the Greek version of his name ๐๐; the ancient Egyptians referred to him as Djehuty ๐ ๐๐ญ!
Letโs break down the hieroglyphic symbols ๐น๐๐ช together ๐๐!
The โ Ibis on Standard ๐ โ symbol is a variant of the โIbis ๐ โ symbol and has the sound of โแธแธฅwtj,โ which we thing would sound like โDjehuty.โ This symbol is an ideogram, so it represents the full sound of the word it is meant to represent.
Whatโs interesting about the Middle Egyptian Language, is that even though ideograms like โ๐ โ and โ๐โ would fully spell out Thothโs name ๐๐, scribes would still add the phonograms to the end of the name ๐๐ if there was enough space on the monument/object to do so! This made inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ easier to read ๐๐ง๐ and also look nicer! The ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช were all about the aesthetic!
The โflat loaf of bread ๐โ is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound โt.โ It also functions as the ideogram for the word โbread ๐๐บโ and can be used to make words feminine!
The โtwo strokes ๐ญโ symbol represents the sound โjโ which in English would have the same sound as a โy.โ It is usually only used at the end of a word!
Here are some variants of Thothโs name ๐๐:
๐ ค๐ญ
๐
๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ
๐ ๐๐ญ
๐
Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ was thought to have invented writing ๐๐๐ฅ, and was thus the god ๐น of all record keeping. Due to his vast knowledge,ย ๐๐๐๐ย Thoth ๐ was thought to know magic and secrets that were unknown to the rest of the gods ๐น๐น๐น in the Egyptian pantheon.ย He was also the god ๐น of scribes ๐๐๐ช.
Letโs read the inscriptionย ๐๐ ฑ๐ in the picture above:ย
๐ ๐๐ญ – Thoth (Djehuty)
๐ – Lord
๐น๐๐๐๐๐ – Divine Words/Writing
โLord of the Divine Words/Writing ๐๐น๐๐๐๐๐โ was one of Thothโs ๐ ๐๐ญ many titles! This title makes perfect sense since he was thought to have invented writing ๐๐๐ฅ/hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Fun Fact: โwritingโ was usually written as โ๐๐๐๐,โ but on this coffin it is switched to โ๐๐๐๐!โ
Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ was originally god ๐น of the moon ๐๐๐๐น, but then later became associated with writing ๐๐๐ฅ and knowledge ๐๐๐๐. The moon ๐๐๐๐น could be thought of as a โnight sun,โ which kind of places him as an opposite of the sun ๐ณ๐บ god ๐น Re ๐ณ๐บ๐.
Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ is also credited with inventing the 365-day calendar which is one of the ancient Egyptiansโ long lasting contributions to astronomy! As their math an astronomy got better, Egyptian astronomers even adjusted the year to be exactly 365.25 days, which is the exact time it takes the Earth ๐พ๐พ to revolve around the Sun ๐ณ๐บ! How amazing is that!?
My friends over at Dover Publications were kind enough to send me this book โThe Gods of the Egyptiansโ by Budge for me to read and review! This book was gifted to me!
My Nonno had a lot of Budgeโs books, so I kind of grew up with them! I had never read this one though, so I was very excited to dive in!
This book starts off with a deep look into the complex Egyptian religion and includes sections on the Nomes, Duat, and even a look at the Pyramid Texts! Then there are chapters on Ra, Hathor, Thoth and Maat, Horus, and then the Memphis Triad of Ptah, Sekhmet and Nefertem/Imhotep. You all know how much I love Imhotep, so this was such a great read! Many of the other deities ๐น๐น๐น are mentioned through the chapters too, because they have relations to the ones listed above.
My favorite aspect of the book is that it contains full transliterations and translation of two Egyptian myths: โThe Legend of Ra and Isisโ and โThe Destruction of Mankind.โ There are also other translations of parts of myths like this throughout the chapters.
I think this is one of the best ways for beginners to learn hieroglyphs! By practicing with reading actual Egyptian literature, you get familiar with the language and grammar without actually studying it! This is mainly how I learned, and I really enjoyed reading through the myths this way!
If you want to take a deep dive into Egyptian mythology and learn hieroglyphs along the way, I would definitely recommend this book! I am also definitely going to get Part 2! You guys can also order this off of Doverโs website. Happy Reading ๐
While the four ๐ฝ figures of the Four Sons of Horus at the front of this display look like ushabtiย ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พย figures, they are not!! There are someย blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ ย ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พย figures behind the Four Sons of Horus though!ย
So what are these Four Sons of Horus figures? These are actually called โviscera figuresโ and they were meant to protect the internal organs ๐๐ง๐๐น๐ฆ of the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ! Usually, the lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ, liver ๐ ๐๐ก๐, stomach ๐๐ฃ๐ป, and intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ were removed, dried with natron, and placed in Canopic Jars for protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐.
In some cases, the organs ๐๐ง๐๐น๐ฆ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ were mummified and put back in the body. This is where the viscera figures come into play – the viscera figures were then placed inside the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ to protect ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the mummified organs ๐๐ง๐๐น๐ฆ!
From the left: Duamutef ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ had the head of a jackal ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฅ and protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the stomach ๐๐ฃ๐ป. Imsety ๐๐๐ด๐๐ had the head of a human and protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the liver ๐ ๐๐๐น๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ. Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ had the head of a falcon ๐๐๐ก๐ and protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ. Hapy ๐๐๐ช๐ had the head of a baboon and protected ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ.
These pieces are dated to the Third Intermediate Period/21st Dynasty (c. 1000โ945 B.C.E.). The viscera figures and the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ figures pictured were found in the burial chamber ๐๐๐๐ of Djedmutesankh in a tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ at Deir el-Bahri.
In the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, you are looking at amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช and the molds that were used to make them! These molds are typically made of terracotta and allowed artists to not only mass produce amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช, but also make the amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ชย small and detailed! The amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช that you see in the pictureย ๐๐ ฑ๐ย are the Eye of Horusย ๐ ๐ญย and the Eye of Raย ๐ณ๐บ๐!ย
How do you tell them apart? The left eye ๐น๐๐ค is the Eye of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, and the right eye ๐น๐๐ค is the Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐! The right/left sides is based on a human eye ๐น๐๐ค, so it would be opposite to the observer. In the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, most of these amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช are actually Eyes of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐! The one amulet ๐๐ช๐ at the top right is the eye of Horus ๐ ๐ญ! If you get them mixed up donโt worry – I sometimes do too!
The wedjat ๐ or the “Eye of Horus” is representative of the eye ๐น๐๐ค that Horus ๐ ๐ญ lost when battling Seth ๐๐๐ก๐ฃ. Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ restored Horus’ ๐ ๐ญ eye, however, the single Eye of Horus became a symbol of rebirth or healing ๐ด๐๐๐ due to the nature of the myth. The wedjat ๐ was also common symbol of protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐ and regeneration. The Eye of Horus ๐ ๐ญ was an amulet ๐๐ช๐ used by both the living and the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ! The Eye of Horus was also associated with the moon ๐๐๐๐น!
While most people associate the eye ๐น๐๐ค with Horus ๐ ๐ญ, there is an Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ too! While the Eye of Ra was also an amulet ๐๐ช๐ of protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐, it was also associated with power. The Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ can be thought of as an extension of Raโs ๐ณ๐บ๐ power and thus an extension of the sun ๐ณ๐บ itself. The Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ can see everything, and even transformed into Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ in one of the myths!
As you can see, itโs interesting how the two eyes ๐น๐๐ฆ both represent the sun ๐ณ๐บ and the moon ๐๐๐๐น- the two ๐ป largest objects in the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ! One is associated with day ๐๐๐บ๐ณ, and the other night ๐ผ๐๐๐! The sun ๐ณ๐บ and the moon ๐๐๐๐น are almost like the two ๐ป eyes ๐น๐๐ฆ watching the Earth ๐พ๐พ!
Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at one of the names ๐๐๐ฆ of one of the Four Sons of Horus!
Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ had the head of a falconย ๐๐๐ก๐ , protectedย ๐ ๐๐ก๐ย the intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ, and was associated with the West ๐๐๐๐.ย
Qebehsenuef can be written as both ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ and ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐, and sometimes a determinative was added to the end of the name ๐๐, which reads like ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐๐ญ.
The โwater jar with water ๐ / ๐โ symbols are both variants of each other and have the same meaning! These symbols mostly act as determinatives, however in the case of Qebehsenuef the symbols act as a triliteral phonogram with the sound โkbb/qbbโ or โkbh/qbh.โ
The โarrowhead ๐ขโ is a biliteral phonogram that is associated with the sound โsn.โ Since the arrowhead ๐ข is repeated three times in the name, that pluralizes the symbol and causes it to have the sound โsnw.โ
The โhorned viper ๐โ functions as a uniliteral phonogram and represents the sound โf.โ In other words, it can function as a determinative. The ๐ can be confusing for people learning hieroglyphs because it can also function as the word โheโ! There are so many ways that ๐ and it takes practice to master them all!
So Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ may seem like a difficult name ๐๐ to pronounce but once you break down the symbols itโs not too bad! How the name ๐๐ is written with Romanized Letters is very similar to the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ would would like โQbh-snu-f.โ
Iย am standing with the Horus cartouche of the Second Dynasty Pharaoh Nebra ๐๐ณ (or Raneb).
Not much is known about Nebra ๐๐ณ besides his name, which mostly appears on alabaster bowls and cups. The length of his rule is also not known, since that section of the Turin Canon/Papyrus is destroyed but Egyptologists estimate it to be about 10 ๐ -14 ๐๐ฝ years.
The name Nebra ๐๐ณ (or Raneb) has puzzled Egyptologists because Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ was not a big religious figure during the Second Dynasty. At that time, Horus ๐ ๐ญ was the main deity and Egyptian religion very much centered on the story of Horus ๐ ๐ญ and Seth ๐๐๐ก๐ฃ and the importance of keeping divine balance. The name Nebra ๐๐ณ can also be translated as either โLord of the sun (Ra)โ or โRa is my lord,โ which would show that the sun was already being worshipped separately as its own deity at this time instead of just being part of Horus ๐ ๐ญ. The Third Dynasty (around the rule of Djoser ๐ฆ) is really when evidence of the sun being an independent deity begins to show up in Egyptian society.
I got this book on my last trip to the MET – when I saw it I knew that I needed to have it!!! I have always been obsessed with the Egyptian ๐๐๐๐ mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช- even as a small child, pictures of the mummies didnโt scare me, they fascinated me. One of the first books my Nonno ever gave me was called โFaces of the Pharaohs,โ and it had so many pictures of the royal mummies in it. I was completely hooked after Nonno gave me that book.
This book ๐ ๐๐๐ is unique because it combines two of my favorite things: Egyptian history and science. Though I am not a biologist/in the medical field, I have quite the interest in mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช and the science behind studying them.
I love how this book ๐ ๐๐๐ was organized, and how each royal mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ was given their time to shine. The descriptions of the CT scans were detailed and descriptive (though they may be too much for someone without a science background). The book contains many pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ, which I thought were fascinating. There was a whole chapter on Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช mummy, which of course was my favorite part of the book! The amount of detective work and teamwork that goes into studying the mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช is incredible, and I have so much respect for those who want to study, preserve, and respect ๐๐๐ the mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช.
This post contains an affiliate link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.ย
I am the type of person that loves jewelry, and a lot of the jewelry that I wear is inspired by ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐! Rings are my absolute favorite type of jewelry to wear, and I love looking at the jewelry of the ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช in museums! I may be biased, but I think that Egyptian jewelry is the most beautiful type of jewelry! The pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ sure knew how to accessorize!
These scarab ๐ฃ rings bear the cartouche of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ. Scarab ๐ฃ rings like these were extremely popular during the New Kingdom. I love how the different colors of the scarab ๐ฃ pair so beautifully with the gold ๐๐๐๐. Also these are swivel rings, meaning they spin! How cool is that??!!
Here are some of the scarabs that have both the names of Hatshepsut ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ and Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ.
The three ๐ผ scarabs at the top are inscribed with the cartouche of Thutmosis III, ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ while the scarab at the bottom has both of their cartouches. Itโs very interesting to see objects with both of their cartouches on it, and these would most likely date from their joint rule before Hatshepsut ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ declared herself as the pharaoh ๐๐ป.
Something that has always been crazy to me is how detailed and beautiful ๐ค the inscriptions on such small objects can be! I know that the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช used molds to make small objects a lot of the time, but the craftsmanship is incredibly impressive! Iโm such a bad artist and have zero artistic talent, so I have so much respect ๐๐๐ for the people who created all of these beautiful works of art that I get to study and admire.
