Month: January 2023

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Alexander the Great in Hieroglyphs

In 332 BCE, Alexander the Great π“„Ώπ“ƒ­π“Ž‘π“Šƒπ“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚§π“‚‹π“Šƒ conquered Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– and became pharaoh 𓉐𓉻! This was the beginning of the Hellenistic Period of Egyptian history. 

So why was Alexander π“„Ώπ“ƒ­π“Ž‘π“Šƒπ“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚§π“‚‹π“Šƒ recognized as a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻? The Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ saw him as the person who liberated them from the Persians! Alexander π“„Ώπ“ƒ­π“Ž‘π“Šƒπ“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚§π“‚‹π“Šƒ also restored many of the Egyptian temples π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰π“ͺ and even built new monuments 𓏠𓏍 dedicated to the Egyptian gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ! Some of these monuments 𓏠𓏍 show him worshipping Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–, who basically would’ve been the Egyptian version of Zeus. After Alexander’s π“„Ώπ“ƒ­π“Ž‘π“Šƒπ“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚§π“‚‹π“Šƒ death 𓅓𓏏𓏱 in Babylon, Ptolemy I π“Šͺπ“π“―π“ƒ­π“π“‡Œπ“‹΄ became pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 and founded the Ptolemaic Dynasty.

Since Alexander π“„Ώπ“ƒ­π“Ž‘π“Šƒπ“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚§π“‚‹π“Šƒ was Macedonian and not native Egyptian, his cartouche is very phonetic – all of the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ used are uniliteral signs, which means that they correspond to a single sound, just like a letter in the alphabet. Let’s take a closer look! 

π“„Ώ – The β€œEgyptian Vulture 𓄿” represents the sound β€œ3” which would be pronounced like β€œah.” 

𓃭 – the β€œrecumbent lion 𓃭” was traditionally a biliteral phonogram for the sound β€œrw,” however, during the Hellenistic Period it adopted the sound of β€œL.” 

π“Ž‘ – The β€œBasket with a Handle π“Ž‘β€ symbol has the sound of β€œk.”

π“Šƒ – The β€œdoorbolt π“Šƒβ€ symbol represents the sound β€œz” or β€œs.” It’s also the ideogram for the word β€œdoorbolt.” 

𓇋 – The β€œreed 𓇋” represents the sound of β€œΔ±Ν—,” however it can also function as an ideogram for the word β€œreed 𓇋𓏺.” 

π“ˆ– – The β€œripple of water π“ˆ–β€ is associated with the sound of β€œn!” 

𓂧 – The β€œhand 𓂧” represents the sound β€œd” and is also the ideogram for the word β€œhand.” 

π“‚‹ – The β€œmouth 𓂋” symbol is used to represent the sound β€œr.” It can also be used as an ideogram for the word β€œmouth 𓂋𓏺.” 

π“Šƒ – see above! 

The hieroglyphs of β€œπ“„Ώπ“ƒ­π“Ž‘π“Šƒπ“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚§π“‚‹π“Šƒβ€ basically spell out β€œAlksindrs.” It’s pretty cool to see the versatility of the hieroglyphic π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ symbols with examples of foreign names π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“¦!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Tutankhamun and Amun

This diorite π“ π“ˆ–π“π“π“ŠŒ statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 portrays Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ and the god π“ŠΉ Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–. Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ is credited with restoring the Cult of Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–, after it was eradicated by his father Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– in order to solely worship the sun 𓇳𓏺 god π“ŠΉ Aten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³.Β 

This statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is very interesting because it displays Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– very large, while Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ is very small π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…©. Since the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was considered a god π“ŠΉ on Earth 𓇾𓇾, they were usually depicted as large, intimidating, and regal figures. However, the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻π“ͺ were second to the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ themselves – especially Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– who was the king 𓇓 of the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ. So in the presence of Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–, the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 is very small π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…©. 

The statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 has sustained damage, most notable is the fact that Tutankhamun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ head is missing. This is because this era of the 18th Dynasty was supposed to be β€˜forgotten’ by history. The pharaohs 𓉐𓉻π“ͺ that came after Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ tried to erase all evidence of the Amarna era. Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ fell victim to this as well, even though he restored the traditional Egyptian pantheon. It was due to his familial relation to Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– that he was also subjected to having his images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 destroyed.Β 

A lot of Tutankhamun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 and statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏦 were usurped by the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Horemheb π“‡³π“‚¦π“†£π“Όπ“‡³π“‰π“ˆ–, who was not only Tutankhamun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ general π“€Žπ“¦, but was the last pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 of the 18th Dynasty. 

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Reading Hieroglyphs Video

Video – Let’s read some Hieroglyphs!

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 𓂑𓏏𓁐 Niankhwadjet π“ˆ–π“‡…π“π“‹Ή. 

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

𓇓𓂋𓐍𓏏 – King’s Acquaintance

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 𓉐𓉻! 

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.”

Here is my past post (with photographs) on this beautiful piece!

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Book Recommendations Video

Video – Hieroglyphic Dictionaries Recommendations

Dictionaries Books Reel 

Hi π“‰”π“‡Œπ“€ everyone! I’m back with another book 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 recommendation! These are four 𓏽 hieroglyphic π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ dictionaries that I really like and use all the time! I would definitely recommend these dictionaries if you’re studying hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! 

The two 𓏻 dictionaries by Bill Petty are easy to get because they are still in print, however, the Budge dictionaries are old and you’ll probably have to get them second hand! My Nonno gave me the Budge dictionaries over 20 π“Ž†π“Ž† years ago and what’s wild is they were old books 20 π“Ž†π“Ž† years ago! 

Thank you 𓋴𓏏𓍯𓄿𓀒 to my friend π“ˆ˜π“ˆ‡π“€€π“ @elianubis for sending me this beautiful π“„€ shirt as a gift! I love it!!Β 

Here are affiliate links, where you can purchase the books that I recommended in the video! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This helps to keep my website and educational content free for all!

English to Middle Egyptian Dictionary

Hieroglyphic Dictionary: A Vocabulary of the Middle Egyptian LanguageΒ 

Budge Dictionary Volume 1

Budge Dictionary Volume 2

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Egyptian Artifacts

Limestone Trial Piece of Two Hands

For some reason, this very simple relief of two 𓏻 hands 𓂧𓏏𓏦 was one of my favorite things that I saw at the Petrie Museum in London! 

Flinders Petrie was one of the main excavators at present-day Tel el-Amarna, the site of Akhenaten’s π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– new capital of Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–.Β  Amarna as it is commonly referred to as, is the modern name π“‚‹π“ˆ– for β€œAkhetaten π“ˆŒπ“π“‰π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“Š– – Horizon of the Aten,” which replaced Thebes π“Œ€π“π“Š– as the capital of Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–.Β 

During excavations at Amarna π“ˆŒπ“π“‰π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“Š– the workshops 𓄯𓏏𓉐𓏦 of artists were found, which contained a lot of unfinished reliefs. These “trial pieces” are though to have been made by young artists who were learning their craft. Even though this is such a simple relief of hands 𓂧𓏏𓏦 with many cracks, I find it to be so beautiful π“„€. The art of the Amarna period fascinates me because it is so different stylistically from other Egyptian art! I love seeing all of the unfinished pieces that were found at Amarna – it’s kind of like getting a behind the scenes view of the art! 

A lot of reliefs in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– were made on limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰. From a geological perspective, limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ (due to its composition of the mineral calcite 𓍱 – which comes from dead marine organisms), is a very easy rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ to sculpt and work with because calcite 𓍱 is a softer mineral π“‡‹π“Œ»π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ™. Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– used to be completely under water π“ˆ— hundreds 𓏲𓏲𓏲 of millions 𓁨𓁨𓁨 of years ago, hence why limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ (and sandstone π“‚‹π“…±π“‚§π“π“Œ—π“ˆ™) are so abundant – both of these rocks π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™π“¦ are classified as sedimentary rocks, which are primarily formed under large bodies of water π“ˆ—!

Limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ is composed of dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱 marine organisms, which I find correlates with ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– as a whole – their entire life π“‹Ή/religion focused on preparing for death 𓅓𓏏𓏱, and they basically built 𓐍𓂀𓅱𓋴𓀧 their civilization out of dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱 things! 

It’s so fascinating how geology and Egyptian history are so closely interrelated! Did you know that Petrie was a geologist and that he was the first to apply stratigraphy (studying rock layers) to the field of archaeology?! 

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Reading Hieroglyphs

“Rameses II Adoring the Sphinx at Giza”

This limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ relief is called β€œRameses II adoring the Sphinx at Giza” and it is such a beautiful π“„€ piece! Let’s take a closer look!

By the time Rameses II π“©π“›π“ˆ˜π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“ was pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, the Sphinx π“Ž›π“…±π“ƒ­π“€ at Giza was already ancient (~1200 years old) – which is almost mind blowing to think about!!! During the 18th Dynasty (the dynasty before Rameses II π“©π“›π“ˆ˜π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“) the cult of the Sphinx π“Ž›π“…±π“ƒ­π“€ began to reach its peak in terms of religious importance. 

During the first 𓏃 year of their reign π“ˆŽπ“π“‹Ύ, the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 would take a trip to the Sphinx π“Ž›π“…±π“ƒ­π“€ as almost a right of passage. They would then build monuments 𓏠𓏍 to document the occasion. This relief is representative of that trip that Rameses II π“©π“›π“ˆ˜π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“ took! 

The New Kingdom pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓐆 knew the Sphinx π“Ž›π“…±π“ƒ­π“€ as Hor-em-Akhet π“…ƒπ“π“ˆŒ which translates to β€œHorus in the Horizon.” The name π“‚‹π“ˆ– most likely came from the fact that the Sphinx’s π“Ž›π“…±π“ƒ­π“€ head is seen in between Khufu 𓐍𓆑𓅱 and Khafre’s π“‡³π“ˆπ“†‘ pyramids 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴π“ͺ, and can appear like the sun disc 𓇳 when approached from a certain direction. It’s definitely a creative name π“‚‹π“ˆ–! 

Let’s read some simple hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! Here’s a breakdown of the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– Horus in the Horizon π“…ƒπ“π“ˆŒ! Can you spot this on the relief?

π“…ƒ – Horus

𓐝 – em = in the

π“ˆŒ – akhet = horizon

There are actually two 𓏻 different versions of this relief! If you look at the pictures above versus the pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 below, the reliefs are facing two 𓏻 different directions!

For a closer hieroglyphic study, we are going to be looking at the relief facing the left because I was able to get better pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ on this one! Both reliefs are pretty much identical except for the direction that they face!

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! We are going to look at the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 posted below. Some of the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ are missing, but I was able to infer what was being written:

𓏙 – Given

π“‹Ή – Life

π“ŽŸπ“ˆπ“₯ – Lord of Appearances 

π“‡³π“©π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‹΄π“ŒΈ – Rameses II (Birth Name Variant) (this cartouche is too damaged for me to know which variant, so I made my best guess)

π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώ – Lord of the Two Lands

π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ– – Usermaatre (Rameses II throne name)

π“ŠΉπ“„€ – Perfect God 

π“ŽΈπ“…“(𓏲𓅆)(π“€­) – Khnum (these hieroglyphs are cut off, but my best guess is this is the start of the name of the god Khnum)

Here’s the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ translation for the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 posted below:

π“…ƒ – Horus

𓐝 – in the

π“ˆŒ  – Horizon

𓏙 – Given

π“‹Ή – Life

𓆑 – His

π“ŽŸ – All

π“Š½ – Stability

π“Œ€ – Strength

π“‹΄π“ˆ–π“ƒ€π“œ – Health

𓄫𓄣𓏏 – Joy

π“ŽŸ – All

𓇳𓏇 – Like Ra

π“‡³π“ŽŸ – Every day

This beautiful π“„€ and unique relief is located at the Louvre in France!

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

The “King’s Acquaintance”

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

Today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³ we are going to be looking at a Title that appears π“ˆ on statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ and in funerary inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯. The title of β€œπ“‡“π“‚‹π“π“ – King’s Acquaintance” is used to denote people who were close to the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 and can be written in two ways: 

𓇓𓂋𓐍𓏏 – if the person was female

𓇓𓏏𓂋𓐍 – if the person was male

In the case of this inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯, which was for a female, King’s Acquaintance 𓇓𓂋𓐍𓏏 is written in the female form of the word! The Title has also been translated as β€œGentlewoman,” and β€œCourt Lady,” while the male version (𓇓𓏏𓂋𓐍) can also be translated as β€œCustodian of the King’s Property.” 

Let’s take a closer look at the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ that make up this title! 

The β€œSedge 𓇓” symbol is one of the most common hieroglyphs you will see in inscriptions! It functions as a biliteral phonogram and is associated with the sound β€œsw.” Most commonly, the symbol is used as an ideogram for the word β€œKing,” which is associated with the sound β€œnswt.” In this case of this title, the sedge is functioning as an ideogram!

The β€œplacenta or sieve 𓐍” symbol is a uniliteral phonogram and is associated with the sound β€œαΈ«.” This symbol is actually considered β€œunclassified” because Egyptologists actually don’t know what it exactly represents! 

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

The β€œflat loaf of bread 𓏏” 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 when placed at the end of the word! 

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

The Board Game “Senet”

If an object has Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ name π“‚‹π“ˆ– on it, I am going to get excited about it – no matter what the artifact is!

This piece is a type of ancient Egyptian board game called Senet π“Šƒπ“ˆ–π“π“ ! Senet π“Šƒπ“ˆ–π“π“  is the world’s oldest board game – there’s evidence of its existence all the way back to the First Dynasty (though this particular board is dated c. 1390-1353 B.C.E.). 

During the New Kingdom, the game represented the journey of the Ka π“‚“ (soul) to the afterlife/Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. The word β€œSenet” π“Šƒπ“ˆ–π“π“  actually means passage or gateway (though there are other ways to write these words as well)! If you look really closely, you can see details of the β€œAnkh π“‹Ή,” which is the symbol that means β€œLife” along with the β€œDjed Pillar π“Š½β€ which means β€œStability” painted on the side of the game! On both the left and right sides, you can also see the word π“‹΄π“ˆ–π“ƒ€ which means β€œHealth!” Such lovely messages on the side of a board game!

Senet π“Šƒπ“ˆ–π“π“  is still a game that can be played today, though some of the rules are debatable! I find it so interesting that board games have been around for so long in history! Some things an about humanity have not changed!Β 

The version of Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ name π“‚‹π“ˆ– that appears on the side of the Senet π“Šƒπ“ˆ–π“π“  board is her throne name, which is the name she took when she became pharaoh 𓉐𓉻! Her throne name is β€œMaatkare 𓇳𓁦𓂓” which translates to β€œTruth is the Soul of Re.” 

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

First Dynasty Lion Cub

How cute is this lion π“Œ³π“Ήπ“„Ώπ“„› cub?! Whenever I am at the MET, I always make sure to stop by and see him!Β 

When I was a kid π“π“‡Œπ“€”, I absolutely loved this quartzite statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ of a lion π“Œ³π“Ήπ“„Ώπ“„› cub because it reminded me of Simba from The Lion King! Only the main features of the lion π“Œ³π“Ήπ“„Ώπ“„› cub are seen, and none of the features are β€œsharply defined π“‹΄π“Šͺπ“‚§π“šπ“Ίπ“›,” however, it is clear that this is a statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of a lion π“Œ³π“Ήπ“„Ώπ“„› and it is one of my favorite examples of early Egyptian art!

This cute little lion π“Œ³π“Ήπ“„Ώπ“„› is from the First Dynasty (c. 3100–2900 B.C.E.)! During the Pre-Dynastic through Early Dynastic periods, statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ of animals were usually smaller in size (amulet π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…† size or just a little larger – look above the lion π“Œ³π“Ήπ“„Ώπ“„› statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ in the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 to see examples) This statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 thought is almost like a transition piece towards the larger and grander statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ of the later dynasties. This little lion π“Œ³π“Ήπ“„Ώπ“„› was originally found in southern 𓇔𓏏 Upper Egypt 𓇓. I love being able to see the changes in Egyptian art through time! 

Geology Time!!! Since quartzite is a very hard stone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ, the Egyptians had to learn how to work with and sculpt these types of rocks π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™π“¦! Quartz π“ π“ˆ–π“Œπ“ˆ™, the mineral π“‡‹π“Œ»π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ™ quartzite is mostly composed of has a hardness of 7 out of 10 on Moh’s Hardness Scale, which means it is very resistant to being scratched! Quartzite is a metamorphic rock, which means it was originally sandstone π“‚‹π“…±π“‚§π“π“Œ—π“ˆ™ before it was subjected to intense heat and pressure, which recrystallized it into quartzite. Quartzite is a much stronger and durable rock π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™ than the original sandstone π“‚‹π“…±π“‚§π“π“Œ—π“ˆ™.