Month: May 2023

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Egyptian Artifacts

Menat Necklace

This is a picture of a special type of necklace called a menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§. The menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ necklace is unique because it consists of a keyhole shaped piece and a lot of beads 𓋴𓅓𓂧𓏏𓏯𓏸𓏦. The beads 𓋴𓅓𓂧𓏏𓏯𓏸𓏦 on this menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ are made of blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό and there are some glass π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό beads 𓋴𓅓𓂧𓏏𓏯𓏸𓏦 near the keyhole piece!Β Blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ is my favorite color, so I really love how blue was such a popular color in ancient Egyptian art!

Menat Necklace
A beautiful example of a menat necklace on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ necklace not only appears a lot in Egyptian art, but it was clearly used by real people too! The menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ necklace was often carried or worn by women during religious ceremonies. Similar to a sistrum π“Šƒπ“ˆ™π“ˆ™π“π“£, the menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ necklace was shaken like a rattle. The person would hold the keyhole piece and then shake the menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ to create the rattle-like sound!

The sound produced was meant to appease gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ or goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“. Similar to the sistrum π“Šƒπ“ˆ™π“ˆ™π“π“£, the menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ necklace was often associated with Hathor 𓉑, who was the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ of music π“‰”π“‡Œπ“†Έ (amongst other fun things).Β Hathor 𓉑 is often seen in art giving the menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ to a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 in Egyptian art.

This particular menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ necklace was found at Malqata and is dated to the reign π“‹Ύπ“ˆŽπ“ of pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  (c. 1390 – 1352 BCE). In order to celebrate his Heb Sed Festival π“Ž›π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“‚§π“π“Ž±π“‡³π“ͺ, the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Amenhotep III π“‡³π“§π“Ž  built a new palace π“‚π“Ž›π“π“‰₯𓉐 which was referred to as β€œThe House of Rejoicing” at present day Malqata in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–. It would be interesting to know if this menat π“ π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“π“‹§ was specifically used during his Heb Sed Festival π“Ž›π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“‚§π“π“Ž±π“‡³π“ͺ!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

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Video

White Limestone Statue of Hatshepsut – Video

@ancientegyptblog

β€œΓ‰ un capolavoro” – (It) Is a masterpiece! Anyone who has been following me knows that I love nothing more than the white limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ at the MET! Seeing this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 in the museum gives me so much joy 𓄫𓏏𓄣 each time! Yesterday I was teaching my 8th graders about different sedimentary rocks π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“ˆ™π“¦, and of course I used pictures of this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 as an example of what limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ could look like! Hatshepsut’s birth name, π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ, and throne name,𓇳𓁦𓂓, both appear on this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾! Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ and take a look at what her names mean! Her birth name – π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– – Amun π“ŽΉπ“- United with (Khnemet) 𓄂𓏏 – Foremost (Hat) π“€Όπ“ͺ – Noble Women (Shepsut) So Hatshepsut’s birth name π“‚‹π“ˆ– translates to β€œUnited with Amun, Foremost of the Noble Women.” Her throne name – 𓇳𓁦𓂓 𓇳 – Ra 𓁦 – Maat (Truth) π“‚“ – Ka (Soul) So Hatshepsut’s throne name β€œMaatkare 𓇳𓁦𓂓” translates to β€œTruth is the Soul of Re.” (As a side note, β€œCapolavoro” is my favorite song from Sanremo 2024 and @ilvolomusic is one of my absolute favorite groups! I have been listening to their music for longer than ten years and knew I had to use this song with this piece!!) Follow me to learn all about ancient Egypt, hieroglyphs, Egyptian mythology, art, culture and more! This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost. #ancientEgypt #hatshepsut #ilvolo #hieroglyphics #egitto #egyptianhistory #anticoegitto #metropolitanmuseumofart #metmuseum #egyptology #ancientegyptblog @ilvolomusic @Ginoble Gianluca

♬ Capolavoro – Il Volo

It’s no secret π“ƒ€π“‹΄π“†Ÿπ“› that the White Limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ Statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is my absolute favorite artifact that has ever been found in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–! This is the piece that captured my imagination and I’ll never forget the first 𓏃 time I saw this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 with my Nonno! 

Nonno was always so excited to tell me about Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ, because she was the most successful female pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. Her twenty π“Ž†π“Ž† year rule π“‹Ύπ“ˆŽπ“ was marked by big building projects (her mortuary temple 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐), economic prosperity (the expedition to Punt π“Šͺπ“ƒΊπ“ˆ–π“π“ˆ‰) and peace! 

Not only is this White Limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ Statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ just absolutely stunning π“„€, I love the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ on it because Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ refers to herself using the female form of words in the inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯! These were also some of the first inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ I learned how to read, so they are very special to me! 

White Limestone Statue of Hatshepsut
White Limestone Statue of Hatshepsut at the MET

Check out this post for a more in-depth look at this beautiful π“„€ statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾! No matter how many times I see it, I am still in awe of its beauty π“„€!

This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Birthdays in Ancient Egypt

My birthday is soon, so let’s talk about birthdays in ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–!

Birthdays in Ancient Egypt
Me hanging out at the Temple of Dendur at the MET!

This picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 is from my last trip to the MET, when I just got to sit and hang out in one of my absolute favorite places – The Temple of Dendur! The temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ was actually commissioned by Augustus 𓉐𓉻𓀀 (first emperor of Rome) and the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ was primarily used to worship 𓇼𓄿𓀒 the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯.

The ancient Egyptians didn’t celebrate the birthdays of regular people – they celebrated the birthdays of the gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ and goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“! The 365-day calendar which is one of the ancient Egyptians’ long lasting contributions to the world! Egyptian astronomers even adjusted the year to be exactly 365.25 days when their calculations got more accurate! 

The Egyptian calendar consisted of 12 π“Ž†π“» months that were each 30 π“Ž†π“Ž†π“Ž† days long. The extra five 𓏾 days left over at the end of the year were festival days – each day dedicated to celebrating the birthday of a different deity π“ŠΉ! 

Day 1 was the Birthday of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­

Day 2 was the Birthday of Horus π“…ƒπ“€­

Day 3 was the Birthday of Seth π“Šƒπ“π“„‘π“£

Day 4 was the Birthday of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯

Day 5 was the Birthday of Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇

So how do we write β€œbirthday” in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ? Let’s use Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ as an example: π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“…±π“π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­π“Ž± or π“„Ÿπ“π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­π“Ž±. 

Let’s break it down: π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“…±π“/π“„Ÿπ“ is the word for β€œbirth” and both are pronounced β€œmswt.” In the case of  β€œπ“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“…±π“,” this is what we call a β€œphonetic complement” – the sounds are written twice but pronounced once!

The β€œalabaster basin π“Ž±β€ symbol is a determinative for β€œfeast” or β€œfestival” but can also be an ideogram for β€œheb” (feast). 

So if I wanted to write out my own birthday, it would look like this: π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“…±π“π“ˆ–π“‡‹π“Ž‘π“―π“ƒ­π“π“Ž±. You can do the same with your own – just replace my name π“‚‹π“ˆ– with your name π“‚‹π“ˆ–! 

A big thank you 𓋴𓏏𓍯𓄿𓀒 to the UCL website for the list of the festival days!!Β Check out their website for incredible information about ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.Β 

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Relief of the Goddess Isis

Today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³ we are going to be looked at a raised relief of the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Isis π“Š¨π“π“†‡ from the West Wall of a Chapel of Rameses I π“‡³π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“π“…±. This chapel was originally located in the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ of Seti I π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“£π“‡Œπ“ŒΈπ“ˆ–. Rameses I π“‡³π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“π“…± was old when he took the throne, and most of his monuments 𓏠𓏍 were either finished by or made by his 𓆑 son π“…­, Seti I π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“£π“‡Œπ“ŒΈπ“ˆ–.Β 

In ancient Egyptian art, one of the ways to distinguish deities π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ from each other are either looking at the crowns on their head, or the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ that appear next to them. The crowns stayed pretty standard for most deities π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ, however, Isis’ π“Š¨π“π“†‡ crown changed a lot! Most commonly she is depicted with the throne hieroglyph π“Š¨ on her head because it’s part of her name π“‚‹π“ˆ–! She can also be represented with the solar disk 𓇳 and cow horns π“„‹, or as she is here, with the solar disc 𓇳, cow horns π“„‹, and feathers 𓆄π“ͺ. The solar disk 𓇳 and cow horns π“„‹ makes her look similar to Hathor 𓉑, so it’s a good idea to read the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ in this case!

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

Relief of the Goddess Isis
Relief of the Goddess Isis from the Chapel of Rameses I in the temple of Seti I at the MET

We are going to start reading from the right because the directional symbols (aka the birds π“…¨ 𓅐) point to the right! As usual, we are also going to read the columns from top to bottom!Β 

π“Š¨π“π“†‡ – Isis

𓅨𓂋𓏏 – Great One

π“ŠΉπ“π“… – God’s Mother

π“ŽŸπ“ – Lady/Mistress

π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯 – Sky/Heaven

π“ŽΊπ“ – Lady/Mistress

𓇿𓇿 – Two Lands

The most common way to write Lady/Mistress is β€œπ“ŽŸπ“,” however, β€œπ“ŽΊπ“β€ is also a variant of that same word! 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.Β 

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Roman Mummy Mask

One of the features of Egyptian funerary practices that persisted throughout most of the civilization was the use of mummy masks 𓅱𓇋𓀾π“ͺ. Mummy masks 𓅱𓇋𓀾π“ͺ first appeared during the First Intermediate Period (c. 2181 B.C.E.), and were last used during the Roman Period (c. 395 AD). While the styles certainly changed, their purpose of protecting π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 remained the same. While the function of the mummy masks 𓅱𓇋𓀾π“ͺ remained the same throughout Egyptian history, there are many different styles! Let’s take a look at this particular Roman Mummy Mask at the Brooklyn Museum!

Roman Mummy Mask
Me with a Roman Mummy Mask at the Brooklyn Museum

The function of protection π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ is made explicit by Spell 151 from the Book of the Dead 𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓏲𓇳𓏺𓍼𓏺. Spell 151 also restores the ability of the dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱 to see through the mask 𓅱𓇋𓀾. Spell 151 even appears on the back of the mask 𓅱𓇋𓀾 of Tutankhamun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“!Β 

This mask 𓅱𓇋𓀾 is from the Roman Period, and it’s always so interesting to see the merging of the two 𓏻 different styles. The mask is made of cartonnage (kind of like paper mache) and is covered in gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ leaf, which is typical of Ptolemaic/Roman masks. The mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 is wearing a nemes π“ˆ–π“…“π“‹΄ style headdress, and Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛 (the winged scarab 𓐍π“Šͺ𓂋𓂋𓆣) can be seen on the head 𓁢𓏺. Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓀭, god π“ŠΉ of the rising sun 𓇳𓏺, is a symbol of rebirth π“„Ÿπ“Ώπ“…±.

Roman Mummy Mask
Roman Mummy Mask at the Brooklyn Museum

What makes this mask 𓅱𓇋𓀾 so beautiful π“„€ are all of the small details in the gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ leaf. The most prominent is the deceased (as a mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾) standing before 𓐍𓂋 Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­. The protective cobras π“‡‹π“‚π“‚‹π“π“†˜π“ͺ also adorn the mask. Daisies/Rosettes are seen as decoration along with the Wedjat-eyes π“‚€ on each side. Both of these are also symbols of rebirth π“„Ÿπ“Ώπ“…±! Symbols of rebirth π“„Ÿπ“Ώπ“…± were important to place on funerary equipment because the deceased wanted to be reborn in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐, just like Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ was. 

During Roman times, masks 𓅱𓇋𓀾π“ͺ were mass produced in workshops so it is unlikely that this mask represents a specific person. 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission. 

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

The God Osiris Inside A Sarcophagus

This depiction of the god π“ŠΉ Osiris π“Š©π“Ή is on the inside of a sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­. Osiris π“Š©π“Ή is the lord of the Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐  and it was the goal to be β€œreborn” like Osiris π“Š©π“Ή was after death. Much like Osiris π“Š©π“Ή in the myth, the deceased would not return to the world of the living, but instead live on in the Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐.Β 

The God Osiris

Osiris π“Š©π“Ή is always depicted in the same way – as a mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾, holding the crook π“‹Ύ and flail π“Œ… , and wearing the Atef crown π“‹š. The Atef crown is the White Crown of Upper Egypt π“Œ‰π“π“‹‘ with two 𓏻 feathers 𓆄𓏏𓏭𓋛 of Ma’at π“™π“Œ΄π“‚£π“π“¦ adorning the sides. Above Osiris π“Š©π“Ή is Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛, who is the god π“ŠΉ of the rising sun 𓇳𓏺. 

I love how Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛 is drawn in the β€œHorizon π“ˆŒβ€ hieroglyph π“ŠΉπ“Œƒ. The ancient Egyptians used to use hieroglyphic symbols π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ as artistic depictions for a lot of the natural happenings! Another example is how the β€œsky 𓇯” and β€œstar 𓇼” hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ were often also used to depict these object in art. 

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! We are going to start near Osiris’ head!

π“Š©π“Ή – Osiris

π“ŽŸ – Lord

𓇽 – Duat (ancient Egyptian word for Afterlife/Netherworld)

π“ŽŸ – Lord

π“‚¦π“ˆŠ – Sacred Land/Necropolis

Next to the flail: 

π“‹€π“π“π“ˆŠ – West

Osiris π“Š©π“Ή is often referred to as “Foremost of the West π“…π“‹€π“π“π“ˆŠ” because in ancient Egypt, the “west π“‹€π“π“π“ˆŠ” was referred to as the Land of the Dead since the sun 𓇳𓏺 set in the west π“‹€π“π“π“ˆŠ.

Now beneath β€œwest” is where I don’t know what the glyphs say! It looks like β€œπ“ŠΉπ“Œƒβ€ which is β€œdivine writing” (aka hieroglyphs” but β€œGreat God π“ŠΉπ“‰Όβ€ would make more sense! Sometimes the way the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ are drawn/painted can make it difficult to read and interpret!

There are many different ways to write Osiris’ name in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ. Much like any language, Middle Egyptian changed and evolved over time. The way that Osiris is written on this sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­, “π“Š©π“Ή,” is a popular spelling from the Third Intermediate Period – Late Period, which is when this sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­ is dated to. The most common way that Osiris was written before then was “π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­,” which is the spelling that most are familiar with. Other ways to write Osiris are: 𓁹𓇓𓀴 and π“Ήπ“Š¨π“‚‹π“€΄, but these are less common.

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Cartouches of the Aten

Usually, a cartouche π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“· enclosed the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. The oval surrounding the names π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“¦ of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was meant to be protection π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ from evil π“ƒ€π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“π“…¨ both in life π“‹Ή and in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. During the 18th Dynasty, the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of the King’s Great Wife π“‡“π“ˆžπ“ would also sometimes appear in a cartouche π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“·. 

Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– was not a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 that followed tradition! Akhenaten’s π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– reign π“‹Ύπ“ˆŽπ“, which archaeologists sometimes refer to as the β€œAmarna Revolution” is a period of less than 20 π“Ž†π“Ž† years which showed big changes not only to the traditional Egyptian religion, but also changes to the traditional Egyptian art. 

This fragment does not contain the cartouches π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“·π“¦ of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ–. Instead, the cartouches π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“·π“¦ are very long way to write the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of Aten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³, the sole sun 𓇳𓏺 deity π“ŠΉ in Akhenaten’s π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– new religion.Β 

Cartouches of the Aten
The Cartouches of the Aten

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! These are two 𓏻 of the β€œearly” cartouches π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“·π“¦ of the Aten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³, as there were variations during the later part of the Amarna period. The two 𓏻 cartouches π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“·π“¦ are incomplete, but since we know what the cartouches π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“·π“¦ are supposed to say, I will translate both! 

Here is the first two cartouches at the top of the fragment:  π“‹Ήπ“…Šπ“ˆŒπ“ˆŒπ“Ž›π“‚π“»π“›π“π“ˆŒπ“ 

π“‹Ή – Living 

π“…Šπ“ˆŒπ“ˆŒ – Ra-Horakhty

π“Ž›π“‚π“»π“› – Rejoicing 

𓐝 – in

π“ˆŒπ“ – Horizon

This translates to β€œThe Living Ra-Horakhty, Rejoicing in the Horizon.” 

This second cartouche got cut off (you can only see the first two symbols), but here it is: π“π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“†‘π“π“†„π“…±π“‡³π“ˆ–π“π“»π“π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³

𓐝 – In 

π“ˆ–π“‚‹ – Name

𓆑 – His 

𓐝 – As 

π“†„π“…±π“‡³π“ˆ–π“π“» – Light

𓐝 – In 

π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³ – Aten

This translates to β€œIn His Name As the Light Which is In the Aten.” 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Ivory Amulet of Thoth

Amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ are some of my favorite ancient Egyptian artifacts because I really love tiny π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…© things! It’s incredible how much artistry and detail can be seen even in the smallest π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…© of objects! To the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ, amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ were significant because they were seen as being powerful magic π“Ž›π“‚“π“„Ώπ“œ in miniature form!Β 

Ivory Amulet of Thoth
Ivory Amulet of Thoth at the Brooklyn Museum.

During the 18th Dynasty, the use of amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ both by the living 𓆣𓂋𓀀π“ͺ and the dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱 was becoming more and more popular. The amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ used by the dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱 were wrapped within the linen 𓍱 bandages that wrapped mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾π“ͺ, and these amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ helped the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 reach the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. 

Amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ like this ivory π“‹π“ƒ€π“…±π“ŒŸ amulet π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…† of the god π“ŠΉ Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 that is pictured 𓏏𓅱𓏏, was worn by a living person 𓆣𓂋𓀀π“ͺ. Sometimes people wore amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ like this one to proclaim their devotion to a specific god π“ŠΉ. Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 is represented here as a man with the head of an ibis 𓉔𓃀𓅀, which was a very popular way to see him depicted in Egyptian art. 

Amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ of Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 were also popular to be wrapped within mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾 bandages, most likely due to Thoth’s 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 role in the Weighing of the Heart. 

My Nonno loved amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ too, and he would always tell me to look out for the intact cord loop. I love how the loop is still intact on this amulet π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…† – it makes me think of my Nonno!Β Whenever I see amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ, I always make sure to look for it!

Ivory Amulet of Thoth
The Ivory Amulet of Thoth at the Brooklyn Museum. If you look closely behind his head, you can see the intact cord loop!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission. 

Categories
Video

Cartouche of Amenhotep III – Video

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

Today we are going to be looking at the cartouche of the throne name of pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Amenhotep III π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“Š΅π“‹Ύπ“‹†! Amenhotep III π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“Š΅π“‹Ύπ“‹† ruled during the 18th Dynasty and his rule π“‹Ύ was a time of prosperity for Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, especially in regards to the arts and international influence! 

This piece in the video is a reconstruction of the original by the MET – the blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό pieces are original, but the gold π“‹žπ“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰π“ƒ‰ and plaster are not. This beautiful 𓄀𓆑𓂋 decoration is a reconstruction using the tiles that were found during the excavation of Amenhotep III’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“Š΅π“‹Ύπ“‹† palace at Malqata.

Here is his cartouche: π“‡³π“§π“Ž  – NebmaatraΒ 

Cartouche of Amenhotep III
Cartouche of Amenhotep III at the MET. This is the artifact featured in my video!

Let’s take a closer look at the symbols in the cartouche: 

𓇳 – Ra

𓁧 – Maat (Truth)

π“Ž  – Neb (Possessor)

The name π“‚‹π“ˆ– translates to Possessor is/of the Truth of Ra or Possessor is/of the Maat of Ra

This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.