In July 2015, I was so lucky to go on a vacation to London with my whole family, including Nonno and Nonna!ย This trip was so special because it included an afternoon at the British Museum!
Nonno and I in front of the British MuseumNonno and I with the stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ of Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ
When our plane landed in London July 5th, we checked into the hotel and then rushed over to the British Museum because I literally couldnโt wait any longer to go. I had been waiting my whole life to go to the British Museum with my Nonno. It makes me both sad and happy to look back on these pictures because while Iโm so incredibly grateful we all got to do this together, Iโm so sad that itโll never happen again.ย
My sister ๐ข๐๐ and I with the Rosetta Stone Nonno and I with Tutankhamun ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐
The first book my Nonno ever gave me on Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ was Carol Andrewsโ book on the British Museum. It was incredible to see these artifacts that I had been reading about for years in person. I cannot believe that this was eight years ago already. I wish I could go back in time and re-live this day because even though we were all exhausted, it was an incredible day.ย
Nonno and I with more stelae ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ๐ชMe with the Kingโs List!
These are my personal photographs and original text. DO NOT repost.ย
This wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ of Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ at the Brooklyn Museum is similar to the one I posted from the MET yesterday ๐ด๐๐ณ! I love seeing โsisterโ pieces across museums!ย
Ptolemaic Statue of Anubis at the Brooklyn Museum
This piece is dated to the Late Period or Ptolemaic Period (c. 664-30 B.C.E.), which is when wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช of Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ in this style became extremely popular! This piece was likely found at Saqqara, which in ancient Egyptian times was called Memphis ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐ด๐.
I also love this statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ because it is very similar to Anubisโ ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ determinative hieroglyph ๐ฃ (which is my favorite hieroglyphic ๐น๐๐ช symbol) and itโs almost identical to the โrecumbent jackal ๐ขโ sign! The recumbent position is representative of him guarding the necropolis ๐ด๐๐ผ from high above on a hill ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ or mountain ๐๐ ณ- as was his role as the god ๐น of cemeteries and mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐.
Ptolemaic Statue of Anubis at the Brooklyn Museum
Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ, despite being associated with death ๐ ๐๐ฑ, was a very positive figure in Egyptian religion. In Egyptian mythology, he played the vital role in the mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐ of the god ๐น Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ and weighed the heart ๐๐๐ฃ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ against Maatโs ๐๐ด๐ฃ๐๐ฆ feather ๐๐บ in the Weighing of the Heart! In modern pop culture, Anubis is usually the โvillainโ when in reality he was a highly regarded and peaceful god ๐น!
Basically, I love anything to do with Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ! Seeing a well preserved statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ of him, or hieroglyphic ๐น๐๐ช symbols of his name ๐๐ in inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ makes me really happy ๐ซ๐๐ฃ and excited. Itโs like seeing an old friend ๐๐๐๐!
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.ย
This wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ of Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is one of my favorites because the piece is in such good condition! The black ๐๐ paint ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆ is still clearly visible and the wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ is so well preserved. Wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ is an organic material, and even in the dry heat of the desert ๐ ๐๐๐ it can still break down over thousands ๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ of years! My Nonno always pointed out every wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ piece in a museum and told us how significant it was that the wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ was preserved.
Wooden Statue of Anubis at the MET
This particular Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ piece is dated to the Ramesside Period, which was during the 19th-20th Dynasties of the New Kingdom. This style of statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ depicting Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ actually became very popular during the Ptolemaic Period, and there is a piece similar to this in the Brooklyn Museum too!
This statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ shows Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ in his jackal ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฅ form. The recumbent position is representative of him guarding the necropolis ๐ด๐๐ผ from high above on a hill ๐๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ or mountain ๐๐ ณ- as was his role as the god ๐น of cemeteries and mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐. One of his titles which is โLord of the Sacred Land ๐๐ฆ๐,โ exemplifies and highlights this role. The โsacred landโ mentioned in this title is another way to say โnecropolis ๐ด๐๐ผ!โ
Wooden Statue of Anubis at the MET
Another one of Anubisโ ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ titles is โupon his hill/mountain ๐ถ๐บ๐๐โ and this hieroglyphic ๐น๐๐ช phrase usually follows his name ๐๐ in dedication texts! Again, this is representative of Anubisโ ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ role as protector ๐ ๐๐ก๐ of the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ; he was always standing watch from above!
An inscription ๐๐ ฑ๐ would look like this: โ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ๐ถ๐บ๐๐๐๐ฆ๐โ which translates to โAnubis, Upon His Hill, Lord of the Sacred Land.โ
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to look at the Middle Egyptian word for “To Be” and “To Exist.” This simple yet important phrase appears a lot in inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ!
One of the most important phrases you will learn in any language is the verb โto be.โ I remember when I first started learning Italian as a small kid, โessereโ was one of the first verbs we learned!
To Be and To Exist written in raised relief on the wall of a chapel from the 19th Dynasty currently on display at the MET.
The word โTo Be,โ and โTo Existโ is written in Middle Egyptian as โ๐น๐๐,โ which is what is shown in the relief pictured. The word can also be commonly written as just โ๐น๐โ or โ๐นโ if spacing becomes an issue! The word would be transliterated as โwnn ๐น๐๐โ or โwn ๐น๐/๐น.โ It was most likely pronounced the same no matter how many โ๐โ appeared or didnโt appear at the end of the word (remember, pronunciation is just inferred).
Letโs break down each of the symbols individually!
The โhare ๐นโ is normally used as a biliteral phonogram. The ๐น represents the sounds โwn.โ
The โripple of water ๐โ is a uniliteral phonogram. The โ๐โ is associated with the sound of โn!โ In this case, the ๐ is acting as the phonetic complement, meaning that the sounds are written twice but pronounced once! This is a very common occurrence in Middle Egyptian and is something that you need to just practice and get used to when youโre learning! ย
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.
