Month: August 2023

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“It’s A Small World” Hippo

The first time I ever went to Disney World, I went with my Nonno and Nonna when I was four years old! When we went on β€œIt’s a Small World,” I fell in love with the hippo π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ― that winks at you! The hippo π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ― became my favorite part of the ride, and even to this day, I look forward to seeing the hippo π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ―! And yes I’m sure this is an unpopular opinion but I LOVE going on β€œIt’s a Small World!” It’s one of my favorites! I’m not going to lie – I still to this day will wink back at the hippo π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ―!Β 

"It's A Small World" Hippo
The hippo from “It’s a Small World” (top) and an ancient Egyptian hippo from the Brooklyn Museum

When I started studying ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– with my Nonno around when I was six years old, I always loved the hippo π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ― statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ because they reminded me of the hippo π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ― on β€œIt’s a Small World!” It’s amazing how I loved the hippo π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ― even before I started studying ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–! 

A lot of the hippos π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ―π“¦ from ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– have lotus flowers 𓆸π“ͺ painted all over them to associate them with rejuvenation! The hippos π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ―π“¦ are most likely painted blue/green 𓇅𓆓𓏛 to represent the Nile π“‡‹π“π“‚‹π“…±π“ˆ—π“ˆ˜π“ˆ‡π“Ί and rebirth. What’s really cool is that the β€œIt’s a Small World” hippo π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ― also has flowers painted on it and is also that blue/green 𓇅𓆓𓏛 color!Β 

"It's A Small World"
A girl sitting on a “solar barge” in “It’s A Small World” at Walt Disney World!

I have also included the other scene that represents Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– in the ride – there’s a girl sitting in a boat that resembles Ra’s 𓇳𓏺𓁛 solar barge 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šž, pyramids 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴𓏦 and a sphinx π“Ž›π“…±π“ƒ­π“€!Β 

"It's A Small World"
The sphinx and pyramids in “It’s A Small World” at Walt Disney World!

Β I hope you’re enjoying my β€œAncient Egypt in Disney” series!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.Β 

@ancientegyptblogΒ 

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Blog

Obelisk in Galaxy’s Edge

I am a huge Star Wars fan and have been for a very long time, so finally getting to visit Galaxy’s Edge was an absolute dream come true! I had the most incredible time in the galaxy far, far away! To my surprise, there’s an obelisk π“π“π“ˆ–π“‰Ά in Galaxy’s Edge!

Obelisk in Galaxy's Edge!
Me with the Obelisk in Galaxy’s Edge!

An obelisk π“π“π“ˆ–π“‰Ά is defined as a structure with four 𓏽 sides that comes together at the top to form a pyramid shape. Obelisks π“π“π“ˆ–π“‰Άπ“ͺ were made out of a single stone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ and used to be at the entrance to ancient Egyptian temples π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰π“ͺ. Usually there were two 𓏻 obelisks π“π“π“ˆ–π“‰Άπ“ͺ per temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ entrance. The obelisk π“π“π“ˆ–π“‰Ά was invented by the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ!Β 

Obelisk in Galaxy's Edge!
Me with the Obelisk in Galaxy’s Edge!

The word β€œobelisk” is actually Greek, and the ancient Egyptians actually referred to these structures as β€œteαΈ«en.” (𓏏=t, 𓐍=αΈ«, π“ˆ–=n, 𓉢= determinative). 

There are a couple of ways to write β€œobelisk” in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ: 

π“π“π“ˆ–π“‰Ά (the full word) 

π“π“ˆ–π“‰Ά (shortened variant of the word) 

𓉢 (just the determinative could be used, in this case as an ideogram to mean the full word)

When Rome conquered Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, many of the emperors brought obelisks π“π“π“ˆ–π“‰Άπ“ͺ to Rome. There are currently 13 obelisks π“π“π“ˆ–π“‰Άπ“ͺ throughout Rome, eight of which are purely Egyptian, and the other five 𓏾 were procured by the emperors. 

It’s so cool to see a structure invented by the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ still inspiring projects today – even Star Wars related ones!

Galaxy's Edge
Me with Kylo Ren in front of the Millennium Falcon!
Galaxy's Edge
Me with Kylo Ren in front of the Millennium Falcon!

I have added some of my non-Egypt related pictures to the post because I just love Star Wars so much and I wanted to share!

Galaxy's Edge
Me with Poe Dameron’s X-Wing on “Rise of the Resistance.”
Galaxy's Edge
Me with The Mandalorian and Grogu!

I hope you’re enjoying my β€œAncient Egypt in Disney” series! Let me know in the comments!

Galaxy's Edge
Me with Stormtroopers on “Rise of the Resistance”
Galaxy's Edge
Getting interrogated by a Stormtrooper at the base of the Millennium Falcon!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblogΒ 

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Blog

Giraffes in Ancient Egypt

Did you know that there were giraffes 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱π“ͺ in ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–? Giraffes 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱π“ͺ are another one of my favorite animals and I was so excited to see them so close on the Kilimanjaro Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom! I have been on the safari many times but I have never seen so many animals on it before!Β 

Giraffes in Ancient Egypt
A giraffe at the Kilimanjaro Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

Giraffes 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱π“ͺ are native to the African continent, so it would make sense that the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ would encounter these beautiful π“„€ animals! When giraffes 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱π“ͺ first evolved, they made most of the African continent (including Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–) their home! There is some Pre-Dynastic period art that depicts giraffes 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱π“ͺ because they were living among the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ at that time! By the Early Dynastic Period, the giraffes 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱π“ͺ had left the area so they are not as commonly seen in art as the hippos π“Œ‰π“π“ƒ―π“¦, crocodiles π“…“π“‹΄π“Ž›π“†Œπ“¦ and lions π“Œ³π“Ήπ“„Ώπ“„›π“ͺ. 

Giraffes 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱π“ͺ did not appear frequently in ancient Egyptian art or mythology because they were considered to be β€œforeign” animals and were mainly shown as signs of conquest of foreign lands. Giraffes 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱π“ͺ could also be presented as gifts to the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 from foreign rulers! 

One famous depiction of a giraffe 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱 in ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– is on the temple reliefs of Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ Mortuary Temple at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐! Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ was also the first 𓏃 recorded person to have a menagerie, so she clearly liked animals!Β 

Giraffes in Ancient Egypt
A giraffe at the Kilimanjaro Safari at Disney’s Animal Kingdom!

There are two 𓏻 ways to write β€œgiraffe” in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ: 

𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱

𓋴𓂋𓃱

The word β€œπ“‹΄π“‚‹π“ƒ±β€ can also mean β€œforetell,” (either with the giraffe determinative or written as 𓋴𓂋𓀁) and I wonder why both β€œgiraffe” and β€œforetell” are the same? Maybe there’s some cultural significance of the giraffe 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱 that we don’t know about yet! 

I also find the giraffe symbol 𓃱 to be so adorable! It was mainly used as a determinative in the words for giraffe 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱 / 𓋴𓂋𓃱! The hieroglyphs giraffe 𓃱 also looks like the emoji giraffe πŸ¦’! 

I hope you’re enjoying my β€œAncient Egypt in Disney” series and learned something about giraffes 𓅓𓂝𓅓𓂝𓃱π“ͺ in ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblogΒ 

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Blog

Spaceship Earth

There is a wonderful ride at EPCOT called Spaceship Earth! You board a β€œtime machine” and take a journey on how human communication has changed from the dawn of time to now! I have always loved this ride because it has an entire room dedicated to ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–! 

The narrator highlights some of ancient Egypt’s π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š– important contributions to human communication such as the invention of papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 paper and hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!Β 

Spaceship Earth
A scene from Spaceship Earth showing a the pharaoh, the great wife, and a scribe writing on papyrus

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! Yes, some of the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ in this ride are actually real! In the picture above, behind the pharaoh sitting on the throne, is the birth name cartouche π“ π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“· of Seti I! What’s funny is that this looks like Tutankhamun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ throne, but Seti I is sitting on it!Β 

Spaceship Earth
A closeup of the hieroglyphs on Spaceship Earth, showing the birth name cartouche of pharaoh Seti I

𓅭𓇳 – Son of Ra (one of the titles that appears before the birth name cartouche)

π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›- Ptah 

π“£π“‡Œ – Belongs to Seth (pronounced like β€œSeti”) 

π“Œ» – BelovedΒ 

Spaceship Earth
The replica of an ancient Egyptian temple on Spaceship Earth

The picture above shows what looks like a temple, but you can spot Seti I’s throne name cartouche, 𓇳𓁦𓏠:Β 

π“†₯ – King of Upper and Lower Egypt (title that appears before the throne name cartouche)

𓇳𓁦𓏠  – Menmaatra (β€œEternal 𓏠 is the Truth 𓁦 of Ra 𓇳”)

You can also see some other common phrases/titles on this temple such as β€œMonuments 𓏠𓏍,” β€œLord of the Two Lands π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώ,” β€œPerfect God π“ŠΉπ“„€,” β€œIt is/To Be π“ƒΉπ“ˆ–π“ˆ–,” and β€œSky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯.” 

Spaceship Earth
A man making papyrus paper on Spaceship Earth
Spaceship Earth
Another view of the temple on Spaceship Earth, this time showing Anubis

The pictures above show a man making papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 paper and the temple – and you can see Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 in the bottom left!

I hope you’re enjoying my β€œAncient Egypt in Disney” series! Let me know in the comments!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblog

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The Tree of Life

Did you know that the first mention of any β€œTree of Life π“‡‹π“Ž”π“‚§π“†­β€ is actually from ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–?! The β€œTree of Life π“‡‹π“Ž”π“‚§π“†­β€ appears in some versions of the creation myth and grew out of the primordial mound!Β 

I am going to be doing an β€œAncient Egypt in Disney” series where I show you all the cool ancient Egyptian themed things you can see in Disney World! I hope you all will follow along with me!Β 

The Tree of Life
Me with the Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park!

Disney’s Animal Kingdom is an incredibly beautiful 𓄀𓆑𓂋 park and I love it there – the atmosphere and theming is incredible! The symbol for the park is the Tree of Life π“‡‹π“Ž”π“‚§π“†­ and I think all of the different animals carved into the wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 on the trunk of the tree 𓆭𓅓𓆭 is so cool!

In ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, due to the climate, trees 𓆭𓅓𓆭π“ͺ were a rare commodity! Certain trees 𓆭𓅓𓆭π“ͺ were also associated with different deities! There are many tomb paintings where the goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ Hathor 𓉑 or Nut π“Œπ“π“‡―π“€­ are shown emerging from trees 𓆭𓅓𓆭π“ͺ to give the deceased food 𓇬𓀁𓅱𓏔π“₯ and water π“ˆ—. 

The Sycamore Tree π“ˆ–π“‰”π“π“†­ and the Acacia Tree π“ˆ™π“ˆ–π“†“π“†­ are the two trees 𓆭𓅓𓆭π“ͺ that pop up the most in Egyptian mythology. The Sycamore Tree π“ˆ–π“‰”π“π“†­ is usually associated with the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Hathor 𓉑 and she even has the title β€œLady of the Sycamore,” however, Nut π“Œπ“π“‡―π“€­ and Isis π“Š¨π“π“†‡ will sometimes have that title too! 

Ra’s solar barge 𓂧π“Šͺπ“π“Šž was said to be made of wood 𓆱𓏏𓏺 from the Acacia Tree π“ˆ™π“ˆ–π“†“π“†­, and two Acacia Trees π“ˆ™π“ˆ–π“†“π“†­π“ͺ could also serve as a gateway to the Netherworld which is why they are a symbol of life π“‹Ή and rebirth π“„Ÿπ“Ώπ“…±! The ancient Egyptians also considered the Acacia Tree π“ˆ™π“ˆ–π“†“π“†­ to be very old because there’s a line from the Book of the Dead 𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓏲𓇳𓏺𓍼𓏺 that refers to a β€œtime before the Acacia Tree.” 

The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblogΒ 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Bronze Statue of Bastet

This image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 shows a bronze π“ˆ”π“€π“ˆ’π“¦ statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ of the beloved π“Œ»π“‚‹π“‡Œ Egyptian goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“! This statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is dated to the Late Period – Ptolemaic Period (c. 664–30 B.C.E.).

Bronze Statue of Bastet
Bronze Statue of Bastet on display at the MET

The goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ and Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“ were both depicted as cats 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠π“ͺ, however, Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“ usually had the body of a woman 𓂑𓏏𓁐 while Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ usually had the body of a cat 𓅓𓇋𓅱𓃠. Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“ is also usually distinguished from Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ by the sun disc 𓇳𓏺 that usually appears on her head!

However, when Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ was depicted with the body of a woman 𓂑𓏏𓁐 (like in this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾), she was usually holding a sistrum π“Šƒπ“ˆ™π“ˆ™π“π“£ in one hand! Since Hathor 𓉑 was usually seen with sistrums π“Šƒπ“ˆ™π“ˆ™π“π“£π“ͺ, this shows a link between the two 𓏻 goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“!

This statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 also shows Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ holding a basket π“‚π“‚‹π“‚π“‚‹π“Ž… in her elbow/arm (opposite the sistrum π“Šƒπ“ˆ™π“ˆ™π“π“£) and a lion-headed aegis in the same arm. An aegis is an object that has the head of a deity π“ŠΉ (in this case a lion) with a broad collar π“…±π“‹΄π“π“ŽΊπ“‹ underneath it! The aegis itself was a protective π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ symbol associated with Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ and was used in rituals and festivals! The basket π“‚π“‚‹π“‚π“‚‹π“Ž… is thought to possibly hold kittens, but that is just an inference by historians and Egyptologists!

Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ was the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ of pregnancy and childbirth and was considered to be the protective π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ form of the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ so it is very fitting for her to be holding the aegis!

Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“ and Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ were believed to be the two 𓏻 unpredictable personalities of the same goddess π“ŠΉπ“. While Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“ represented the destructive and unpredictable side, Bastet π“Ž―π“π“π“ was the gentler and calmer side. 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblogΒ