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Egyptian Artifacts

Anubis – drawing, hieroglyph or both?

This is another closeup image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 from Imhotep’s π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ Book of the Dead (Early Ptolemaic Period) at the MET. While this image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 is not part of an inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯, this is my favorite hieroglyph π“ŠΉπ“Œƒ; Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 on top of a shrine π“π“Šƒπ“…“π“‚œπ“‰!Β 

As many of you know, Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 is my favorite Egyptian god π“ŠΉ and he always has been! I get so excited whenever I see Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 in any form of Egyptian art! 

There are two 𓏻 variations of this particular hieroglyph π“ŠΉπ“Œƒ: 𓃣 and 𓃀. Both can be used pretty much interchangeably and it was mostly style/aesthetics that determined which one was used in inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯. 

Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 can be written a bunch of different ways in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ: 

π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓁒

π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 or π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃀

π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓃣 or π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓃀

𓃣 or 𓃀

𓁒

Once again, style/aesthetics determined which variation was used in inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯. This is not all of the variations of the name π“‚‹π“ˆ–, but the ones you will see the most! 

Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 is commonly associated with shrines, because he is a god π“ŠΉ that is associated with themes surrounding death 𓅓𓏏𓏱 (mummification, places of burial). 

While the word in Middle Egyptian for shrine is π“π“Šƒπ“…“π“‚œπ“‰, shrines associated with Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 had their own word! A shrine associated with Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 was called π“‰±π“ŠΉ, or the β€œGod’s Booth.” 

One of Anubis’ π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 titles that commonly appears after his name π“‚‹π“ˆ– in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ is: π“…π“ŠΉπ“‰± or β€œIn front at the God’s Booth.”