Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
This sunken relief and inscriptionย ๐๐ ฑ๐ย is from the sarcophagusย ๐๐น๐๐๐ญย of a man named Harkhebit who lived during Dynasty 26 (c. 595-526 B.C.E.). This sarcophagusย ๐๐น๐๐๐ญย is one of the better examples of Late Period ancient Egyptian stonework and is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
One of the best things about Egyptian art is that sometimes the hieroglyphsย ๐น๐๐ชย act as โcaptionsโ and tell you exactly which deity ๐น you are looking at! The name ๐๐ of the deity ๐น usually appears above their head in an inscriptionย ๐๐ ฑ๐!
On the left, we can see Duamutef ๐ผ๐ ๐๐ who is one of the Four Sons of Horus that was tasked with protecting ๐ ๐๐ก๐ the stomach ๐๐ฃ๐ป. ! Duamutef can also be spelled like ๐ผ๐๐๐, and it would be pronounced the same! A lot of the names ๐๐๐ฆ of gods ๐น๐น๐น, goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐, and even pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ had variants. A variant is just an alternate spelling of a word! A determinative could also appear at the end of the name ๐๐, which would make them appear as ๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐ญ and ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ญ.
On the right, we can see Imsetiย ๐๐ ๐๐ฟย who is also one of the Four Sons of Horus who was tasked with protectingย ๐ ๐๐ก๐ย the liver ๐ ๐๐๐น๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ! Imsetiย ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ can also be spelled likeย ๐๐๐ด๐๐, and that variation is the one you will see most often so it was very cool to see this particular spelling!ย A determinative could also appear at the end of the name๐๐ , which would make them appear asย ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ญ andย ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ญ.ย
On the left, we can see Hapyย ๐๐ช๐, who is one of the Four Sons of Horus.ย Hapy ๐๐ช๐ had the head of a baboon and protectedย ๐ ๐๐ก๐ย the lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ. Hapyโs name ๐๐can also be spelled like in โ๐๐๐ช๐โย hieroglyphsย ๐น๐๐ช. The spelling seen on this sarcophagus (๐๐ช๐)is a less common variant! Even in English, Hapyย ๐๐ช๐ย can also be spelled like โHapi!โย
On the right, we can see Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ who is another one of the Four Sons of Horus.ย Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ย had the head of a falconย ๐๐๐ก๐ andย protectedย ๐ ๐๐ก๐ย the intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ. The way thatย Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ is spelled on this sarcophagusย ๐๐น๐๐๐ญย is the most common way I have seen the name ๐๐ spelled!ย
A determinative could also appear at the end of the name๐๐ , which would make them appear asย ๐๐ช๐๐ญ andย ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐๐ญ.ย
Much like Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ and Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ were popular deities ๐น๐น๐น to see on funerary equipment ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ญ, the Sons of Horus were as well because they were tasked with protecting ๐ ๐๐ก๐ organs ๐๐ง๐๐น๐ฆ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ. That is certainly an important job! Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ does appear on this sarcophagus ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ, heโs just in a different spot!