Bronze Blade With Hatshepsut’s Name

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on this Bronze Blade with Hatshepsut’s name!

While it doesn’t look like much, this piece is actually a bronze 𓈔𓏤𓈒𓏦 blade 𓅓𓂧𓈖𓐍𓋴 that was once attached to a handle. This was one of my favorite objects that I saw at the Petrie Museum because it has Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 throne name on it!

I also think this piece is unpublished, so it was a total surprise for me to see that it even existed! Since her name 𓂋𓈖appears on the blade 𓅓𓂧𓈖𓐍𓋴, it means that it was most certainly made during Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 time as pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. 

Let’s take a closer look at the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! 

𓄤𓊹 – Great God

(𓇳𓁦𓂓) – Maatkare (Hatshepsut’s Throne Name which translates to “Truth 𓁦 is the Soul 𓂓 of Re 𓇳.”)

𓇋𓏠𓈖 – Amun

𓏃 – Foremost 

𓂦𓂦𓉐- Holiest of Holies (the name given to Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahri. It can also be written as 𓂦𓂋𓂦𓏥𓉐). 

𓌺𓇌 – Beloved 

Put together, the inscription reads: 𓄤𓊹(𓇳𓁦𓂓)𓇋𓏠𓈖𓏃𓂦𓂦𓉐𓌺𓇌 “The Great God Maatkare, Beloved of Amun, Foremost of the Holiest of Holies.” 

Interestingly, Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 is referred to as “The Great God 𓄤𓊹” instead of the “Great Goddess 𓄤𓊹𓏏” as she usually is in inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥. Certain inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥 towards the later part of her reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏 did sometimes omit the feminine ending of the word, so this might mean the blade 𓅓𓂧𓈖𓐍𓋴 is from the late part of her rule 𓋾𓈎𓏏. Or this could just be a spacing issue – the blade 𓅓𓂧𓈖𓐍𓋴 is small 𓈖𓆓𓋴𓅩 so maybe not all of the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 could fit! 

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

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