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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

The Egyptian Star

Egyptian Star
The Egyptian Star hieroglyph might have been inspired by the starfish that live in the Red Sea

The five pointed Egyptian Star 𓇼 is one of my absolute favorite hieroglyphic symbols! The star hieroglyphic π“ŠΉπ“Œƒ symbol 𓇼 was used very frequently in words as well and there are different variations of star symbols (𓇻, 𓇽). You’ll mostly see it in words like β€œDuat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐.” Sometimes β€œDuat” is represented with just the β€œπ“‡½β€ symbol too!Β 

Egyptian Star
A painted and a carved hieroglyphic Egyptian star!

What I also love about the Star 𓇼 is that not only does it function as a hieroglyph, but it is also used as artistic decoration.Β 

Egyptian Star
Egyptian Stars on the Middle Kingdom Canopic Jar Case of Ukhotep (MET)

The night sky/star design appears on the ceilings of tombs π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰π“ͺ (Seti I’s π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“£π“‡Œπ“ŒΈπ“ˆ– tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰ comes to mind), temples π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰π“ͺ (Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐) and even on funerary objects π“ˆŽπ“‚‹π“‹΄π“π“π“Š­ like canopic jar cases and in the Book of the Dead 𓉐𓂋𓏏𓂻𓅓𓉔𓂋𓏲𓇳𓏺𓍼𓏺!Β 

Egyptian Star
Stars in the Book of the Dead of Sobekmose (Brooklyn Museum)

The five pointed star hieroglyph (𓇼), while used to represent stars 𓋴𓃀𓄿𓇼𓏦 in the sky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯, actually resembles the starfish π“‡Όπ“ˆ™π“‡Ό that inhabit the Red Sea! Egyptologists and archaeologists think that the star hieroglyph (𓇼) originally represented the starfish π“‡Όπ“ˆ™π“‡Ό but then evolved to represent stars 𓋴𓃀𓄿𓇼𓏦 in the sky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯 as well.Β 

Egyptian Star
Stars in the Book of the Dead of Imhotep (MET)Β 

What I find fascinating is that the ancient Egyptian language (π“‡Όπ“ˆ™π“‡Ό), English (starfish), and Italian (stella marina) all equate these beautiful π“„€ sea animals to the stars in the sky! The ancient Egyptians had a deep understanding of astronomy and the stars 𓋴𓃀𓄿𓇼𓏦 and it’s so cool that they saw starfish π“‡Όπ“ˆ™π“‡Ό in the Red Sea and thought that they looked like the bright objects in the sky π“Šͺ𓏏𓇯!Β 

Egyptian Star
A Starfish at EPCOT in Disney World – it definitely looks like a five pointed Egyptian Star!

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

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