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Reading Hieroglyphs

Hatshepsut’s Ovoid Stone

This piece is known as an “Ovoid Stone” or a “Hammering Stone” and was probably used as a type of tool during building construction.

Ovoid Stone
A closeup image of the Ovoid Stone and the hieroglyphs on it!

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! I divided the inscription into two parts, and then translated each of the individual words so you can get a sense of the sentence structure used in the Middle/New Egyptian language!! Here’s the first row:

𓊹𓏏𓄤(𓇳𓁦𓂓)𓁹𓈖𓊃𓅓𓏠𓏍𓊃𓏛𓆑𓊃𓇋𓏠𓈖𓇳𓏺

𓊹𓏏𓄤 – Great Goddess

𓇳𓁦𓂓 – Maatkare

𓁹𓈖 – to make/to do/born of

𓊃 – she

𓅓 – for

𓏠𓏍𓊃𓏛- monument

𓆑 – father 

𓊃 – her 

𓇋𓏠𓈖𓇳𓏺 – Amun-Re

“The Great Goddess, Maatkare, she made the monument for her father, Amun-Re…” 

And here’s the second row: 

𓐍𓆑𓏸𓍱𓈙𓁷𓏸𓇋𓏠𓈖𓂦𓏛𓂦𓅱𓉐𓁹𓊃𓋹𓍘

𓐍𓆑 – in front of/at (a preposition)

𓏸𓍱𓈙 – Stretching of the Cord

𓁷𓏸 – over

𓇋𓏠𓈖 – Amun 

𓂦𓏛𓂦𓅱𓉐 – Holiest of Holies

𓁹𓊃𓋹𓍘 – May She Live / That They Live

“…at the stretching of the cord over the Holiest of Holies Amun, May She Live!”

The “Stretching of the Cord” was part of the foundation ritual that occurred when a building was constructed in ancient Egypt. “Holiest of Holies” is the name for Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahri. 

Ovoid Stone
A larger view of the display that contains the Ovoid Stone

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

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