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Egyptian Artifacts

Scribe Statuette

How cute is this little π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…© scribe π“Ÿπ“€€ statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ?! I think he is just adorable!!! Though small π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…©, the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is wonderfully detailed. The eyes 𓁹𓏏𓏦, nose π“†‘π“ˆ–π“‚§π“‚‰, wig, and hands 𓂧𓏏𓏦 can all be clearly seen with great detail.

The base of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is interesting too! You can see part of the Offering Formula, except it’s written a little β€œstrangely.” Let’s take a look!

Here is the inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ on the base of the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ:

π“Š΅π“π“™π“‡“π“‡“π“™π“Š΅

The inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ on the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ can be read β€œsplit” down the middle:

π“Š΅π“π“™π“‡“ || π“‡“π“™π“Š΅

As you can see in the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ itself, the direction of the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ change which indicates that you start reading in a different direction! When written out β€œproperly,” the Offering Formula looks like this: π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™.

So obviously the symbols are mixed up, and even the 𓏏 is missing from the inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ at the right. This was done probably because of spacing issues – this statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ is tiny π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…© when you see it in person!

Scribes π“Ÿπ“€€π“ͺ were very highly regarded in ancient Egyptian society. Due to the complexity of hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ/hieratic, those who were able to master it were extremely valued. Scribes π“Ÿπ“€€π“ͺ recorded magic spells, wills and other legal contracts, medical procedures, and tax records. Most importantly for us, scribes π“Ÿπ“€€π“ͺ also helped to preserve Egyptian culture throughout time. They were considered part of the royal court and did not have to serve in the military because their job as a scribe π“Ÿπ“€€ was so essential.