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Reading Hieroglyphs

Wooden Plaque with Hieroglyphs

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!!!

This little wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 plaque was once part of a brick that was part of the foundation at the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ of Mentuhotep II π“‡³π“ŽŸπ“Š€ at Deir el-Bahri. Mentuhotep II π“‡³π“ŽŸπ“Š€ was pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 during the 11th Dynasty (Middle Kingdom).

Wooden Plaque with Hieroglyphs at the MET

The inscription reads: π“ π“ˆ–π“Ώπ“…±π“…†π“‡³π“…†π“ŽŸπ“ˆΉ π“Œ»π“‡Œπ“†₯(π“‡³π“ŽŸπ“Š€) 𓋹𓆖

Let’s break it down:
π“ π“ˆ–π“Ώπ“…±π“…†π“‡³π“…†: Montu-Re
π“ŽŸ: Lord
π“ˆΉ: Thebes (This symbol is a combination of π“Œ€π“ŠΎπ“ˆˆ. π“Œ€= Thebes, π“ŠΎ= a divine status and π“ˆˆ = the determinative of districts)
π“Œ»π“‡Œ: Beloved (can also be written like π“Œ»π“‚‹π“‡Œ sometimes)
π“†₯: King of Upper and Lower Egypt
(π“‡³π“ŽŸπ“Š€) Nebhapetra (Throne Name of Mentuhotep II)
𓋹𓆖: Eternal Life

So all together this inscription reads: β€œBeloved of Montu-Re, Lord of Thebes, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Nebhapetra, Eternal Life.”

Due to what’s called β€œhonorific transposition,” Montu-Re π“ π“ˆ–π“Ώπ“…±π“…†π“‡³π“…† appears first in the inscription since it’s the name of a god π“ŠΉ even though beloved π“Œ»π“‡Œ is read first.

We actually do use honorific transposition in English too! We read $20 as β€œtwenty dollars” and not β€œdollars twenty.”