Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at a very popular word that appears on a lot of funerary equipmentย ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ญ (coffins ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ๐ฆ, False Doors, Canopic Jar Cases, etc.)! This word can be tricky though because there are a lot of different variants of it – meaning that it can be spelled differently depending on how the word is used or the amount of space available on the object (in this case, the object is a woodenย ๐ฑ๐๐บย coffinย ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ). Different variants of the word can even appear on the same object, as I illustrate with the picturesย ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆย Iโm sharing todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ!
The word for today ๐๐๐๐ณ is โRevered/Revered One,โ which on the inscription ๐๐ ฑ๐ in the pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ, you can see two ๐ป of the popular variants:
๐๐ด๐ช๐
๐๐ช๐
Revered One/Revered can also be spelled like:
๐๐ด๐ช
๐๐ด๐ช๐ ฑ
๐๐ด๐ช๐๐
๐๐ด๐๐
๐ช๐
๐๐ช๐๐ ฑ
๐๐ด๐ช๐๐ ฑ (Revered Man – Dead)
๐ช๐๐๐ (Revered Woman – Dead)
Iโm sure I did not list all of the variants either! Word variants can be confusing for people who are just starting to read hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช and thatโs okay! It will just take some practice, and the best way to practice is to just keep reading real Egyptian inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ!
Next time you go to a museum, see if you can find a variant for โRevered/Revered One!โ Iโm sure you will!!
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at the name ๐๐ of not only a very popular deity ๐น, but also one of my favorite deities ๐น๐น๐น (besides Anubisย ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃย of course)!!ย
This is the name ๐๐ of the god ๐น Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! The name ๐๐ Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ is actually the Greek version of his name ๐๐; the ancient Egyptians referred to him as Djehuty ๐ ๐๐ญ!
Letโs break down the hieroglyphic symbols ๐น๐๐ช together ๐๐!
The โ Ibis on Standard ๐ โ symbol is a variant of the โIbis ๐ โ symbol and has the sound of โแธแธฅwtj,โ which we thing would sound like โDjehuty.โ This symbol is an ideogram, so it represents the full sound of the word it is meant to represent.
Whatโs interesting about the Middle Egyptian Language, is that even though ideograms like โ๐ โ and โ๐โ would fully spell out Thothโs name ๐๐, scribes would still add the phonograms to the end of the name ๐๐ if there was enough space on the monument/object to do so! This made inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ easier to read ๐๐ง๐ and also look nicer! The ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช were all about the aesthetic!
The โflat loaf of bread ๐โ is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound โt.โ It also functions as the ideogram for the word โbread ๐๐บโ and can be used to make words feminine!
The โtwo strokes ๐ญโ symbol represents the sound โjโ which in English would have the same sound as a โy.โ It is usually only used at the end of a word!
Here are some variants of Thothโs name ๐๐:
๐ ค๐ญ
๐
๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ
๐ ๐๐ญ
๐
Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ was thought to have invented writing ๐๐๐ฅ, and was thus the god ๐น of all record keeping. Due to his vast knowledge,ย ๐๐๐๐ย Thoth ๐ was thought to know magic and secrets that were unknown to the rest of the gods ๐น๐น๐น in the Egyptian pantheon.ย He was also the god ๐น of scribes ๐๐๐ช.
Letโs read the inscriptionย ๐๐ ฑ๐ in the picture above:ย
๐ ๐๐ญ – Thoth (Djehuty)
๐ – Lord
๐น๐๐๐๐๐ – Divine Words/Writing
โLord of the Divine Words/Writing ๐๐น๐๐๐๐๐โ was one of Thothโs ๐ ๐๐ญ many titles! This title makes perfect sense since he was thought to have invented writing ๐๐๐ฅ/hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Fun Fact: โwritingโ was usually written as โ๐๐๐๐,โ but on this coffin it is switched to โ๐๐๐๐!โ
Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ was originally god ๐น of the moon ๐๐๐๐น, but then later became associated with writing ๐๐๐ฅ and knowledge ๐๐๐๐. The moon ๐๐๐๐น could be thought of as a โnight sun,โ which kind of places him as an opposite of the sun ๐ณ๐บ god ๐น Re ๐ณ๐บ๐.
Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ is also credited with inventing the 365-day calendar which is one of the ancient Egyptiansโ long lasting contributions to astronomy! As their math an astronomy got better, Egyptian astronomers even adjusted the year to be exactly 365.25 days, which is the exact time it takes the Earth ๐พ๐พ to revolve around the Sun ๐ณ๐บ! How amazing is that!?
Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at one of the names ๐๐๐ฆ of one of the Four Sons of Horus!
Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ had the head of a falconย ๐๐๐ก๐ , protectedย ๐ ๐๐ก๐ย the intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ, and was associated with the West ๐๐๐๐.ย
Qebehsenuef can be written as both ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ and ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐, and sometimes a determinative was added to the end of the name ๐๐, which reads like ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐๐ญ.
The โwater jar with water ๐ / ๐โ symbols are both variants of each other and have the same meaning! These symbols mostly act as determinatives, however in the case of Qebehsenuef the symbols act as a triliteral phonogram with the sound โkbb/qbbโ or โkbh/qbh.โ
The โarrowhead ๐ขโ is a biliteral phonogram that is associated with the sound โsn.โ Since the arrowhead ๐ข is repeated three times in the name, that pluralizes the symbol and causes it to have the sound โsnw.โ
The โhorned viper ๐โ functions as a uniliteral phonogram and represents the sound โf.โ In other words, it can function as a determinative. The ๐ can be confusing for people learning hieroglyphs because it can also function as the word โheโ! There are so many ways that ๐ and it takes practice to master them all!
So Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ may seem like a difficult name ๐๐ to pronounce but once you break down the symbols itโs not too bad! How the name ๐๐ is written with Romanized Letters is very similar to the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ would would like โQbh-snu-f.โ
Iย am standing with the Horus cartouche of the Second Dynasty Pharaoh Nebra ๐๐ณ (or Raneb).
Not much is known about Nebra ๐๐ณ besides his name, which mostly appears on alabaster bowls and cups. The length of his rule is also not known, since that section of the Turin Canon/Papyrus is destroyed but Egyptologists estimate it to be about 10 ๐ -14 ๐๐ฝ years.
The name Nebra ๐๐ณ (or Raneb) has puzzled Egyptologists because Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ was not a big religious figure during the Second Dynasty. At that time, Horus ๐ ๐ญ was the main deity and Egyptian religion very much centered on the story of Horus ๐ ๐ญ and Seth ๐๐๐ก๐ฃ and the importance of keeping divine balance. The name Nebra ๐๐ณ can also be translated as either โLord of the sun (Ra)โ or โRa is my lord,โ which would show that the sun was already being worshipped separately as its own deity at this time instead of just being part of Horus ๐ ๐ญ. The Third Dynasty (around the rule of Djoser ๐ฆ) is really when evidence of the sun being an independent deity begins to show up in Egyptian society.
I am with a statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ of a cowโs ๐ค๐๐๐๐ head, which of course is representative of the goddess ๐น๐ Hathor ๐ก.
Hathor ๐ก is one of the most prominent goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ of the Egyptian pantheon. Along with Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ, she is regarded as the โdivine motherโ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป, but is also the goddess ๐น๐ of love, joy, music, and dance – basically the fun things in life! Hathor is also the wife of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, and the daughter of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐. Hathor ๐ก is usually associated with cows ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ฆ and can take the form of a cow ๐ค๐๐๐๐ in many forms of Egyptian art.
Fun fact: the words โbeautiful womanโ and โcowโ are super similar in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช- only the determinative at the end is different! They are even pronounced the same (nfrt) Why? Probably because of Hathor ๐ก! I find this hysterical – you probably donโt want to mess these two words up (in English at least ๐). Even my family knows this fact about hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, because I bring it up all the time!!
Itโs no secret that Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ (Inpu in Egyptian – the name Anubis is actually Greek) is my favorite of the Egyptian gods ๐น๐น๐น! I have always been a fan of mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช, so it makes sense that the god of embalming, tombs, cemeteries, etc ended up being my favorite! Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ also could act as a guide to souls in the Underworld ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐(referenced in the Pyramid Texts of Unas).
The inscription (which is read from left to right on this particular text) states: ๐๐๐ต๐๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ๐ถ๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐ ฑ๐๐๐.
The translation is: ๐๐๐ต๐ – An offering the king gives ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ- Anubis ๐ถ๐บ๐๐ – Upon his hill/mountain ๐๐ถ๐ ฑ๐๐๐ – He who is in the mummy wrappings
The title โ๐ถ๐บ๐๐โ refers to Anubisโ role as the protector of the tombs while โ ๐๐ถ๐ ฑ๐๐๐โ refers to Anubisโ importance as the god ๐น of embalming/mummification.
One of my favorite things about the Temple of Dendur at the MET are the incredible details that are carved into the walls! The templeย ๐๐๐ย was built by the Roman Emperor Augustusย ๐๐ป๐(who liked to refer to himself as just pharaohย ๐๐ปย in his cartouche) and was meant to be a place of honorย for the goddess ๐น๐ Isisย ๐จ๐๐ฅ. Just like most other Egyptian temples, the common people werenโt allowed to worshipย ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ขย inside of it.ย
A lot of Egyptian architecture was built in three ๐ผ layers! In the case of the Temple of Dendur specifically, the three ๐ผ layers are the Earthย ๐พ๐พ, the Skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ, and then what happens between the Earthย ๐พ๐พย and the Skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ. The โbetween theย ๐พ๐พ andย ๐ช๐๐ฏโ sectionย is the templeย ๐๐๐ itself! This section would be where the carvings of the deities ๐น๐น๐น are!ย
The picture above details the section of the templeย ๐๐๐ย that represents the Earthย ๐พ๐พ. I love this because it looks like papyrus ๐ ๐๐๐ฐ and lotus ๐ธ๐ช plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย are growing out of the base of the templeย ๐๐๐! I think it is such a beautiful ๐ค way to represent the Earthย ๐พ๐พ! The ancient Egyptians really like plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย and flowersย ๐ผ๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐ฆย so it makes sense that they would want to represent them realistically in this way! How do we know that the ancient Egyptians liked plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย and flowersย ๐ผ๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐ฆ? Art like this allows us to make these inferences!ย
Fun fact! There are so many ways to write โpapyrusโ in Middle Egyptian! Here are a few:
๐ ๐๐๐ – papyrus roll/scroll
๐ ๐๐๐ฐ – papyrus plant
๐ฏ๐ – papyrus
๐ ๐ฐ – papyrus
๐๐๐๐ – papyrus marsh
Letโs now take a look at the โin-betweenโ layer!
Augustus making an offering to Osiris and Isis
What I like most about the โbetween the Earth ๐พ๐พ and Sky ๐ช๐๐ฏโ section is the depiction of Emperor Augustus ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ with many different Egyptian deities ๐น๐น๐น! He doesnโt look like an Emperor though – he looks like a pharaoh ๐๐ป! Augustus can be seen wearing many articles of Egyptian royal ๐พ fashion such as the Atef crown ๐, the double crown ๐, a false beard, a broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐, armlets ๐๐ด๐ก๐๐ ฑ๐ฆ, and bracelets ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ. These are all features that are associated with Egyptian pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ, even though Augustus ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ was Roman.
In the following reliefs, Augustus ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ is making offerings ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ to Egyptian gods ๐น๐น๐น. In the first image ๐๐ ฑ๐, he is making an offering ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ to Osirisย ๐น๐จ๐ญย and Isisย ๐จ๐๐ฅ. You can even see the papyrusย ๐ ๐๐๐ฐย and lotusย ๐ธ๐ชย flower plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย from yesterdayโs post just below the relief!ย
Hathor (right), Horus (middle) and Augustus (right) with me!A closeup view of Horus and Augustus
In the second/third images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ above, Augustus ๐๐ป๐ is making an offeringย ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ of wineย to Horusย ๐ ๐ญย and Hathorย ๐ก!ย
You can also see three ๐ผ of Augustusโ cartouches in these images! Can you spot them all?
๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ – Autokrator (Greek for โEmperorโ)
๐๐๐๐๐๐น๐ – Kaisaros (Greek for โCaesarโ)
๐๐ป๐ – Pharaohย
The next and final layer we are going to talk about is the skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ! The wingedย ๐ง๐ณ๐๐ย sun disc ๐ณ๐บ appears above all of the entrances to the templeย ๐๐๐.
The wingsย ๐ง๐ณ๐๐๐ฆย belong to Horusย ๐ ๐ญ, who was often represented as a falconย ๐๐๐ก๐ .ย Horusย ๐ ๐ญ, whose ย realm was the Skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ,ย was one of the most important gods ๐น๐น๐น in the Egyptian pantheon. Horusย ๐ ๐ญย was not only the mythological representation of the pharaohย ๐๐ป/heir to the throne of Egyptย ๐๐ ๐๐, but also a skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏย god ๐น. Horusโย ๐ ๐ญย name ๐๐ means โThe Distant One,โ due to him residing in the skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ!ย
Due to the symbolโs association with Horus ๐ ๐ญ, the winged ๐ง๐ณ๐๐ sun disc ๐ณ๐บ also represents royalty ๐พ, power, divinity ๐น, and order vs. chaos. There are many different representations of Horus throughout Egyptian mythology. The the winged ๐ง๐ณ๐๐ sun disc ๐ณ๐บ design is also known as โHorus the Behdetiteโ and is a representation of Horus ๐ ๐ญ.
The sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ was not only the realm of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, but many other deities ๐น๐น๐น as well. Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐, Shu ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ, Nut ๐๐๐ฏ๐ญ, Khepri ๐ฃ๐๐๐ and others were deities ๐น๐น๐น associated with the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ. The sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ was where the divine ๐น resided, hence why it was so heavily represented in Egyptian mythology and architecture.
The two ๐ป columns represent papyrusย ๐ ๐๐๐ฐย and lotus flowersย ๐ธ๐ชย growing from the ground/Earthย ๐พ๐พย to the skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ! These columns can be seen as forming a connection between all three ๐ผ layers of the templeย ๐๐๐! I will never not be amazed by the symbolism and craftsmanship of Egyptian architecture!ย
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณย we are going to be looking at the name ๐๐ of the god ๐น Sobekย ๐ด๐๐ก๐ in hieroglyphsย ๐น๐๐ช!
I like Sobekโsย ๐ด๐๐ก๐ย name ๐๐ a lot because its phonetic and easy to spell/remember if you know the phonogram symbols! This is because Sobekย ๐ด๐๐ก๐ has kept his โEgyptian Nameโ and it wasnโt changed by the Greeks like some if the other deities ๐น๐น๐น such as Anubisย ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ, Osirisย ๐น๐จ๐ญ, Thothย ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ, etc.ย
The โFolded Cloth ๐ดโ symbol is a uniliteral phonogram that has the sound of โs.โ
The โFoot ๐โ symbol is also a uniliteral phonogram that has the sound of โb.โ
The โBasket with a Handle ๐กโ symbol is also a uniliteral phonogram that has the sound of โk.โ A lot of people get this one confused with just the โbasket ๐โ symbol which is a biliteral phonogram that has the sound โnb.โ So they are very different!!
The โCrocodile on a Shrine ๐โ symbol is the determinative in Sobek, so in this case it is not pronounced! The symbol can also be used as an ideogram, where it would have the sound โsbkโ or Sobek!
Sobek can be written as:
๐ด๐๐ก๐
๐ด๐๐ก๐
๐๐บ
๐๐บ
Sobek ๐ด๐๐ก๐ is usually depicted as a crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ sitting on a shrine ๐๐๐ ๐๐ – just like this hieroglyph โ๐,โ or as a human body with a crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ head ๐ถ๐บ.
My Nonno took this picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ of the Stelaย ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธย of Hatshepsutย ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ชย and Thutmosis IIIย ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃย for me! While we did see it at the Vatican Museum together, he always made sure to take a different pictureย ๐๐ ฑ๐ย for me each time he saw it because he knew how much I love it!ย
This stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ depicts Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช and Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ during their joint reign. Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is wearing the blue crown ๐ฃ๐๐๐ and making an offering of nemset jars ๐๐๐ to Amun-Ra ๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐บ. The stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ was meant to commemorate restoration works in Thebes ๐๐๐!
The most interesting parts about this stela is that it is one of two pieces (that I know of) that contains Hatshepsutโs entire titulary in one place! The only other place I know that has all of Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช names ๐๐๐ฆ is the Obelisk at Karnak.
Letโs take a closer look at all of Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช names ๐๐๐ฆ! The names ๐๐๐ฆ can be found on the top two rows of hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช on the bottom of the stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ!
Horus Name: ๐๐ด๐๐๐๐ – โWosretkauโ translates to โThe Mighty of the Kasโ or โThe Mighty of the Souls.โ
Nebty Name: ๐ ๐ ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ณ – โWadjet renputโ translates to โFlourishing of Years.โ
Golden Horus Name: ๐ ๐น๐๐๐ฆ – โNetjeret khauโ translates to โDivine of Appearances.โ
Throne Name: ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ – โMaatkareโ translates to โTruth is the Soul of Re.โ
Birth Name: ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐ผ – โKhnemet Amun Hatshepsutโ translates to โUnited with Amun, Foremost of the Noble Women.โ This version of the Birth Name that appears on this stela is a variant of ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช. A โvariantโ is just a different way to spell out a personโs name ๐๐!
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณย we are going to be looking at this vibrant/beautifully ๐ค paintedย ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆย sarcophagusย ๐๐น๐๐๐ญย from the MET!ย
This image ๐๐ ฑ๐ depicts the deceasedโsย ๐ ๐๐ฑย ba ๐ ก๐บ returning to its mummyย ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ! The Baย ๐ ก๐บย was part of an individual’s soul that was depicted as a human headed bird. The Baย ๐ ก๐บ and the ka ๐๐บ ย were both aspects of a personโs soul! I also love the detail of the four ๐ฝ canopic jars underneath the mummyย ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ!ย
The Ba ๐ ก๐ค is the impression that an individual makes on others – everything except the physical body ๐๐๐ผ. The Ba ๐ ก๐ค can also be thought of as an individualโs personality. The Ba ๐ ก๐ค wasnโt necessarily associated with living, and seemed to manifest after the person died. Ba ๐ ก๐ค has no equivalent word ๐๐ง๐ ฑ๐ in any current language ๐๐บ, as this was an ancient Egyptian funerary concept/belief.
When a person died, the Ba ๐ ก๐ค was the only part of the person that would be able to travel out of the tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐, but it did have to return eventually to be reunited with the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ.
Thereโs a spell ๐๐๐ from the Book of the Dead that states โMay it (Ba) see my corpse, may it rest on my mummy, Which will never be destroyed or perish.โ This spell ๐๐๐ illustrates why it was so important that the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ remain intact; the Ba ๐ ก๐ค needed to return to it! This is why funerary masks became so popular; if the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ was destroyed, the mask could take the place of the mummyโs head and allow the Ba ๐ ก๐ค to return.
Can you recognize any words in the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช on the sarcophagus ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ?! Thereโs a bunch we have learned:
