Tag: vatican museum

Sandstone Stela of Hatshepsut

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date December 27, 2022
1 Comment on Sandstone Stela of Hatshepsut

I love this picture for two 𓏻 reasons: the first 𓏃 is because my Nonno took this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of me with the Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 Stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 at the Musei Vaticani! I almost feel that this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 represents how Nonno saw me, and I’ve never shared it until today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 because I wanted to keep it as “mine.” I wish I could go back to this moment because look at the happiness 𓄫𓄣 and joy 𓄫𓄣 on my face! The second 𓏌𓏻 reason is because this Stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 of Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 is one of my absolute favorite Egyptian artifacts – it was a dream of mine to see this in person, and I’m so lucky I was able to!

I know I have posted about this stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸a lot, however, today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳we are going to examine a different aspect of it! If you search “Hatshepsut” or “Vatican Museum,” you will be able to see my previous posts on this beautiful stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸!

This sandstone 𓂋𓅱𓂧𓏏𓌗𓈙 stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 depicts Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 and Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 during their joint reign. Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 is wearing the blue (khepresh) crown 𓆣𓂋𓈙𓋙 and is making an offering of nemset jars 𓏌𓏌𓏌 to the god 𓊹 Amun-Ra 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓇳𓏺. Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 is wearing the White Crown 𓄤𓋑 of Upper Egypt 𓇓!

The stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 was meant to commemorate restoration works in West Thebes 𓌀𓏏𓊖! Many pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 would restore the work of previous rulers 𓈎𓏏𓋾𓏪 to demonstrate their own power and to honor the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹, not to honor the previous pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦!

Another reason why restoring previous works and building lots of new buildings (which Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 did early in her reign 𓈎𓏏𓋾), was so significant was because it meant the name 𓂋𓈖 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 (in this case, Hatshepsut) would live on since the names were part of the buildings’ inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥. All of these new projects also impressed upon the common people the economic prosperity of the Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 regime. This was important for her to demonstrate immediately because she was not only a female 𓊃𓏏𓂑𓏏𓁐 ruler 𓈎𓏏𓋾, but she kind of pushed Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 to the side and named herself the legitimate pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.

Tags artifact, hatshepsut, thutmosis iii, vatican museum

Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Closeup of the Hatshepsut Stela

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date November 11, 2022

Here’s a closeup of a part of the Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 Stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 from the Vatican Museum in Rome! My Nonno took this picture on one of his trips to the museum. He knows how much I love this piece (it’s second only to the limestone statue of Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 at the MET).

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

In the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪, you can see the cartouches for the throne names (or prenomen) of both Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III. The prenomen was one of the five royal names of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.

𓇳𓁦𓂓 = Maatkare (Hatshepsut)
𓇳𓏠𓆣 = Menkhepra (Thutmosis III)

The hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 in between the two cartouches spell out 𓏙𓋹𓇳𓏇 which translates to “given life like Ra”

Tags artifact, hatshepsut, hieroglyph lessons, hieroglyphs, thutmosis iii, vatican museum

Egyptian Artifacts

Egyptian Obelisks in Rome

Rome 🇮🇹 was my Nonno’s favorite place, and when we visited Rome as a family, it became my favorite city. The combination of ancient and modern is something that Nonno and I absolutely loved.

While my sister (who is in the picture with me) was excited to visit Piazza Navona because of the book “Angels and Demons,” (which I totally recommend – it’s an incredible book), I was most excited to see the obelisk 𓉶! The obelisk 𓉶 was commissioned by Emperor Domitian. The hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on the obelisk 𓉶 state that Emperor Domitian rebuilt the Temple of Isis at Philae.

Since we are on the topics of Egyptian Obelisks 𓉶𓏪 in Rome, here’s a picture of my sister and I in Piazza San Pietro (Saint Peter’s Square) in Rome 🇮🇹!

What’s different about this obelisk 𓉶 is that there’s no hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on it – it’s completely blank! Of the 13 obelisks 𓉶𓏪 in Rome, eight of them are completely Egyptian, while the other five were procured by Romans after they conquered Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖.

The Vatican Obelisk was brought to Rome by Emperor Caligula. But the question is: why are some obelisks 𓉶𓏪 inscribed with hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 and some not? This question has baffled historians, but Egyptologist Bob Brier has come to the conclusion that the inclusion/non inclusion of hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 simply has to do with the Roman emperor’s attitude towards Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖. Some emperors had positive views of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖(Domitian, Hadrian), while some Emperors had very negative views of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖(Augustus, Caligula). For example, Augustus hated Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 because he lost a lot of Roman men in battle there.

Fun fact: Rome has a total of 13 obelisks 𓉶𓏪! That is the most obelisks 𓉶𓏪 in any city outside of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖!

Tags italy, obelisk, rome, vatican museum

Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Stela of Hathsepsut and Thutmosis III

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date October 16, 2022

My Nonno took this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of the Stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 of Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 and Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 for me! While we did see it at the Vatican Museum together, he always made sure to take a different picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 for me each time he saw it because he knew how much I love it!

This stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 depicts Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 and Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 during their joint reign. Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 is wearing the blue crown 𓆣𓂋𓈙𓋙 and making an offering of nemset jars 𓏌𓏌𓏌 to Amun-Ra 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓇳𓏺. The stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 was meant to commemorate restoration works in Thebes 𓌀𓏏𓊖!

The most interesting parts about this stela is that it is one of two pieces (that I know of) that contains Hatshepsut’s entire titulary in one place! The only other place I know that has all of Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 names 𓂋𓈖𓏦 is the Obelisk at Karnak.

Let’s take a closer look at all of Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 names 𓂋𓈖𓏦! The names 𓂋𓈖𓏦 can be found on the top two rows of hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on the bottom of the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸!

Horus Name: 𓄊𓋴𓏏𓂓𓂓𓂓 – “Wosretkau” translates to “The Mighty of the Kas” or “The Mighty of the Souls.”

Nebty Name: 𓅒𓇅𓏏𓆳𓆳𓆳 – “Wadjet renput” translates to “Flourishing of Years.”

Golden Horus Name: 𓅉𓊹𓏏𓈍𓏦 – “Netjeret khau” translates to “Divine of Appearances.”

Throne Name: 𓇳𓁦𓂓 – “Maatkare” translates to “Truth is the Soul of Re.”

Birth Name: 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓄂𓀼 – “Khnemet Amun Hatshepsut” translates to “United with Amun, Foremost of the Noble Women.” This version of the Birth Name that appears on this stela is a variant of 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪. A “variant” is just a different way to spell out a person’s name 𓂋𓈖!

Tags artifact, hatshepsut, hieroglyph lessons, hieroglyphs, thutmosis iii, vatican museum

Egyptian Artifacts

Limestone Relief of Thoth

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date August 11, 2022

This is a limestone relief of the god 𓊹 Thoth 𓅤𓀭 at the Vatican Museum! While Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 is my favorite Egyptian god 𓊹, Thoth 𓅤𓀭 was always my second favorite because he was the god 𓊹 of scribes 𓏟𓀀𓏪 and writing 𓏟𓏛𓏥! Since I love hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪, Thoth 𓅤𓀭 was always a figure that I found fascinating!

Here are some fun facts about Thoth!
-“Thoth” is actually his Greek name – in Egyptian his name is “Djehuty”

-While Thoth 𓅤𓀭 is mainly known as being the patron of scribes 𓏟𓀀𓏪 and the god 𓊹 of writing 𓏟𓏛𓏥/creator of language, he is also considered the god 𓊹 of the sciences and the moon!

-He is credited with inventing the calendar and controlling space and time!

-Thoth 𓅤𓀭 has also provided guidance to the other gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 and can also be associated with truth and justice.

-Since Thoth 𓅤𓀭 was the god 𓊹 of the moon, he replaced Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛 in the sky at night 𓎼𓂋𓎛𓄛.

-He can be represented as an Ibis𓅞, as a human body with an Ibis head𓁟, or as a baboon𓃻!

-He was the bookkeeper at the Weighing of the Heart Ceremony

Tags gods and goddesses, thoth, vatican museum

Reading Hieroglyphs

Reading Hieroglyphs from the Stela of Hatshepsut

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date July 1, 2022

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!!!

Today I’m going to focus on one of my favorite pieces – the Stela of Pharaoh Hatshepsut! I’m sure it comes as no surprise to many of you that this is one of my favorites! I have been obsessed with Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 since I was a kid, and getting to see this stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 up close was a dream come true.

Close-up of the Stela of Hatshepsut at the Vatican Museum.

You can see two cartouches – Hatshepsut’s throne name Maatkare (𓇳𓁦𓂓) and Thutmosis III’s throne name Menkhepra (𓇳𓏠𓆣). In between the two cartouches is the phrase “𓏙𓋹𓇳𓏺𓏇” which translates to “Given life like Ra.”

“𓏙𓋹𓇳𓏺𓏇” can also be written as “𓏙𓋹𓇳𓏇” (the 𓏺 hieroglyph is missing). So why did the artist carve the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 this way? It’s for the aesthetics – to make the symbols line up properly and take up the right amount of space!

What’s also cool is “𓏙𓋹𓇳𓏺𓏇” can be used before either of the cartouches! Usually this phrase is put before a pharaoh’s 𓉐𓉻 name 𓂋𓈖 but since these symbols are non-directional they can be used either right to left or left to right. What a way to maximize space on the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸!

Fun fact: You can tell which direction to read the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on any piece based on the direction a bird is pointing! Since this bird (𓅭) is pointing to the left, the symbols would be read from left to right.

Tags hatshepsut, hieroglyph lessons, hieroglyphs, stela, vatican museum

Blog Egyptian Artifacts

Wooden Ushabtis of Seti I

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date July 1, 2022

My Nonno took this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 and I love the fact that you can see his reflection in the glass. I know that technically makes this “not a good picture” in photography terms, but that is what makes the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 so special to me. I love being able to see him and his point of view while going through old pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 because I miss him so much.

Wooden Ushabtis of Seti I at the Vatican Museum

These are the wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 ushabtis 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 of Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠. While only about 700 of these wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 ushabtis 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 remain, it is estimated that Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠 had over 1000 of them. What happened to the ones that are missing? They were used for firewood 🤦🏽‍♀️ My Nonno frequently told me about this – he was not happy that artifacts were destroyed! Anytime Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠 came up in conversation (which was often because he was one of my Nonno’s favorite pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦) my Nonno would say “can you believe some idiots used his ushabtis 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 as torches??!!”

Seti I’s 𓇳𓁦𓏠 remaining ushabtis 𓆷𓄿𓍯𓃀𓏏𓏮𓀾 are in museums throughout the world and I have always been on the lookout for them whenever I go to a museum! Originally, my Nonno and I would always point them out to each other. Now whenever I see them, they are a reminder of my Nonno.

Tags artifact, nonno, seti, ushabti, vatican museum

Egyptian Artifacts

Pink Granite Sphinx

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 25, 2022

Rome and The Vatican Museum were some of my Nonno’s absolute favorite places to be and I am so so lucky that we were able to travel there together in 2014. Some of the best days of my life were spent in Rome and Rome has remained my favorite city since that visit. I love Rome’s combination of ancient and modern – the whole vibe of the city very much fits my personality!

This is the pink granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 Sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 in the Vatican and it is dated to the first century AD. Even as a geologist it’s so weird that this rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙 is classified as pink granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 because it isn’t pink! Red granite 𓅓𓌳𓏏𓎶 is actually a lot more pink and many can get the two 𓏻 rocks 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙𓏦 confused! For the purpose of writing hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪, I used the same word for both red and pink granite since the rocks 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙𓏦 are definitely similar!

It was difficult to find information about this Sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 which is why I haven’t made a post about it even though I love this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏!

But just looking at it you can tell the craftsmanship is exquisite! You can definitely see the merging of Egyptian and Roman styles in this piece. The Sphinx 𓎛𓅱𓃭𓏤 is also so big, which makes it even more impressive. It is so difficult to work with granite 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓈖𓌳𓍿 because it is a very hard and stable rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙 (which is why it’s so great to use for countertops)!

Tags artifact, sphinx, vatican museum

Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Limestone Reliefs of Thutmosis III

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 24, 2022

Here is a very nice raised relief in limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 which depicts pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Thutmosis III 𓅝𓄠𓋴 wearing the blue crown 𓆣𓂋𓈙𓋙 (left). He can be identified based off of the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 of his name 𓂋𓈖 that appear to his right.

Limestone relief of Thutmosis III in the Brooklyn Museum

Here are the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 broken down:

𓇳𓏠𓆣 – Menkheperra (Thutmosis III’s throne name)
𓊹𓄤 – The Great God
𓎟𓇿𓇿 – Lord of the Two Lands

Also on the right is the remnant of another person – most likely the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 (a portion of a shoulder and a crown are seen, so the presence of the crown allows us to infer that it is in fact another royal figure).

What is super interesting about this piece is that the images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 that are carved are not the actual pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 themselves, but statues 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 of them! This relief is depicting a religious precession that took place at Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦𓏥𓉐. This piece was excavated from the temple and is dated to c. 1478-1458 B.C.E.

Here is another example of a limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 relief of Thutmosis III 𓅝𓄠𓋴 wearing the blue crown 𓆣𓂋𓈙𓋙. Menkheperra 𓇳𓏠𓆣 (Thutmosis III’s throne name) is above his head 𓁶𓏺 on the relief so we know that it is him! This one is in the Vatican Museum!

Limestone relief of Thutmosis III in the Vatican Museum

While many know that the Ankh 𓋹 is the symbol that corresponds with the word “Life,” the Ankh 𓋹 had other symbolic meanings as well – one of which is shown on this relief fragment!

The Ankh 𓋹 can also symbolize the purifying 𓋴𓃂𓈗 power of water 𓈗. In many temples 𓉟𓏏𓉐𓏦 in Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 (like Thutmosis III 𓅝𓄠𓋴 here) is flanked by two 𓏻 gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹. One of the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 who did was was usually Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭, but it is impossible to tell which god 𓊹 is performing the action in this relief. The gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 would pour a stream of Ankhs 𓋹𓋹𓋹 over his head 𓁶𓏺 to cleanse 𓋴𓃂𓈗 and purify 𓋴𓃂𓈗 him (Fun Fact: cleanse and purify can be the same word in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 but there are other variations of each word too).

Totally unrelated thought but I have always loved the word for water (𓈗) because it is the “n” symbol! Since my name 𓂋𓈖 is Nicole and my name would start with 𓈖 in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪, as a kid 𓐍𓇌𓀕 I would refer to 𓈖 and 𓈗 as “my symbol” 😂.

Tags artifact, brooklyn museum, hieroglyphs, thutmosis iii, vatican museum

Reading Hieroglyphs

Limestone Relief of Thutmosis III

Post author By ancientegyptblog7
Post date June 23, 2022

This is a limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 relief with the cartouches of Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 on it. Let’s read some Hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

Here’s the top line of text: 𓆥(𓇳𓏠𓆣)𓏠𓈖𓍿𓅱𓎟 𓌀𓏏𓊖𓁷𓄣𓉺𓈖𓊖𓌺𓇌

𓆥- King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
(𓇳𓏠𓆣) – Menkhepera
𓏠𓈖𓍿𓅱 – Montu
𓎟 – Lord of
𓌀𓏏𓊖 – Thebes
𓁷𓄣 – middle/middle of
𓉺𓈖𓊖 – Dendera
𓌺𓇌 – Beloved
The full translation is: “King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Menkhepera, Beloved of Montu, Lord of Thebes, middle of Dendera.”

Here’s the second line of text: 𓅭𓇳(𓅝𓄠𓋴𓇋𓊃) 𓏙𓋹𓊽𓌀𓋴𓃀𓈖𓄫𓄣𓇳𓏇𓏺𓆖
𓅭𓇳 – Son of Ra
(𓅝𓄠𓋴𓇋𓊃) – Thutmosis III
𓏙𓋹𓊽𓌀 – Given Life, Stability, Strength
𓋴𓃀𓈖- Health
𓄫𓄣 – Happiness
𓇳𓏇𓏺 – Like Ra
𓆖 – Eternity
The full translation is: “Son of Ra, Thutmosis III, Given Life, Stability, Strength, Health, and Happiness, like Ra, for eternity.”

Tags hieroglyph lessons, hieroglyphs, thutmosis iii, vatican museum

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