Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 I am going to be re-sharing one of my absolute favorite reliefs of Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣! This relief of Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 is from a larger limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 piece that was made for Amenemhat I’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓅓𓄂𓏏 “Heb Sed” festival, better known as the 30 𓎆𓎆𓎆 Year Jubilee!
There are so many amazing facts about Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓁢; I could probably write a book about him! Aptly named, “Lord of the Necropolis 𓎟𓇾𓂦𓈊,” he was guardian of tombs 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓏦 and cemeteries. Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓁢 was the god 𓊹 of mummification 𓋴𓂧𓐍𓅱𓐎, and the title “He who is in the mummy wrappings 𓇋𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐎𓊖“ signifies Anubis’ 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 role in the mummification 𓋴𓂧𓐍𓅱𓐎 process, which is what he is most known for.
Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 also could act as a guide to souls 𓂓𓂓𓂓 in the Underworld 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐(referenced in the Pyramid Texts of Unas 𓃹𓈖𓇋𓋴). One of his most famous roles is in the Weighing of the Heart, in which the dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱 person’s heart 𓇋𓃀𓄣 would be weighed against Maat’s 𓐙𓌴𓂣𓏏𓁦 feather 𓆄𓏺 by Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣. Basically, Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 played a big role in all aspects of a person’s death 𓅓𓏏𓏱, and death 𓅓𓏏𓏱 was a huge part of the Egyptian religion.
Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 (the ones above Anubis’ 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 head)! This is part of a much larger inscription 𓏟𓏛𓏥!
𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐎- He Who is in the Mummy Wrappings – (the first symbol is cut off in my picture, 𓇋𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐎𓊖, but it actually can be written both ways)
𓎟𓇿𓇿 – Lord of the Two Lands (we have seen this one many times before – part of the titles of the pharaoh)!
The Four Sons of Horus were an integral part of ancient Egyptian religion – usually in a funerary aspect. During the process of mummification 𓋴𓂧𓐍𓅱𓐎 (which took about 70 𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆 days), the embalmers removed the internal organs 𓇋𓂧𓂋𓄹𓏦 and placed them in Canopic Jars. Each of the four 𓏽 jars was for one of the major internal organs 𓇋𓂧𓂋𓄹𓏦 and each jar had a different head which represented one of the four Sons of Horus. Qebehsenuef 𓏁𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑𓀭 (falcon head) held/protected the intestines 𓈖𓊪𓅮𓄿𓏲𓏼. Hapi 𓎛𓐑𓊪𓇌𓀭 (baboon head) held/protected the lungs 𓊃𓌴𓄥𓅱𓄺 Duamutef 𓇼𓅐𓏏𓆑𓀭 (jackal head) held/protected the stomach 𓂋𓄣𓏻 Imseti 𓇋𓅓𓊃𓍿𓀭 (human head) held/protected the liver 𓅓𓊃𓏏𓄹𓏸𓏸𓏸 For some reason the captions are not working I apologize!! #ancientEgypt#egyptianhistory#egyptologist#egyptology#historytok#themummy1999#metropolitanmuseumofart#canopicjars#egyptianmythology
The Four Sons of Horus were an integral part of ancient Egyptian religion – usually in a funerary aspect.
During the process of mummification 𓋴𓂧𓐍𓅱𓐎 (which took about 70 𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆𓎆 days), the embalmers removed the internal organs 𓇋𓂧𓂋𓄹𓏦 and placed them in Canopic Jars. Each of the four 𓏽 jars was for one of the major internal organs 𓇋𓂧𓂋𓄹𓏦 and each jar had a different head which represented one of the four Sons of Horus.
Qebehsenuef 𓏁𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑𓀭 (falcon head) held/protected the intestines 𓈖𓊪𓅮𓄿𓏲𓏼.
Hapi 𓎛𓐑𓊪𓇌𓀭 (baboon head) held/protected the lungs 𓊃𓌴𓄥𓅱𓄺
Duamutef 𓇼𓅐𓏏𓆑𓀭 (jackal head) held/protected the stomach 𓂋𓄣𓏻
Imseti 𓇋𓅓𓊃𓍿𓀭 (human head) held/protected the liver 𓅓𓊃𓏏𓄹𓏸𓏸𓏸
My Nonno always made a point to make sure we saw Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 in every museum that we went to. It was part of the fun of going to the museum!! After seeing “The Mummy” for the first time when I was about ten 𓎆 years old, I had already known about Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 for years from a historical perspective!! Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪, meaning “He who comes in peace,” was a non-royal man 𓊃𓀀𓏤 who became deified (reached godly status). This is a very rare occurrence, as it was thought by the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 that the Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was the only god 𓊹 on the Earth 𓇾𓇾. Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 was not deified in his lifetime – it was about 2,000 𓆼𓆼 years after his death 𓅓𓏏𓏱 that he began to be worshipped 𓇼𓄿𓀢 as a god 𓊹. Not much is known about Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 from his lifetime – much information about Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 is from Demotic texts or stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏪 that were written thousands of years after his death 𓅓𓏏𓏱. Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 is famous for being an incredible architect and is credited with designing Djoser’s 𓂦 Step Pyramid (aka the first ever pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴) at Memphis 𓏠𓈖𓄤𓆑𓂋𓉴𓊖 (modern day Saqqara). He was also a physician! Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 is always depicted as a man 𓊃𓀀𓏤 seated in a chair, usually with a piece of papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 in his lap. Much like the god 𓊹 Ptah 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱(who he is said to be the son 𓅭 of), he wears a cap on his head. Once you are able to remember what Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 statues 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 look like, you will be able to recognize them in any museum that you go to! This is my personal vodeo and original text – DO NOT repost! #ancientEgypt#egyptianhistory#egyptianmythology#metropolitanmuseumofart#metmuseum#egyptology#ancientegyptblog#anticoegitto#imhotep#IFoundImhotep
My Nonno always made a point to make sure we saw Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 in every museum that we went to. It was part of the fun of going to the museum!! After seeing “The Mummy” for the first time when I was about ten 𓎆 years old, I had already known about Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 for years from a historical perspective!!
Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪, meaning “He who comes in peace,” was a non-royal man 𓊃𓀀𓏤 who became deified (reached godly status). This is a very rare occurrence, as it was thought by the Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 that the Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was the only god 𓊹 on the Earth 𓇾𓇾. Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 was not deified in his lifetime – it was about 2,000 𓆼𓆼 years after his death 𓅓𓏏𓏱 that he began to be worshipped 𓇼𓄿𓀢 as a god 𓊹.
Not much is known about Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 from his lifetime – much information about Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 is from Demotic texts or stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏪 that were written thousands of years after his death 𓅓𓏏𓏱.
Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 is famous for being an incredible architect and is credited with designing Djoser’s 𓂦 Step Pyramid (aka the first ever pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴) at Memphis 𓏠𓈖𓄤𓆑𓂋𓉴𓊖 (modern day Saqqara). He was also a physician!
Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 is always depicted as a man 𓊃𓀀𓏤 seated in a chair, usually with a piece of papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 in his lap. Much like the god 𓊹 Ptah 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱(who he is said to be the son 𓅭 of), he wears a cap on his head. Once you are able to remember what Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 statues 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾𓏪 look like, you will be able to recognize them in any museum that you go to!
This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost.
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This gold 𓋞𓃉𓃉𓃉 statuette 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of the god 𓊹 Amun 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓀭 is so beautiful 𓄤 to see in person! In the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 looks large but it is only about 7 inches (~18cm) tall! This statue is dated to the 22nd Dynasty (c. 945–712 B.C.E.). While the artistic features of the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 definitely reflect this Third Intermediate Period, there are some callbacks to the 18th Dynasty artistic styles (the facial features in particular).
This solid gold 𓋞𓃉𓃉𓃉 statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is a very rare example of the statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 that filled the sanctuaries of the temples 𓉟𓏏𓉐. There is a trace of a loop on Amun’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓀭 crown, which means that this statuette 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 could have been worn by a priest 𓊹𓍛 or by another statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾. Or, the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 could have been mounted on top of a scepter or standard. The exact use is speculation right now! The color of gold 𓋞𓃉𓃉𓃉 was often associated with the sun 𓆄𓅱𓇶, and the skin of the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 were thought to be made of gold 𓋞𓃉𓃉𓃉.
Amun 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓀭 is depicted with his flat topped crown, with the characteristic feathers 𓆄𓆄𓆄 having been lost in antiquity. He is wearing the false beard, and is carrying the Ankh 𓋹, a symbol of life 𓋹𓈖𓐍, in his hand. In the other hand he carries a scimitar 𓌛𓏺, which in temple reliefs, Amun 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓀭 is usually seen presenting to the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. This gift of a scimitar 𓌛𓏺 is usually meant to ensure military victories!
The god 𓊹 Amun 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓀭 gained popularity during the Middle Kingdom, however, it was during the New Kingdom (18th Dynasty in particular) that Amun 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓀭 became the most important/most prominent god 𓊹 in the Egyptian pantheon. Amun 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓀭 had many different roles and was worshipped 𓇼𓄿𓀢 as a creator god, solar god, fertility god, warrior god, and king of the gods. Amun’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓀭 is also considered the “universal god” meaning that his power permeated the cosmos and all that the cosmos contained!
Priests 𓊹𓍛𓏪 and the Priesthood 𓃹𓈖𓏌𓏏𓏭𓇼𓀀 were important roles in Egyptian society because religion was so central to life 𓋹𓈖𓐍 and death 𓅓𓏏𓏱 in ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖. However, priests 𓊹𓍛𓏪 did not preach to the public – their main role was to care for the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 in the temples. The priesthood 𓃹𓈖𓏌𓏏𓏭𓇼𓀀 was established during the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 B.C.E.) and became more developed during the Old Kingdom (c. 2613-2181 B.C.E.). The Sem Priests 𓋴𓅓 ceased to exist in the New Kingdom forward.
Throughout inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥, we are used to seeing the word for priest/high priest as “𓊹𓍛” which literally translates to “God’s Servant.” However, in the Old and Middle Kingdoms, there were special priests 𓊹𓍛𓏪 who were referred to as “Sem” 𓋴𓅓 priests.
The Sem Priests 𓋴𓅓 were the priests who were responsible for the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony 𓄋𓏏𓂋𓏺. The Sem Priests 𓋴𓅓 performed this while dressed in leopard 𓍋𓃀𓇌𓃮 skin robes, and this ceremony is what allowed the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 to be able to speak, see, hear, eat and drink in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. The Sem Priests 𓋴𓅓 were also responsible for mummification 𓋴𓂧𓐍𓅱𓐎; so they embalmed the corpse and recited all of the spells 𓎛𓂓𓏛𓏦 while wrapping the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾.
The word we see here in the inscription, 𓋴𓅓𓎡, is a title that the Sem Priests 𓋴𓅓 had, and can even be a variant way to write just Sem Priest 𓋴𓅓.
Sem Priest 𓋴𓅓 can also be written with a determinative, and can be spelled as: 𓋴𓅓𓀀, 𓋴𓅓𓀙, 𓋴𓅓𓀼.
Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at a word that sometimes pops up in inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥! These hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 are from a Middle Kingdom relief which is dated to the reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Montuhotep II 𓏠𓈖𓍿𓅱𓊵𓏏𓊪 (c. 2010-2000 B.C.E.).
This simple word (or phrase in English) “𓈖𓈖𓎡” could mean either “belongs to me,” “mine,” or “on my part.”
The “ripple of water 𓈖” is a uniliteral phonogram sign, which means it has the sound of a single consonant. The “𓈖” is associated with the sound of “n!” The 𓈖 has many grammatical functions on its own, and it can mean “to,” “of,” “for,” “we/us/our,” “in,” “because,” “through,” and some others! How do we know which word it is? Context clues!
The “Basket with a Handle 𓎡” symbol is also a uniliteral phonogram that has the sound of “k.” A lot of people get this one confused with just the “basket 𓎟” symbol which is a biliteral phonogram that has the sound “nb.” These are very different symbols with different meanings so try not to confuse the two!
Another way to write “𓈖𓈖𓎡” in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 is “𓈖𓈖𓎡𓇋𓀀,” which is a more uncommon variant.
Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the “King with a White Crown and Flail 𓀴” symbol! This symbol can act as both a determinative and an ideogram! It can be used as a determinative in the word for “King 𓇓𓀴” and also as a determinative for “Osiris 𓁹𓇓𓀴.”
The “King with a White Crown and Flail 𓀴” symbol is also one the many symbols that can be used as an ideogram to solely represent the word for “King 𓀴” in both titles and phrases.
The “King with a White Crown and Flail 𓀴” symbol is a variant of the symbol “King With a White Crown 𓀲” and the two symbols can usually be used interchangeably with each other in inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥!
Here are some ways we can use “𓀴” in inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥!
𓇓𓏏𓀴 – King of Upper Egypt/King
𓆤𓏏𓀴/𓆤𓏏𓀴𓏥 – King of Lower Egypt/King
𓀴 – King
𓁹𓇓𓀴 – Osiris/The Osiris King
𓁹𓊨𓂋𓀴 – Osiris
So if you see the “King with a White Crown and Flail 𓀴” symbol in an inscription, you are probably looking at a word that has to do with either a King or Osiris!
This very simple limestone 𓇋𓈖𓈙𓌉 sarcophagus 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭 from the reign of Montuhotep II 𓏠𓈖𓍿𓅱𓊵𓏏𓊪 (Dynasty 11, c. 2051–2030 B.C.E.) and belonged to a priestess 𓊹𓍛 of Hathor 𓉡 named Henhenet 𓉔𓈖𓉔𓈖𓏏. This is one of my favorite pieces to see at the MET specifically because of the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 that the sarcophagus has inscribed on it!
This sarcophagus 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭 shows the standard offering formula, the name 𓂋𓈖of the deity 𓊹, and the titles associated with that deity 𓊹. This standard way of writing the offering formula is extremely common, and if you know it, you will be able to recognize it anywhere!
Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪:
𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙𓇋𓈖𓊪𓃣𓁶𓏺𓈋𓆑𓇋𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐎𓎟𓇾𓂦
𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙 An Offering the King Gives
𓇋𓈖𓊪𓃣 – Anubis
𓁶𓏺𓈋𓆑 – Upon his Hill/Mountain
𓇋𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐎- He Who is in the Mummy Wrappings (can also be written as 𓇋𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐎𓊖)
𓎟𓇾𓂦 – Lord of the Sacred Land
Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 held many important titles, all of which signify how important he was to not only embalming, but to all aspects of a person’s death 𓅓𓏏𓏱. The title “Upon His Hill/Mountain 𓁶𓏺𓈋𓆑” references the cliff that usually surrounded necropolises, which Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 would preside over. The title “He who is in the mummy wrappings 𓇋𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐎𓊖“ signifies Anubis’ 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 role in the mummification process, which is what he is most known for. “Lord of the Sacred Land 𓎟𓇾𓂦” refers to the necropolis or cemeteries that Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 would guard.
While this sarcophagus 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭 contains a lot of Anubis’ 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓃣 titles, one that does not appear on this sarcophagus 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭 is “Lord of the Necropolis 𓎟𓇾𓂦𓈊.”
Also, Anubis’ name 𓂋𓈖 is shortened here and is missing a symbol: it is written as 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓃣 instead of 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣! I see this a lot with Anubis’ 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 name 𓂋𓈖, and it is done to save space!
Here is the second 𓏌𓏻 part of the inscription 𓏟𓏛𓏥!
𓈎𓂋𓌠𓋴𓁀𓉬𓄤𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓅓𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓋴𓈖𓊼𓉓𓐍𓂋𓃣𓏅𓊹𓉱
𓈎𓂋𓌠𓋴𓁀𓉬 – Burial (I don’t have the composite hieroglyph on the sarcophagus so I used the two symbols here)
𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏- Good
𓅓 – In Her
𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐 – Tomb
𓋴𓈖𓊼 – Necropolis
𓉓 – A Voice Offering
𓐍𓂋 – Before
𓃣 – Anubis
𓏅 – In Front At
𓊹𓉱 – God’s Booth (Shrine for Anubis)
So all 𓎟 together 𓈖𓊗, the second 𓏌𓏻 part of the inscription 𓏟𓏛𓏥 reads: “A good burial in her tomb of the necropolis with a voice offering before Anubis, in front at the god’s booth…”
The first 𓏅 part of the inscription 𓏟𓏛𓏥 (from yesterday’s post) contains a lot about Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣, and this second part of the inscription 𓏟𓏛𓏥 continues with that theme! Here we can see Anubis’ 𓃣 title “In Front at the God’s Booth 𓏅𓊹𓉱” in which “God’s Booth 𓊹𓉱” refers to a shrine specifically dedicated to Anubis 𓃣 himself! This second 𓏌𓏻 part of the inscription 𓏟𓏛𓏥 also only uses the determinative symbol of “𓃣” to spell out Anubis’ 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 name 𓂋𓈖!
Here is the third part of the inscription 𓏟𓏛𓏥:
𓊹𓉱𓈖𓇋𓌳𓄪𓐍𓇌𓏏𓇓𓏏𓆭𓌡𓏏𓏏𓉡𓊹𓍛𓉔𓈖𓉔𓈖𓏏𓐙𓅱𓏏𓊤
𓊹𓉱 – God’s Booth (Shrine for Anubis)
𓈖𓇋- For The/By The
𓌳𓄪𓐍𓇌𓏏 – Venerated/Revered
𓇓 – King
𓏏𓆭𓌡𓏏𓏏 – Sole Ornament
𓉡 – Hathor
𓊹𓍛 – High Priestess
𓉔𓈖𓉔𓈖𓏏 – Henhenet
𓐙𓅱𓏏𓊤 – True of Voice
The title “Sole Ornament of the King 𓇓𓏏𓆭𓌡𓏏𓏏” carried a lot of prestige, but no real responsibility or authority! The word “sole” in this case does not mean “unique” as we would define it in English, but rather signified a high social rank. Henhenet’s 𓉔𓈖𓉔𓈖𓏏 true role was as a High Priestess 𓊹𓍛 of Hathor 𓉡, which is why she was able to be buried in a sarcophagus 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭!
I also love how Henhenet’s 𓉔𓈖𓉔𓈖𓏏 name 𓂋𓈖 is spelled because it is very phonetic – 𓉔 = h, 𓈖 = n, and 𓏏 = t so when we add in the “soft e” to make it pronounceable to us modern people, we get Henhenet 𓉔𓈖𓉔𓈖𓏏! There’s also no determinative here, and her name could have also possibly been written as 𓉔𓈖𓉔𓈖𓏏𓁐!
This piece is a large offering table 𓂝𓃀𓅡𓄿𓋃 that was dedicated to the god 𓊹 Seth 𓊃𓏏𓄡𓁣 by the 19th Dynasty pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠.
There is a lot going on with this piece! On the reliefs, Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠 can be seen worshipping thegod Seth 𓊃𓏏𓄡𓁣, whose likeness has been erased. During the Ramesside time period, many pharaohs had “Seth” as part of their name 𓂋𓈖 because Seth’s 𓊃𓏏𓄡𓁣 status was elevated at the time due to him being both a powerful aggressor and being associated with foreign lands. Once Seth 𓊃𓏏𓄡𓁣 fell out of favor, his name 𓂋𓈖/images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 were no longer used. Seth’s image is even removed, except for when he is mentioned in Seti I’s 𓇳𓁦𓏠 name 𓂋𓈖! The image of the goddess 𓊹𓏏Nephthys 𓎟𓏏𓉗𓏏𓉐𓁐 has not been erased, because even though she is the consort of Seth 𓊃𓏏𓄡𓁣, she was considered a favorable figure in Egyptian mythology.
Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!
In the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 above, we see Seti I’s Horus Name: 𓅃𓃒𓂡𓅓𓈍𓋆𓋴𓋹𓈖𓐍𓈙𓈙 “The Strong bull who appeared in Thebes and sustains the Two Lands.”
In the picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 above, we see Seti I 𓇳𓁦𓏠 making an offering 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦 to the goddess 𓊹𓏏Nephthys 𓎟𓏏𓉗𓏏𓉐𓁐 (her name 𓂋𓈖 is written above her), who is the consort of Seth 𓊃𓏏𓄡𓁣. We can also see Seti I’s 𓇳𓁦𓏠 titles and cartouches:
𓆥 – King of Upper and Lower Egypt
𓎟𓇿𓇿 – Lord of the Two Lands
(𓇳𓁦𓏠) – Menmaatra (throne name)
(𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁣𓇌𓌸𓈖) – Seti, Beloved of Ptah (birth name)
𓏙 – Given
𓆖 – Eternity
In the next picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 (above) we see the cartouches again, and Seti worshipping Seth. The hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 translate to:
𓏙 – Given
𓋹 – Life
𓆑 – His
𓊽 – Stability
𓌀 – Strength
So all together, the inscription reads: “𓏙𓋹𓆑𓊽𓌀 Given Life, His Stability and Strength.”
The last picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 (above) is another variant of the Horus name!
I always find pieces such as these so fascinating, because upon first look, it looks like just a large slab of rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙. But in reality, there is so much to analyze and unpack when it comes to the images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 and the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪, and how they relate to the time period, and even the time periods that came long after this piece was made. While it was made during the 19th Dynasty (reign of Seti I 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁣𓇌𓌸𓈖), it was definitely altered afterwards.
This is the lid of an ointment 𓌸𓎛𓏏𓎯𓃋 jar that has some beautiful 𓄤 hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 inscribed on it! One thing that is so interesting about Old and Middle Kingdom cartouches is that sometimes the titles and epithets associated with the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 are also enclosed in the cartouche, not just the name 𓂋𓈖 itself!
Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! We are going to start reading from the right, because the directional symbols are pointing to the right!
Here is the full inscription: 𓋹𓊹𓄤𓄊𓋴𓂋𓏏𓊃𓈖𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱𓇔 𓊅𓆑𓌸𓇌
Now let’s break it down!
𓋹 – May He Live/Life
𓊹𓄤 – The Perfect God
𓄊𓋴𓂋𓏏𓊃𓈖 – Senwosret
𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱 – Ptah
𓇔 – South
𓊅 – Wall
𓆑 – His
𓌸𓇌 – Beloved
So the full inscription reads: “May He Live, the Perfect God, Senwosret, Beloved of Ptah, South of His Wall.” The last part, “South of His Wall,” refers to Memphis 𓏠𓈖𓄤𓆑𓂋𓉴𓊖, which was the main cult center where Ptah 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱 was worshipped 𓇼𓄿𓀢.
It is actually quite hard to have an exact date for this piece because Senwosret 𓄊𓋴𓂋𓏏𓊃𓈖, the birth name of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, was used a bunch of times! There’s Senwosret I, II, and III who all use this birth name on their monuments! Unless the throne name is also present, we don’t know which Senwosret 𓄊𓋴𓂋𓏏𓊃𓈖 this is! Since the piece just has the name 𓂋𓈖 Senwosret 𓄊𓋴𓂋𓏏𓊃𓈖 on it, we know the jar lid is from the 12th Dynasty, but it could have been made between the dates of 1961–1840 B.C.E.
The symbol underneath the cartouche is the Hieratic symbol for the number 20!
