Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Alabaster Vase of Thutmosis III

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to take a virtual trip to the Petrie Museum!

This is a calcite ๐“ฑ (alabaster) vase ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹ with the throne name cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท of pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ on it!ย 

Alabaster Vase of Thutmosis III
Alabaster Vase of Thutmosis III

Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ was one of the longest reigning pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฅ in Egyptian history! He co-ruled with Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช for about 21 ๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“บ years, and then he ruled on his own for another 30 ๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“Ž† years! 

This alabaster ๐“ฑ vase ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹ was found in a foundation deposit. Both the Petrie Museum and the MET have very similar alabaster ๐“ฑ vases ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹๐“ช with Hatshepsutโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– on them! I have done previous posts on the vases with Hatshepsut’s name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– – a translation and a post on foundation deposits!

These vasesย  ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹๐“ช usually contained incense or ointment.ย Sometimes, traces of the incense or ointment can still be seen within the vase ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹ which is so cool!

Letโ€™s break down the hieroglyphic ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ symbols! 

๐“Šน๐“„ค – Perfect God 

๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ – Menkhepperra

๐“‹Š๐“Šพ – Min

๐“Žค๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“Š– – Koptos

๐“Œธ – Beloved

All ๐“ŽŸ together ๐“ˆ–๐“Š—, the full translation is: โ€œThe Perfect God, Menkhepperra, Beloved of Min of Koptos.โ€

Koptos ๐“Žค๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“Š– is the Greek name for the ancient Egyptian town of โ€œGbtyw ๐“Žค๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“Š–,โ€ and the modern Arabic name for the town is Qift. Since the Early Dynastic period, Koptos ๐“Žค๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“Š– was an important place of worship ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“€ข for the god ๐“Šน Min ๐“‹Š๐“Šพ, but it was also a key trading/economic location due to its proximity to the Red Sea. Koptos ๐“Žค๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“Š– remained an important town through the Ptolemaic and Roman periods too!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere (Part II)

This mummy case ๐“…ฑ๐“‡‹๐“€พ belonged to a priest ๐“Šน๐“› named ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Nespanetjerenpere and is on display at the Brooklyn Museum. Yesterday ๐“‹ด๐“†‘๐“‡ณ we looked at the front, and today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to look at the back!

Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere
Me with the back of the Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere at the Brooklyn Museum

On the back, the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ and Thoth ๐“…ค๐“€ญ are depicted. On the left, the ibis ๐“‰”๐“ƒ€๐“…ค headed god ๐“Šน Thoth ๐“…ค๐“€ญ, and the god ๐“Šน of writing is shown. On the right is Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ, who is the falcon ๐“ƒ€๐“‡‹๐“Žก๐“…„ headed god ๐“Šน and the embodiment of divine kingship. He was considered to be the god ๐“Šน of the pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฅ and the โ€œLord of the Sky ๐“ŽŸ๐“Šช๐“๐“‡ฏ.โ€

Thoth ๐“…ค๐“€ญ and Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ are seen holding a Djed pillar ๐“Šฝ, which is the symbol of stability. The Djed pillar ๐“Šฝ is thought to be the spine ๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“๐“„ฆ of Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ. The Djed pillar ๐“Šฝ, shown here is even wearing the Atef crown ๐“‹š, which is the crown that Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ wears.ย 

Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere
The back of the Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere, showing Thoth (left), the djed pillar (center) and Horus (right)

It is very symbolic that this image ๐“…ฑ๐“๐“…ฑ appears where the spine ๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“๐“„ฆ of the mummy ๐“…ฑ๐“‡‹๐“€พ would be. It can be interpreted that Thoth ๐“…ค๐“€ญ and Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญare supporting the spine ๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“๐“„ฆ of the deceased person. 

When a person died ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ and became โ€œThe Osiris,โ€ The Djed Pillar ๐“Šฝ was then thought to represent their spine ๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“๐“„ฆ! The spine ๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“๐“„ฆ was thought to keep Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ upright and able to function as the primary god ๐“Šน of the dead ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ. This is even referenced in the The Book of the Dead: โ€œRaise yourself up Osiris. You have your backbone once more, weary-hearted One; you have bones.โ€ 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere (Part I)

Only here on ancientegyptblog will you hear someone say โ€œLook at how gorgeous this is ๐“„ค๐“†‘๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ญ๐“‡‘๐“‡‘โ€ about a coffin ๐“…ฑ๐“‡‹๐“€พ or other type of funerary object but that’s only because the Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere is such an incredible piece (as many objects from the Late Period are)!

Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere
Me with the gorgeous Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere at the Brooklyn Museum

I spent so long just trying to take in all of the beautiful ๐“„ค images ๐“…ฑ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ช of the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน that are on this mummiform coffin ๐“…ฑ๐“‡‹๐“€พ! This coffin is made of cartonnage, which is a material that is made when linen or papyrus mixed with plaster! This is from the Third Intermediate Period, and dates from the 22nd – 25th Dynasties. 

Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere
A view of the Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere at the Brooklyn Muesum

This mummy case ๐“…ฑ๐“‡‹๐“€พ belonged to a priest ๐“Šน๐“› named Nespanetjerenpere. While to many the images ๐“…ฑ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ช may seem like random pictures of the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน, it is actually a collection of carefully selected religious symbols meant to help guide Nespanetjerenpere on his journey to the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰ and associate him with and ensure rebirth ๐“„Ÿ๐“ฟ๐“…ฑ. 

Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere
The Coffin of Nespanetjerenpere with a view of the ram headed pendant and the central hieroglyphs with offering forumla

The ram headed pendant on his chest is meant to represent the sun ๐“‡ณ god ๐“Šน Raโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“› journey across the sky ๐“Šช๐“๐“‡ฏ during the day ๐“‰”๐“‚‹๐“บ๐“‡ณ – and through the netherworld ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰ at night ๐“Žผ๐“‚‹๐“Ž›๐“„›. The images ๐“…ฑ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ช of the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน can almost be thought of as the picture-book version of the Book of the Dead ๐“‰๐“‚‹๐“๐“‚ป๐“…“๐“‰”๐“‚‹๐“ฒ๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“ผ๐“บ. 

While the images ๐“…ฑ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ช of the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน are so delicately drawn, the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช going down the middle of the coffin ๐“…ฑ๐“‡‹๐“€พ seem to be unfinished and roughly done. The hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช show the very standard offering formula!

๐“‡“๐“๐“Šต๐“™ – An Offering the King Gives 

๐“Šฉ๐“น – Osiris

๐“… – Foremost 

๐“‹€๐“๐“๐“ˆŠ – West

The inscription reads: โ€œAn Offering the King Gives Osiris, Foremost of the West.โ€

Look forward to a Part ๐“ป about the back of this piece!ย 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Composite Papyrus Capital

This piece is called the โ€œComposite Papyrus Capitalโ€ and it is on display at the MET! This used to be a part of a larger column ๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‡‹๐“‡…ย  that measured over seven ๐“€ meters tall! In building/archaeology, the โ€œcapitalโ€ is the name of the decorated uppermost part of the column ๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‡‹๐“‡…!ย 

Composite Papyrus Capital
Composite Papyrus Capital on display at the MET

This column ๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‡‹๐“‡… was originally at the Temple of Amun at the Kharga Oasis which was built by the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Nectanebo I ๐“‡ณ๐“†ฃ๐“‚“(378 – 360 B.C.E.). This was part of a large temple ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰ building program that Nectanbo I ๐“ˆ–๐“†ฑ๐“๐“๐“‚ก๐“ƒญ๐“†‘ initiated as a way to resist the threat of Persian rule through the introduction of more traditional Egyptian religious works. 

The most striking aspect of this column capital is the intricate design and the preserved colors. While Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– is a desert ๐“…Ÿ๐“‚‹๐“๐“ˆŠ, is has always had diverse plant ๐“‡๐“…“๐“†ฐ life thanks to the Nile River ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ˆ—๐“ˆ˜๐“ˆ‡๐“บ. Ancient Egyptian art always showcased the biodiversity of the area and this column does that beautifully! Papyrus plants ๐“‡…๐“†ฐ (upper) and flatsedge plants ๐“‡“ (lower) are the main decoration on the column. Both plants ๐“†พ๐“†ฐ๐“†ฐ๐“†ฐ were very common along the Nile ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ˆ—๐“ˆ˜๐“ˆ‡๐“บ and were quite important to the Egyptian economy. 

Some of the preserved colors they can be seen are green ๐“‡…๐“„ฟ๐“†“๐“›, yellow and red ๐“‚ง๐“ˆ™๐“‚‹๐“…Ÿ. I always love when stone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“Šช works still have retained their original color because most of the time, the colors have faded over time. 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Video

Wax Ushabtis – Video

@ancientegyptblog

Before ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช evolved in the 12th Dynasty, wax ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Ž›๐“ธ๐“ฆ figurines that looked like humans (and had their own mini coffins ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ๐“ฆ) werew placed in tombs ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰๐“ช with the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ! These precursor-ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช were made of beeswax and beeswax was said to have magical ๐“Ž›๐“‚“๐“„ฟ๐“œ powers of protection ๐“…“๐“‚๐“Žก๐“€œ, resurrection, and regeneration. The figures are somewhat detailed and were wrapped in a linen cloth ๐“ฑ and placed in the mini-coffin ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ. The coffin ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ did not identify any role or jobs that the figure had (like the text on a ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ could identify what itโ€™s job was), but it did identify the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ. Sometimes even the standard Offering Formula (๐“‡“๐“๐“Šต๐“™ an offering the king gives) appeared on the mini-coffin ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ as if it were a real one! If these figures werenโ€™t workers, then what was their purpose? It is thought that this figure would take the place of the body should the body of the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ be destroyed. These particular wax ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Ž›๐“ธ๐“ฆ figures belonged to Queen Neferu, who lived during the 11th Dynasty (c. 2051โ€“2030B.C.E) during the reign of Montuhotep II ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ฟ๐“…ฑ๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช. Her tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ had many of these wax ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Ž›๐“ธ๐“ฆ figures, however in general, not many similar ones have been found (in comparison to the amount of ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช that have been found) Ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช evolved into the little worker figures we know today during the 12th Dynasty, but became very popular during the New Kingdom. This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost without permission. #ancientEgypt #egyptology #ushabti #shabti #egyptologist #egyptianhistory #egyptianmythology #ancientegyptblog #metropolitanmuseumofart @The Metropolitan Museum of Art

โ™ฌ original sound – ancientegyptblog Nicole Lesar

Before ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช evolved in the 12th Dynasty, wax ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Ž›๐“ธ๐“ฆ figurines that looked like humans (and had their own mini coffins ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ๐“ฆ) were placed in tombs ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰๐“ช with the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ! 

These precursor-ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช were made of beeswax and beeswax was said to have magical ๐“Ž›๐“‚“๐“„ฟ๐“œ powers of protection ๐“…“๐“‚๐“Žก๐“€œ, resurrection, and regeneration. The figures are somewhat detailed and were wrapped in a linen cloth ๐“ฑ and placed in the mini-coffin ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ. The coffin ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ did not identify any role or jobs that the figure had (like the text on a ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ could identify what itโ€™s job was), but it did identify the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ. Sometimes even the standard Offering Formula (๐“‡“๐“๐“Šต๐“™ an offering the king gives) appeared on the mini-coffin ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ as if it were a real one! 

If these figures werenโ€™t workers, then what was their purpose? It is thought that this figure would take the place of the body should the body of the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ be destroyed. 

These particular wax ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Ž›๐“ธ๐“ฆ figures belonged to Queen Neferu, who lived during the 11th Dynasty (c. 2051โ€“2030B.C.E) during the reign of Montuhotep II ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ฟ๐“…ฑ๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช. Her tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ had many of these wax ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Ž›๐“ธ๐“ฆ figures, however in general, not many similar ones have been found (in comparison to the amount of ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช that have been found). 

Ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช evolved into the little worker figures we know today during the 12th Dynasty, but became very popular during the New Kingdom. 

Wax Ushabtis
Wax Ushabtis on display at the MET

This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Water Clock

The ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช were no doubt masters of math and science ๐“‚‹๐“๐“๐“œ! One of the ancient Egyptiansโ€™ long lasting contributions to the world was the creation of the 365 (and eventually 365.25) day calendar! They even invented the sundial ๐“ฌ๐“๐“ŠŒ (also known as the โ€œshadow clockโ€), which was the first portable time keeping device!ย They also invented a device called a Water Clock ๐“ˆ™๐“ƒ€๐“…ฑ๐“ƒป.

Water Clock
A fragment of a Water Clock with the cartouche of Alexander the Great on it at the Brooklyn Museum

This piece pictured is also a clock – or a piece of one at least! This is basalt fragment is part of a device that is known as a water clock ๐“ˆ™๐“ƒ€๐“…ฑ๐“ƒป. The water clock ๐“ˆ™๐“ƒ€๐“…ฑ๐“ƒป is the first clock that doesnโ€™t depend on an astronomical object to tell the time! The oldest water clock ๐“ˆ™๐“ƒ€๐“…ฑ๐“ƒป known was found in the tomb ๐“‡‹๐“‡ฉ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ of the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Amenhotep I ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช(c. 1500 B.C.E.). The Greeks even adopted the use of water clocks ๐“ˆ™๐“ƒ€๐“…ฑ๐“ƒป๐“ช around 325 B.C.E. and named them โ€œclepsydrasโ€ which translates to โ€œwater thieves.โ€ย 

A water clock ๐“ˆ™๐“ƒ€๐“…ฑ๐“ƒป is a round vessel/vase that has a hole at the bottom that allowed water ๐“ˆ— to drip through at a slow pace. Water clocks ๐“ˆ™๐“ƒ€๐“…ฑ๐“ƒป๐“ช were usually used to tell time at night ๐“Žผ๐“‚‹๐“Ž›๐“„›, but they might have been used during the day ๐“‰”๐“‚‹๐“บ๐“‡ณ too. The water ๐“ˆ— was drained from the vessel after twelve ๐“Ž†๐“ป hours, and then it could be refilled and be used again! Markings on the side helped to keep more accurate time! 

This fragment of a water clock ๐“ˆ™๐“ƒ€๐“…ฑ๐“ƒป is really cool because it has the cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท of Alexander the Great ๐“„ฟ๐“ƒญ๐“Žก๐“Šƒ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚ง๐“‚‹๐“Šƒ on it! Alexander the Greatโ€™s ๐“„ฟ๐“ƒญ๐“Žก๐“Šƒ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚ง๐“‚‹๐“Šƒ name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– is written with all phonogram symbols, which shows the versatility of hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! Even foreign names ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–๐“ฆ could be written with ease! 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Inscribed Stones

There are two ๐“ป things that completely fascinate me: ancient Egyptian history and geology so these “inscribed stones” are so interesting to me! I love when I can combine my passion for these two ๐“ป subjects! Rocks ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™๐“ฅ are basically the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช of the Earth ๐“‡พ๐“‡พ! Whatโ€™s even better is when hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช appear on pieces/fragments of rock ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™ – itโ€™s like hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ inception!ย 

Inscribed Stones
Many Inscribed Stones with the cartouche of Hatshepsut on display at the MET

The MET has these listed as โ€œinscribed stones,โ€ which were most likely intentionally put at the base of Hatshepsutโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช Valley Temple as offerings ๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช๐“๐“”๐“ฆ. Three ๐“ผ different types or rocks are shown in the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ above: limestone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“Œ‰, sandstone ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“‚ง๐“๐“Œ—๐“ˆ™ and quartzite. All three ๐“ผ of these rocks ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™๐“ฅ are found in abundance across Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–, especially the sandstone ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“‚ง๐“๐“Œ—๐“ˆ™ and limestone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“Œ‰!ย 

Inscribed Stones
A closeup of an Inscribed Stone with the throne name of Hatshepsut on it! Look at how beautiful the carvings are! The details on the “ka ๐“‚“” symbol are particularly stunning!

While many of these โ€œinscribed stonesโ€ have very rough carvings on them, the cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท that appears in the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ above on the limestone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“Œ‰ rock ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™ is quite beautiful ๐“„ค๐“†‘๐“‚‹! The version of Hatshepsutโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– that appears on these fragments of rock ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™ is her throne name, which is the name she took when she became pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป! Her throne name is โ€œMaatkare ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“‚“โ€ which translates to โ€œTruth is the Soul of Re.โ€ย 

Letโ€™s take a closer look at what the symbols in her name mean:

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“ฆ – Maat (Truth) 

๐“‚“ – Ka (Soul)

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Ptolemaic Gold Wreath

Much like today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ, gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ was very valued in the ancient world. This Ptolemaic Gold Wreath that I am standing with at the Brooklyn Museum is an exquisite piece!

Ptolemaic Gold Wreath
Me with a Ptolemaic Gold Wreath at the Brooklyn Museum

Fun fact: in ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–, silver ๐“Œ‰๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ was actually considered to be more valuable because it was harder to obtain through trade! Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– itself does not naturally have a lot of silver ๐“Œ‰๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰! Silver ๐“Œ‰๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ was associated with the moon ๐“‡‹๐“‚๐“Ž›๐“‡น, while gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ was associated with the sun ๐“‡ณ๐“บ!ย 

This piece is from the Ptolemaic Period (3rd century-2nd century B.C.E.), and it has a very obvious Greek influence. When Alexander the Great ๐“„ฟ๐“ƒญ๐“Žก๐“Šƒ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚ง๐“‚‹๐“Šƒโ€œconqueredโ€ Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–, it resulted in the merging of Greek/Macedonian and Egyptian cultures!ย 

Ptolemaic Gold Wreath
A closeup of the Ptolemaic Gold Wreath on display at the Brooklyn Museum!

Many different types of wreaths ๐“Œด๐“„ฟ๐“Ž›๐“†ฐ๐“ฆ were made in ancient Greece using different plants ๐“†พ๐“†ฐ๐“†ฐ๐“†ฐ. The โ€œplant ๐“‡๐“…“๐“†ฐโ€ used in this wreath ๐“Œด๐“„ฟ๐“Ž›๐“†ฐ may be the laurel, which was associated with the Greek god ๐“Šน Apollo. 

While gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ wreaths ๐“Œด๐“„ฟ๐“Ž›๐“†ฐ๐“ฆ like this one could be used to crown athletic victors, it could have also been used in a funerary context. The wreath ๐“Œด๐“„ฟ๐“Ž›๐“†ฐ pictured is most likely one that had a funerary purpose. The wreaths ๐“Œด๐“„ฟ๐“Ž›๐“†ฐ๐“ฆ worn by the living were most likely made of real flowers ๐“†ผ๐“…ฑ๐“†ฐ๐“ฆ. 

Gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ is a very malleable material, meaning that it can be easily shaped and bent into various shapes. While a great property to have when considering art, this also means that anything made of gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ is extremely delicate. Most gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ jewelry made today is actually an alloy – meaning gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ is mixed with another metal to make it more durable. 

Due to the delicate nature of these wreaths ๐“Œด๐“„ฟ๐“Ž›๐“†ฐ๐“ฆ, there are only four ๐“ฝ surviving today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Ritual Statue

A โ€œRitual Statueโ€ was used in ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– on processional boats to show the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป worshipping the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน. Usually, the statues ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ๐“ช that appeared on these processional/ceremonial boats were of the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน exclusively. This particular ritual statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is the earliest one found from ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– that depicts a pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป!

Ritual Statue
Ritual Statue of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Thutmosis III on display at the MET

Another important aspect of this statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is that it is made of bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ – with the exception of a few Middle Kingdom examples, this statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ seems to be the start of bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statuary in ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–!  Both ritual statues ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ๐“ช and bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statuary became much more common during the Third Intermediate and Late Periods. 

My Nonno loved bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statuary, and I do too because they are always so well preserved and the details can easily be seen! On this statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ in particular, the gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ around the eyes ๐“น๐“๐“ฆ is still intact (some of the gold was restored) as is the nemset jar ๐“Œ๐“บ! The inlays in the eyebrows are missing, but might have been gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ or stone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“Šช. While an arm ๐“‚๐“บ may be missing, this gives us insight into the artistic ingenuity of the Egyptian artisans; the arms ๐“‚๐“ฆ attach perfectly into the grooves provided, which allowed for more detailed work! 

This statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is dated to the 18th Dynasty (New Kingdom) and we know that because the throne name of the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ appears on the belt that the statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is wearing! Kneeling bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statues ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ๐“ช of pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ dated to the New Kingdom are extremely rare! 

Egyptologists can also date this statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ to the 18th Dynasty based on the clothes it is wearing; the combination of the Khepresh Crown ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™๐“‹™ and the way the skirt is styled (longer in the front) are very typical pharaonic fashion for the 18th Dynasty! 

This statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is also very small ๐“ˆ–๐“†“๐“‹ด๐“…ฉ and is only 5 inches (13.1 cm) tall! 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Thoth on a Coffin

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช – with the god ๐“Šน of writing ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ himself, Thoth ๐“…๐“๐“ญ! I love Thoth ๐“…because I love hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช and heโ€™s my second favorite Egyptian deity!ย Let’s take a look at a depiction of Thoth on a coffin!

Thoth on a Coffin
Thoth on a Coffin depicted as an Ibis with a human body.

This photo ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ shows some details on the mummiform coffin ๐“…ฑ๐“‡‹๐“€พ of a man named Kharrushere who lived during the Third Intermediate Period/22nd Dynasty (c. 825โ€“712 B.C.E.). Elaborately decorated coffins ๐“…ฑ๐“‡‹๐“€พ๐“ช are very typical of this time period and I love just looking at them and enjoying the beautiful ๐“„ค๐“†‘๐“‚‹ art!

Thoth ๐“…๐“๐“ญ was represented in multiple ways, and was always associated with either the baboon or the ibis ๐“‰”๐“ƒ€๐“…ค. When in humanoid form (like on this coffin ๐“…ฑ๐“‡‹๐“€พ), he was represented as a human body with the head of an ibis ๐“‰”๐“ƒ€๐“…ค. 

Letโ€™s break down the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ that are to the left of Thoth! 

๐“†“๐“Œƒ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ– – Words Spoken By

๐“…ค – Thoth (โ€œDjeutyโ€ in Middle Egyptian)

๐“ŽŸ – Lord

๐“Šน๐“Œƒ – Hieroglyphs (โ€œDivine Words/Writingโ€)

Thoth ๐“…ค๐“€ญ was thought to have invented writing ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ, and was thus the god ๐“Šน of all record keeping, hence the epithet โ€œLord of the Divine Words/Writing ๐“ŽŸ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ.โ€ Due to his vast knowledge, ๐“‚‹๐“๐“๐“œ Thoth ๐“Ÿ was thought to know magic ๐“Ž›๐“‚“๐“„ฟ๐“œ and secrets ๐“ƒ€๐“‹ด๐“†Ÿ๐“›๐“ฆ that were unknown to the rest of the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน in the Egyptian pantheon. He was also the god ๐“Šน of scribes ๐“Ÿ๐“€€๐“ช.

Thoth ๐“…ค has many ways to write his name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– in hieroglyphs! Here are a few of them: 

๐“…ค๐“€ญ 

๐“…ค

๐“…๐“๐“ญ๐“€ญ

๐“…๐“๐“ญ

๐“Ÿ

Most of the deities ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน in the Egyptian pantheon have many variations of ways to write their names in hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.