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Reading Hieroglyphs

The “Sedge” Hieroglyph

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

TodayΒ π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³, we are going to be looking at another popular hieroglyphΒ π“ŠΉπ“Œƒ! This is the β€œsedge 𓇓” symbol!

The 𓇓 is a biliteral phonogram and has the sound of β€œsw.” The symbol can also function as an ideogram for both the words β€œking (nswt)” and β€œsedge (swt).” The sedge 𓇓 is also the symbol to represent Upper Egypt!Β 

Let’s take a look at some examples of how 𓇓 can be used in words!

𓇓 – King

π“‡“π“π“ˆ–π“€­ – King

π“‡“π“π“ˆ–π“€² – King

π“‡“π“π“‡Œπ“›/π“‡“π“π“ˆ–π“‡Œπ“› – To Be King

π“‡“π“‡Œ – Kingship

π“‡“π“π“π“ˆž King’s Wife 

𓇓𓂋𓐍𓏏 – King’s Acquaintance (literally β€œKing’s 𓇓 Knowledge 𓂋𓐍𓏏(π“œ)”)

Now, let’s take a look at some examples of how 𓇓 can be used in popular phrases:

π“†₯ – He of the Sedge and the Bee or King of Upper and Lower Egypt

π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™ – An Offering the King Gives (𓇓 – King, π“π“Š΅- Offering, 𓏙 – Gives)

As you can see, the sedge 𓇓 symbol has many uses, and they mostly have to do with the word β€œking!” So if you see the 𓇓, in most cases you’re going to be dealing with something to do with the king π“‡“π“π“ˆ–π“€²/pharaoh π“‰π“‰»! 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Reliefs in the Mastaba of Perneb

This picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 shows a closeup of one of the many beautiful π“„€ reliefs that decorate the inside of Perneb’sΒ π“‰π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“ŽŸπ“ƒ€Β mastaba 𓉐𓆖.Β 

This relief shows two 𓏻 men carrying offerings π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ𓏏𓏔𓏦 of bread 𓏏𓏐 and fowl π“…Ώ. These reliefs are facing the False Door inside the tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰, where family 𓅕𓉔𓅱𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏦 members would leave offerings π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ𓏏𓏔𓏦 as well. Drawing the people bringing offerings π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ𓏏𓏔𓏦 to Perneb π“‰π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“ŽŸπ“ƒ€ towards the False Door was done on purpose! In the ancient Egyptian religion/culture, it was thought that the drawings on the walls of tombs π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰π“ͺ could come to life. If people were drawn bringing food 𓇬𓀁𓅱𓏔π“₯ to the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱, then it was thought that the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 would have enough sustenance for the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐!Β 

Perneb π“‰π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“ŽŸπ“ƒ€ was a palace administrator during the 5th Dynasty, and he had his tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰ built at MemphisΒ π“ π“ˆ–π“„€π“†‘π“‚‹π“‰΄π“Š–Β (modern day Saqqara). This type of tombΒ π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰Β is commonly referred to today as a mastaba, but in ancient Egyptian times they were referred to as a β€œHouse of Eternity 𓉐𓆖.” The word β€œmastaba” is Arabic for the word β€œbench,” and these tombsΒ π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰π“ͺ got their modern name π“‚‹π“ˆ– due to their rectangular structure and flat roofs!Β 

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Cartouche of the Pharaoh Khafre

This is another picture my Nonno took! I’ve always thought this cast of Khafre’s π“‡³π“ˆπ“†‘ cartouche was super interesting! As a kid I loved it because Khafre π“‡³π“ˆπ“†‘ was one of the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻π“₯ who built a pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 at Giza in the 4th Dynasty, and my Nonno would always point this piece out to us because of that. As I started studying hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ though, this piece became even more interesting to me!

The cartouche reads: π“…­π“‡³π“ˆπ“†‘π“‡³π“†₯, which translates to Son of Ra, Khafre, King of Upper and Lower Egypt.

What’s interesting about this cartouche though is usually β€œSon of Ra𓅭𓇳” and β€œKing of Upper and Lower Egypt π“†₯” appear as titles above the cartouche, instead of inside of it! I don’t know why it’s written like this, but I’ve always found it to be an interesting piece because of this!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Bronze Imhotep

My Nonno always made a point to make sure we saw Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ in every museum that we went to. It was part of the fun of going to the museum!! After seeing β€œThe Mummy” for the first time when I was about ten years old, I had already known about Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ for years from a historical perspective!!

Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ, meaning β€œHe who comes in peace,” was a non-royal man who became deified. This is a very rare occurrence, as it was thought by the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ that the Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was the only god π“ŠΉ on the Earth. Imhotep was not deified in his lifetime – it was 2,000 years after his death that he began to be worshipped as a god π“ŠΉ. Not much is known about Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ from his lifetime – much information about Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ is from Demotic texts or stelae π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έπ“ͺ that were written thousands of years after his death.

Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ was regarded as the Son of Ptah, who was the god π“ŠΉ of craftsmen and architects. He was also part of the Memphis Triad, which consisted of Ptah π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“€­, Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“, and Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Faience Tiles from Djoser’s Step Pyramid


Djoser 𓂦 was the first pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 of the 3rd Dynasty, and his Step Pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 was the first large stone structure in Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–. Designed by the architect Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ, who was later deified, the Step Pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 was meant to provide the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 with a large funerary complex and a home for eternity π“Ž›π“‡³π“Ž›.

These blue faience tiles decorated the lower levels of Djoser’s 𓂦 Step Pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 Complex. There were over 30,000 tiles used!!! The tiles were meant to represent various types of reeds that covered the walls of Djoser’s 𓂦 palace.

I have always been obsessed with anything having to do with the Step Pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 solely because of Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ. My Nonno always spoke more about Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ than Djoser 𓂦! My Nonno always pointed these tiles out to me in the museum. While to most people, the tiles look somewhat insignificant compared to beautifully carved reliefs and statues, my Nonno always said that these types of tiles were important because they were really only found in the Step Pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 and one of Djoser’s 𓂦 other buildings at Saqqara. The tiles were pretty much a β€œuniquely Imhotep π“‡π“…“π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ” thing according to Nonno!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Osiride Bust of Hatshepsut

This is a bust of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ in the form of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ (Osiride) and originally stood over 15 π“Ž†π“Ύ feet high! This β€œstatue” is originally from her temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ at Deir el-Bahri – this statue was not free-standing – it was actually carved from the blocks that were part of the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰!!! Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ holds the traditional crook π“‹Ύ and flail π“Œ… across her chest along with an Ankh π“‹Ή and scepter π“Œ€. She once wore the white crown π“‹‘ of Upper Egypt on her head.

About twenty π“Ž†π“Ž† years after Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 died, these statues were cut off of the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ and thrown into a pit towards the front entrance. There, these Osiride portraits of Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 remained buried until they were discovered by excavators from the MET in the 1930s.

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Ancient Plagiarism – aka Usurping

This statue is very interesting because it was originally made for the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Amenemhat II π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“…“π“„‚π“ during the 12th π“Ž†π“» Dynasty. However if you look at the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, the cartouches of Rameses II can be read! The pharaohs 𓉐𓉻π“₯ used to recycle statues all the time – this is a process known as usurping (taking one pharaoh’s monuments, erasing their name, and putting yours!). It’s kind of like ancient plagiarism!!

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

π“†₯(π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ–) King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Usermaatre
𓅭𓇳(π“©π“›π“ˆ˜π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“) Son of Ra, Rameses

This statue is made of granodiorite, a type of volcanic (igneous) rock. It was quarried at Aswan and then transported up the Nile to Memphis, where it was sculpted.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Faience Statue of Isis Feeding Horus

The statue of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ feeding Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ as a baby is one of the most popular images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of the Late Period through the Ptolemaic Period. Symbolically, Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ was thought to be the mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 (The Divine Mother), and was often associated with motherhood 𓅐𓏏𓁐, the protection of women, and a user of magic. As Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ became a more popular religious figure, she was associated with cosmological order and was considered to be the embodiment of fate by the Romans.

This image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of a mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 holding a child is thought to have inspired the well known Catholic images of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus as a baby. The amulet π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…† and statue was very popular in Roman households, most likely as a symbol of motherhood and family. My Nonno always made sure to point these statues out to us, as he felt they were really important due to the likely influence on Catholic symbolism.

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Reading Hieroglyphs

“Given Everlasting Life for All Eternity”

π“™π“‹Ήπ“†–π“Ž›π“‡³π“Ž› β€œGiven Everlasting Life for all Eternity.”

This is one of my absolute favorite Egyptian phrases – it appears a lot in hieroglyphic inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ whether its on stelae π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έπ“ͺ or tomb/temple walls. The Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ spent their time on Earth preparing for the afterlife and their journey to the Underworld 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐 to meet Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­. I interpret the phrase β€œπ“™π“‹Ήπ“†–π“Ž›π“‡³π“Ž›β€ two 𓏻 different ways. When they died, the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ wanted to be remembered, hence the purpose of stelae π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έπ“ͺ. Also, they believed death was the beginning of a journey to eternal life 𓋹𓆖.

𓏙 – Given
π“‹Ή – Life
𓆖 – Everlasting/Eternal
π“Ž›π“‡³π“Ž› – Eternity

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Scarabs of Hatshepsut with a Translation


Eventually everyone is going to get tired of me talking about Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 but I don’t care! I love anything that has her cartouche on it, and the scarab collection at the MET is no exception!! The MET has a new way of displaying the scarabs that makes it much easier to take pictures, and you can really see each one close up! There are a lot of the scarabs, so eventually you guys will see them all!

These two scarabs have very similar inscriptions carved into them, however one little symbol makes a total difference in the meaning of the inscription! The scarab on the left says β€œπ“‡³π“¦π“‚“π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώβ€ which translates to β€œMaatkare, Lord of the Two Lands” while the scarab on the right says β€œπ“‡³π“¦π“‚“π“ŽŸπ“π“‡Ώπ“‡Ώβ€ which translates to β€œMaatkare, Lady of the Two Lands.”

The symbol β€œπ“β€ makes the phrase feminine! It’s really interesting to see a scarab with just the symbol for Lord π“ŽŸ because while Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 was the Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, most of the inscriptions that pertain to her use the female form of words.