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Egyptian Artifacts

Statue of Horemheb Before He Was Pharaoh

Before Horemheb ๐“‡ณ๐“‚ฆ๐“†ฃ๐“ผ๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– became the last pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป of the 18th Dynasty, he was a general ๐“€Ž๐“ฆ under the pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฅ Tutankamun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“ and Ay ๐“‡ณ๐“†ฃ๐“†ฃ๐“ช๐“น๐“™๐“. This large statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ (and a second similar one) would have been placed in a temple ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰ – either the temple of Ptah ๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“ฑ at Memphis ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“„ค๐“†‘๐“‚‹๐“‰ด๐“Š– or the temple of Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“บ๐“‡ณ at Karnak.ย 

Statue of Horemheb
Me with a Statue of Horemheb seated with a papyrus from before he was pharaoh.

It was standard for high officials to show themselves in a seated position with a papyrus scroll ๐“…“๐“‘๐“๐“› on their lap. In the Old Kingdom, the statues ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ๐“ช usually showed the official reading, but in the New Kingdom, the statues usually showed the official writing ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ. Horemheb ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Œบ๐“„ฟ๐“‹”๐“๐“Žฑ is writing ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ a hymn to the god ๐“Šน Thoth ๐“…ค๐“€ญ(who is the god ๐“Šน of writing ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ).ย 

Statue of Horemheb
Statue of Horemheb seated with a papyrus from before he was pharaoh.

The hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช around the base of the statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ mention Horemhebโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“‚ฆ๐“†ฃ๐“ผ๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– many titles. The hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช on the โ€œpapyrusโ€ ๐“…“๐“‘๐“๐“› that is on Horemhebโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Œบ๐“„ฟ๐“‹”๐“๐“Žฑ lap can actually be read, but it was so difficult to get a picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“/actually read them because I could not get close enough to the statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ!

It is really interesting to see a pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป depicted in statuary before he became the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป. Most pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฅ were born into their role, but Horemheb ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Œบ๐“„ฟ๐“‹”๐“๐“Žฑ ascended to the throne through his status as general ๐“€Ž๐“ฆ. What a way to end the 18th Dynasty!

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

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Tomb in Hieroglyphs!

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! 

Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to look at one of the ways to write โ€œtomb ๐“‡‹๐“‡ฉ๐“Šƒ๐“‰โ€ in hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! The picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ below is from a Middle Kingdom sarcophagus ๐“ŽŸ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“๐“Šญ at the MET, which has the word for “tomb ๐“‡‹๐“‡ฉ๐“Šƒ๐“‰” written on it!

Tomb in Hieroglyphs
The word for “tomb ๐“‡‹๐“‡ฉ๐“Šƒ๐“‰” in hieroglyphic symbols on a sarcophagus at the MET.

Letโ€™s break down each of the symbols:ย 

The โ€œreed ๐“‡‹โ€ is a uniliteral phonogram for โ€œฤฑอ— (y),โ€ however it can also function as an ideogram for the word โ€œreed ๐“‡‹๐“บ.โ€

The โ€œbundle of reeds ๐“‡ฉโ€ is a biliteral phonogram that represents the sound โ€œjz.โ€

The โ€œdoorbolt ๐“Šƒโ€ symbol is a uniliteral phonogram which represents the sound โ€œzโ€ or โ€œs.โ€ Itโ€™s also the 

ideogram for the word โ€œdoorbolt.โ€ 

The โ€œschematic house plan ๐“‰โ€œ symbol is a biliteral phonogram for the sound โ€œpr,โ€ but it can also function as an ideogram for the word โ€œhouse ๐“‰๐“บ.โ€ This symbol is commonly used as a determinative for words that have to do with buildings (like our word of the day – tomb ๐“‡‹๐“‡ฉ๐“Šƒ๐“‰) or places (Duat ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰). 

So how would โ€œ๐“‡‹๐“‡ฉ๐“Šƒ๐“‰โ€ be pronounced? ๐“‡‹๐“‡ฉ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ would actually be said like โ€œis.โ€ In Middle Egyptian, a bunch of the written words repeat sounds, but the repeated sounds arenโ€™t pronounced at all. Itโ€™s like how โ€œ๐“„คโ€ and โ€œ๐“„ค๐“†‘๐“‚‹โ€ are both still pronounced โ€œnfrโ€ even though the sounds repeat in the word.ย There are many variants for ancient Egyptian words, and it makes reading hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช like a puzzle! When you first start learning it can be frustrating, but then it becomes fun!

Here are some other variants/ways to write โ€œtombโ€ in hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช: 

๐“‰๐“†– – Mastaba (House of Eternity)

๐“‚๐“‚๐“‰ด – Tomb/Mastaba

๐“„ฟ๐“‚๐“‚๐“‰ด – Tomb/Mastaba

๐“„ฟ๐“Ž›๐“Œธ – Tomb Shaft

๐“…œ๐“๐“ˆŒ๐“‰ – Tomb of a King, Horizon

๐“€ป๐“‹ด๐“‰ – Tomb Chapel

If you want to see the full inscription ๐“Ž˜๐“…ฑ๐“Ž– on this sarcophagus ๐“ŽŸ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“๐“Šญ, check out my video on this post!

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

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Egyptian Artifacts

The Chariot in Ancient Egypt

This rectangle fragment of a relief depicting a horse drawn chariot ๐“…จ๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“๐“Œ was found at the Great Aten Temple in Amarna (Akhetaten ๐“ˆŒ๐“๐“‰๐“‡‹๐“๐“ˆ–๐“Š–). This piece is estimated to have been carved between c. 1352โ€“1336 B.C.E., which is during the reign ๐“‹พ๐“ˆŽ๐“ of Akhenaten ๐“‡‹๐“๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“…œ๐“๐“ˆ–. This particular relief pictured was originally part of a much larger image ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“. Here, chariot ๐“…จ๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“๐“Œ attendants are keeping watch of the chariots ๐“…จ๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“๐“Œ๐“ฆ for the royal family.ย 

Chariot
Image of a horse drawn chariot and a chariot attendant from Akhetaten on display at the MET.

Chariots ๐“…จ๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“๐“Œ๐“ฆ (and horses ๐“‹ด๐“‹ด๐“…“๐“๐“ƒ—๐“ช) were not always a part of Egyptian history. It is estimated by historians that the chariot ๐“…จ๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“๐“Œ first arrived in Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– around 1600 B.C.E. and that they were introduced by the Hyksos. The first horse ๐“‹ด๐“‹ด๐“…“๐“๐“ƒ— remains in Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– are estimated to be from the Thirteenth Dynasty, so horses ๐“‹ด๐“‹ด๐“…“๐“๐“ƒ—๐“ช must have been introduced to Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– before the Hyksos rule. 

After Ahmose I ๐“‡บ๐“„Ÿ defeated the Hyksos and reunified Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– to start the 18th Dynasty/New Kingdom, the chariot ๐“…จ๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“๐“Œ became a common sight in both art and in the life of the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป. Chariots ๐“…จ๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“๐“Œ๐“ฆ were the number one choice of transportation for royalty! Chariots ๐“…จ๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“๐“Œ๐“ฆ were also used by pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ to take part in hunting, and were used by the army for battle. Many reliefs and other forms of art from this time period shows various pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ hunting or going into battle on their chariot. The chariot ๐“…จ๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“๐“Œ became a sign of bravery and strength ๐“Œ€. 

Fun Fact: the hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ for โ€œchariot ๐“Œโ€ only appeared in Middle Egyptian around the same time that the chariots ๐“…จ๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“๐“Œ๐“ฆ were introduced to Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–! That totally makes sense and itโ€™s so cool to โ€œwatchโ€ the language evolve as technology evolved! The same thing happens today! 

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

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Egyptian Artifacts

I Love Mummies!

Here at the MET, I am sitting with a mummy ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ that is still wrapped in its linen ๐“ฑ. Mummification ๐“‹ด๐“‚ง๐“๐“…ฑ๐“Ž was an extremely important part of Egyptian religious practices because the body of the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ needed to stay intact in order for the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ to reach the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰.ย 

Mummy
Me sitting with a linen wrapped mummy at the MET

Mummification ๐“‹ด๐“‚ง๐“๐“…ฑ๐“Ž was practiced throughout most of Egyptian history, and the earliest mummies ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ๐“ช were most likely accidental just due to the dry climate of Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–! The mummification ๐“‹ด๐“‚ง๐“๐“…ฑ๐“Ž of people persisted for over 2,000 years and continued well into the Roman Period. The best preserved mummies ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ๐“ช are from the 18th-20th Dynasties.  

Mummification ๐“‹ด๐“‚ง๐“๐“…ฑ๐“Ž was a long process that took about seventy days to complete. First ๐“ƒ, the internal organs ๐“‡‹๐“‚ง๐“‚‹๐“„น๐“ฆ such as the liver ๐“…“๐“Šƒ๐“๐“„น๐“ธ๐“ธ๐“ธ, stomach ๐“‚‹๐“„ฃ๐“ป, intestines, lungs ๐“Šƒ๐“Œด๐“„ฅ๐“…ฑ๐“„บ, and the brain ๐“‚๐“…“๐“…“๐“„น were removed. The heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ remained in the body because it would be needed for the โ€œWeighing of the Heartโ€ before the deceased entered the Field of Reeds ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ…๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“†ฐ๐“Š–. After that, the body was then dried in natron ๐“ƒ€๐“‚ง๐“‡จ, which is a type of salt. Once the drying was complete, the body was wrapped in hundreds of yards of linen ๐“ฑ. Amulets ๐“Š๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช could placed in the linen ๐“ฑ to help the deceased enter the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. 

Here is some mummy-related vocabulary:

๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ – Mummy

๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ – Tomb

๐“‰๐“†– – Mastaba (House of Eternity)

๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“‰ – Burial Chamber 

๐“‹ด๐“‚ง๐“๐“…ฑ๐“Ž – Mummification/Embalm

I have had a fascination with mummies ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ๐“ช since I was a little girl! Mummies ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ๐“ช never scared me – I just remember being so interested and intrigued by the idea of them! One of the first books my Nonno ever gave me was called “Faces of the Pharaohs,” and it contained pictures of the 18th Dynasty royal mummies! It is still one of my favorite books!

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

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Difference Between ๐“€€ and ๐“€ Hieroglyphs

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! 

Whatโ€™s the difference between ๐“€€ and ๐“€? They are very similar symbols in terms of style, but today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to take a closer look at both of them because they do have different functions and meanings in Middle Egyptian! 

But first, letโ€™s review the different types of hieroglyphic ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ symbols! The determinative symbol is a symbol used to show the general meaning of the word! It is basically used as punctuation at the end of the word to show you that it is over, and is not pronounced. An ideogram is a single symbol that is used to write the word it represents and is usually followed by a single stroke ๐“บ. A phonogram is a symbol that represents sounds, and is usually part of a larger word. There are phonograms that can represent one (uniliteral), two (biliteral) or three (triliteral) consonants!ย 

hieroglyphs
An image of sunken relief hieroglyphs showing the man with hand to mouth ๐“€ hieroglyph on the left and the seated man ๐“€€ hieroglyph on the right (The MET)

The โ€œseated man ๐“€€โ€œ symbol can be a phonogram, ideogram, and most commonly a determinative. As a uniliteral phonogram it represents the sound โ€œj.โ€ It is also an ideogram for โ€œman ๐“€€๐“บโ€ and can be used as a first person pronoun. As a determinative, ๐“€€ appears at the end of words (such as occupations and names) to show that the person is a man. 

Here are some examples on how to use ๐“€€: 

๐“€€ – I, Me, My

๐“…ญ๐“€€ – Son (the determinative is rarely used later on, but this was the original word)

๐“Ÿ๐“€€ – Scribe 

๐“ˆ–๐“ฏ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ–๐“ฏ๐“€€ – Nonno

๐“†‘๐“€€/๐“‡‹๐“๐“€€ – Father

๐“€€๐“บ/๐“Šƒ๐“€€๐“ค – Man

The โ€œman with hand to mouth ๐“€โ€ symbol functions solely as a determinative symbol and is usually used to represent words that are associated with speaking, thinking, eating, drinking, and for feelings/emotions.

Here are some examples on how to use ๐“€: 

๐“‡‹๐“€ – To Say/Speak

๐“ƒน๐“ˆ–๐“…“๐“€ – Eat

๐“Šƒ๐“ƒ€๐“‡‹๐“€ – Drink

๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€ – Mourning

๐“ฟ๐“Ž›๐“…ฑ๐“€ – Rejoice

As you can see, the ๐“€ symbol appears at the end of the word, meaning that it is the determinative!

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

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Video

Ushabti of Paser – Video

Here is a video of me at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the Ushabti of Paser! This beautiful ๐“„ค๐“†‘๐“‚‹ ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ is on display in Gallery 122!

The blue ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“๐“„ฟ๐“ธ๐“ฅ faience ๐“‹ฃ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ธ๐“ผย  ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ belongs to Paser ๐“…ฎ๐“€™๐“€ฝ! Objects made of faience ๐“‹ฃ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ธ๐“ผ were thought to hold magical ๐“Ž›๐“‚“๐“„ฟ๐“œ powers!ย  The ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ served as substitutes for the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ and would perform labor or jobs for them in the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. They are usually inscribed with specific spells ๐“Ž›๐“‚“๐“›๐“ฆ which assigned each ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ to a certain task!ย 

Paser ๐“…ฎ๐“€™๐“€ฝ was one of the most prominent men of his time and he served under two ๐“ป pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป – Seti I ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“  and then Rameses II ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–.  Paser ๐“…ฎ๐“€™๐“€ฝ served many different roles over twenty-five ๐“Ž†๐“Ž†๐“พ years! He was vizier ๐“…ท๐“๐“บ๐“€€ and one of his most famous works is the tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ of Seti I ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“  in the Valley of the Kings! A vizier ๐“…ท๐“๐“บ๐“€€ was the highest ranking official ๐“‹ด๐“‚‹๐“€€ and was the most powerful position in the government, besides the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป. 

Not only was the vizier ๐“…ท๐“๐“บ๐“€€ the most trusted advisor to the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป, but he also saw to the day-to-day operations of the government. The vizier ๐“…ท๐“๐“บ๐“€€ was in charge of architecture, taxation, agriculture, military, judicial, financial, and many other things.

Paser ๐“…ฎ๐“€™๐“€ฝ had many different titles, including โ€œHigh Preist of Amun,โ€ โ€œsuperintendent of every work of the king,โ€ and โ€œchief of secrets of the hieroglyphs.โ€ 

Paser ๐“…ฎ๐“€™๐“€ฝ was my Nonnoโ€™s absolute favorite non-royal, so itโ€™s always so special to see objects that belonged to Paser ๐“…ฎ๐“€™๐“€ฝ in museums.ย 

Ushabti of Paser

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

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Hieroglyphs or the X-Men?

Over on my Instagram, a lot of people commented how much they loved my X-Men shirt! I’m going to be honest, thereโ€™s a reason I wore it to the MET – it looks like the โ€œarea with an intersection ๐“Š–โ€ hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ! I love it when my interests collide (Iโ€™m a huge Marvel comics fan)!

The โ€œ๐“Š–โ€ is used as both an ideogram and a determinative! More commonly, โ€œ๐“Š–โ€ functions as the determinative, or the last symbol in the word that almost acts as punctuation to let the reader know the general meaning of the word. โ€œ๐“Š–โ€ is the determinative for town (๐“Š–๐“บ – njwt), city, settlement, and even the country of Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–! โ€œ๐“Š–โ€ seems to be used for towns/cities in Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–, while most foreign lands used the determinative of โ€œ๐“ˆŠ.โ€

Personified Estates
Me (in my X-Men shirt) at the MET standing with the Personified Estates relief from the tomb of Akhithotep

This relief I am standing with shows โ€œPersonified Estates” from the tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ of a man named Akhithotep. The โ€œpeopleโ€ in this relief arenโ€™t actually meant to show people – they are personifications of the farms and estates that belonged to the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ. Each of the figures is also carrying food ๐“‡ฌ๐“€๐“…ฑ๐“”๐“ฅ – those are offerings ๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช๐“๐“”๐“ฆ that the estates will continue to provide to the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ!ย Personified Estates do appear frequently in Old Kingdom tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ art, and it’s a really interesting concept!

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! Above the first ๐“ƒ figure on the left, you can see: 

๐“Š–๐“Š–๐“Š–๐“‡ฟ๐“Ž”๐“‡‰ – Domains of Lower Egypt

๐“ƒ€๐“‚ง๐“†“๐“๐“Š– – Bedjet (the estate) 

๐“‘๐“‹ด๐“‚‹๐“†‘ – Warm Bread

This inscription ๐“Ž˜๐“…ฑ๐“Ž– means that the Bedjet ๐“ƒ€๐“‚ง๐“†“๐“๐“Š– estate of Lower Egypt will provide warm bread ๐“‘๐“‹ด๐“‚‹๐“†‘ for the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ! 

This raised relief is dated to the 4th Dynasty (c. 2575โ€“2551 B.C.E) and is carved in limestone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“Œ‰.ย The relief is also quite high off of the limestone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“Œ‰, which is typical of Old Kingdom (especially 4th Dynasty) art.

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

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Name Stones of Senemut

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! 

Iโ€™m sure doesnโ€™t come as a surprise to anyone that my favorite time period of Egyptian history is the reign ๐“‹พ๐“ˆŽ๐“ of Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช! These stones are dated to the 18th Dynasty reign ๐“‹พ๐“ˆŽ๐“ of Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช and are inscribed ๐“Ž˜๐“…ฑ๐“Ž– with the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of Senemut ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ผ. Senemut ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ผ was a non-royal man who rose to become the most important official ๐“‹ด๐“‚‹๐“€€ during Hatshepsutโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช reign ๐“‹พ๐“ˆŽ๐“.ย 

While these pieces may seem like some random limestone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“Œ‰ blocks, they are actually what archaeologists refer to as โ€œName Stones.โ€ The Name Stones were built into Senemutโ€™s ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ฝ tomb chapel ๐“€ป๐“‹ด๐“‰ and were not meant to be seen – they were just meant to indicate that Senemut ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ผ took ownership of his tomb chapel ๐“€ป๐“‹ด๐“‰. 

Iโ€™ve seen Senemutโ€™s name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–appear a couple of different ways in hieroglyphs and here are the variations: ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ผ, ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ฝ, and ๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…. Itโ€™s the determinative thatโ€™s changing, not the symbols that influence pronunciation!

Letโ€™s take a look at the hieroglyphs on each of the stones!ย 

Name Stones
A name stone with the text “Overseer, Senemut” inscribed on it.

In the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ above, the inscription ๐“Ž˜๐“…ฑ๐“Ž– states:ย 

๐“„“๐“‰๐“ค – Overseer 

๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ฝ – Senemutย 

Name Stone
A name stone with the text “Senemut, True of Voice” inscribed on it.

In the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ above, the inscription ๐“Ž˜๐“…ฑ๐“Ž– states:

๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ฝ – Senemut 

๐“™๐“Šค – True of Voice

Name Stone
A name stone with the text “Overseer of the Garden of Amun, Senemut” inscribed on it.

In the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ above, the inscription ๐“Ž˜๐“…ฑ๐“Ž– states:

๐“ˆ™๐“ค๐“Šช๐“ˆ™๐“ˆ– Overseer of the Garden

๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ– – Amun

๐“Œข๐“ˆ–๐“…๐“€ฝ – Senemut 

โ€œOverseer of the Garden of Amun, Senemutโ€

These are my personal photographs and original text. DO NOT repost without explicit permission.

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

The Cartouches of Pharaoh Rameses I

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! 

Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to look at the cartouches ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท๐“ฆ of the first ๐“ƒ pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป of the 19th Dynasty, Rameses I ๐“‡ณ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“๐“…ฑ! Rameses I ๐“‡ณ๐“„‡๐“  was of non-Royal birth and was already quite old when the previous pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป, Horemheb ๐“‡ณ๐“‚ฆ๐“†ฃ๐“ผ๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–, chose him as his successor. Rameses I ๐“‡ณ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“๐“…ฑ had a very brief reign ๐“‹พ๐“ˆŽ๐“ of about two ๐“ป years! 

Before he was pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป, Rameses I ๐“‡ณ๐“„‡๐“  served as the vizier ๐“…ท๐“๐“บ๐“€€ to Horemheb ๐“‡ณ๐“‚ฆ๐“†ฃ๐“ผ๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– and was a High Priest of Seth ๐“Šƒ๐“๐“„ก๐“ฃ. This means that Rameses I ๐“‡ณ๐“„‡๐“  probably played an important role in the restoration of the old religion! Seti I ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“  (his ๐“†‘ son ๐“…ญ) succeeded him on the throne and this was the first direct father ๐“‡‹๐“๐“€€ to son ๐“…ญ succession since Akhenaten ๐“‡‹๐“๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“…œ๐“๐“ˆ–!

Rameses I
The throne name (left) and birth name (left) cartouches of the 19th Dynasty pharaoh Rameses I

Letโ€™s break down each of the cartouches ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท๐“ฆ! We are going to start with the throne name cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท (prenomen) on the left!ย This is the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– that the person took when they became the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป!

๐“‡ณ๐“„‡๐“  – Men Pehty Ra (โ€œEternal is the Strength of Raโ€) 

Letโ€™s break down the symbols/phrases in the cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท to gain a better understanding of the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–:ย 

๐“‡ณ – Ra 

๐“„‡ – Strength/Strong

๐“  – Eternal 

Now letโ€™s look at the birth name cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท on the right!ย The birth name is the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– that the person was born with!

๐“‡ณ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“๐“…ฑ – Ramessu (โ€œRa has Bore Himโ€ or โ€œRa has Fashioned Himโ€)

Letโ€™s break down the symbols/phrases in the cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท to gain a better understanding of the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–:ย 

๐“‡ณ – Ra๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“๐“…ฑ – Bore Him/Fashioned Him/Born Of

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Embalming Cache of Tutankhamun

Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to look at a really cool display at the MET, which shows the Embalming Cache of Tutankhamun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“!

Embalming Cache of Tutankhamun
Me with some of the artifacts from the Embalming Cache of Tutankhamun

In ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–, mummification ๐“‹ด๐“‚ง๐“๐“…ฑ๐“Ž was an extremely important aspect of their religion because the body of the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ needed to stay intact in order for the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ to reach to the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. The mummification ๐“‹ด๐“‚ง๐“๐“…ฑ๐“Ž process was long (about 70 days) and it took the work of special priests and many different supplies in order to embalm the dead ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ.ย 

Embalming Cache of Tutankhamun
Beautifully decorated vases from Tutankhamun’s Embalming Cahce

An embalming cache is a collection of the supplies and materials that were used during the mummification ๐“‹ด๐“‚ง๐“๐“…ฑ๐“Ž process. The embalming cache was usually kept separate from the actual tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ itself, though sometimes these supplies were found in the tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ of the person.ย 

The embalming cache that I am with is actually the supplies used to mummify the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Tutankhamun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“! Tutankhamunโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“ embalming ache was found in 1907, which was 15 years before the discovery of his tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰! The embalming cache was actually only about 360 feet away from the entrance to his tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰! 

Some of the items that were found in Tutankhamunโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“ embalming cache are linens ๐“ฑ๐“ฑ๐“ฑ, natron ๐“ƒ€๐“‚ง๐“‡จ, animal bones, vases ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹๐“ฆ, and most impressively, three ๐“ผ floral broad collars ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹๐“ฆ! The floral broad collars ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹๐“ฆ are thought to have been used during the funeral of Tutankhamun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“.ย 

Embalming Cache of Tutankhamun
An exquisitely preserved broad collar made of flowers, which was used during Tutankhamun’s funeral. This was found in his embalming cache.

Iโ€™m just so amazed that the broad collars ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹๐“ฆ stayed preserved for thousands of years – itโ€™s absolutely incredible!