Despite the 500 ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ years separating their reigns, the pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ Montuhotep II ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ ฑ๐ต๐๐ช (Dynasty 11) and Ahmose I ๐บ๐ (Dynasty 18) are considered to be two ๐ป of Egyptโs ๐๐ ๐๐ greatest pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ for a very similar reason. They were both responsible for reunifying Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐!
Ahmose I ๐บ๐ defeated the Hyksos and founded the 18th Dynasty, which is the start of the New Kingdom (this is my favorite part of Egyptian history)! This is the time period when Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ not only reached its peak power politically, but also a golden age in arts and building projects. Ahmose I ๐บ๐ is responsible for jump-starting all of this by opening quarries ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ, mines, and trade routes in order to undertake these large construction programs.
This beautiful ๐ค๐๐ statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ of Ahmose I ๐บ๐ shows him wearing the White Crown ๐ค๐ of Upper Egypt ๐. It is estimated that Ahmose I ruled for around 25 ๐๐๐พ years.
What does Ahmose Iโs name ๐๐ mean? Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! This is what the individual symbols mean: ๐บ – Iah (The Moon) ๐ – Born/Birth All together, the name ๐๐ means โThe Moon is Bornโ which is such a wonderful name ๐๐! I love it!
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Today ๐๐๐๐ณ, we are going to be looking at another popular hieroglyph ๐น๐! This is the โsedge ๐โ Hieroglyph, which has multiple uses and one you have definitely seen in inscriptions before!
The ๐ can function as a biliteral phonogram and represents the sound of โsw.โ The sedge ๐ is also the symbol to represent Upper Egypt!
The ๐ symbol can also function as an ideogram for both the words โking (nswt)โ and โsedge (swt).โ This is the most popular way that the symbol is used in Middle Egyptian!
Letโs take a look at some examples of how ๐ can be used in words!
๐ – King
๐๐๐๐ญ – King
๐๐๐๐ฒ – King
๐๐๐๐/๐๐๐๐๐ – To Be King
๐๐น๐ช – King of the Gods (epithet of Amun ๐๐ ๐)
Now, letโs take a look at some examples of how ๐ can be used in popular phrases:
๐ฅ – He of the Sedge and the Bee / King of Upper and Lower Egypt
๐๐๐ต๐ – An Offering the King Gives (๐ – King, ๐๐ต- Offering, ๐ – Gives)
As you can see, the sedge ๐ hieroglyph has many uses, and they mostly have to do with the word โking!โ So if you see the ๐, in most cases youโre going to be dealing with something to do with the king ๐๐๐๐ฒ/pharaoh ๐๐ป!ย
I have provided different examples of what the โsedge ๐โ symbol can look like in different forms of hieroglyphic writing! Across all different mediums, the โsedge ๐โ hieroglyph definitely maintains its form which allows it to be a very easily recognized symbol!
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Letโs look at some ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures! Gallery 126 at the MET has lot of ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ on display and I LOVE being in this room!ย These ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures and shabti boxes belong to a woman ๐๐๐๐๐ named Nauny, who lived during the 21st Dynasty reign of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Psusennes I ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ ฎ๐ผ๐๐๐.ย
The ushabti figures ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ that Nauny was buried with are made of blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ and have featured and inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ on them that are painted ๐๐ with black ๐๐ paint ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆ.
Nauny was buried with a total of 393 ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures that were divided amongst seven ๐ shabti boxes. The shabti boxes are made of sycamore ๐๐๐๐ญ wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ and painted ๐๐ with stucco. As demonstrated in the video ๐๐ ฑ๐, the ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช are stored in an upright position in the box!
Normally a person was buried with 365 ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures – one for each day of the year, however, there were also overseer ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ who would make sure the โregular ushabtisโ (which are actually known as โworker ushabtisโ) weโre doing their jobs!ย
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Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to look at one of my absolute favorite wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ coffins ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ from the Middle Kingdom! The art of ancient Egypt really started to develop during the Middle Kingdom times, and the beautifully ๐ค๐๐ painted wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ coffins ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ and their hieroglyphic ๐น๐๐ช inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ are just captivating! The paint ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆ and the colors are just exquisite and have really stood the test of time!
When I go to the MET, sometimes I just sit on the floor in front of this coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ to 1) just stare at its beauty ๐ค๐๐ and 2) to take a break!
This coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ belonged to Khnumnakht, an individual who lived during the 12th-13th Dynasties (c. 1850-1750B.C.E.). Khnumnakht is known only by the name ๐๐ on his coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ; Egyptologists donโt know anything else about him or his life ๐น๐๐!ย
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Here is what the inscription ๐๐ ฑ๐ says:
๐น๐ – May He Live
๐ณ๐บ๐ – Every Day
๐๐ณ๐บ – Like Ra
The little โstrokes ๐บโ within the symbols are not technically part of the words and they are not pronounced! They are there for aesthetic purposes to make sure all of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are spaced out correctly and appear in even lines on the coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ!
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This magnificent piece is known as a โMagical Stela,โ or a โCippus of Horus.โ Normally, stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ were used to commemorate the dead but Cippus pieces are like a protective amulet ๐๐ช๐ in the shape of a stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ.ย
This cippus was used by the living for protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐. Since the Old Kingdom, Horus ๐ ๐ญ was called upon as a defender against snake or scorpion bites. Placing the cippus on a wound would evoke its magical and healing powers.
Smaller versions of Cippus stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ were usually kept in homes ๐๐บ, but this one here at the MET is a lot more elaborate and was actually commissioned by a priest ๐น๐ to be displayed in public! Itโs difficult to see in pictures, but the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are carved so exquisitely and I love just looking at them!ย
The top panel on the front of the Cippus depicts Horus ๐ ๐ญ standing on two ๐ป crocodiles ๐ ๐ด๐๐๐ฅ and holding other dangerous animals such as snakes ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช, a lion ๐ณ๐น๐ฟ๐, an antelope ๐ฒ๐บ and scorpions ๐ด๐๐๐๐ซ๐ช in each hand. Surrounding Horus ๐ ๐ญ are other deities. On Horusโ ๐ ๐ญ left there is Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ, Ra-Horakhty ๐ ๐๐๐ค, and then on Horusโ ๐ ๐ญ right is Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ. The god ๐น Bes ๐๐ด๐ also appears above Horusโ ๐ ๐ญ head ๐ถ๐บ. Bes ๐๐ด๐ was known to ward off evil ๐๐๐๐๐ จ and bad luck.
This piece is dated to the Late Period (30th Dynasty). Considering everything, I figured this would be a fitting post for today!
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Nonno and I are co-presidents of the Ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ fan club! As much as I also love the Temple of Dendur at the MET, nothing beats seeing all of the different types of ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ figures on display! Seeing the ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ makes me so happy!ย
Fun Facts about Ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures:
The ushabtis ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ served as substitutes for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ and would perform labor or jobs for them in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐.
Ushabtis are usually inscribed with specific spells ๐๐๐๐ฆ which assigned each ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ to a certain task! The most popular one is the โShabti Spell.โ
Ushabtis can be made of many different types of materials such as faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ, wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ, clay ๐ช๐๐ด๐, limestone ๐๐๐๐ and rarely even bronze ๐๐ค๐๐ฆ!
People who could afford it were buried with over 400 ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช! Usually there were 365 ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐พ worker ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช (one for each day of the year) and then overseer ushabtis!
My Nonno loved ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช so much and would tell my sister ๐ข๐๐๐ and I stories about them! I love these statues so much and I may be among their biggest fans – I cannot get enough of them!ย
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Letโs read some Hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! What does the popular Middle Egyptian phrase โGodโs Mother ๐น๐ โ mean? Before we delve into the meaning, letโs break down the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!ย
โGodโs Motherโ can be written three ways in hieroglyphs:
๐น๐๐
๐น๐ ๐
๐น๐
This phrase is a combination of two different words: the word โGod ๐นโ and the word โMother ๐ ๐๐/๐ ๐/๐๐ ๐.โ
The โcloth on a pole ๐นโ hieroglyph is an ideogram for the word god. ๐น is also a triliteral phonogram, and represents the letters โntrโ which may have been pronounced like โneterโ or โnetjer.โ ๐น Is also a determinative for โgod.โ So the โcloth on a pole ๐นโ symbol can function as all three types of hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! If you see this symbol, you are most likely looking at a word that has to do with the gods ๐น๐น๐น!
The โvulture ๐ โ is a triliteral phonogram and represents the sounds โmjt/mwtโ which we infer would be pronounced like โmut.โ
The โflat loaf of bread ๐โ is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound โt.โ
The phrase โGodโs Mother ๐น๐ โ can have two different (but related) meanings in Middle Egyptian inscriptions. It can be used to refer to the goddess ๐น๐ Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ and will usually appear after her name ๐๐ in inscriptions. This is in reference to the fact that Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ is the mother ๐ ๐๐ of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, who is the mythological ruler of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ and the pharaoh ๐๐ป was thought to be a representation of Horus ๐ ๐ญ on Earth.
This brings us to the next meaning of this phrase! The phrase โGodโs Mother ๐น๐ โ was an honorific title held by the woman who gave birth to the current pharaoh ๐๐ป! Since the pharaoh ๐๐ป was a god on Earth, the woman who gave birth to him/her was quite literally the Godโs Mother ๐น๐ !ย
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These small ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ limestone ๐๐๐๐ blocks are called โTalatatโ and were used solely during the reign ๐พ๐๐ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐! These were used in the construction of the Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ temple ๐๐๐ at Karnak (this construction started when he was still Amenhotep IV ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐น๐พ๐) and the palace ๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ at Akhetaten ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐. Akhetaten ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ was the capital of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ during the reign ๐พ๐๐ of Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐.ย
These limestone ๐๐๐๐ blocks were unique because they were so small ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ a single worker could carry them and put it into place. This was meant to expedite construction and make building a lot faster. The Talatat are also unique because they were only used during the reign ๐พ๐๐ of Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐, and were never used again.
Even though originally from Amarna ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, these Talatat were actually found at Hermopolis because after Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ reign ๐พ๐๐, his monuments ๐ ๐ were destroyed and building materials were used by other pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ!
These Talatat at the MET were once brightly painted in striking colors, as was most of the Egyptian monuments ๐ ๐. A lot of the colors you see on these blocks are restored and not necessarily the original colors.
Tens of thousands of Talatat have been found across Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐.
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Happy World Animal Day!ย Let’s learn about the significance of Animals in Ancient Egypt!
Believe it or not, there is no Middle Egyptian word for โanimalโ – there was the word โ๐๐ ๐โ but it translates more accurately to โbeastโ than to all animals in general. What I love about language ๐๐บ is that even a small detail such as this can show us so much about the culture of the people who spoke it!ย
In ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, Animals were usually referred to by their name ๐๐ instead of as a singular category. What I love about Middle Egyptian is that the name ๐๐ the animal was given was sometimes very similar to the sound the animal made! For example, the Middle Egyptian word for cat is ๐ ๐๐ ฑ๐ (miu) which can be pronounced similarly to โmeow.โ The word for dog is ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ๐ฅ (iwiw) which can almost sound like โwoof woof.โ
Why is this significant? It shows that the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช didnโt regard animals as different from humans or less than humans (unlike the Greeks and Romans, and eventually Western cultures). Animals were living things that contained a ba ๐ ก๐บ (part of the soul that is active in this world and the spiritual world). They could become gods ๐น๐น๐น through death ๐ ๐๐ฑ and mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐ just like humans.ย
Animals like cats ๐ ๐๐ ฑ๐ ๐ช, ibises ๐๐๐ ค๐ช, cows ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ฆ, snakes ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช, hippos ๐๐๐ฏ๐ฆ, and many others were held in high regard due to the gods ๐น๐น๐น and goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ who could take the form of those animals!ย
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Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at a word that I use frequently in my descriptions, โ๐๐ ฑ๐,โ which translates to โimage,โ โlikeness,โ โstatue,โ or โfigure.โ
I also utilize this particular word to translate the words โpictureโ and โphotoโ because that would be the closest Middle Egyptian to English translation! For the word โstatue,โ the โ๐พโ determinative is put at the end of the word so it would be spelled like โ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ.โย
The importance of the visual representation of the deities ๐น๐น๐น was embedded in ancient Egyptian religion and culture. For example, when the pharaoh ๐๐ป was alive, he/she was thought to be the living image ๐๐ ฑ๐๐น of the God ๐น Horus ๐ ๐ญ.
The Egyptians built temples ๐๐๐๐ช and shrines ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฆ to their gods ๐น๐น๐น and goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ because they believed that the gods ๐น๐น๐น could be approached and prayed to through the statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช that resided in these places of worship. The statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ช or โimages of the godsโ were thought to be the actual deity and were thus treated with great reverence ๐๐ช๐ ฑ and respect.
Another example is that when a personโs name ๐๐ was written down in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, it meant that the person would live ๐น forever ๐๐ณ๐. The visual representation of a personโs name ๐๐ had the power to give the person eternal ๐ life ๐น. This is why pharaohs wanted their name on as many monuments as possible – their name ๐๐ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช had immense power!
Letโs break down the symbols in the word โ๐๐ ฑ๐!โ
The โQuail Chick ๐ ฑโ is a super common symbol that you will see in a lot of inscriptions! It is a uniliteral phonogram sign, which means it has the sound of a single consonant. The โ๐ ฑโ is representative of the sound โwโ or โu.โ This symbol is also an ideogram for the word โchick ๐ ฑ๐บ.โ
The โflat loaf of bread ๐โ is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound โt.โ It also functions as the ideogram for the word โbread ๐๐บ.โ
So why did I choose to highlight this particular word? โ๐๐ ฑ๐โ was one of the first words that I learned when I was first starting to read hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! The reason is because it is part of Tutankhamunโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐ cartouche, which translates to โLiving Image of Amun!โย
Here is a breakdown of Tutankhamunโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐ name ๐๐:
๐๐ ๐ – Amun
๐๐ ฑ๐ – Tut (image)
๐น – Ankh (life/living)
๐พ – Ruler
๐บ – of/on
๐ – Upper Egypt
As a side note, I am a visual learner, and I think thatโs why Iโm really great at things like reading hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช and geology – both are topics which require the brain to use images and visuals over other types of processing. Even when I speak English and Italian I see the words in my head as if they are subtitles so I think my visual brain is why I am good at languages! Plus I always say that rocks are the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช of the Earth, so I am grouping geology in with languages too!ย Despite the auditory nature of languages, for me, they are actually more visual.
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