Hereโs a video on the Maned Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค of Hatshepsut ๐ณ๐ฆ๐!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
(๐ณ๐ฆ๐) – Maatkare
๐๐ ๐ – Amun
๐บ๐๐ – Beloved
๐น๐๐- Life Given
๐ – Eternity (Forever)
โMaatkare, Beloved of Amun, Given Life for Eternity.โ
I know this is strange, but โGiven Lifeโ is written backwards! It should be โ๐๐นโ not โ๐น๐โ as itโs written (this inscription is read from right to left).
Thereโs also an added ๐, which makes it the feminine form! Thereโs a second sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค just like this one in the Cairo Museum, and on that sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค, there is no added ๐! Why would one sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค use the feminine form and one use the masculine?! We will probably never know!
Hathor ๐ก is one of the most prominent goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ of the Egyptian pantheon. Along with Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ, she is regarded as the โGodโs mother ๐ ๐๐นโ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป, but is also the goddess ๐น๐ of love ๐๐, joy ๐ซ๐ฃ๐, music ๐๐๐, and dance ๐๐ ฑ๐ป- basically the fun things in life!ย
Two sistrums with Hathor’s face on them at the Louvre
In some variations of Egyptian mythology, Hathor ๐ก is also the wife ๐๐๐ of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, and the daughter ๐ ญ๐ of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐. Hathor ๐ก is usually associated with cows ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ช and can take the form of a cow ๐ค๐๐๐๐ in many forms of Egyptian art.
The piece above is a sistrum ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ, which is a musical instrument from ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐. A sistrum ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ was a musical instrument that is similar to a modern rattle or tambourine. Since Hathor ๐ก was the goddess ๐น๐ of music ๐๐๐, she was portrayed on most sistrums ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ช in her human form! However, even though Hathor ๐ก is represented as a woman ๐๐๐๐๐, she is recognized easily because of her characteristic cow ๐ค๐๐๐๐ ears!
Music ๐๐๐ was essential to many religious rituals, so it was considered to be extremely important! There is even a word in Middle Egyptian just for โSistrum Player/Music Priest: ๐๐๐๐โ!!!
I love music ๐๐๐ and it is something that brings me so much joy ๐ซ๐ฃ๐! I love how Hathor ๐ก is associated with both of these things, because I do truly think that music ๐๐๐ and joy ๐ซ๐ฃ๐ are linked together ๐๐ – and I’m sure that the ancient Egyptian people did too!
BTS ๐๐๐ด and Il Volo ๐๐ญ ๐๐ฏ๐ญ๐ฏ are my absolute favorite artists and I love ๐๐ listening to their music ๐๐๐! What I love ๐๐ about BTS ๐๐๐ด most are their lyrics – they have written some truly beautiful ๐ค songs!ย
The โDjed Pillar ๐ฝโ is one of the most common symbols seen in Egyptian art and hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! This particular Djed Pillar ๐ฝ is from the Book of the Dead of ๐๐๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐บ๐ผ๐บ Imhotep at the MET! Even though this Book of the Dead ๐๐๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐บ๐ผ๐บ is from the Ptolemaic Period, the origin of the Djed Pillar ๐ฝ is in the Predynastic Period!
The Djed Pillar ๐ฝ can be seen in inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ as a hieroglyph ๐น๐, as an amulet ๐๐ช๐ for mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช or the living ๐ฃ๐๐๐ช, in tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ and temple ๐๐๐ art, statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช, and so much more! This is a wonderful symbol to understand the meaning of because it is everywhere!
In terms of religious symbolism, The Djed Pillar ๐ฝ is thought to represent the spine of Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ. When a person died ๐ ๐๐ฑ and became โThe Osiris,โ The Djed Pillar ๐ฝ was then thought to represent their spine! The spine was thought to keep Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ upright and able to function as the primary god ๐น of the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ. This is even referenced in the The Book of the Dead: โRaise yourself up Osiris. You have your backbone once more, weary-hearted One; you have bones.โ
Letโs take a look at the hieroglyphic meaning! The โreed column ๐ฝโ more commonly known as the โDjed Pillarโ is a biliteral phonogram that has the sound โแธdโ which sounds like โDjed.โ It also functions as an ideogram for โStability.โ
There are many common words and phrases that have the Djed Pillar ๐ฝ in it:
๐๐น๐ฝ๐ – Given Life, Stability, and Strength
Since itโs Valentineโs Day, letโs talk about the Heart ๐๐๐ฃ in ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐! Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to look at the Heart Scarab! This particular Heart Scarab at the Brooklyn Museum is so cool because it is actually in the shape of a heart ๐๐๐ฃ instead of a Scarab ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ. The term โHeart Scarabโ is a modern one used by archaeologists!
In ancient Egyptian culture, the heart ๐๐๐ฃ was not only the center of a personโs life ๐น, but also thinking, memory, and moral values. The heart ๐๐๐ฃ was not removed during the mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐ process, because the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ person would need it on their journey through the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐.
The personโs heart ๐๐๐ฃ would be weighed against Maatโs ๐๐ด๐ฃ๐๐ฆ feather ๐๐บ by Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ, and that would determine if the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ would be presented to Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ and then enter the Field of Reeds ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐, or eternal ๐ life ๐น. This was called the โWeighing of the Heart,โย or the โJudgement of Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ.โย
Two Heart Scarabs in the shape of a heart, with Chapter 30B of the Book of the Dead inscribed on it.
So how does the Heart Scarab play into this? In modern terms, the Heart Scarab could be seen as a โcheat codeโ for getting past the โWeighing of the Heartโ – most are inscribed with the spell ๐๐๐ from Chapter 30B from the Book of the Dead. In this spell ๐๐๐, the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ asks their own heart ๐๐๐ฃ to not betray them during the โWeighing of the Heart.โ
Here is an excerpt from Chapter 30B from the Papyrus of Ani: โO my heart of different ages! Do not stand up as a witness against me, do not be opposed to me in the tribunal, do not be hostile to me in the presence of the keeper of the balance, for you are my ka which was in my body, the protector who made my members hale.โ
Basically, the ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช feared the outcome of their final judgement so they developed this amulet ๐๐ช๐ as a way to ensure a positive outcome to the scales!
Osiris’ ๐น๐จ๐ญ name ๐๐ in a cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท? Usually the name ๐๐ of a pharaoh ๐๐ป appears in a cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท! While this doesn’t happen often, there are instances where the name ๐๐ of a god ๐น will appear in the cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท!
This is a fragment of a beautifully ๐ค painted ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆ sarcophagus ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ. I would estimate its from around the later New Kingdom period or later because thatโs when painted ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆ sarcophagi ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ๐ช such as these became popular!ย
Osiris’ name in a cartouche on a sarcophagus fragment
I love this piece because of the cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท, but also because there is so much other stuff going on even though itโs small ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ! The hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are: ๐น๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ณ๐ which translates to โOsiris, Lord of Eternity.โ Letโs break down the symbols!
๐น๐จ๐ญ – Osiris
๐ – Lord
๐๐ณ๐ – Eternity
I havenโt seen that many pieces like this, so I just found this one so cool! Usually the name ๐๐ of a pharaoh ๐๐ป is what appears in a cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท, but in this case itโs Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ and his title! The top of the cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท also has the Atef Crown ๐ on it, which is the crown that is associated with Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ.
The ancient Egyptians talked about โeternity ๐๐ณ๐โ a lot and were actually the civilization to derive the concept of โeternity ๐.โ There were two ๐ป very common ways they expressed the word for โeternityโ in hieroglyphic symbols:ย
๐๐ณ๐ – Eternity
๐ – Eternity/Everlasting
There are some other popular hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช that appear on this piece!! See if you can spot them!
๐๐ง๐๐ – Edfu
๐น๐ผ – Great God
Both of the phrases appear symmetrically on either side of the cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท which is something that is common on these types of pieces!
Letโs take a look at some of the deities ๐น๐น๐น that appear! If you look in the lower left, you can see part of the god ๐น Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ with a large table of offerings ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ in front of him. On the top left, below the winged ๐ง๐ณ๐๐ sun disk ๐ณ๐บ is a falcon ๐๐๐ก๐ which is representative of the god ๐น Horus ๐ ๐ญ. On the top right, there is an ibis ๐๐๐ ค which is representative of the god ๐น Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ.
On either side of the cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท, the god ๐น Hapi ๐๐๐ช๐ญ๐ (god ๐น of the Nile River ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐บ/flooding of the Nile) is shown. There are two ๐ป of him because if you look closely, you can see both symbolically tying up papyrus ๐ ๐๐๐ฐ and lotus ๐ธ plants together. This was meant to represent the union of Upper ๐ and Lower ๐ค Egypt! You can easily recognize Hapi ๐๐๐ช๐ญ๐ because of the papyrus flowers ๐ ๐๐๐ฐ on his head!
The Weighing of the Heart (sometimes called the Judgement of Osiris ๐ฉ๐น) is my absolute favorite part of the Book of the Dead ๐๐๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐บ๐ผ๐บ. I love how each version is unique and not a single one is the same! I find this particular papyrus ๐ ๐๐๐ to be absolutely stunning.ย
In ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, the Book of the Dead was actually called โComing Forth By Day ๐๐๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐บ๐ผ๐บ,โ and it was a collection of magic spells ๐๐๐๐ฆ to help the deceased enter the Duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐, and eventually the Field of Reeds ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐.ย
The Book of the Dead ๐๐๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐บ๐ผ๐บ is interesting because it doesn’t follow a particular story.ย The spells ๐๐๐๐ฆ do seem to be grouped by theme, and sometimes pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ can be representative of the spells ๐๐๐๐ฆ that are written!ย
This particular Book of the Dead ๐๐๐๐ป๐ ๐๐๐ฒ๐ณ๐บ๐ผ๐บ belonged to a woman ๐๐๐๐๐ named Nauny ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ who lived during the 21st Dynasty reign of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Psusennes I ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ ฎ๐ผ๐๐๐. Naunyโs ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช are also at the MET!ย
Isis (left) and Nauny (right)
Starting from the left: the goddess ๐น๐ Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ is shown next to Nauny ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐, who is shown holding her eyes ๐น๐น and mouth ๐ in her hands. Naunyโs ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ heart ๐๐๐ฃ is weighed by Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ against Maat ๐ฆ. Usually, Maatโs ๐ฆ feather ๐๐บ is used, but this time Maat ๐ฆ herself is shown on the scale, and is represented by the hieroglyph ๐น๐ that is used in her name ๐๐! Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ is shown on top of the scale, and his job is to record the findings. Osiris ๐ฉ๐น presides over the scene.ย
Anubis
Luckily for Nauny ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐, the scales are in balance which means that she lead a true ๐๐ด๐ฃ๐๐ and just ๐๐ด๐ฃ๐๐๐ life ๐น and is worthy enough to enter the Field of Reeds ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐ and enjoy eternal ๐ life ๐น with Osiris ๐ฉ๐น! Above the Weighing of the Heart scene, Nauny ๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ is seen standing by her own tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ and worshipping ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข Horus ๐ ๐ญ.ย
This cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท shaped box is a small ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ yet interesting piece at the MET! I stumbled upon this piece because it is in a display with lots of ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures! One of my absolute favorite Egyptian artifacts is Tutankhamunโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐ cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท box, and while this is a smaller and less elaborate version of Tutankhamunโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐, I still love it!ย
This cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท shaped box is dated to the Third Intermediate Period (c. 825-773 B.C.E.) which would be in the 22nd Dynasty! The box is also inscribed for the pharaoh ๐๐ป Shosenq II ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ท๐ท๐ฏ๐๐๐น๐พ๐บ.ย
Cartouche Box of Shosenq II
Even though they may be difficult to see in the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
๐๐ฟ๐ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands
๐ ญ๐ณ – Son of Ra
๐๐๐ฅ – Lord of Appearances
๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ – Usermaatre setep en Ra (Throne Name)
๐น๐พ๐บ – God and Ruler of Heliopolis
๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ท๐ท๐ฏ๐๐ – Shosenq II (Shoshenk, Son of Bastet, Beloved of Amun)
There are a lot of interesting things going on in this inscription! The first ๐ interesting thing is that Shosenq II ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ท๐ท๐ฏ๐๐๐น๐พ๐บ has the same throne name as the pharaoh ๐๐ป Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐! The name ๐๐ โUsermaatre setep en Ra ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐โ translates to โThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra.โ
The second interesting thing is that all of the titles appear before both names ๐๐๐ฆ, instead of being broken up and appearing before either the throne name or the given/birth name!
Another interesting thing is that the part of Shosenq IIโs ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ท๐ท๐ฏ๐๐๐น๐พ๐บ birth name, โGod and Ruler of Heliopolis๐น๐พ๐บ,โ appears at the beginning of this birth name instead of at the end, hence why I broke it up in my translation! The name ๐๐ should appear like this in the inscription ๐๐๐ฅ: ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ท๐ท๐ฏ๐๐๐น๐พ๐บ, but instead appears as ๐น๐พ๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ท๐ท๐ฏ๐๐!
The fourth interesting part is that neither the birth name nor the throne name appear in a cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท! I guess the whole box is the cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท so maybe the artist felt that the names ๐๐๐ฆ didnโt need a cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท on the inscription ๐๐๐ฅ?!
Who knew such a small ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ piece could hold so many interesting things! Itโs amazing what can be discovered by just reading a couple of hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
This limestone ๐๐๐๐ Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ was found near the Sacred Animal Necropolis at Saqqara (Memphis ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐ด๐). The Sacred Animal Necropolis housed thousands ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฒ of mummified animals such as falcons ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฆ, baboons, ibises ๐๐๐ ค๐ฆ and bulls/cows ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ฆ. This piece is dated to the Late Period – Ptolemaic Period (664โ30 B.C.E.).
Although mummified jackals ๐๐ฟ๐๐ฅ๐ฆ were not found in the area, statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช of Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ have been found most likely because Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ is the god ๐น of mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐ and embalming ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐, so it would make sense that there would be statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช of him in the vicinity of this large necropolis. It is thought that Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช such as this were used to guard embalming tents.
Interestingly, this piece was originally painted ๐๐ black ๐๐ , but through time it has lost its coloring! Itโs hard to see in my pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ (the MET really needs better lighting – the galleries are so dark) but you can still see remnants of some of the black ๐๐ paint ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆ on the statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ!
I was very excited to see this statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ, because there is a similar one in the Petrie Museum in London! I love seeing similar pieces in different museums around the world! It is really cool to see pieces that are similar across museum collections – I can’t explain why, but I just find it incredible! Also (no surprise), I love anything Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ, so of course I absolutely love this statue and I need to visit it every time I go to the MET!
Fun fact! There are no temples ๐๐๐๐ฆ dedicated to Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ because all tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ and large burial areas were considered โtemplesโ to worship ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ in! It makes so much sense because he is the god ๐น of tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ and mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐!ย
Look at all ๐ of these scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช!ย
I love these displays at the MET because they have all ๐ of the scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช grouped by the name ๐๐ of the pharaoh that is inscribed on them! These scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช contain the throne name of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh ๐๐ป Thutmosis III ๐ ๐ ๐ด! I also love tiny things, so these displays are some of my favorites!
The scarab ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ is the personification is the god ๐น Khepri ๐ฃ๐๐๐. The scarab ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช were said to be the most powerful of amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช because the the ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช believed that the dung beetle (which the scarab ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ was fashioned after) was capable of eternal regeneration.
The god ๐น Khepri ๐ฃ๐๐๐ symbolizes a โlife cycleโ – birth ๐, death ๐ ๐๐ฑ, and then rebirth ๐๐ฟ๐ ฑ in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. This cycle was essential to Egyptian religious beliefs, as Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช spent their lives preparing for death ๐ ๐๐ฑ and entering the Duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ (afterlife).ย
Can you see the throne name (๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ) and variant of Thutmosis III’s throne name (๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ๐) in the picture?
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
The most common throne name spelling for Thutmosis III ๐ ๐ ๐ด is โMenkhepperra ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ.โ The name ๐๐ Menkhepperra ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ translates to โLasting is the Manifestation of Ra.โ
๐ณ – Ra
๐ – Lasting
๐ฃ – Manifestation
One of Thutmosis IIIโs throne name variants appears on one of the scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช- it is rare to see this variant! This throne name variant is โMenkhepperkara ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ๐โ which translates to โLasting is the Manifestation of the Soul of Ra.โ I love seeing the variants!ย
Can you spot any of the words in the text below in the picture above?
There are some other common phrases that accompany the name ๐๐ of Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ๐ on these little scarabs ๐๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐ช! See if you can spot them in the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐:
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!
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
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 picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ below, the ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช are stored in an upright position in the box!ย
The Ushabtis of Nauny and the Ushabti boxes
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. The inscription ๐๐๐ฅ on the front (and back) of the ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช reads:
The ushabti figures with the kilts are Overseer Ushabtis, while the ones with hieroglyphs on the front are Worker Ushabtis.
๐ด๐๐๐ถ – The Illuminated One
๐ฉ๐น – The Osiris
๐๐ ญ๐ – The Kingโs daughter
๐๐ฟ๐๐๐ – Nauny
๐๐ค – True of Voice
โThe Osiris ๐ฉ๐นโ part of the inscription means that Nauny, through the process of mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐, becomes ๐ฃ like the god ๐น Osiris ๐ฉ๐น who is the main god ๐น of the dead. This means that Nauny will live on in the Duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ (afterlife) just like Osiris ๐ฉ๐น has!
There are two ๐ป different types of ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช in the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐: worker ushabtis and overseer ushabtis! Nauny originally had a total of 365 worker ushabtis, one for each day ๐๐๐บ๐ณ of the year. The worker ushabtis are identified by having the inscription on the front! The overseer ushabtis had the job of making sure that the worker ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช were doing their job! The overseer ushabtis ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ช can be identified by the long kilt that they are wearing, and their inscription is located on the back!
