Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to look at a wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ that is dated to the Third Intermediate Period (c. 924โ889 B.C.E., 22nd Dynasty) which belonged to a man ๐๐๐ค named Aafenmut ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐. This stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ shows a typical funerary stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ offering ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ scene, and this style of stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ was very popular during this time period. I love this particular style because it is so colorful!ย This stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
The Solar Barge ๐ง๐ช๐๐ is shown at the top of the stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ and the Solar Barge ๐ง๐ช๐๐ represents Raโs ๐ณ๐บ๐ journey across the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ. Raโs ๐ณ๐บ๐ journey is supposed to be representative of his birth/resurrection (sunrise), growth (day) and then death (sunset). In between Aafenmut ๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐ and Ra-Horakhty ๐ ๐๐๐ค is a table filled with offerings ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ of bread ๐๐, fruit, and flowers ๐ผ๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐ฆ.ย
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
๐ ๐๐๐ค – Ra-Horakhty
๐น๐ผ – Great God
๐ – Lord
๐ฏ – Sky/Heaven
๐ – Give
๐ – He
๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐- Offerings
๐ – To
๐ฉ๐น – Osiris
๐ – To
๐ – Scribe
๐บ๐๐๐บ๐ – Treasury
๐ป๐๐๐๐ ๐ – Aafenmut
๐๐ค – True of Voice (Justified)
So all ๐ together ๐๐, this inscription ๐๐ ฑ๐ reads: โRa-Horakhty, the Great God, Lord of the Sky/Heaven, may he give offerings to Osiris, to the scribe of the treasury, Aafenmut, True of Voice.โ
The Horus Name is one of five ๐พ ways to write the name ๐๐ of a pharaoh ๐๐ป, and it is the oldest way to do so. The purpose of the Horus Name was to identify the king ๐ as an earthly representation of the god ๐น Horus ๐ ๐ญ.ย
The Horus Name consists of three elements: the palace facade ๐, Horus the Falcon ๐ standing on top of the palace ๐, and the name ๐๐ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป within the palace ๐. The palace ๐ hieroglyph ๐น๐ is pronounced like โserekhโ and some Egyptologists are now referring to the Horus Name as the Serekh Name. This was basically the early version of the cartouche!
On the sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ of Pharaoh ๐๐ป Senwosret III ๐ณ๐๐๐๐, you can see the Horus name, however, the throne name is also in the serekh! This is unusual to see both names ๐๐๐ฆ in the serekh!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
๐น๐ฃ๐ ฑ – โHorus, Divine of Formโ (Neter-kheperu) (Horus Name)
๐ณ๐๐๐๐ – โThe Souls of Ra have Appearedโ (Kha kau ra) (Throne Name)
Something I love about this sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ, is that it is made out of gneiss, which is one of my favorite rocks ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ! Gneiss is a foliated metamorphic rock ๐๐๐๐ which means that it was subjected to such extreme heat and pressure during its formation (probably due to mountain ๐๐ ณ building or plate tectonics), that the minerals ๐๐ป๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ have separated into bands of light (felsic) and dark (mafic) colored minerals ๐๐ป๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ! This gives gneiss a natural zebra-like appearance!
Gebel el-Asr is the only quarry ๐๐๐๐ in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ where gneiss can be found, and gneiss was prized from the Predynastic to Middle Kingdoms for statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ making!
The following pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐ show a close up of one of my samples of gneiss, so you can see this banding!
Pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ were commonly represented as sphinxes ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ in ancient Egyptian art for many reasons. A sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ is a mythical creature that has the body of a lion ๐ณ๐น๐ฟ๐ and the head of a human. In ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, lions ๐ณ๐น๐ฟ๐๐ช have been associated with kingship ๐๐ since prehistoric times due to their strength ๐ and ferocity. The sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ was the perfect representation of the strength ๐ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป due to its lion ๐ณ๐น๐ฟ๐ body, while the face still preserved the image ๐๐ ฑ๐ of the king ๐ himself.
This magnificent sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ is a representation of the 12th Dynasty Pharaoh ๐๐ป Senwosret III ๐ณ๐๐๐๐. Senwosret III ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ has very distinctive facial features, so he is very easy to spot in Middle Kingdom art. Senwosret III ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ is wearing the characteristic nemes head cloth ๐๐ ๐ด and false beard ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ, which are both signs of kingship ๐๐.
While this is not a professional term, to me, Senwosret III ๐ณ๐๐๐๐ looks like a โsad and tired old man,โ which is how I distinguish him from statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช of other pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ. This depiction of a pharaoh demonstrates how in the Middle Kingdom, some of the art took a more realistic approach, instead of the typical idealistic approach. Usually, pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ and people were shown at their best, not how they actually looked. However, this sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ shows a detachment from idealistic depictions.
This sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ is in a crouching position, which to the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช meant that it was a guardian of a sacred place, such as a temple ๐๐๐ or an important building. This is why rows or lines of sphinxes have been found at various temples ๐๐๐๐ช around Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ – the sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ, and therefore the pharaoh ๐๐ป, was using his strength ๐ and might to protect these sacred places!ย
Today ๐๐๐๐ณ, we are going to take a look at this unique ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ that was discovered in the mortuary temple ๐๐๐ of the pyramid ๐๐ ๐๐ด of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Senwosret I ๐๐ด๐๐๐๐ (Dynasty 12). This was probably left as some type of offering ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ. The ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ and coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ are made out of wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ and are covered in gold ๐๐๐๐ leaf.
The ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ and coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ contain the name ๐๐ of Wahneferhotep, who was probably the son ๐ ญ of Senwosret I ๐๐ด๐๐๐๐ due to the title โKingโs Son ๐๐ ญโ appearing in the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช. These two ๐ป objects seen here are the only place where Wahneferhotepโs name ๐๐appears, so we know nothing about him!ย
What is so cool about the miniature coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ is that it is so detailed and similar to an actual coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ! The text ๐๐๐ฅ on the miniature coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ is inscribed with the same funerary spells as regular sized coffins would be! The eyes ๐น๐๐ฆ on this side of the coffin ๐ด๐ ฑ๐๐๐ฑ would allow the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ (or in this case, the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ) to see outside of it! The ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ was even found covered with linen ๐ฑ and laying on its side! This was very typical of Middle Kingdom burial practices ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ญ, and it was something my Nonno would always point out to me when we were in a museum!
The text ๐๐๐ฅ on the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ is a version of the standard โShabti Spell. This spell ๐๐๐ gives the ushabti ๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ the power to complete tasks (farming, manual labor, etc) for the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ in the Field of Reeds ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐ so the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ doesnโt have to do any work in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐.
I love this picture for two ๐ป reasons: the first ๐ is because my Nonno took this picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ of me with the Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช Stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ at the Musei Vaticani! I almost feel that this picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ represents how Nonno saw me, and Iโve never shared it until today ๐๐๐๐ณ because I wanted to keep it as โmine.โ I wish I could go back to this moment because look at the happiness ๐ซ๐ฃ and joy ๐ซ๐ฃ on my face! The second ๐๐ป reason is because this Stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ of Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is one of my absolute favorite Egyptian artifacts – it was a dream of mine to see this in person, and Iโm so lucky I was able to!
I know I have posted about this stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธa lot, however, today ๐๐๐๐ณwe are going to examine a different aspect of it! If you search “Hatshepsut” or “Vatican Museum,” you will be able to see my previous posts on this beautiful stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ!
This sandstone ๐๐ ฑ๐ง๐๐๐ stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ depicts Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช and Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ during their joint reign. Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช is wearing the blue (khepresh) crown ๐ฃ๐๐๐ and is making an offering of nemset jars ๐๐๐ to the god ๐น Amun-Ra ๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐บ. Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ is wearing the White Crown ๐ค๐ of Upper Egypt ๐!
The stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ was meant to commemorate restoration works in West Thebes ๐๐๐! Many pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ would restore the work of previous rulers ๐๐๐พ๐ช to demonstrate their own power and to honor the gods ๐น๐น๐น, not to honor the previous pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ!
Another reason why restoring previous works and building lots of new buildings (which Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช did early in her reign ๐๐๐พ), was so significant was because it meant the name ๐๐ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป (in this case, Hatshepsut) would live on since the names were part of the buildingsโ inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ. All of these new projects also impressed upon the common people the economic prosperity of the Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช regime. This was important for her to demonstrate immediately because she was not only a female ๐๐๐๐๐ ruler ๐๐๐พ, but she kind of pushed Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ to the side and named herself the legitimate pharaoh ๐๐ป.
The star ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ผ design is one of my absolute favorites to see. As someone who has always been fascinated by space and astronomy, I love how the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช incorporated astronomical concepts not just into their language and religion, but into their art as well. I even have this star ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ผ design as my phone case!ย
This design appears on the ceilings of tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ช (Seti Iโs ๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ธ๐ tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ comes to mind), temples ๐๐๐๐ช (Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช temple ๐๐๐ at Deir el-Bahri ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐) and even on funerary objects ๐๐๐ด๐๐๐ญ like canopic jar cases! The star hieroglyphic ๐น๐ symbol ๐ผ was used very frequently in words as well and there are different variations of star symbols (๐ป, ๐ฝ).
Today ๐๐๐๐ณ I chose to highlight the star ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ผ design because a five ๐พ pointed star ๐ผ, just like the hieroglyphic ๐น๐ symbol, appeared over the manger in Bethlehem when Jesus was born and guided the Wise Men to his birthplace. Known as the โChristmas Starโ or the โStar of Bethlehem,โ this star ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ผ was seen as a sign that the Messiah had been born. I have always loved Nativity scenes, and the symbolism behind the star ๐ผ shining above the Nativity. The star is even mentioned in The Bible:
Matthew 2:9-10 : โฆand the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.
I love this verse because I too feel overjoyed when I see stars ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ช – whether itโs the stars in the sky ๐ผ๐ ก๐ด๐ผ๐ผ๐ผ, stars ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ช on top of Christmas Trees, stars ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ช on Egyptian art or in hieroglyphic ๐น๐ inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ. Stars ๐ด๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ช are the light in the darkness – and I hope your holidays are filled with light and love.
Todayโs ๐๐๐๐ณ pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ are from Nonnoโs point of view! While I have never been to the Museo Egizio in Torino, my Nonno had been there many times and always spoke so highly of it. He took these photos ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ on one of his trips there. He spoke about this statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ a lot because he thought it was just stunning ๐ค. It is one of my dreams to go to the Museo Egizio one day – I just wish Nonno and I could have gone there together ๐๐.
Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐
This granodiorite ๐ ๐๐๐๐ statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ of Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐ is one of the most majestic pieces in the museumโs collection and one of the most lifelike statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช there is of Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐. This may just be mine (and Nonnoโs) opinion, but I think it is one of the most majestic of all of the pharaonic statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช (Besides Hatshepsutโs of course)!!!
Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ is depicted here wearing the khepresh crown ๐ฃ๐๐๐ (also known as the blue crown) and he is holding a scepter ๐พ in his hand. On his feet he is wearing sandals ๐ฟ๐๐๐ธ๐ช, but under those sandals ๐ฟ๐๐๐ธ๐ช are nine bows ๐บ๐๐๐ฆ which represent the enemies ๐๐๐๐๐ช of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐!
On either side of Rameses IIโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐ legs, there are two ๐ป smaller figures. On the right side is Queen Nefertari ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ and on the left is Rameses IIโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐ and Nefertariโs ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ first ๐ born son ๐ ญ Amunherkhepeshef ๐๐ ๐๐ท๐บ๐๐ผ.
While it may be difficult to see in the photographs, a special symbol appears on both sides of the statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ. This symbol, called the sema-tawy ๐, is a combination of many different symbols all combined into one! Most prominently, it is thought to be representative of the lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ and the windpipe ๐ฅ. The lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ are a symbol of Upper Egypt ๐ and the windpipe ๐ฅ was a symbol of Lower Egypt ๐ค. Due to this, the sema-tawy ๐ is thought to be the symbol of a unified Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐.
The pharaoh ๐๐ป was always referred to as the โLord of the Two Lands ๐๐ฟ๐ฟโ or โKing of Upper and Lower Egypt ๐ฅโ because Upper ๐ and Lower ๐ค Egypt, although united, were in fact very different from each other. They each had their own natural resources, cultures and local gods ๐น๐น๐น. The lung ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ and windpipe ๐ฅ design ๐ was usually found on objects that belonged to the pharaoh ๐๐ป. In this case, it is on the side of one of Rameses II’s ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐ most beautiful ๐ค statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ๐ช!
Some Egyptologists think that this statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ looks like Seti I ๐ช๐๐๐ฃ๐๐ธ๐, and that Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐ usurped it from his own father ๐๐๐. However, there are no signs of reworking on the cartouche or on the inscription ๐๐ ฑ๐ as a whole, so the two ๐ป pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ probably just resembled each other!ย
This statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ is dated to the first 30 ๐๐๐ years of the reign ๐พ๐๐ of Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐, because Nefertari ๐๐ ๐ค๐๐๐ฎ๐๐๐ died during Year 30 ๐๐๐ of Rameses IIโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐ reign ๐พ๐๐.
While this may just seem like the broken fragment of a statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ (and I guess it is), I love this piece at the MET because it contains the cartouches of Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ and Nefertiti ๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ณ๐ค๐๐๐ป๐!ย
The Amarna Period, and the reign ๐พ๐๐ of Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ and Nefertiti ๐ค๐๐๐๐ has always fascinated me, ever since I was a child ๐๐๐. Professional Egyptologists have tried to piece together the series of events that shaped this tumultuous time period of Egyptian history, mostly by looking at the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช themselves.
Fragmented statue containing the cartouches of Akhenaten and Nefertiti
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Letโs start at the right column, since the directional symbols point that way!
๐ฅ – King of Upper and Lower Egypt
๐น – Life
๐ – On
๐ง – Maat
๐๐ฟ๐ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands
๐ณ๐ค๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ก๐- Neferkheperura-waenre which means “Beautiful are the Forms/Manifestations of Re, the Unique one of Re” (Akhenatenโs throne name)
๐๐น – Given Life
Now on to the left column! This first part is cut off, but itโs probably a variant Nefertitiโs title of โKingโs Great Wife, as you can see the ending of the word โ great ๐ ฉ๐๐โ
What always gets me is Akhenatenโs throne name of ๐ณ๐ค๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ก๐- Neferkheperura-waenre. This particular spelling of the throne name is only seen after he changed his given name from Amenhotep IV ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐น๐พ๐ to Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐. The original spelling, before the name ๐๐ change was โ๐๐ค๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ก๐.โ The name ๐๐ is still pronounced the same and has the same meaning, but the falcon glyph ๐ was changed to just the sun disc ๐ณ (both pronounced Re/Ra).ย Also, all of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ other names (Horus name, etc) underwent a change, to remove the other deities ๐น๐น๐น, but this one didnโt.ย
I wonder why Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ didnโt change the throne name (๐ณ๐ค๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ก๐) to represent the Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ, just like how all of his other names ๐๐๐ฆ were changed.ย Nefertitiโs name also underwent a change; her name ๐๐ went from just Nefertiti ๐ค๐๐๐๐ to Neferneferuaten Nefertiti ๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ณ๐ค๐๐๐ป๐ around year 5 of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ reign. Year 5 in the reign ๐พ๐๐ of Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ is significant, because that is when we see most of the changes to Atenism begin to take place. Year 5 is when Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ became the supreme and only god ๐น, and the other deities ๐น๐น๐น could not be worshipped ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข.
Since this piece contains the โupdatedโ version of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ throne name and the longer version of Nefertitiโs ๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐ค๐๐๐๐ณ๐ค๐๐๐ป๐ name ๐๐, we can assume that this piece was made during or after year 5 of Akhenatenโs ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ reign ๐พ๐๐.
While this piece doesnโt look like a regular stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ (stone, rounded top), it is still considered to be one! This stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ has taken the shape of a shrine ๐๐๐ ๐๐ or pylon ๐๐๐๐๐ and thatโs what makes this wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ piece very unique! I also love this stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ because it shows the two ๐ป sisters ๐ข๐๐๐๐ช Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ and Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ!
On the left, we see an image ๐๐ ฑ๐ of the goddess ๐น๐ Nephthys ๐ ๐๐, and on the right we see an image ๐๐ ฑ๐ of the goddess ๐น๐ Isis ๐จ๐๐. Part of a spell ๐๐๐ recited by the two ๐ป sisters ๐ข๐๐๐๐ช are located in the middle of the stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ. I love how symmetrical ancient Egyptian art is!
The crowns on their heads is one of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช that is used in their names ๐๐๐ฆ (๐ and ๐จ), which makes both Isis ๐จ๐๐ and Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ very easy to identify in Egyptian art.
You can also identity Isis ๐จ๐๐ and Nephthys ๐ ๐๐ by reading the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
Starting on the left:
๐๐๐๐ – Words Spoken By
๐ ๐๐ – Nephthys
Now on the right:
๐๐๐๐ – Words Spoken By
๐จ๐๐ – Isis
๐ จ๐๐ – Great One
The Middle:
๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ – Words Spoken By
๐ – The Two Ladies (Nekhbet and Wadjet)
๐ ๐๐ญ๐ ๐๐ – The Two Crowns (๐ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ and ๐ ๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ is another way to write this)
๐๐ฒ๐ฆ – Lords/Master
๐๐บ – House
๐ – Eternity
This piece is dated to the Ramesside Period (19th-20th Dynasties, c. 1295โ1070 B.C.E.).
๐ซ๐ฃ – โBe Happy, โHappiness,โ โBe Cheerful,โ โJoy,โ – or in Middle Egyptian, โWide Heart.โย
๐ค๐๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐๐ – How beautiful is this piece!? While this piece of jewelry may be unassuming to most who walk past it in the galleries as it is very small ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ, it carries such a universal message that has permeated for thousands of years – Happiness ๐ซ๐ฃ! I LOVE how the actual Middle Egyptian version of the word is โWide Heartโ – I think it carries so much meaning in such a little phrase. โAncient Egypt makes my heart wideโ sounds cooler than โAncient Egypt brings me joy/happinessโ
I always love seeing Happiness/Joy ๐ซ๐ฃ written on objects because that is exactly how I felt when I was in a museum and looking at Egyptian artifacts with my Nonno. The only emotion I could feel at the time was joy ๐ซ๐ฃ and I was so lucky. I would do anything to go to a museum with my Nonno and experience those emotions again. While I do feel immense joy ๐ซ๐ฃ in museums now, thereโs always a sadness to it as well because I truly miss my Nonno more than anything. I would love a piece like this as a necklace – sometimes we all need a reminder to find joy ๐ซ๐ฃ!
๐ซ๐ฃ๐, ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐บ, and ๐ซ๐ฃ๐บ are all common variants of the word, that I have seen many times in inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ too!
This beautiful ๐ค clasp belonged to the princess Sithathoryunet, who is thought to be the daughter ๐ ญ๐ of the 12th Dynasty (c. 1887โ1813 B.C.E) Pharaoh ๐๐ป Senwosret II ๐๐ด๐๐๐๐. She is thought to be his daughter ๐ ญ๐ because her tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ is linked to his. Flinders Petrie was actually the one to discover her tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐. Despite being robbed in antiquity, the tomb robbers left a chest full of beautiful ๐ค jewelry behind! The clasp is made out of gold ๐๐๐๐ and carnelian, which is a stone with a red color. I will speak more about the jewelry in future posts, it is is so beautiful ๐ค and I love jewelry!
Since I shared what makes me happy ๐ซ๐ฃ, Iโd love to hear from all ๐ of you! Share something that makes you happy/your heart wide ๐ซ๐ฃ!
