In the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, you are looking at amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช and the molds that were used to make them! These molds are typically made of terracotta and allowed artists to not only mass produce amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช, but also make the amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ชย small and detailed! The amuletsย ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช that you see in the pictureย ๐๐ ฑ๐ย are the Eye of Horusย ๐ ๐ญย and the Eye of Raย ๐ณ๐บ๐!ย
How do you tell them apart? The left eye ๐น๐๐ค is the Eye of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, and the right eye ๐น๐๐ค is the Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐! The right/left sides is based on a human eye ๐น๐๐ค, so it would be opposite to the observer. In the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, most of these amulets ๐๐ช๐ ๐ช are actually Eyes of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐! The one amulet ๐๐ช๐ at the top right is the eye of Horus ๐ ๐ญ! If you get them mixed up donโt worry – I sometimes do too!
The wedjat ๐ or the “Eye of Horus” is representative of the eye ๐น๐๐ค that Horus ๐ ๐ญ lost when battling Seth ๐๐๐ก๐ฃ. Thoth ๐ ค๐ญ restored Horus’ ๐ ๐ญ eye, however, the single Eye of Horus became a symbol of rebirth or healing ๐ด๐๐๐ due to the nature of the myth. The wedjat ๐ was also common symbol of protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐ and regeneration. The Eye of Horus ๐ ๐ญ was an amulet ๐๐ช๐ used by both the living and the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ! The Eye of Horus was also associated with the moon ๐๐๐๐น!
While most people associate the eye ๐น๐๐ค with Horus ๐ ๐ญ, there is an Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ too! While the Eye of Ra was also an amulet ๐๐ช๐ of protection ๐ ๐๐ก๐, it was also associated with power. The Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ can be thought of as an extension of Raโs ๐ณ๐บ๐ power and thus an extension of the sun ๐ณ๐บ itself. The Eye of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ can see everything, and even transformed into Sekhmet ๐๐๐ ๐๐ in one of the myths!
As you can see, itโs interesting how the two eyes ๐น๐๐ฆ both represent the sun ๐ณ๐บ and the moon ๐๐๐๐น- the two ๐ป largest objects in the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ! One is associated with day ๐๐๐บ๐ณ, and the other night ๐ผ๐๐๐! The sun ๐ณ๐บ and the moon ๐๐๐๐น are almost like the two ๐ป eyes ๐น๐๐ฆ watching the Earth ๐พ๐พ!
Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at one of the names ๐๐๐ฆ of one of the Four Sons of Horus!
Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ had the head of a falconย ๐๐๐ก๐ , protectedย ๐ ๐๐ก๐ย the intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ, and was associated with the West ๐๐๐๐.ย
Qebehsenuef can be written as both ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ and ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐, and sometimes a determinative was added to the end of the name ๐๐, which reads like ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐๐ญ.
The โwater jar with water ๐ / ๐โ symbols are both variants of each other and have the same meaning! These symbols mostly act as determinatives, however in the case of Qebehsenuef the symbols act as a triliteral phonogram with the sound โkbb/qbbโ or โkbh/qbh.โ
The โarrowhead ๐ขโ is a biliteral phonogram that is associated with the sound โsn.โ Since the arrowhead ๐ข is repeated three times in the name, that pluralizes the symbol and causes it to have the sound โsnw.โ
The โhorned viper ๐โ functions as a uniliteral phonogram and represents the sound โf.โ In other words, it can function as a determinative. The ๐ can be confusing for people learning hieroglyphs because it can also function as the word โheโ! There are so many ways that ๐ and it takes practice to master them all!
So Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ may seem like a difficult name ๐๐ to pronounce but once you break down the symbols itโs not too bad! How the name ๐๐ is written with Romanized Letters is very similar to the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐ would would like โQbh-snu-f.โ
I am with a statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ of a cowโs ๐ค๐๐๐๐ head, which of course is representative of the goddess ๐น๐ Hathor ๐ก.
Hathor ๐ก is one of the most prominent goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐ of the Egyptian pantheon. Along with Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ, she is regarded as the โdivine motherโ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป, but is also the goddess ๐น๐ of love, joy, music, and dance – basically the fun things in life! Hathor is also the wife of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, and the daughter of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐. Hathor ๐ก is usually associated with cows ๐ค๐๐๐๐๐ฆ and can take the form of a cow ๐ค๐๐๐๐ in many forms of Egyptian art.
Fun fact: the words โbeautiful womanโ and โcowโ are super similar in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช- only the determinative at the end is different! They are even pronounced the same (nfrt) Why? Probably because of Hathor ๐ก! I find this hysterical – you probably donโt want to mess these two words up (in English at least ๐). Even my family knows this fact about hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, because I bring it up all the time!!
Hathor ๐ก was the goddess of music, and music has been something that I have loved throughout my entire life. From listening to classic Italian music with my Nonno, to discovering artists myself, music has always been healing to me. I cannot go a day without listening to my favorite artists. Music has not only been essential to my life, but it was also culturally essential in ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐!
The piece in the picture is a sistrum ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ with Hathorโs ๐ก head depicted. A sistrum ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ was almost like an ancient tambourine or rattle – while the part that makes the music is often not found intact, the handle with Hathorโs ๐ก face usually is. Sistrums ๐๐๐๐๐ฃ๐ช can be found dating back to the Old Kingdom, but most that are found are usually from the Late – Graeco/Roman periods. We donโt know much about the songs that were sung in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ because the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช did not have any form of musical notation, however, archaeologists have been able to replicate various types of instruments based on archaeological findings and try to figure out how they would sound! Musicians were often associated with a temple ๐๐๐ or a particular god ๐น/goddess ๐น๐, and they usually held a decently high place in the social hierarchy.
My absolute favorite artists are No Doubt, Il Volo, BTS, and One Direction! I also listen to a lot of other Italian artists, Broadway cast recordings, and classic rock music! Do you guys have some favorite musicians that you listen to?
Itโs no secret that Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ (Inpu in Egyptian – the name Anubis is actually Greek) is my favorite of the Egyptian gods ๐น๐น๐น! I have always been a fan of mummies ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ๐ช, so it makes sense that the god of embalming, tombs, cemeteries, etc ended up being my favorite! Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ also could act as a guide to souls in the Underworld ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐(referenced in the Pyramid Texts of Unas).
The inscription (which is read from left to right on this particular text) states: ๐๐๐ต๐๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ๐ถ๐บ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐ ฑ๐๐๐.
The translation is: ๐๐๐ต๐ – An offering the king gives ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ- Anubis ๐ถ๐บ๐๐ – Upon his hill/mountain ๐๐ถ๐ ฑ๐๐๐ – He who is in the mummy wrappings
The title โ๐ถ๐บ๐๐โ refers to Anubisโ role as the protector of the tombs while โ ๐๐ถ๐ ฑ๐๐๐โ refers to Anubisโ importance as the god ๐น of embalming/mummification.
One of my favorite things about the Temple of Dendur at the MET are the incredible details that are carved into the walls! The templeย ๐๐๐ย was built by the Roman Emperor Augustusย ๐๐ป๐(who liked to refer to himself as just pharaohย ๐๐ปย in his cartouche) and was meant to be a place of honorย for the goddess ๐น๐ Isisย ๐จ๐๐ฅ. Just like most other Egyptian temples, the common people werenโt allowed to worshipย ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ขย inside of it.ย
A lot of Egyptian architecture was built in three ๐ผ layers! In the case of the Temple of Dendur specifically, the three ๐ผ layers are the Earthย ๐พ๐พ, the Skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ, and then what happens between the Earthย ๐พ๐พย and the Skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ. The โbetween theย ๐พ๐พ andย ๐ช๐๐ฏโ sectionย is the templeย ๐๐๐ itself! This section would be where the carvings of the deities ๐น๐น๐น are!ย
The picture above details the section of the templeย ๐๐๐ย that represents the Earthย ๐พ๐พ. I love this because it looks like papyrus ๐ ๐๐๐ฐ and lotus ๐ธ๐ช plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย are growing out of the base of the templeย ๐๐๐! I think it is such a beautiful ๐ค way to represent the Earthย ๐พ๐พ! The ancient Egyptians really like plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย and flowersย ๐ผ๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐ฆย so it makes sense that they would want to represent them realistically in this way! How do we know that the ancient Egyptians liked plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย and flowersย ๐ผ๐ ฑ๐ฐ๐ฆ? Art like this allows us to make these inferences!ย
Fun fact! There are so many ways to write โpapyrusโ in Middle Egyptian! Here are a few:
๐ ๐๐๐ – papyrus roll/scroll
๐ ๐๐๐ฐ – papyrus plant
๐ฏ๐ – papyrus
๐ ๐ฐ – papyrus
๐๐๐๐ – papyrus marsh
Letโs now take a look at the โin-betweenโ layer!
Augustus making an offering to Osiris and Isis
What I like most about the โbetween the Earth ๐พ๐พ and Sky ๐ช๐๐ฏโ section is the depiction of Emperor Augustus ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ with many different Egyptian deities ๐น๐น๐น! He doesnโt look like an Emperor though – he looks like a pharaoh ๐๐ป! Augustus can be seen wearing many articles of Egyptian royal ๐พ fashion such as the Atef crown ๐, the double crown ๐, a false beard, a broad collar ๐ ฑ๐ด๐๐บ๐, armlets ๐๐ด๐ก๐๐ ฑ๐ฆ, and bracelets ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฆ. These are all features that are associated with Egyptian pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ, even though Augustus ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ was Roman.
In the following reliefs, Augustus ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ is making offerings ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ to Egyptian gods ๐น๐น๐น. In the first image ๐๐ ฑ๐, he is making an offering ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ to Osirisย ๐น๐จ๐ญย and Isisย ๐จ๐๐ฅ. You can even see the papyrusย ๐ ๐๐๐ฐย and lotusย ๐ธ๐ชย flower plantsย ๐พ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฐย from yesterdayโs post just below the relief!ย
Hathor (right), Horus (middle) and Augustus (right) with me!A closeup view of Horus and Augustus
In the second/third images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ above, Augustus ๐๐ป๐ is making an offeringย ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ of wineย to Horusย ๐ ๐ญย and Hathorย ๐ก!ย
You can also see three ๐ผ of Augustusโ cartouches in these images! Can you spot them all?
๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐๐ – Autokrator (Greek for โEmperorโ)
๐๐๐๐๐๐น๐ – Kaisaros (Greek for โCaesarโ)
๐๐ป๐ – Pharaohย
The next and final layer we are going to talk about is the skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ! The wingedย ๐ง๐ณ๐๐ย sun disc ๐ณ๐บ appears above all of the entrances to the templeย ๐๐๐.
The wingsย ๐ง๐ณ๐๐๐ฆย belong to Horusย ๐ ๐ญ, who was often represented as a falconย ๐๐๐ก๐ .ย Horusย ๐ ๐ญ, whose ย realm was the Skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ,ย was one of the most important gods ๐น๐น๐น in the Egyptian pantheon. Horusย ๐ ๐ญย was not only the mythological representation of the pharaohย ๐๐ป/heir to the throne of Egyptย ๐๐ ๐๐, but also a skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏย god ๐น. Horusโย ๐ ๐ญย name ๐๐ means โThe Distant One,โ due to him residing in the skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ!ย
Due to the symbolโs association with Horus ๐ ๐ญ, the winged ๐ง๐ณ๐๐ sun disc ๐ณ๐บ also represents royalty ๐พ, power, divinity ๐น, and order vs. chaos. There are many different representations of Horus throughout Egyptian mythology. The the winged ๐ง๐ณ๐๐ sun disc ๐ณ๐บ design is also known as โHorus the Behdetiteโ and is a representation of Horus ๐ ๐ญ.
The sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ was not only the realm of Horus ๐ ๐ญ, but many other deities ๐น๐น๐น as well. Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐, Shu ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ, Nut ๐๐๐ฏ๐ญ, Khepri ๐ฃ๐๐๐ and others were deities ๐น๐น๐น associated with the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ. The sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ was where the divine ๐น resided, hence why it was so heavily represented in Egyptian mythology and architecture.
The two ๐ป columns represent papyrusย ๐ ๐๐๐ฐย and lotus flowersย ๐ธ๐ชย growing from the ground/Earthย ๐พ๐พย to the skyย ๐ช๐๐ฏ! These columns can be seen as forming a connection between all three ๐ผ layers of the templeย ๐๐๐! I will never not be amazed by the symbolism and craftsmanship of Egyptian architecture!ย
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณย we are going to be looking at the name ๐๐ of the god ๐น Sobekย ๐ด๐๐ก๐ in hieroglyphsย ๐น๐๐ช!
I like Sobekโsย ๐ด๐๐ก๐ย name ๐๐ a lot because its phonetic and easy to spell/remember if you know the phonogram symbols! This is because Sobekย ๐ด๐๐ก๐ has kept his โEgyptian Nameโ and it wasnโt changed by the Greeks like some if the other deities ๐น๐น๐น such as Anubisย ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ, Osirisย ๐น๐จ๐ญ, Thothย ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ, etc.ย
The โFolded Cloth ๐ดโ symbol is a uniliteral phonogram that has the sound of โs.โ
The โFoot ๐โ symbol is also a uniliteral phonogram that has the sound of โb.โ
The โBasket with a Handle ๐กโ symbol is also a uniliteral phonogram that has the sound of โk.โ A lot of people get this one confused with just the โbasket ๐โ symbol which is a biliteral phonogram that has the sound โnb.โ So they are very different!!
The โCrocodile on a Shrine ๐โ symbol is the determinative in Sobek, so in this case it is not pronounced! The symbol can also be used as an ideogram, where it would have the sound โsbkโ or Sobek!
Sobek can be written as:
๐ด๐๐ก๐
๐ด๐๐ก๐
๐๐บ
๐๐บ
Sobek ๐ด๐๐ก๐ is usually depicted as a crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ sitting on a shrine ๐๐๐ ๐๐ – just like this hieroglyph โ๐,โ or as a human body with a crocodile ๐ ๐ด๐๐ head ๐ถ๐บ.
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณย we are going to be looking at this vibrant/beautifully ๐ค paintedย ๐จ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ธ๐ฆย sarcophagusย ๐๐น๐๐๐ญย from the MET!ย
This image ๐๐ ฑ๐ depicts the deceasedโsย ๐ ๐๐ฑย ba ๐ ก๐บ returning to its mummyย ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ! The Baย ๐ ก๐บย was part of an individual’s soul that was depicted as a human headed bird. The Baย ๐ ก๐บ and the ka ๐๐บ ย were both aspects of a personโs soul! I also love the detail of the four ๐ฝ canopic jars underneath the mummyย ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ!ย
The Ba ๐ ก๐ค is the impression that an individual makes on others – everything except the physical body ๐๐๐ผ. The Ba ๐ ก๐ค can also be thought of as an individualโs personality. The Ba ๐ ก๐ค wasnโt necessarily associated with living, and seemed to manifest after the person died. Ba ๐ ก๐ค has no equivalent word ๐๐ง๐ ฑ๐ in any current language ๐๐บ, as this was an ancient Egyptian funerary concept/belief.
When a person died, the Ba ๐ ก๐ค was the only part of the person that would be able to travel out of the tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐, but it did have to return eventually to be reunited with the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ.
Thereโs a spell ๐๐๐ from the Book of the Dead that states โMay it (Ba) see my corpse, may it rest on my mummy, Which will never be destroyed or perish.โ This spell ๐๐๐ illustrates why it was so important that the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ remain intact; the Ba ๐ ก๐ค needed to return to it! This is why funerary masks became so popular; if the mummy ๐๐น๐ ฑ๐พ was destroyed, the mask could take the place of the mummyโs head and allow the Ba ๐ ก๐ค to return.
Can you recognize any words in the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช on the sarcophagus ๐๐น๐๐๐ญ?! Thereโs a bunch we have learned:
Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at an alternate spelling for the name ๐๐ of the god ๐น Duamutef ๐ผ๐๐๐! Usually, Duamutef is written as โ๐ผ๐ ๐๐,โ however, โ๐ผ๐๐๐โ is an alternate spelling for his name ๐๐! While it is only a one symbol difference, that could confuse people who are just learning which is why I wanted to talk about it! Most of the deities in the Egyptian pantheon had multiple ways that their names ๐๐๐ฆ written in inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ! Another less common way to write Duamutefโs name is โ๐ง๐ฏ๐ผ๐ ๐๐,โ but I have rarely seen that spelling used!
Letโs take a look at Duamutefโsย ๐ผ๐๐๐ย name ๐๐ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! All of the symbols in Duamutefโsย ๐ผ๐๐๐ย name ๐๐ are phonogram symbols, which means that they represent sounds!ย
The โstar ๐ผโ functions as a triliteral phonogram for the sound โdw3โ (almost like โduaโ). Triliteral means that the symbol represents three consonants! In other words, it can also function as a determinative or ideogram.
The โforearm with bread ๐โ symbol could either function as a uniliteral or biliteral phonogram depending ok the word! ๐ represented the sounds โmโ or โmj.โ The โforearm with bread ๐โ could also be a determinative in the word for โgive ๐๐.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 ๐๐บโ and can be used to make words feminine!
The โhorned viper ๐โ functions as a uniliteral phonogram and represents the sound โf.โ In other words, it can function as a determinative.
So Duamutefโs ๐ผ๐๐๐ name ๐๐ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช is something like โduamwttfโ – which is very similar to โDuamutef!โ Most of the major deities have Greek names ๐๐๐ฆ that we use to identify them, instead of their actual Egyptian name ๐๐. For example, โAnubisโ is a Greek name – โInpuโ is what the ancient Egyptians would have called Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ!
Todayย ๐๐๐๐ณย we are going to be looking at a โPylon Shaped Stela of Rameses IIโ (c.ย 1279โ1213 B.C.E.) at the MET. This piece is made of limestoneย ๐๐๐๐ย and describes Rameses IIย ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐!ย
Here is the left two columns:
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ – Rameses II (Birth Name)
๐ก – Hathor
๐๐ – Lady
๐ญ๐ – Sycamore
๐๐ – Southern
๐บ – Beloved
Put all together, this inscription reads: โRameses II, Beloved of Hathor, Lady of the Southern Sycamore.โ
Here are the right two columns:
๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ – Rameses II (Throne Name)
๐ก – Hathor
๐๐ – Lady
๐๐๐๐ – West
๐บ – Beloved
Put all together, this inscription reads: โRameses II, Beloved of Hathor, Lady of the West.โ
Hathor ๐ก has the title โLady of the West ๐๐๐๐๐๐โ because of her roles was to provide peace and solace to the souls ๐๐๐ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ as they entered the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐. Many people obviously associate Hathor ๐ก with love, joy ๐ซ๐๐ฃ, music ๐๐๐ธ etc, but she was also a prominent funerary goddess ๐น๐!
Hathor ๐ก has the title โLady of the Southern Sycamore ๐๐๐ญ๐๐๐โ or just โLady of the Sycamore ๐๐๐๐๐๐ญโ because the sycamore tree ๐๐๐๐ญ was one of the native trees in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, and it grew at the edge of the desert ๐ ๐๐๐! This would put it near necropolises, tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ etc, so it was associated with the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ! Hathor ๐ก was considered one of the tree goddesses ๐น๐น๐น๐, along with Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ and Nut ๐๐๐ฏ๐ญ.
