Tag: isis

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Shrine or Pylon Stela

While this piece doesn’t look like a regular stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ (stone, rounded top), it is still considered to be one! This stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ has taken the shape of a shrine π“π“Šƒπ“…“π“‚œπ“‰ or pylon π“ƒ€π“π“ˆ–π“π“‰ and that’s what makes this wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 piece very unique! I also love this stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ because it shows the two 𓏻 sisters π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“π“π“ͺ Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 and Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯!

On the left, we see an image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇, and on the right we see an image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Isis π“Š¨π“π“†‡. Part of a spell π“Ž›π“‚“π“› recited by the two 𓏻 sisters π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“π“π“ͺ are located in the middle of the stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ. I love how symmetrical ancient Egyptian art is!

The crowns on their heads is one of the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ that is used in their names π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“¦ (𓉠and π“Š¨), which makes both Isis π“Š¨π“π“†‡ and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 very easy to identify in Egyptian art.

You can also identity Isis π“Š¨π“π“†‡ and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 by reading the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! 

Starting on the left:

π“†“π“Œƒπ“‡‹π“ˆ– – Words Spoken By

𓉠𓏏𓆇 – Nephthys

Now on the right:

π“†“π“Œƒπ“‡‹π“ˆ– – Words Spoken By

π“Š¨π“π“†‡ – Isis

𓅨𓂋𓏏 – Great One

The Middle:

π“†“π“Œƒπ“π“₯π“ˆ– – Words Spoken By

π“…’ – The Two Ladies (Nekhbet and Wadjet)

𓇅𓏏𓏭𓇅𓁐𓁐 – The Two Crowns (𓇅𓇅𓏏𓏭𓁐𓁐 and π“‡…π“‡…π“π“­π“†˜π“†˜ is another way to write this)

π“ŽŸπ“²π“¦ – Lords/Master

𓉐𓏺 – House

𓆖 – Eternity

This piece is dated to the Ramesside Period (19th-20th Dynasties, c. 1295–1070 B.C.E.).

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Reading Hieroglyphs – Stela of Irethoreru

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! 

Today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³ we are going to look at a stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ for a man π“Šƒπ“€€π“€ named Irethoreru and it is dated to the 25th Dynasty (Third Intermediate Period, c. 775-663 B.C.E.). I have posted about the full stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ in the past, but today π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³ we are going to take a closer look at some of the inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ on it! I like to highlight the titles/epithets associated with Gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ and Goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“, because they are inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ that you can easily recognize a lot!Β 

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! We are starting right underneath the solar disc!Β 

π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ – Osiris

π“‰Όπ“ŠΉ – Great God (this is actually written backwards and should be β€œπ“ŠΉπ“‰Όβ€)

π“ŽŸ – Lord

𓇯 – Sky

π“‹Ύ – Ruler

𓆖 – Eternity

All π“ŽŸ together π“ˆ–π“Š—, this reads: β€œOsiris, the Great God, Lord of the Sky, Ruler of Eternity.” β€œLord of the Sky π“ŽŸπ“‡―β€ is usually Amun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“€­ title, so it’s interesting to see it associated with Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ here! Also, β€œπ“‡―β€ can mean the word β€œabove,” as β€œsky” is more commonly written as β€œπ“Šͺ𓏏𓇯.” 

Here’s the next inscription: 

π“Š¨π“π“†‡ – Isis

π“…¨π“‚‹ – Great One

π“ŠΉπ“… – God’s Mother/Goddess

All π“ŽŸ together π“ˆ–π“Š—, this reads: β€œIsis, the Great One, the God’s Mother.” 

Next to each Uraeus 𓇋𓂝𓂋𓏏𓆗, the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of the city β€œBehdet π“„‘π“‚§π“π“Š–β€ (modern day Edfu) is written. Behdet π“„‘π“‚§π“π“Š– is an Egyptian city π“Š–π“Ί in Upper Egypt 𓇓. Horus of the Winged Disc or β€œBehdetite” was the chief god π“ŠΉ of the city π“Š–π“Ί. 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Faience Statue of Isis Feeding Horus

The statue of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ feeding Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ as a baby is one of the most popular images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of the Late Period through the Ptolemaic Period. Symbolically, Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ was thought to be the mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 (The Divine Mother), and was often associated with motherhood 𓅐𓏏𓁐, the protection of women, and a user of magic. As Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ became a more popular religious figure, she was associated with cosmological order and was considered to be the embodiment of fate by the Romans.

This image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of a mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 holding a child is thought to have inspired the well known Catholic images of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus as a baby. The amulet π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…† and statue was very popular in Roman households, most likely as a symbol of motherhood and family. My Nonno always made sure to point these statues out to us, as he felt they were really important due to the likely influence on Catholic symbolism.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Isis Feeding Horus as a Baby

The image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ feeding Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ as a baby is one of the most popular images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of the Third Intermediate Period, Late Period and even through the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods.  

This image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 appeared in bronze π“ˆ”π“€π“ˆ’π“¦, stone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‚‹π“Šͺ, and even as small π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…© amulets π“Šπ“Šͺπ“…†π“ͺ! My Nonno would always point out these pieces of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ feeding Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ as a baby because he felt they were so significant to the evolution of religious art through time. 

While my Nonno loved Egyptian π“†Žπ“π“€€π“ and Roman art, he also loved Christian/Biblical art, so these Egyptian π“†Žπ“π“€€π“ statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ were kind of a natural connection between his area of interests! I always make sure to look for statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ like this in museums whenever I visit! 

Symbolically, Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ was thought to be the mother𓅐𓏏𓁐 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, and was often associated with motherhood, the protection of women π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“, and a user of magicΒ π“Ž›π“‚“π“„Ώπ“œ. Β As Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ became a more popular religious figure, she was associated with cosmological order and was considered to be the embodiment of fate by the Romans. Β Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ was widely worshipped during the Roman times, and Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ feeding Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ as a baby has even appeared on the back of Roman coins.

This image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of a mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 holding a child π“π“‡Œπ“€• is thought to have inspired the well known Catholic images of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus as a baby.Β 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Bronze Statue of Isis, Osiris and Horus


This bronze statue at the MET is from the Ptolemaic Period (664 – 31 B.C.E.) represents Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯, Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and Horus π“…ƒπ“€­- the main triad of the Egyptian pantheon.

Here, Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ is represented in his Greek form Harpokrates, with his trademarked “finger to lips” pose. This pose represents the β€œbe quiet” gesture because to the Greeks Harpokrates was the god π“ŠΉ of silence. What is interesting about this piece is that there are suspension loops on the back of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and Harpokrates – this piece is probably too big to be worn as a necklace, so the loops may have some type of unknown symbolic significance.

Many gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ in the Egyptian pantheon appeared in groups of threes 𓏼, which were known as Triads. They were groups of gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ that usually have some type of familial significance to each other. For example, one of the Memphis triads during this period was Ptah π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“±, Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“, and Nefertem 𓄀𓆑𓂋𓏏𓍃𓀯. Nefertem 𓄀𓆑𓂋𓏏𓍃𓀯 is the son of Ptah π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“± and Sekhmet π“Œ‚π“π“…“π“π“, just like Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ is the son of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­!!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Bronze Statues of Isis, Horus and Osiris

Here’s a picture featuring bronze π“ˆ”π“€π“ˆ’π“¦ statues π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺ! of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯, Horus π“…ƒπ“€­, and Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ at the Brooklyn Museum!

Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ was one of the main figures of Egyptian religion. This is because Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ was the god π“ŠΉ of the dead and the ruler of the afterlife, and Egyptians spent their entire time living preparing for their death and meeting with Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­. When the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was alive, he was thought to be the living image 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓋹 of the God π“ŠΉ Horus π“…ƒπ“€­, but more importantly when the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 died, he was thought to then become an Osiris-like figure.

The image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ feeding Horus π“…ƒπ“€­ as a baby is one of the most popular images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 of the Late Period through the Ptolemaic Period. Symbolically, Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ was thought to be the mother 𓄿𓏏𓁐 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, and was often associated with motherhood 𓅐𓏏𓁐, the protection of women, and a user of magic. As Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ became a more popular religious figure, she was associated with cosmological order and was considered to be the embodiment of fate by the Romans. This image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of a mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐 holding a child is thought to have inspired the well known Catholic images of the Virgin Mary holding Jesus as a baby.

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

“Isis” in Hieroglyphs

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!

These hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ are from the wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 Coffin π“‹΄π“…±π“Ž›π“π“†± of Khnumnakht, an individual who lived during the 12th-13th Dynasties (c. 1850-1750 B.C.E.).Β 

This is a variant of the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Isis π“Š¨π“π“Ί in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! More commonly, her name π“‚‹π“ˆ– is written as β€œ π“Š¨π“π“₯,” and the difference between the two is the determinative at the end. Why was the determinative not used in this inscription? Most likely due to spacing issues! 

The β€œseat π“Š¨β€ symbol has many different functions in Middle Egyptian! In the case of the name β€œIsis π“Š¨π“π“Ί,” the seat functions as a biliteral phonogram for the sound β€œjs.” In other words, it can be a phonogram for the sounds β€œst,” and β€œhst.”  π“Š¨ is even an ideogram for the word β€œseat!” 

The β€œflat loaf of bread 𓏏” is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound β€œt.” It also functions as the ideogram for the word β€œbread 𓏏𓏺” and can be used to make words feminine! 

The β€œstroke 𓏺” hieroglyph is used at the end of words when there is a bit of space left over – it’s all for the aesthetic! This symbol is not pronounced, it is solely used for punctuation/aesthetic purposes! 

The name π“‚‹π“ˆ– β€œIsis” is actually the Greek version of the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of this goddess π“ŠΉπ“! If we were to pronounce her name π“‚‹π“ˆ– the way the ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ did (or inferred how they did), her name π“‚‹π“ˆ– would be pronounced like β€œIst π“Š¨π“π“Ί.” 

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Egyptian Artifacts

British Museum Funerary Display

There’s a lot going on in this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏, but I really like this display at the British Museum! This display contains statuesΒ π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύπ“ͺΒ that all have to do with funerary practices.Β 

On the bottom left, there are multiple figures of Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. Ptah-Sokar-Osiris figures connect three gods π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ that are connected to rebirth/resurrection into a single statue π“„šπ“ˆ–𓏏𓏭𓀾. These statues π“„šπ“ˆ–𓏏𓏭𓀾π“ͺ became popular during the Late Period and they seemed to have evolved from the figures of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ that became popular in tombs π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰π“¦ during the 19th Dynasty (New Kingdom). These figures are always a mummiform figure on a wooden π“†±π“π“Ί base. 

On the bottom right is a corn mummy in a falcon π“ƒ€π“‡‹π“Ž‘π“…„ sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­. While millions of animal mummies have been found at sites all over Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, mummies made of grains like wheat and barley have also been found. Corn Mummies are meant to be a representation of the god π“ŠΉ Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and Egyptologists came to this conclusion because the β€œcoffins” that contain the corn mummies almost always contain Osiris’ π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ name π“‚‹π“ˆ– and his titles/epithets.

The middle-right shows wooden π“†±π“π“Ί funerary figures of Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Nephthys π“‰ π“π“†‡ which were also popular figures to find in tombs π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰π“¦ from the Late Period and onward. Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Nephthys π“‰ π“π“†‡ were sisters π“Œ’π“ˆ–π“π“π“ͺ and both funerary goddesses π“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“. Similar statues π“„šπ“ˆ–𓏏𓏭𓀾π“ͺ can be seen in museums around the world!

The top left shows various figures and representations of the god π“ŠΉ Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­, who was the main funerary god π“ŠΉ in the Egyptian pantheon. 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Mummy Mask (Late Period)

Mummy Mask (Late Period) at the Brooklyn Museum

Another mummy mask?! Why not!! This mask of a woman is dated to the Late Period (1st Century B.C.E). It is also a cartonnage mask, which was a very popular type of material to use because it was easy to work with and the mask could be made relatively quickly. The colors on this mask are so bright and well preserved – especially the broad collar π“…±π“‹΄π“π“ŽΊπ“‹. I love how the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ used red π“‚§π“ˆ™π“‚‹π“…Ÿ and the blue/green 𓇅𓆓𓏛 color together π“ˆ–π“Š— a lot. I love that color combination!

I have also provided a close-up of the art on the wig that shows the goddesses Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ (left) and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇(right). Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 were sisters (which means their brothers are Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and Seth π“Šƒπ“π“„‘π“£). While Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ and Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ were also married, so were Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 and Seth π“Šƒπ“π“„‘π“£. Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ are shown together quite frequently, Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 and Seth π“Šƒπ“π“„‘π“£ are rarely shown together in art because Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 was considered to be a positive figure instead of negative. She is usually depicted with either just Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯, or with Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­.

You can easily tell Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ and Nephthys 𓉠𓏏𓆇 apart from each other in Egyptian art based off of the crowns that they are wearing. The crowns correspond to the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ that make up their names!

Isis (π“Š¨π“π“₯) wears β€œπ“Š¨β€ as a crown!
Nephthys (𓉠𓏏𓆇) wears β€œπ“‰ β€ as a crown!

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Coffin Fragment with Isis

When I saw this piece I really liked it because of how colorful it was! No matter how many times I see artifacts in museums, I’m always shocked by how bright the colors still are on some objects!

Coffin Fragment with Isis at the Brooklyn Museum

This is a coffin 𓅱𓇋𓀾 fragment (Late Period, Dynasties 26-31 c. 664-332 B.C.E.) that shows the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ Isis π“Š¨π“π“†‡π“†— in mourning. Since in Egyptian mythology Isis π“Š¨π“π“₯ assisted in the resurrection of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­, it was believed that she would be instrumental in the rebirth of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱. This is why she was always seen on coffins 𓅱𓇋𓀾π“ͺ or sarcophagi π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­π“¦.

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! The inscription I have translated is on the right column: β€œπ“†“π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Š¨π“π“†‡π“†—π“…¨π“‚‹π“ŠΉπ“…β€

π“†“π“‡‹π“ˆ– – Words Spoken By
π“Š¨π“π“†‡π“†— Isis (Isis is more commonly written like this β€œπ“Š¨π“π“₯β€œ or β€œ π“Š¨π“π“†‡π“₯”)
π“…¨π“‚‹ – the Great (greatness)
π“ŠΉπ“… – Goddess (can also be written as π“ŠΉπ“)

Put together, the inscription reads:

β€œWords spoken by Isis, the great goddess…” The rest of the inscription is cut off.