Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at an inscription ๐๐๐ฅ that is on a blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ vase ๐ ๐๐๐ that might have been used during the mummification ๐ด๐ง๐๐ ฑ๐ process! This vase ๐ ๐๐๐ is dated to the 19th Dynasty. How do we know itโs from the 19th Dynasty? We can look at the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช that show the throne name and birth name of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐!
A Mummification Vase with the cartouches of the pharaoh Rameses II (19th Dynasty)
We are going to start reading from the middle-left column!ย
๐๐ฟ๐ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands
๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ – Usermaatre setep en Ra (Throne Name of Rameses II which translates to โThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra.โ)
๐๐น- Given Life
The left column:ย
๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐บ – Amun-Ra
๐๐๐น๐ฆ- King of the Gods
๐ – Lord
๐ช๐๐ฏ – Sky
๐ธ๐ – Beloved
The middle-right column:ย
๐๐๐ฅ – Lord of Appearances
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ – Ramessu mery Amun (Birth Name of Rameses II which translates to โRa has fashioned him, beloved of Amun.โ)
๐ณ๐บ – Ra
๐ – Like
๐ – Truth (Maat)
This last part would translate to โTruth Like Ra.โ
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!ย Today we are going to look at the cartouches ๐ ๐๐๐ท๐ฆ of Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐!
It always felt like my Nonno took pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ช of everything in museums – I definitely learned from the best! Iโm so happy that the two ๐ป of us did take pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ช of everything because all of the pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ช you see on this account were either taken by me, Nonno, or sometimes another family member! Even though the glass in front of the artifacts can cause a glare and make it more difficult to take a picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, Iโm thankful for it now because you can see my Nonnoโs reflection!ย
This is a calcite ๐ฑ (alabaster) vase ๐ ๐๐๐ with the cartouches ๐ ๐๐๐ท๐ฆ of Rameses II on it.ย
Cartouches of Rameses II on a calcite vase at the Louvre.
We are going to start with the cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท on the right! This is the throne name of Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐, which is preceded by the normal royal title!
๐ – Lord
๐ฟ๐ฟ – Two Lands
๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ – Usermaatre setep en Ra
The name ๐๐ โUsermaatre setep en Ra ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐โ translates to โThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra.โ Letโs look at the name ๐๐ more closely:
๐ณ – Ra
๐ – Powerful
๐ง – Justice (Maat)
๐ณ – Ra
๐๐ – Chosen
Now letโs look at the cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท on the right! This is the birth name of Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ which is also preceded by the normal royal title!
๐ – Lord
๐๐ฅ – Appearances
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ – Ramessu mery Amun
The name ๐๐ โRamessu mery Amun ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐โ translates to โRa has fashioned him, beloved of Amun.โ The name ๐๐ could also be translated as โRa Bore Him.โ Letโs look at the name ๐๐ more closely:
๐ฉ – Amun
๐ – Ra
๐ – Beloved
๐๐ด๐ – Bore Him/Fashioned Him/Born Of
Rameses IIโs birth name cartouche has many variants and can also be written like this: ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐. Certain symbols can be substituted for each other because ๐๐ ๐ and ๐ฉ both mean Amun ๐ and ๐ณ๐บ both mean Ra.ย
Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to look at the throne name and the birth name cartouches ๐ท๐ท๐ท of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Rameses II! The cartouches ๐ ๐๐๐ท๐ฆ are written on a blue ๐๐น๐๐ฟ๐ธ๐ฅ faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ cup ๐บ๐! Cups ๐บ๐๐ฆ such as these, which were inscribed with the name ๐๐ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป, were commonly found in foundation deposits of building projects that had been commissioned by that particular pharaoh ๐๐ป. These types of cups ๐บ๐๐ฆ were usually not owned or used by the pharaoh ๐๐ป despite his name ๐๐ being on it!ย
The Cartouches of Pharaoh Rameses II
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! We are going to start with the cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท on the left! This is the throne name of Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐, which is preceded by the normal royal title!ย
๐ – Lord
๐ฟ๐ฟ – Two Lands
๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ – Usermaatre setep en Ra
The name ๐๐ โUsermaatre setep en Ra ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐โ translates to โThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra.โ Letโs look at the name ๐๐ more closely:
๐ณ – Ra
๐ – Powerful
๐ง – Justice (Mast)
๐ณ – Ra
๐๐ – Chosen
Now letโs look at the cartouche ๐ ๐๐๐ท on the right! This is the birth name of Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ which is also preceded by the normal royal title!
๐ – Lord
๐๐ฅ – Appearances
๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ – Ramessu mery Amun
The name ๐๐ โRamessu mery Amun ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐โ translates to โRa has fashioned him, beloved of Amun.โ The name ๐๐ could also be translated as โRa Bore Him.โ Letโs look at the name ๐๐ more closely:
๐ฉ – Amun
๐ – Ra
๐ – Beloved
๐๐ด๐ – Bore Him/Fashioned Him/Born Of
Both of the cartouches ๐ ๐๐๐ท๐ฆ are sitting on top of the hieroglyphic symbol for โgold ๐.โย The pharaoh ๐๐ป was associated with gold because the skin of the gods ๐น๐น๐น were thought to be made of gold ๐๐๐๐. Since the pharaoh ๐๐ป was a god ๐น on Earth, it makes sense that he would be considered to be golden!
This large granite ๐๐๐๐๐ณ๐ฟ statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ of Queen Tiye ๐๐๐ญ๐ has quite the story and journey through history! It’s amazing how some pieces can start off in one place, but end up in a completely different location! Letโs take a closer look at this striking piece that is currently at the Vatican Museum, and follow her journey from Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ to Rome!
Queen Tiye at the Vatican Museum
This statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ definitely resembles other works of Queen Tiye ๐๐๐ญ๐ – from the characteristic wig to the distinct face shape and design. In my opinion, there is no doubt that this statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ was originally Queen Tiye ๐๐๐ญ๐. Queen Tiye ๐๐๐ญ๐ was married to the pharaoh ๐๐ป Amenhotep III ๐ณ๐ง๐ and possessed the title of โKingโs Great Wife ๐๐๐,โ which pretty much meant that she was his favorite wife. Queen Tiye ๐๐๐ญ๐ was actually the mother ๐ ๐๐ of Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ and Tutankhamunโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐ grandmother!ย
After some time had passed, the great usurper, Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐, recognized the beauty ๐ค๐๐ of this statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ and brought it to his mortuary temple ๐๐๐ where he had it dedicated to his mother ๐ ๐๐ (and wife of Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ ), Tuya ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฟ๐. โUsurpingโ was a popular practice where pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ would take old statues ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ ๐ช from previous pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ and put their names ๐๐๐ฆ on it. Think of it as ancient plagiarism!
Then, the statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ made its way out of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ and to Rome! For a long time, the statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ adorned the โGardens of Sallust,โ which belonged to the Emperor Caligula ๐๐พ๐ฉ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ญ๐ง๐๐ฐ at the time. Many Roman Emperors liked Egyptian art, and some (like Caligula ๐๐พ๐ฉ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ญ๐ง๐๐ฐ and Hadrian ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐) had pieces from ancient Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ brought to Rome to adorn their gardens ๐๐๐ช๐๐ฅ or estates. This statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ was then re-discovered in 1714 and was brought to the Vatican Museums in 1839.
This tiny ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ and unassuming stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ at the Louvre is really important to me and my Nonno because it depicts Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ, who was my Nonnoโs favorite non-royal Egyptian! Nonno and I would always make it a point to try and find something related to Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ in every museum we went to!
Though he wasnโt a royal, Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ was one of the most prominent men of his time and he was vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ under two ๐ป pharaohs ๐๐ป – Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ and then Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐. Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ served many different roles over twenty-five ๐๐๐พ years! Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ was also an architect and one of his most famous works is the tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ of Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ in the Valley of the Kings!
A vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ was the highest ranking official ๐ด๐๐ and was the most powerful position in the government, besides the pharaoh ๐๐ป. Not only was the vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ the most trusted advisor to the pharaoh ๐๐ป, but he also saw to the day-to-day operations of the government. The vizier ๐ ท๐๐บ๐ was in charge of architecture, taxation, agriculture, military, the judiciary, finances, and many other things. Honestly that sounds exhausting, however, his hard work got Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ a nice tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ for himself, so thatโs how we know so much about him! I guess wanting to preserve his name ๐๐ for eternity ๐๐ณ๐ was a success!
Paser ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ had many different titles, including โHigh Preist of Amun ๐น๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ณ ,โ โsuperintendent of every work of the king,โ โprophet of Maat,โ โmouth of Nekhenโ and โchief of secrets of the hieroglyphs.โ This last title is probably why he is depicted with the god Thoth ๐ ๐๐ญ๐ญ on this small ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ!
I wish I could see the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช more clearly, but I can see Paserโs ๐ ฎ๐๐ฝ name ๐๐ on the bottom part of the stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ!
Sorry the first picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ is a bit blurry – I wanted to get as close as I could! The second picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ shows how small ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ the stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ is in relation to other objects!
These beautiful ๐ค hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are from the Abydos King List at the British Museum. There are two ๐ป surviving King Lists from temples ๐๐๐๐ช at Abydos, the cult center of Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ. One temple ๐๐๐ is from Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ , and the other from his son ๐ ญ Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐, who were both pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ during the 19th Dynasty. Seti Iโs ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ list is still in the temple ๐๐๐ at Abydos, while Rameses IIโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐ was excavated and brought to the British Museum.ย
While the two ๐ป lists were very similar, Rameses IIโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐ had more rows to accommodate the names ๐๐๐ฆ so it appears to be shorter. There are three ๐ผ rows of cartouches on the remaining limestone ๐๐๐๐ relief – the upper two ๐ป rows contain the cartouches of earlier pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ, while the bottom row shows Rameses IIโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐ throne name and birth name alternating – this is the part we will be reading today ๐๐๐๐ณ!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! We are going to start from the right!
๐ ๐๐ – By Permission Of
๐ ญ๐ณ – Son of Ra
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐ – Rameses II, Beloved of Amun (birth name)
๐ ๐๐ – By Permission Of
๐ฅ – King of Upper and Lower Egypt
๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ Rameses II (โUsermaatreโ throne name)
๐ ๐๐ – By Permission Of
๐ ญ๐ณ – Son of Ra
๐ฉ๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐ – Rameses II (birth name variant)
โBy Permission Of ๐ ๐๐โ is meant to signify that Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ commissioned the creation of this King List! Itโs also cool how different variants of the name ๐๐ were used throughout the relief!
The point of the King Lists was not to preserve history for future generations, rather the main objective was to glorify the gods ๐น๐น๐น, and as we know, pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ were considered gods ๐น๐น๐น on Earth. These lists allowed Seti I ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ and Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐ to assert their legitimacy amongst the old pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐.
This limestone ๐๐๐๐ relief is called โRameses II adoring the Sphinx at Gizaโ and it is such a beautiful ๐ค piece! Letโs take a closer look!
By the time Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ was pharaoh ๐๐ป, the Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค at Giza was already ancient (~1200 years old) – which is almost mind blowing to think about!!! During the 18th Dynasty (the dynasty before Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐) the cult of the Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค began to reach its peak in terms of religious importance.
During the first ๐ year of their reign ๐๐๐พ, the pharaoh ๐๐ป would take a trip to the Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค as almost a right of passage. They would then build monuments ๐ ๐ to document the occasion. This relief is representative of that trip that Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ took!
The New Kingdom pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ knew the Sphinx ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค as Hor-em-Akhet ๐ ๐๐ which translates to โHorus in the Horizon.โ The name ๐๐ most likely came from the fact that the Sphinxโs ๐๐ ฑ๐ญ๐ค head is seen in between Khufu ๐๐๐ ฑ and Khafreโs ๐ณ๐๐ pyramids ๐๐ ๐๐ด๐ช, and can appear like the sun disc ๐ณ when approached from a certain direction. Itโs definitely a creative name ๐๐!
Letโs read some simple hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Hereโs a breakdown of the name ๐๐ Horus in the Horizon ๐ ๐๐! Can you spot this on the relief?
๐ – Horus
๐ – em = in the
๐ – akhet = horizon
There are actually two ๐ป different versions of this relief! If you look at the pictures above versus the pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ below, the reliefs are facing two ๐ป different directions!
For a closer hieroglyphic study, we are going to be looking at the relief facing the left because I was able to get better pictures ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช on this one! Both reliefs are pretty much identical except for the direction that they face!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! We are going to look at the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ posted below. Some of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are missing, but I was able to infer what was being written:
๐ – Given
๐น – Life
๐๐๐ฅ – Lord of Appearances
๐ณ๐ฉ๐๐ด๐ด๐ธ – Rameses II (Birth Name Variant) (this cartouche is too damaged for me to know which variant, so I made my best guess)
๐๐ฟ๐ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands
๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ – Usermaatre (Rameses II throne name)
๐น๐ค – Perfect God
๐ธ๐ (๐ฒ๐ )(๐ญ) – Khnum (these hieroglyphs are cut off, but my best guess is this is the start of the name of the god Khnum)
Hereโs the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช translation for the picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ posted below:
๐ – Horus
๐ – in the
๐ – Horizon
๐ – Given
๐น – Life
๐ – His
๐ – All
๐ฝ – Stability
๐ – Strength
๐ด๐๐๐ – Health
๐ซ๐ฃ๐ – Joy
๐ – All
๐ณ๐ – Like Ra
๐ณ๐ – Every day
This beautiful ๐ค and unique relief is located at the Louvre in France!
This little replica of the Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐ statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ from the Museo Egizio in Torino was given to me by my Nonno, and I love it so much!
You can read more about this beautiful ๐ค statue ๐๐ ฑ๐๐พ in my post about it!
Here is a picture ๐๐ ฑ๐ to show you where Rameses II ๐๐ ๐๐๐ณ๐บ๐๐ด๐ (and a replica ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figure, also from the Museo Egizio) sits on my bookshelf!
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.
This statue is very interesting because it was originally made for the pharaoh ๐๐ป Amenemhat II ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ during the 12th ๐๐ป Dynasty. However if you look at the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, the cartouches of Rameses II can be read! The pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ used to recycle statues all the time – this is a process known as usurping (taking one pharaohโs monuments, erasing their name, and putting yours!). Itโs kind of like ancient plagiarism!!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!ย
๐ฅ(๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐) King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Usermaatre ๐ ญ๐ณ(๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐) Son of Ra, Rameses
This statue is made of granodiorite, a type of volcanic (igneous) rock. It was quarried at Aswan and then transported up the Nile to Memphis, where it was sculpted.
