Tag: hieroglyph lessons

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Bronze Blades of Hatshepsut

Believe it or not, these two 𓏻 pieces were probably my favorite objects that I saw in the Petrie Museum.

I was so excited when I saw them, because Hatshepsut’s 𓇳𓁦𓂓 throne name appears on it! Since I absolutely love anything to do with Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓, I was incredibly excited to see something with her name on it. These two 𓏻 pieces are actually bronze π“ˆ”π“€π“ˆ’π“¦ blades that were once attached to a handle.

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

π“„€π“ŠΉ – Perfect God

(𓇳𓁦𓂓) – Maatkare (Hatshepsut’s Throne Name – translates to β€œTruth is the Soul of Re.”)

π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– – Amun

𓏃𓂦𓂦𓉐- Holiest of Holies (Deir el-Bahri temple)

π“ŒΊπ“‡Œ – Beloved

Put together, the inscription reads: π“„€π“ŠΉ(𓇳𓁦𓂓)π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ƒπ“‚¦π“‚¦π“ŒΊπ“‡Œ β€œThe Perfect God Maatkare, Beloved of Amun, Holiest of Holies.”

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Small Relief from the Reign of Nectanbo

This is a small relief with beautifully π“„€ carved hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ that dates to the reign of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Nectanbo 𓇳𓆣𓂓 in Dynasty 30.

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

π“†₯ – β€œKing of Upper and Lower Egypt”

π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώ – β€œLord of the Two Lands”

(𓇳𓆣𓂓) – Kheperkare (β€œThe manifestation of the soul is Re”)

𓅭𓇳 – β€œSon of Ra”

π“ŽŸπ“ˆπ“₯ – β€œLord of Appearances”

(π“ˆ–π“π“π“‚‘π“ƒ­π“†‘) – (Nakt Nebef β€œThe Strong One of His Lord”)

π“„‘π“‚§π“π“Š– – β€œEdfu” or β€œBehdet” (Egyptian city in Upper Egypt. Horus of the Winged Disc or β€œBehdetite” was the chief god of the city)

π“ŽŸπ“Šͺ𓏏𓇯 – β€œLord of the Sky”

Here it is all out together:

π“†₯π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώ(𓇳𓆣𓂓)π“…­π“‡³π“ŽŸπ“ˆπ“₯(π“ˆ–π“π“π“‚‘π“ƒ­π“†‘) π“„‘π“‚§π“π“Š–π“ŽŸπ“Šͺ𓏏𓇯

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Inscription – “Before Anubis”

Here is a piece of an inscription π“Ž˜π“…±π“Ž– from a Middle Kingdom sarcophagus π“ŽŸπ“‹Ήπ“ˆ–π“π“Š­ at the MET.

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

𓐍𓂋 – Before
𓃣 – β€œAnubis”

A very simple inscription π“Ž˜π“…±π“Ž–, but something that was important for the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 since Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 was tasked with the protection of the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾! In order for ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ to journey through the Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐 and eventually reach the Field of Reeds π“‡π“π“ˆ…π“‡‹π“„Ώπ“‚‹π“…±π“†°π“Š–, the mummy 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾/body of the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 needed to remain intact! So a person definitely wanted to be near Anubis π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓁒!

Anubis’ π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 name π“‚‹π“ˆ– Can be written many different ways! Here are some common variations:
π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣
π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓃣
π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺπ“…±
π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓁒
𓃣
𓃀
𓁒

Much like in English and other languages, the same words could have different spellings! In ancient Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–, most of the time the different spellings had to do with the space that was available on the piece that was being inscribed!

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Limestone Relief of Thutmosis III

This is a limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ relief with the cartouches of Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 on it. Let’s read some Hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!

Here’s the top line of text: π“†₯(𓇳𓏠𓆣)π“ π“ˆ–π“Ώπ“…±π“ŽŸ π“Œ€π“π“Š–π“·π“„£π“‰Ίπ“ˆ–π“Š–π“ŒΊπ“‡Œ

π“†₯- King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
(𓇳𓏠𓆣) – Menkhepera
π“ π“ˆ–π“Ώπ“…± – Montu
π“ŽŸ – Lord of
π“Œ€π“π“Š– – Thebes
𓁷𓄣 – middle/middle of
π“‰Ίπ“ˆ–π“Š– – Dendera
π“ŒΊπ“‡Œ – Beloved
The full translation is: β€œKing of Upper and Lower Egypt, Menkhepera, Beloved of Montu, Lord of Thebes, middle of Dendera.”

Here’s the second line of text: 𓅭𓇳(π“…π“„ π“‹΄π“‡‹π“Šƒ) π“™π“‹Ήπ“Š½π“Œ€π“‹΄π“ƒ€π“ˆ–π“„«π“„£π“‡³π“‡π“Ίπ“†–
𓅭𓇳 – Son of Ra
(π“…π“„ π“‹΄π“‡‹π“Šƒ) – Thutmosis III
π“™π“‹Ήπ“Š½π“Œ€ – Given Life, Stability, Strength
π“‹΄π“ƒ€π“ˆ–- Health
π“„«π“„£ – Happiness
𓇳𓏇𓏺 – Like Ra
𓆖 – Eternity
The full translation is: β€œSon of Ra, Thutmosis III, Given Life, Stability, Strength, Health, and Happiness, like Ra, for eternity.”

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Granite Statue of Hatshepsut and its Hieroglyphs

Since I can’t go too long without talking about Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ, let’s talk about this granite π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“ˆ–π“Œ³π“Ώ statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ of her!

She is depicted in female attire, but is also wearing the nemes head cloth π“ˆ–π“…“π“‹΄, which is usually reserved only for the reigning pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 to wear! Once again, this imagery 𓏏𓅱𓏏 shows that Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ wanted to be seen as a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, not be seen as a man π“Šƒπ“€€π“€.

Her hands 𓂝𓏦 are flat on her lap, which means that this statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ was probably put inside the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ and meant to receive offerings π“Š΅π“π“Šͺ𓏏𓏔𓏦. This statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ was found in multiple pieces during excavations at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐, and then pieced back together.

Let’s look at the hieroglyphic π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ inscription (only the top part of it can be seen – the other half is too destroyed for me to finish translating):

π“„€π“ŠΉπ“ – β€œPerfect goddess”
𓇳𓁦𓂓 – β€œMaatkare” (Hatshepsut’s throne name)

So the inscription reads β€œPerfect goddess, Maatkare.”

If Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ was referring to herself as a man π“Šƒπ“€€π“€ or trying to be a man π“Šƒπ“€€π“€, the inscription would read like this:

π“„€π“ŠΉ(𓇳𓁦𓂓) – β€œPerfect god, Maatkare.”

The addition of the β€œπ“β€ makes the word the feminine version – β€œπ“ŠΉ -God” becomes β€œ π“ŠΉπ“ – Goddess.” So as you can see, Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is very much referring to herself as a woman π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“ – it’s in the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! There are too many examples of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ being referred to as a female in writing to make the rash conclusion that she was β€œtrying to be a man.”

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Blog Reading Hieroglyphs

Tutankhamun’s Cartouche Box Replica

Here’s a bit of a different post for today! One of my absolute favorite pieces besides the Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ and the Anubis shrine 𓃣 is the wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 cartouche box from Tutankhamun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ tomb π“‡‹π“«π“Šƒπ“‰. I have always loved this piece because Tutankhatmun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ cartouche was one of the first hieroglyphic phrases that I learned how to read. I remember being so proud for being able to decipher its meaning when I first started learning! I remember showing my Nonno how I could read it! This box was just the beginning of my journey into the Egyptian language!

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

π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– – Amun
𓏏𓅱𓏏 – Tut (image)
π“‹Ή – Ankh (life/living)
π“‹Ύ – Ruler
𓉺 – of/on
𓇓 – Upper Egypt

So all put together, the cartouche says β€œTutankhamun, Ruler of Upper Egypt.” The name π“‚‹π“ˆ– Tutankamun means β€œLiving Image of Amun.” Amun π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– is placed first in the cartouche because of honorific transposition – the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of the god π“ŠΉ is always placed (out of respect) first even though it is said last.

The wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 cartouche box was one of the pieces featured at the King Tut exhibit in the USA back in 2007, and I spent so much time just looking at this piece while I was there! I was struck by the beauty π“„€ of the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ made of ebony and ivory. Seeing the box in person cemented it as one of my most favorite artifacts of all time! I have always wanted a replica (usually they are so expensive), and now I have one! This replica is very detailed and I got it on Amazon!

Fun Fact: The ancient Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ referred to the cartouche as shen 𓍢 (cartouche is actually a French word). The word shen 𓍢 is derived from the verb meaning “to encircle.” The purpose of the cartouche was to represent the pharaoh as ruler of all that the sun 𓇳𓏀 encircled! Shen 𓍢 was also representative of infinity, completeness, and protection.

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Bronze Blade with Hatshepsut’s Cartouche

Believe it or not, this seemingly plain piece was probably one of my favorite objects that I saw in the Petrie Museum. I was so excited when I saw it, because Hatshepsut’s 𓇳𓁦𓂓 throne name appears on it! Since I absolutely love anything to do with Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓, I was incredibly excited to see something with her name π“‚‹π“ˆ– on it. I also think this piece is unpublished, so it was a total surprise for me to see that it even existed! Since her name π“‚‹π“ˆ–appears on the blade, it means that it was most certainly made during her time as pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.

While it doesn’t look like much, this piece is actually a bronze π“ˆ”π“€π“ˆ’π“¦ blade that was once attached to a handle.

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

π“„€π“ŠΉ – Great God

(𓇳𓁦𓂓) – Maatkare (Hatshepsut’s Throne Name – translates to β€œTruth 𓁦 is the Soul π“‚“ of Re 𓇳.”)

π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– – Amun

𓏃𓂦𓂦- Holiest of Holies (the name given to Hatshepsut’s temple at Deir el-Bahri. It can also be written as 𓏃𓂦𓂦𓉐 or most commonly as 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐).

π“ŒΊπ“‡Œ – Beloved

Put together, the inscription reads: π“„€π“ŠΉ(𓇳𓁦𓂓)π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ƒπ“‚¦π“‚¦π“ŒΊπ“‡Œ β€œThe Great God Maatkare, Beloved of Amun, Holiest of Holies.”

Interestingly, Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is referred to as β€œThe Great God π“„€π“ŠΉβ€ instead of the β€œGreat Goddess π“„€π“ŠΉπ“β€ as she usually is in inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯. I honestly think this is a spacing issue because the blade is so small π“ˆ–π“†“π“‹΄π“…©. A lot of the words on this blade are the shortened version. For example, Amun is written as π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– instead of π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“€­, and Holiest of Holies is very shortened to the point of almost being unrecognizable (𓏃𓂦𓂦 instead of 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐). There are also many variations of Beloved π“ŒΊπ“‡Œ, but this shortened version of the word is very commonly seen in inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯.

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Reading the Cartouche of the Pharaoh Unas

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

One of the best ways to practice reading hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ (especially phonogram symbols) is to read the cartouches of some of the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦 from the Old Kingdom! The reason why they are great to practice phonogram symbols is because the names π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“¦ are very phonetic!

Let’s take a look at the cartouche of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Unas:

(π“ƒΉπ“ˆ–π“‡‹π“‹΄) – Unas

Here is a breakdown of the symbols:

The β€œhare 𓃹” is normally used as a phonogram, which means that it is a symbol that represents sounds, and is usually part of a larger word! The hare 𓃹 is a biliteral sign which means it represents two consonants. The 𓃹 represents the sounds β€œwn.”

The β€œripple of water π“ˆ–β€ is also a phonogram sign, except it is uniliteral sign, which means that it just represents one consonant. The β€œπ“ˆ–β€ is associated with the sound of β€œn!”

The β€œreed 𓇋” is a uniliteral phonogram for β€œΔ±Ν—,” however it can also function as an ideogram for the word β€œreed 𓇋𓏺.”

The β€œfolded cloth 𓋴” is a uniliteral phonogram for β€œs.”

So the transliteration of the cartouche would be: β€œwnnΔ±Ν—s.” This would be pronounced/written as β€œUnas.”

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Ptah in Hieroglyphs

Here is a zoomed in view of an inscription π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ with the name π“‚‹π“ˆ– of the god π“ŠΉ Ptah π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“± from a large statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ that originally belonged to the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Amenemhat II π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“…“π“„‚π“, however, the statue π“„šπ“ˆ–π“π“­π“€Ύ was usurped by Rameses II π“©π“›π“ˆ˜π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“.

As we learned yesterday, Ptah π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“± was the chief god π“ŠΉ of Memphis π“ π“ˆ–π“„€π“†‘π“‚‹π“‰΄π“Š– and was considered a great protector of Egypt π“†Žπ“…“π“π“Š–. In the Book of the Dead, Ptah π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“± is referred to as β€œThe Master Architect,” and β€œFramer of Everything in the Universe” due to his role in β€œspeaking” the world 𓇾𓇾 into creation!

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! Now, these two 𓏻 inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ are divided by a line because they are part of a larger text that is read downwards; they are not meant to be read together! However, I really wanted the closeup of Ptah’s π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“± name π“‚‹π“ˆ–, so we are going to read them this way from my picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦!

You probably know the first phrase already:
π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώ – Lord of the Two Lands
(π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ–) – Rameses II (throne name Usermaatre)
π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“± – Ptah
𓉼 – Great (then the inscription continues…)

Ptah π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“± can be written a couple of different ways in hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, but the phonogram symbols are always the same. Sometimes, the determinative symbol is left out because of spacing issues! Once you can recognize the first three 𓏼 symbols, you are well on your way to finding Ptah’s name π“‚‹π“ˆ– on monuments/artifacts!

Here are the different ways to write his name π“‚‹π“ˆ–:
π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“±
π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“€­
π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›π“°
π“Šͺπ“π“Ž›

The full statue that the inscription is on the back of
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Reading Hieroglyphs

“Images” in Hieroglyphs

This is a zoomed in view of some hand-written hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ from a copy of The Book of the Dead! These hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ were written on papyrus 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 and are so beautiful π“„€! I always love seeing hand-written hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ because usually papyri 𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛𓏦 were usually written in Hieratic!

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

You might recognize this word as one that I use a lot: 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦! The word β€œtwt 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦” (probably pronounced like β€œtut”) is the word for β€œimage” in Middle Egyptian! Adding the 𓏦 to the end makes it plural, so β€œimage 𓏏𓅱𓏏” becomes β€œimages 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦.”

So why did I choose to highlight this particular word?! It’s because 𓏏𓅱𓏏 was one of the first Middle Egyptian words that I learned when I was first starting to read hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! The reason being is that it is part of Tutankhamunβ€˜s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ cartouche! Here is a breakdown of Tutankhamunβ€˜s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“π“…±π“π“‹Ήπ“‹Ύπ“‰Ίπ“‡“ name π“‚‹π“ˆ–:

π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– – Amun
𓏏𓅱𓏏 – Tut (image)
π“‹Ή – Ankh (life/living)
π“‹Ύ – Ruler
𓉺 – of/on
𓇓 – Upper Egypt

I remember being so proud as a little girl when I mastered reading the cartouche, and started recognizing the words in other inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯! I think cartouches are a great place to start your hieroglyphic journey, because you begin to recognize the vocabulary elsewhere!