Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to be looking at the cartouche of Pharaoh ๐๐ป Seti II ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฐ! Seti I ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฐ and Seti II ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฐ have the same birth name so we know that these cartouches belong to Seti II ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฐ based on the throne name/where the object was found.
This piece is an inlay, which means that it was once part of a larger object. Seti II ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฐ (son ๐ ญ of Merenptah ๐บ๐ช๐๐๐ง๐๐ต๐ท๐บ) ruled Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ for a couple of years towards the end of the 19th Dynasty (New Kingdom).
Hereโs the birth name: ๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ช๐๐๐ฐ
๐ฃ๐ – Belongs to Seth
๐๐ – Beloved
๐ช๐๐๐ฐ – Ptah
So all together, the name ๐๐ reads โThe one who belongs to Seth, Beloved of Ptah.โ This is only one of the variants of the birth name, as there are many different ways to write the cartouches of the pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ!
Today ๐๐๐๐ณ we are going to look more closely at the hieroglyphic ๐น๐ symbol of โ๐ฅ.โ Many will confuse this symbol with the ever popular โ๐ค nfrโ as they look very similar to each other!
The โlung and windpipe ๐ฅโ is a triliteral phonogram which would represent the sound zm3/sm3. This symbol only functions as a phonogram!
The 3 is part of the phonetic alphabet and sounds like โahโ – it is a good idea to learn the phonetic alphabet of you want to learn the hieroglyphic โsoundsโ.
Here are some words that have the symbol ๐ฅ in them:
๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ – Lungs
๐ฅ๐๐๐บ๐ – Offering (variant of ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ)
These are two ๐ป alabaster vases at the MET which show a mother ๐ ๐๐ monkey holding a baby monkey!
These are dated to Dynasty Six of the Old Kingdom (c. 2289โ2246 B.C.E.). Archaeologists think that these vases allude to fertility because they were probably given to some of the pharaohโs ๐๐ป favorite couriers during the jubilee. In the second picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, the vase on the left is inscribed with the name ๐๐ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Merenre ๐ณ๐ป๐๐ and the vase on the right is inscribed with the name ๐๐ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Pepi I ๐ช๐๐ช๐ (you canโt see it in my picture – sorry!).
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช!
๐ฅ – King of Upper and Lower Egypt (He of the Sedge and the Bee)
(๐ณ๐ป๐๐) – Merenre
๐ – Eternal
๐น – Life
Iโve said this before (itโs still true), that the names of the earlier pharaohs are a great way to practice reading phonogram hieroglyphs! Letโs take a closer look at Merenre ๐ณ๐ป๐๐!
The symbol โ๐ณ – sunโ is usually seen as an ideogram for โRa/Re.โ The symbol โ๐ณ – sunโ can also be a determinative for sun, day, and time. โRa ๐ณโ is written in the cartouche first and said last due to honorific transposition.
The โhoe ๐ปโ (and itโs variants ๐ธ, ๐บ, and ๐ธ) are biliteral phonograms that represent the sound โmrโ (might have been pronounced like โmerโ).
The โ mouth – ๐โ is a uniliteral phonogram for the sound โrโ and can be an ideogram for the word โmouth ๐๐บ.โ
The โripple of water ๐โ is also a phonogram sign, and it is also uniliteral sign. The โ๐โ is associated with the sound of โn!โ
All together, the name ๐๐ Merenre ๐ณ๐ป๐๐ means โThe Beloved of Reโ or โThe One Re Loves.โ
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! This inscriptionย ๐๐ ฑ๐ is a new word for all of you! While I havenโt seen it often, itโs probably a good one to know!
โ๐ซ๐๐ฃโ is the Middle Egyptian word for โjoyโ or โhappiness!โ What I love about this word is that if we were going to literally translate it into English, instead of joy or happiness, it would translate directly to โwide heart.โ How cute is that?!?!
Letโs break down each of the symbols!
The โspine and spinal cord ๐ซโ symbol is a biliteral phonogram that is used to represent the sound โ3w.โ
The โflat loaf of bread ๐โ symbol 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 โheart ๐ฃโ symbol is an ideogram for heart and mind that can also be used to represent the sound โฤฑอbโ. The heart ๐ฃ can also be used as a determinative in the word for heart ๐๐๐ฃ.
So all together, the transliteration of ๐ซ๐๐ฃ would be 3wt-ฤฑอb. Other variations of the word are โ ๐ซ๐๐ฃ๐บ,โ or โ ๐ซ๐ฃ๐บ.โ
What makes my heart wide ๐ซ๐๐ฃ? Going to museums, writing out my Instagram post each day, Marvel comic books, Harry Potter, and of course listening to BTS ๋ฐฉํ์๋ ๋จ!!!!!
Letโs all share something that makes us happy/our hearts wide ๐ซ๐๐ฃ!
This tiny ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ ivory chair ๐๐จ๐๐ฑ probably held a tiny ๐๐๐ด๐ ฉ statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ at one point! This chair ๐๐จ๐๐ฑ is only about 5cm in height so it is very tiny! The amount of detail that the artist was able to carve into such a small piece is incredible!
On the back of the chair ๐๐จ๐๐ฑ, Akhenatenโs nomen (birth name) and prenomen (throne name) are carved underneath the rays of the Aten ๐๐๐๐ณ. Letโs break down the names ๐๐๐ฆ!
๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐ – Akhenaten โLiving Spirit of the Atenโ – this is his โbirth nameโ – though not really because Akhenaten changed his name to Akhenaten from Amenhotep IVย ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐น๐พ๐!ย
๐ณ๐ค๐ฃ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ก๐ – Neferkheperrua โThe Beautiful One of the Manifestations of Raโ is the throne name, which was probably taken when he was still calling himself Amenhotep IV ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐น๐พ, since the name ๐๐ contains โRa ๐ณโ and not โAten ๐๐๐๐ณ.โ
๐ โ this symbol on the back of the chair ๐๐จ๐๐ฑ is a combination of many different things! 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. Just like how the lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ and the windpipe ๐ฅ need to work together in order for a person to survive, Upper ๐ and Lower ๐ค Egypt needed to be unified in order for Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ to be a strong country!
The lung ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ and windpipe ๐ฅ design ๐ was usually found on objects that belonged to the pharaoh ๐๐ป.
The three ๐ผ men ๐๐๐ฆ on the side of the chair ๐๐จ๐๐ฑ represent foreigners – a Libyan, an Asiatic, and a Nubian all of which are kneeling and raising their arms in a worshipping ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข stance.
These canopic jars are very famous pieces from the British Museum! Any time you read a book on mummification or Egyptian funerary practices, these canopic jars will make an appearance! The first book on Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ my Nonno ever gave me was Carol Andrewsโ book on the mummies at the British Museum, and of course these canopic jars were in the book! It was so exciting to see them in person! However, these are โdummyโ canopic jars; they arenโt even totally hollow inside so they definitely werenโt used during the mummification process.
But thatโs not what is the most interesting here; whatโs most interesting is in the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Each canopic jar has a lid that represents one of the Four Sons of Horus. Each one has the task of protecting a specific organย ๐๐ง๐๐นย of the deceased!ย
From the left:
-Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐๐ญ (falcon head) held the intestines ๐๐ช๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ผ
-Imseti ๐๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ญ (human head) held the liver ๐ ๐๐๐น๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ
-Hapi ๐๐๐ช๐๐ญ (baboon head) held the lungs ๐๐ด๐ฅ๐ ฑ๐บ
-Duamutef ๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐ญ (jackal head) held the stomach ๐๐ฃ๐ป
Now, if you take a closer look at the inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ on the jars – Qebehsenuef ๐๐ข๐ข๐ข๐๐ญ is labeled with Duamutefโs ๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐ญ name ๐๐ and vice versa!
Iโm not sure if it is an ancient mistake or a mistake by the museum! Iโm always so amused when I come across stuff like this!
The inscription above the names is a common one that we have gone over before:
๐๐๐๐ – Words Spoken By
๐น๐จ๐น – Osiris (the symbol for โgod ๐นโ is used as the determinative here instead of the usual โ๐ญโ – I love seeing variation)!!
He took a picture of me taking a picture while we were in the British Museum ๐ – I love it!!
Anyway, this is a red granite column that was originally inscribed for Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐! Both of his cartouches can be seen throughout -(๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐) and (๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐). Also his titles such as โLord of the Two Lands ๐๐ฟ๐ฟโ and โLord of Appearances ๐๐๐ฅโ can be seen on top of his cartouches.
This column was definitely usurped by another pharaoh ๐๐ป at some point because some of the cartouches on this column donโt belong to Rameses II ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐!
In the bottom of this picture you can see the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช for โLord of the Two Lands ๐๐ฟ๐ฟโ very clearly!
I have always loved seeing the columns in museums because you can get a sense of the grand scale of the Egyptian monuments. Since I have never been to Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐, itโs nice to see just how grand their building was! I love the design of this column; the top looks like a flower ๐ธ!
Cartouche for Rameses II (๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐).Another side of the column!
Something I was so excited to see in the British Museum was the Abydos King List.
There are two 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 Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐, who were both pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ during the 19th Dynasty. Seti Iโs ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ list is still in the temple ๐๐๐ at Abydos, while Rameses IIโs ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ was excavated and brought to the British Museum.
While neither list is a 100% complete list, there are some glaring holes in the list – Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช, Akhenaten ๐๐๐๐ณ๐ ๐๐, Smenkhare ๐ณ๐๐ป๐๐ฆ๐ฃ, Tutankhamun ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐, and Ayโs ๐ณ๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ช๐น๐๐ cartouches are missing. Obviously, these names were left off because these pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ are considered non-legitimate. Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช was the female pharaoh ๐๐ป, and Akhenaten-Ay is considered the Amarna Period, which was not well liked due to the drama of Akhenaten changing the religion and moving the capital of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐.
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 ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐ to assert their legitimacy amongst the old pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฅ of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐.
In this picture, Iโm pointing to where Hatshepsutโs ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช name should be, but is missing due to the fact that she was purposefully left off the list!
You can see Thutmosis IIIโs the one name ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ, and then Iโm pointing to the space next to his name. Why next to Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ? Even though Thutmosis III ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ was technically named as pharaoh ๐๐ป first, and since he was too young to rule (he came to the throne at as young as two years old according to some historians), Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช was his co-regent until she named herself the sole pharaoh ๐๐ป.
Here is a closer look at the Kingโs List – how stunning are these hieroglyphs?! Iโm always so amazed that even after thousands of years, the colors on the monuments are still there!
On the left hand side, you can see the inscription ๐ฅ(๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐). This is his prenomen, or Throne Name:
๐ฅ – King of Upper and Lower Egypt ๐ณ๐๐ง๐ณ๐๐ – Usermaatre Setepenre, which means Keeper of Harmony and Balance, Chosen by Ra.
Next to that inscription, you can see the following: ๐ ญ๐ณ (๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐).
๐ ญ๐ณ – Son of Ra ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐บ๐๐ด๐ – Rameses, Beloved of Amun.
Hereโs an even further breakdown of Rameses IIโs Nomen: ๐๐ ๐๐ – Beloved of Amun ๐๐บ๐๐ด๐ – can be translated multiple ways โBorn of Ra,โ โRa bore him,โ etc.
This is a False Door for the inspector and priest ๐น๐ named Merykhufu (๐๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ)๐ธ๐.
False Doors were an important aspect of Egyptian funerary practices and served as ways for the living relatives to make offerings to the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ. While this piece most likely dates to the 4th Dynasty, False Doors have been found throughout various periods of Egyptian history.
This piece strikes me as super interesting because at first glance, it looks like it belongs to the pharaoh ๐๐ป Khufu ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ, because his cartouche is present. However, this personโs name is Merykhufu (๐๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ)๐ธ๐ – he incorporated the pharaoh ๐๐ป Khufuโs ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ name into his own. His name actually means โBeloved of Khufu.โ
Merykhufuโs (๐๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ)๐ธ๐ wife, son ๐ ญ, and daughter ๐ ญ๐ are also present on the False Door. This is hard to date because Khufu ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ was admired by a cult long after his death. However, the wig that Merykhufuโs (๐๐ ฑ๐๐ ฑ)๐ธ๐ wife is wearing is an early dynastic style, which is why this piece most likely dates to the Old Kingdom (Dynasty 4).
The word โbelovedโ can also be written like this โ๐ป๐๐โ and is actually the more phonetic way to write it. However, sometimes words were shortened to fit the piece/person – almost like an abbreviation!
This beautiful ๐ค sculpture is a raised relief of a quail chick ๐ ฑ hieroglyph ๐น๐ dates to the Ptolemaic Period in Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐. This relief shows the full hieroglyph ๐น๐ in beautiful ๐ค detail. This style of an object being โunfinished but actually finishedโ was very popular during this time period. Limestone pieces such as these are often referred to as โsculptors modelsโ by Egyptologists because they are very detailed and only show one part of the object.
