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Reading Hieroglyphs

Ptah in Hieroglyphs

Here is a zoomed in view of an inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ with the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of the god ๐“Šน Ptah ๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“ฑ from a large statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ that originally belonged to the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Amenemhat II ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“…“๐“„‚๐“, however, the statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ was usurped by Rameses II ๐“ฉ๐“›๐“ˆ˜๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“.

As we learned yesterday, Ptah ๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“ฑ was the chief god ๐“Šน of Memphis ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“„ค๐“†‘๐“‚‹๐“‰ด๐“Š– and was considered a great protector of Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–. In the Book of the Dead, Ptah ๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“ฑ is referred to as โ€œThe Master Architect,โ€ and โ€œFramer of Everything in the Universeโ€ due to his role in โ€œspeakingโ€ the world ๐“‡พ๐“‡พ into creation!

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! Now, these two ๐“ป inscriptions ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ 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 Ptahโ€™s ๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“ฑ name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–, so we are going to read them this way from my picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“ฆ!

You probably know the first phrase already:
๐“ŽŸ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands
(๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–) – Rameses II (throne name Usermaatre)
๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“ฑ – Ptah
๐“‰ผ – Great (then the inscription continuesโ€ฆ)

Ptah ๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“ฑ can be written a couple of different ways in hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช, 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 ๐“ผ symbols, you are well on your way to finding Ptahโ€™s name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– on monuments/artifacts!

Here are the different ways to write his name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–:
๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“ฑ
๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“€ญ
๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“ฐ
๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›

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

Hathor in Hieroglyphs

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!

This is the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of the goddess ๐“Šน๐“ Hathor ๐“‰ก in hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! Iโ€™m sure you can see this, but Hathorโ€™s name is unique compared to that of the other deities! This is because her name is written with a composite hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ! A composite hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ is the combination of many symbols into one symbol! Hathorโ€™s ๐“‰ก name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– is the combination of an enclosure ๐“‰— and the falcon ๐“…ƒ.

๐“‰— +๐“…ƒ = ๐“‰ก

If the two ๐“ป symbols were written separately, we would actually read Hathorโ€™s ๐“‰ก name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– as โ€œHouse of Horusโ€ or โ€œEstate of Horusโ€ (depending on how you translated the ๐“‰— hieroglyph) – so that is the literal translation of her name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–!

Just like other deities, there are many ways to write Hathorโ€™s ๐“‰ก name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– in hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! Here are some of ways:
๐“ฅ
๐“‰ก๐“ฅ
๐“‰—๐“ท๐“‚‹๐“†— ๐“‰ก

Also, just look at how beautifully ๐“„ค carved this hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ is! I will never not be amazed at the incredible craftsmanship of the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Granodiorite Statue of Amun

This is a beautiful ๐“„ค granodiorite statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ of the god ๐“Šน Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ. Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ was the most popularly worshipped god ๐“Šน during the 18th Dynasty amongst the pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ and the elite.

This statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ of Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ is special because it was made during the reign of pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Tutankhamun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“ (18th Dynasty, c. 1336โ€“1327 B.C.E.). After Akhenatenโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“…œ๐“๐“ˆ– rule, Tutankamun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“ was responsible for moving the capital of Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– back to Thebes ๐“Œ€๐“๐“Š– and reestablishing the traditional Egyptian pantheon. Tutankhamun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“ commissioned a lot of statues ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ๐“ช of Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ to be made, most likely as a way to show that the old religion was once again free to be worshipped. Egyptologists believe that this statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ of Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ was specifically sculpted to be placed in the Temple ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰ of Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ at Karnak.

Something else that is interesting about the statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ is that it does still have some Amarna-style features, which suggests that some of the sculptors that worked in the Amarna workshops went to Thebes ๐“Œ€๐“๐“Š– with Tutankhamun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“ after Akhenatenโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“…œ๐“๐“ˆ– reign. Some of the facial features of the statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ are also similar to other representations of Tutankhamun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“‹น๐“‹พ๐“‰บ๐“‡“ (for example, the full lips, the drooping chin). The braided beard and the crown, however, make it unquestionable that this statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ is meant to represent Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ.

Nicole (me) with the statue of Amun

Geology Lesson!!!! Granodiorite is an igneous rock ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™ that is a โ€œin betweenโ€ granite ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ˆ–๐“Œณ๐“ฟ and diorite in terms of mineral composition. Granite ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ˆ–๐“Œณ๐“ฟ contains mostly quartz ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Œ๐“ˆ™, while diorite contains a lot of plagioclase/potassium feldspars. Granodiorite contains both, hence it is an โ€œin-betweenโ€ rock ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Bronze Statue of the Goddess Neith

My Nonno loved bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statues ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ๐“ช, and would always point them out to us in museums! Bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statuary ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ became very popular in Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– starting around the Third Intermediate Period (26th Dynasty), and became very abundant in the Ptolemaic Period. However, the demand for bronze statues during this period resulted in mass production and a loss of craftsmanship and quality over time.

The Bronze Age started due to the rise in the Sumerian civilization in Mesopotamia. Due to war and trade, bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ was able to come to Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– around 700 B.C.E. and replace the traditional stone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“Šช and clay statues ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ๐“ช.

The bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ pieces are great antiquities because they can preserve small details over long periods of time. On this statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ of Neith ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“‹Œ๐“€ญ, the broad collar ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹ around her neck is still perfectly painted on, along with the design on the Red Crown ๐“‚ง๐“ˆ™๐“‚‹๐“๐“‹”! Beautiful ๐“„ค bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ pieces can be seen in museums around the world ๐“‡พ๐“‡พ!

Neith ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“‹Œ๐“€ญ was one of the goddesses ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“ of war and rose to popularity during the 16th Dynasty because her central city of worship, Sais, was the capital of Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– at the time. She is also the protector of Duamutef ๐“‡ผ๐“…๐“๐“†‘, the son ๐“…ญ of Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ whose canopic jar contains the stomach ๐“‚‹๐“„ฃ๐“ป. Due to this, she was seen as a protector ๐“…“๐“‚๐“Žก๐“€œ of the dead ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ along with Isis ๐“Šจ๐“๐“ฅ, Nephytys ๐“‰ ๐“๐“†‡, and Selket ๐“Šƒ๐“‚‹๐“ˆŽ๐“๐“. She is usually seen wearing the Red Crown ๐“‚ง๐“ˆ™๐“‚‹๐“๐“‹” of Lower Egypt ๐“†ค or with a shield and crossed arrows on her head.

Along with Sekhmet ๐“Œ‚๐“๐“…“๐“๐“, Neith ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“‹Œ๐“€ญ was one of my Nonnoโ€™s favorite deities! He always made sure to point her out in museums, and bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statues ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ๐“ช of Neith ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“‹Œ๐“€ญ are abundant because she was a very popular goddess ๐“Šน๐“ during the Bronze Age!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Bronze Statues of Sekhmet and Imhotep

This setup at the MET reminded me so much of my Nonno because Sekhmet ๐“Œ‚๐“๐“…“๐“๐“ and Imhotep ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช were two of his favorite ancient Egyptian figures! Even better, is they these are both bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statues ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ๐“ช; he loved all of the bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statues ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ๐“ช so much! Seeing the two ๐“ป statues ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ๐“ช next to each other made me miss my Nonno so much.

Sekhmet (left) and Imhotep (right)

Imhotep ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช, meaning โ€œHe who comes in peace,โ€ was a non-royal man who became deified. This is a very rare occurrence, as it was thought by the Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช that the Pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป was the only god ๐“Šน on the Earth ๐“‡พ๐“‡พ. Imhotep ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช was not deified in his lifetime – it was 2,000 years after his death ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ that he began to be worshipped ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“€ข as a god ๐“Šน. Not much is known about Imhotep ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช from his lifetime – much information about Imhotep ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช is from Demotic texts or stelae ๐“Ž—๐“…ฑ๐“†“๐“‰ธ๐“ช that were written thousands ๐“†ผ๐“†ผ๐“†ผ of years after his death ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ.

Imhotep ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช was regarded as the Son ๐“…ญ of Ptah ๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“ฑ, who was the creator god ๐“Šน of craftsmen and architects. He was also part of the โ€œMemphis Triad,โ€ which consisted of Ptah ๐“Šช๐“๐“Ž›๐“€ญ, Sekhmet ๐“Œ‚๐“๐“…“๐“๐“ and Imhotep ๐“‡๐“…“๐“Šต๐“๐“Šช.

Sekhmet ๐“Œ‚๐“๐“๐“ was the goddess ๐“Šน๐“ of war, but she is usually pictured with the sun disc ๐“‡ณ๐“ค on her head ๐“ถ๐“ค because she was also associated with the destructive aspects of the sun ๐“‡ณ๐“ค – such as the extreme heat of the desert ๐“…Ÿ๐“‚‹๐“๐“ˆŠ! Sekhmet ๐“Œ‚๐“๐“๐“ was one powerful lady, and the Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช had many festivals dedicated to her in order to keep her happy!

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Egyptian Artifacts

Canopic Jars

Here are some very plain, but very cool canopic jars! While the Sons of Horus were first mentioned in the Pyramid Texts, after the 18th Dynasty, the Four Sons of Horus were associated with being the heads ๐“ถ๐“ฆ on canopic jars which would guard the organs ๐“‡‹๐“‚ง๐“‚‹๐“„น๐“ฆ of the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ. During the mummification process, certain organs ๐“‡‹๐“‚ง๐“‚‹๐“„น๐“ฆ were removed, dried out with natron salt, and then placed in these canopic jars. The heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ was not removed because the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ needed their heart ๐“‡‹๐“ƒ€๐“„ฃ to be weighed by Anubis ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฑ๐“ƒฃ in the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰!

While each Son of Horus was associated with an organ ๐“‡‹๐“‚ง๐“‚‹๐“„น, they were also each associated with a cardinal direction and were protected by a funerary goddess๐“Šน๐“.

Imsety ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‹ด๐“˜๐“‡‹ had the head of a human, protected the liver ๐“…“๐“Šƒ๐“๐“„น๐“ธ๐“ธ๐“ธ, was associated with the South ๐“‡”๐“…ฑ๐“ and was protected by Isis ๐“Šจ๐“๐“ฅ.

Duamutef ๐“‡ผ๐“…๐“๐“†‘ had the head of a jackal, protected the stomach ๐“‚‹๐“„ฃ๐“ป, was associated with the East ๐“‹๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ญ, and was protected by Neith ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“‹Œ๐“€ญ.

Qebehsenuef ๐“๐“Œข๐“Œข๐“Œข๐“†‘ had the head of a falcon, protected the intestines ๐“ˆ–๐“Šช๐“…ฎ๐“„ฟ๐“ฒ๐“ผ, was associated with the West ๐“‹€๐“๐“๐“ˆŠ, and was protected by Selket ๐“Šƒ๐“‚‹๐“ˆŽ๐“๐“.

Hapy ๐“Ž›๐“‘๐“Šช๐“‡Œ had the head of a baboon, protected the lungs ๐“Šƒ๐“Œด๐“„ฅ๐“…ฑ๐“„บ, was associated with the North ๐“Ž”๐“, and was protected by Nephthys ๐“‰ ๐“๐“†‡.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Stick Ushabtis

Whenever I am in a museum, I take so many pictures of the different ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช that are on display! There are so many different types, and each type is beautiful ๐“„ค in its own way!

These particular ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช that are are called โ€œstick ushabtisโ€ by archaeologists. Stick ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช are made of wood ๐“†ฑ๐“๐“บ, have a roughly mummiform shape, no artistic details, and have an inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ on the front. Most stick ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช are dated to the end of the 17th Dynasty to the beginning of the 18th Dynasty.

The function of these stick ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช also seem to be different than that of the regular ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช that are found in tombs ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰๐“ฆ whose function was to perform tasks for the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ in the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. The stick ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช have only been found in Thebes ๐“Œ€๐“๐“Š–, in the above ground chapels that were found near tombs ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰๐“ฆ.

Instead of being a worker for the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ, stick ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช represented the family ๐“…•๐“‰”๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ฆ members of the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ, and were placed in the above ground chapel as a way to symbolize family ๐“…•๐“‰”๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ฆ members being close to their dead ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ loved one.

The stick ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช were usually placed in their own model coffins ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ๐“ฆ, just like in the first picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“! I always liked the model coffins ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ๐“ฆ, because I love tiny things! As a kid, the ushabtis ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ๐“ช reminded me of dolls, and how cool is it to have a doll-sized ancient Egyptian coffin ๐“‹ด๐“…ฑ๐“Ž›๐“๐“†ฑ!!!

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Amun in Hieroglyphs

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!

The inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ that you see in the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ spells out the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of the god ๐“Šน Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“บ! While many gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน had different variations on how to write their name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– in hieroglyphs, the spelling of Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“บ was pretty consistent, which makes it an easy name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– to recognize!

Letโ€™s breakdown Amun-Raโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“บ name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– into each individual symbol!

๐“‡‹ – phonogram symbols for โ€œjโ€
๐“  – phonogram for โ€œmnโ€
๐“ˆ– – phonogram symbols for โ€œnโ€
๐“‡ณ – ideogram for โ€œRaโ€ (๐“‡ณ can also be a determinative for sun, day, and time)
๐“บ – not pronounced! The โ€œ๐“บโ€ is there for spacing/aesthetic purposes!

Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“บ is the combination of the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ (originally god ๐“Šน of the air, then evolved to become chief of the Egyptian gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน) and Ra ๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“› (god ๐“Šน of the sun ๐“‡ณ๐“บ). During the New Kingdom, Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“€ญ and Ra ๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“› were merged to create the single deity Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“บ. Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“บ was considered to be the father ๐“‡‹๐“๐“€€ and protector ๐“…“๐“‚๐“Žก๐“€œ of the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป. The worship ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“€ข of Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“บ was extremely popular and took on a cult-like following.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Miniature Broad Collar

โ€œ๐“„ค๐“†‘๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ญ๐“‡‘๐“‡‘ – How Beautiful This Is!โ€ – I feel like this is the only appropriate phrase to describe this piece!

At the MET, this is named the โ€œMiniature Broad Collar ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹.โ€ Itโ€™s hard to tell from the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“, but this piece is actually small ๐“ˆ–๐“†“๐“‹ด๐“…ฉ! It was probably not meant to be worn by a person – instead, this broad collar ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹ was most likely ceremonial and was probably placed on a statue ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ!

In Middle Egyptian, the word for broad collar was ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹ (pronounced โ€œwesekh) or simply just the determinative hieroglyph ๐“‹ could be used for the whole word. This particular broad collar ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹ was made during the early Ptolemaic Period (332โ€“246 B.C.E.), though broad collars ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹๐“ฆ became very popular during the 18th Dynasty!

The broad collar ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹ was the necklace of choice by both the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน and the pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ. Broad collars ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹๐“ฆ could be made of many different types of materials, including gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ and inlaid stones ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™๐“ฆ. In this broad collar ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹, lapis lazuli ๐“๐“‹ด๐“ƒ€๐“‚ง๐“ง and turquoise were the stones of choice! I love how the colors of the gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ and the different blues ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“๐“„ฟ๐“ธ๐“ฅ counteract each other – it truly makes this a stunning ๐“„ค piece! Though small ๐“ˆ–๐“†“๐“‹ด๐“…ฉ, this piece truly stands out!

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Osiris in Hieroglyphs

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!

The inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ that you see in the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ spells out the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of the god ๐“Šน Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ. โ€œOsirisโ€ is actually the Greek version of the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–; the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช probably would have pronounced his name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– like โ€œIsr.โ€

There are a couple of different ways to write Osirisโ€™ ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–, but โ€œ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญโ€ is the most common way! Other variations are:
๐“‡ฌ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ–๐“„ค๐“€ญ
๐“Šฉ๐“น

Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ is considered one of the most important deities in ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–. While he is mostly known as the god ๐“Šน of the underworld/afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰ (Duat), but that he also controlled all life ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“ from the underworld ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. This means that Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ was associated with the annual flooding of the Nile River ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ˆ—๐“ˆ˜๐“ˆ‡๐“บ but also the growing vegetation and annual harvest. This makes sense since Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ is strongly connected with regeneration and rebirth, and the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช also associated the Nile ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ˆ—๐“ˆ˜๐“ˆ‡๐“บ with these characteristics. Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ was even thrown into the Nile ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ˆ—๐“ˆ˜๐“ˆ‡๐“บ after he was cut up by his brother ๐“Œข๐“ˆ– Seth ๐“Šƒ๐“๐“„ก๐“ฃ!

It was believed that every person, not just deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ pharaohs, became associated with Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ when they died! However people were not resurrected in this life ๐“‹น๐“ˆ–๐“ (even Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ himself wasnโ€™t technically resurrected), instead, the person was reborn into the next life and lived in the Duat ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰!