Tag: aten

Usually, a cartouche 𓏠𓈖𓈙𓍷 enclosed the name 𓂋𓈖 of a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. The oval surrounding the names 𓂋𓈖𓏦 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was meant to be protection 𓅓𓂝𓎡𓀜 from evil 𓃀𓇋𓈖𓏏𓅨 both in life 𓋹 and in the afterlife 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐. During the 18th Dynasty, the name 𓂋𓈖 of the King’s Great Wife 𓇓𓈞𓏏 would also sometimes appear in a cartouche 𓏠𓈖𓈙𓍷. 

Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 was not a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 that followed tradition! Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 reign 𓋾𓈎𓏏, which archaeologists sometimes refer to as the “Amarna Revolution” is a period of less than 20 𓎆𓎆 years which showed big changes not only to the traditional Egyptian religion, but also changes to the traditional Egyptian art. 

This fragment does not contain the cartouches 𓏠𓈖𓈙𓍷𓏦 of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Akhenaten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖. Instead, the cartouches 𓏠𓈖𓈙𓍷𓏦 are very long way to write the name 𓂋𓈖 of Aten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳, the sole sun 𓇳𓏺 deity 𓊹 in Akhenaten’s 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳𓅜𓐍𓈖 new religion. 

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! These are two 𓏻 of the “early” cartouches 𓏠𓈖𓈙𓍷𓏦 of the Aten 𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳, as there were variations during the later part of the Amarna period. The two 𓏻 cartouches 𓏠𓈖𓈙𓍷𓏦 are incomplete, but since we know what the cartouches 𓏠𓈖𓈙𓍷𓏦 are supposed to say, I will translate both! 

Here is the first two cartouches at the top of the fragment:  𓋹𓅊𓈌𓈌𓎛𓂝𓏻𓏛𓐝𓈌𓏏 

𓋹 – Living 

𓅊𓈌𓈌 – Ra-Horakhty

𓎛𓂝𓏻𓏛 – Rejoicing 

𓐝 – in

𓈌𓏏 – Horizon

This translates to “The Living Ra-Horakhty, Rejoicing in the Horizon.” 

This second cartouche got cut off (you can only see the first two symbols), but here it is: 𓐝𓈖𓂋𓆑𓐝𓆄𓅱𓇳𓈖𓏏𓏻𓐝𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳

𓐝 – In 

𓈖𓂋 – Name

𓆑 – His 

𓐝 – As 

𓆄𓅱𓇳𓈖𓏏𓏻 – Light

𓐝 – In 

𓇋𓏏𓈖𓇳 – Aten

This translates to “In His Name As the Light Which is In the Aten.” 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.