Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Ramessu Mery Amun

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

Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to look at one of the many cartouches ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท๐“ฆ of Rameses II ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–! This time, we are going to look at his birth name cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท, which is the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– that he was given when he was born!ย 

Ramessu Mery Amun
The birth name cartouche of pharaoh Rameses II, Ramessu Mery Amun, on a column at the British museum

The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– โ€œRamessu Mery Amun ๐“ฉ๐“›๐“ˆ˜๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“โ€ translates to โ€œRa has fashioned him, beloved of Amun.โ€ The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– could also be translated as โ€œRa Bore Him, Beloved of Amun.โ€ 

Letโ€™s look at the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– more closely! The names of the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน are written first due to honorific transposition!

๐“ฉ – Amun

๐“› – Ra

๐“ˆ˜ – Beloved

๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ – Bore Him/Fashioned Him/Born Of

Letโ€™s break down each of the symbols: 

The โ€œfalcon with the sun disc ๐“›โ€ symbol is both a determinative and ideogram for โ€œRa.โ€ 

The โ€œAmun figure ๐“ฉโ€ symbol is both a determinative and ideogram for โ€œAmun.โ€ 

The โ€œcanal ๐“ˆ˜โ€ symbol is a biliteral phonogram for the sound โ€œmrโ€ and can also be โ€œshorthandโ€ for the word โ€œmeryโ€ which means beloved. 

The โ€œthree fox skins ๐“„Ÿโ€ symbol is a biliteral phonogram for the sounds โ€œms.โ€ 

The โ€œfolded cloth ๐“‹ดโ€ symbol is a uniliteral phonogram for the sound โ€œs.โ€

The โ€œsedge ๐“‡“โ€ symbol can be a biliteral phonogram, ideogram (for sedge) and determinative (for king), but here it is representing the sound โ€œsw.โ€

Ramessu Mery Amun
The birth name cartouche of pharaoh Rameses II, Ramessu Mery Amun, on a column at the British museum

Rameses IIโ€™s birth name cartouche has many variants and can also be written like this: ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“. Certain symbols can be substituted for each other because ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ– and ๐“ฉ both mean Amun ๐“œ and ๐“‡ณ๐“บ both mean Ra. 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.ย 

@ancientegyptblogย onย Instagramย andย TikTok!

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Usermaatre Setep En Ra

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

Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to look at one of the many cartouches ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท๐“ฆ of Rameses II ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–! This cartouche is his throne name cartouche, which is the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Rameses II ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– took when he became the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป of Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–!ย 

Usermaatre Setep En Ra
The throne name cartouche of Rameses II which reads Usermaatre Setep En Ra on display at the British Museum

The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– โ€œUsermaatre setep en Ra ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–โ€ translates to โ€œThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra.โ€ Letโ€™s look at the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– more closely:

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“„Š – Powerful

๐“ง – Justice (Maat)

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“‰๐“ˆ– – Chosen

Usermaatre Setep En Ra
The throne name cartouche of Rameses II which reads Usermaatre Setep En Ra on display at the British Museum

Letโ€™s break down each of the symbols:ย 

The โ€œ๐“‡ณ sun discโ€ symbol is an ideogram for โ€œraโ€ or โ€œre,โ€ but can also be a determinative in words such as sun, day, and time. The single symbol alone (like in cartouches) would be pronounced like โ€œraโ€ or โ€œre.โ€

The โ€œhead and neck of jackal ๐“„Šโ€ symbol is a triliteral phonogram for the sounds โ€œwsrโ€ which means โ€œpowerfulโ€ or โ€œstrong.โ€ 

The โ€œgoddess with a feather ๐“งโ€ symbol is a determinative for โ€œMaatโ€ and is also an ideogram for the same. The word โ€œMaatโ€ can refer to the goddess or the word โ€œJustice.โ€ 

The โ€œadze and block of wood ๐“‰โ€ symbol is a triliteral phonogram for the sound โ€œstp.โ€

The โ€œripple of water ๐“ˆ–โ€ is a uniliteral phonogram. The โ€œ๐“ˆ–โ€ is associated with the sound of โ€œn!โ€ย 

This cartouche is part of the King’s List, which is on display at the British Museum.

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblogย onย Instagramย andย TikTok!

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Stela of Rameses II

This is a large sandstone stela ๐“Ž—๐“…ฑ๐“†“๐“‰ธ of Rameses II ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ on display at the Brooklyn Museum.ย ย 

Stela of Rameses II
Stela of Rameses II on display at the Brooklyn Museum!

The hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช talk about how Rameses II ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ founded the town of Meriamun, and how he established the cult of Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ– there. The stela ๐“Ž—๐“…ฑ๐“†“๐“‰ธ was a way to commemorate Rameses II ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ presenting statues ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ๐“ช to the temple ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰ of Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“บ๐“‡ณ. 

The image ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ shows (from left to right) Mut ๐“๐“„ฟ๐“€ญ, Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–, and Rameses II ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“. Rameses II can be seen wearing the blue crown, also known as the khepresh ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™๐“‹™ crown which was very popular among New Kingdom pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป! 

Rameses II ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ is receiving symbols of kingship (the crook ๐“‹พ) from the god ๐“Šน Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“บ๐“‡ณ. This is meant to represent that Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“บ๐“‡ณ saw Rameses II ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ as a legitimate and rightful ruler! The pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป believed that they were direct descendants of Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“บ๐“‡ณ (in the 18th – 19th Dynasties Amun ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–/Amun-Ra ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“บ๐“‡ณ kind of replaces Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ in popularity as king ๐“‡“ of the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน) and that they were gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน on Earth.ย 

It was also really cool that five ๐“พ of Rameses IIโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ names ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–๐“ฆ appear on this stela ๐“Ž—๐“…ฑ๐“†“๐“‰ธ!ย These names appear on the top two rows of the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!

Here are Rameses IIโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ five ๐“พ names ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ–๐“ฆ:ย 

๐“ƒ’๐“‚ก๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“€ญ๐“Œธ๐“‡Œ – Horus ๐“…ƒ Name (The Strong Bull, Beloved of Ra) 

๐“…–๐“Žก๐“†Ž๐“๐“Š–๐“…ฑ๐“‚๐“†‘๐“ฒ๐“‚ก๐“ˆŠ๐“๐“ฆ – Nebty ๐“…’ Name (Protector of Egypt Who Curbs Foreign Landsโ€)

๐“Œ‚๐“๐“‚ก๐“„˜๐“‚ง๐“‚‹๐“‚ก๐“Œ”๐“๐“€๐“ป – Golden Horus ๐“…‰ Name (โ€œPowerful of Arm, He Who Has Subdued the Nine Bowsโ€)

๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– – Throne Name (โ€œThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Raโ€)

๐“ฉ๐“›๐“ˆ˜๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ – Birth Name (โ€œRa has fashioned him, beloved of Amunโ€)

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblogย 

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Horus Name of Rameses II

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

Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to be looking at the Horus Name for the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Rameses II! The Throne Name (๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–) and the Birth Name (๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“) usually appear more in inscriptions ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ so letโ€™s take a closer look at the Horus Name! 

The Horus Name is the oldest way that a pharaohโ€™s ๐“‰๐“‰ป name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– was written/identified and is one of five ๐“พ ways to write the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of a pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป. 

The Horus Name consists of three elements: the palace facade ๐“Š, Horus the Falcon ๐“…ƒ standing on top of the palace ๐“Š, and the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป within the palace ๐“Š. The palace ๐“Š hieroglyph ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ is pronounced like โ€œserekhโ€ and some Egyptologists are now referring to the Horus Name as the Serekh Name. This was basically the early version of the cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท! 

Rameses II ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ had a lot of different variations of his Horus Name, so letโ€™s take a look at the two ๐“ป that are pictured!ย 

Horus Name of Rameses II
Two variants of the Horus Name of Rameses II

๐“‚ก๐“ƒ’๐“›๐“Œบ – โ€œStrong Bull, Beloved of Raโ€

๐“‚ก๐“ƒ’๐“ง๐“Œบ – โ€œStrong Bull, Beloved of Maatโ€

โ€œStrong Bull ๐“‚ก๐“ƒ’โ€œ was a very popular way to start off the Horus Name for male pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ because bulls ๐“ƒ’๐“ƒ’๐“ƒ’ were a symbol of strength ๐“Œ€ and fertility, both of which are qualities that pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ wanted to have!

Letโ€™s break down the inscription ๐“Ž˜๐“…ฑ๐“Ž– even further: 

๐“‚ก – Strong

๐“ƒ’ – Bull

๐“ง/๐“› – Maat/Ra

๐“Œบ – Beloved

Both variants of Rameses IIโ€™s Horus Name contain the shortened variants of certain words! 

๐“ง – Maat (๐“™๐“Œด๐“‚ฃ๐“๐“ง)

๐“› – Ra (๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“›)

๐“Œบ – Beloved (๐“Œป๐“‚‹๐“‡Œ)

Variants can be tricky for those starting to learn hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช, but with practice they become much easier – especially the shortened version of the words!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblog

Categories
Video

Wooden Ushabti of Rameses II – Video

Wooden ๐“†ฑ๐“๐“บ Ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ of Rameses II ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– (New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, c. 1292-1190 B.C.E.).ย 

The text ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ on the ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ is a version of the โ€œShabti Spellโ€ from Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. This spell gives the ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ the power to complete tasks (farming, manual labor, etc) for the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ in the Field of Reeds ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ…๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“†ฐ๐“Š–. 

Wooden Ushabti of Rameses II
Me with the Wooden Ushabti of Rameses II at the Brooklyn Museum

This ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ is mummiform meaning that it looks like a mummy/the god ๐“Šน Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ! The ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ is holding a holding the crook ๐“‹พ and flail ๐“Œ… and is wearing the  nemes head cloth ๐“ˆ–๐“…“๐“‹ด. 

Rameses IIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ was plundered in the 20th Dynasty, and only three ๐“ผ of his wooden ๐“†ฑ๐“๐“บ ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ figures remain! 

In 1049 B.C.E., the High Priest of Amun ordered Rameses IIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– mummy ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ be moved from his original tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ and to the Royal Cache, a place where many royal ๐“‹พ mummies ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ๐“ช were re-buried in order to protect the mummies ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ๐“ช from tomb robbers. 

While the provenance of this ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ is unknown, it is assumed that it was originally from Rameses IIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– original tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ (KV 7).ย 

Wooden Ushabti of Rameses II
Wooden Ushabti of Rameses II on display at the Brooklyn Museum

This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblog

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Relief of Rameses II and Horus

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

Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to look at this fragmented relief from the Louvre which depicts the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Rameses II ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– and the god ๐“Šน Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ! Horus is holding Rameses IIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– hand and leading him. How do we know that this is a depiction of Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ since there are many falcon gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน? The word “Edfu ๐“„‘๐“‚ง๐“๐“Š–” in the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช is a major clue – Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ of the Winged Disc or โ€œBehdetiteโ€ was the chief god ๐“Šน of the city ๐“Š–!

Look at who is leading Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ- itโ€™s the god ๐“Šน Wepwawet ๐“„‹๐“ˆ๐“ฅ๐“๐“ƒง who is the โ€œOpener of the Ways!โ€ Wepwawet ๐“„‹๐“ˆ๐“ฅ๐“๐“ƒง appears on a standard and is associated leading ritual processions.ย 

Rameses II and Horus
Relief showing Rameses II and Horus

Above the depiction is actually part of Rameses IIโ€™s royal titularly! Each pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป had five names, and the first one that appears is known as the โ€œHorus Name.โ€ Rameses II had many variants of his Horus Name, but we will look at the one that appears here: โ€œ๐“‚ก๐“ƒ’๐“ง๐“Œบ Strong Bull, Beloved of Maatโ€

๐“‚ก – Strong

๐“ƒ’ – Bull

๐“ง – Maat

๐“Œบ – Beloved

After that, the Nebty Name ๐“…’ is listed! The Nebty Name is distinguished by the Nebty or Two Ladies symbol โ€œ๐“…’.โ€ Only the partial name appears on the relief: โ€œ๐“…–๐“Žก๐“†Ž๐“๐“Š– Protector of Egypt.โ€

๐“…– – Protector 

๐“Žก๐“†Ž๐“๐“Š– – Egypt (Kemet) (most commonly, Kemet is written as โ€œ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–,โ€ however this is another variant).

The full name is as follows: ๐“…–๐“Žก๐“†Ž๐“๐“Š–๐“…ฑ๐“‚๐“†‘๐“ฒ๐“‚ก๐“ˆŠ๐“๐“ฆ โ€œProtector of Egypt Who Curbs Foreign Lands.โ€ย 

Rameses II and Horus
Relief showing Rameses II and Horus

Above Horus ๐“…ƒ๐“€ญ appears:ย 

๐“„‘๐“‚ง๐“๐“Š– – Edfu

๐“ŽŸ- Lord

๐“‡ฏ – Sky

๐“„ค – Perfect

๐“Šน – God 

๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– – Usermaatre setep en Ra (Throne Name of Rameses II which translates to โ€œThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra.โ€)

๐“™ – Given

๐“‹น – Life 

๐“Œ€ – Strength

All together the inscription says: “Edfu, Lord of the Sky, the Perfect God Usermaatre setep en Ra Give Life and Strength.”

To the left of Rameses II: 

๐“ƒน๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ– – It Is

๐“„ค – Perfect

๐“Šน – God 

๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– – Usermaatre setep en Ra

All together the inscription says: “It Is the Pefect God Usermaatre setep en Ra.”

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblog

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs Video

Doorjamb of Rameses II – Video

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

This large piece is referred to as a โ€œDoorjamb from a Temple of Rameses II.โ€ Basically, that means these blocks came from a gateway at a temple that was built in honor of one of Rameses IIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– royal jubilees. 

๐“†ฅ – King of Upper and Lower Egypt

๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– – Usermaatre setep en Ra (Throne Name of Rameses II which translates to โ€œThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra.โ€)

๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“บ – Amun-Ra

๐“ŽŸ๐“Žผ๐“Žผ๐“Žผ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ – Lord of the Thrones

๐“Œบ – Beloved

๐“™๐“‹น- Given Life

So all together the inscription reads โ€œKing of Upper and Lower Egypt, Usermaatre, Beloved of Amun-Ra, Lord of the Thrones, Given Life.โ€ 

Also Rameses IIIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“ˆ˜๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ– cartouches appear on this too on the bottom of the doorjamb – he clearly usurped this piece for his own use and didnโ€™t change all of the cartouches!

This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost.ย 

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

Ushabti of Rameses II

Rameses II ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– was arguably one of Egyptโ€™s ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– greatest builders, and his face/name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– can be found pretty much everywhere you look in a museum (this is why his cartouches ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท๐“ฆ are good to learn – you will see them a lot).ย 

Ushabti of Rameses II
Me with the wooden Ushabti of Rameses II at the Brooklyn Museum!

This beautiful ๐“„ค๐“†‘๐“‚‹ piece is a Wooden ๐“†ฑ๐“๐“บ Ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ of Rameses II ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– (New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty, c. 1292-1190 B.C.E.). While the provenance of this ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ is unknown, it is assumed that it was originally from Rameses IIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– original tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ (KV 7). 

Rameses IIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ was plundered in the 20th Dynasty, and only three ๐“ผ of his wooden ๐“†ฑ๐“๐“บ ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ figures remain! Tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ robbing during ancient Egyptian times was a huge problem even though the tombs ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰๐“ฅ were โ€œhiddenโ€ in the Valley of the Kings! 

In 1049 B.C.E., the High Priest of Amun ordered Rameses IIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– mummy ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ be moved from his original tomb ๐“‡‹๐“ซ๐“Šƒ๐“‰ and to the Royal Cache, a place where many royal ๐“‹พ mummies ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ๐“ช were re-buried in order to protect the mummies ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“…ฑ๐“€พ๐“ช from tomb robbers.ย 

Ushabti of Rameses II
The wooden Ushabti of Rameses II with the Shabti Text carved into the wood

The text ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ on the ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ is a version of the โ€œShabti Spellโ€ from Chapter 6 of the Book of the Dead. This spell ๐“Ž›๐“‚“๐“› gives the ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ the power to complete tasks (farming, manual labor, etc) for the deceased ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ in the Field of Reeds ๐“‡๐“๐“ˆ…๐“‡‹๐“„ฟ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“†ฐ๐“Š–. I love how detailed the hieroglyphs are! 

This ushabti ๐“†ท๐“„ฟ๐“ฏ๐“ƒ€๐“๐“ฎ๐“€พ has a lot of mummiform details; it is wearing the nemes ๐“ˆ–๐“…“๐“‹ด head cloth and there is an intact Uraeus ๐“‡‹๐“‚๐“‚‹๐“๐“†— on his forehead. Like Osiris ๐“น๐“Šจ๐“€ญ, it is wearing a broad collar ๐“…ฑ๐“‹ด๐“๐“Žบ๐“‹, and is holding the crook ๐“‹พ and flail ๐“Œ…. 

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

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Hieroglyphs on Mummification Vase

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

Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to be looking at an inscription ๐“Ÿ๐“›๐“ฅ that is on a blue ๐“‡‹๐“น๐“๐“„ฟ๐“ธ๐“ฅ faience ๐“‹ฃ๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ธ๐“ผ vase ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹ that might have been used during the mummification ๐“‹ด๐“‚ง๐“๐“…ฑ๐“Ž process! This vase ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹ is dated to the 19th Dynasty. How do we know itโ€™s from the 19th Dynasty? We can look at the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช that show the throne name and birth name of the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Rameses II ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–!

Mummification Vase
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 

๐“ŽŸ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands

๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– – Usermaatre setep en Ra (Throne Name of Rameses II which translates to โ€œThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra.โ€)

๐“™๐“‹น- Given Life

The left column:ย 

๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“บ – Amun-Ra

๐“‡“๐“๐“Šน๐“ฆ- King of the Gods

๐“ŽŸ – Lord

๐“Šช๐“๐“‡ฏ – Sky

๐“Œธ๐“‡Œ – Beloved

The middle-right column:ย 

๐“ŽŸ๐“ˆ๐“ฅ – Lord of Appearances 

๐“ฉ๐“›๐“ˆ˜๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ – Ramessu mery Amun (Birth Name of Rameses II which translates to โ€œRa has fashioned him, beloved of Amun.โ€)

๐“‡ณ๐“บ – Ra

๐“‡ – Like

๐“†„ – Truth (Maat) 

This last part would translate to โ€œTruth Like Ra.โ€ 

The right column:ย 

๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ๐“บ – Amun-Ra

๐“ŽŸ๐“Žผ๐“Žผ๐“Žผ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ – Lord of the Thrones

๐“Œธ๐“‡Œ – Beloved

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Cartouches of Rameses II

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช!ย Today we are going to look at the cartouches ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท๐“ฆ of Rameses II ๐“ฉ๐“›๐“ˆ˜๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“!

It always felt like my Nonno took pictures ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“ช of everything in museums – I definitely learned from the best! Iโ€™m so happy that the two ๐“ป of us did take pictures ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“ช of everything because all of the pictures ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“ช 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 ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“, Iโ€™m thankful for it now because you can see my Nonnoโ€™s reflection!ย 

This is a calcite ๐“ฑ (alabaster) vase ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹ with the cartouches ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท๐“ฆ of Rameses II on it.ย 

Cartouches of Rameses II
Cartouches of Rameses II on a calcite vase at the Louvre.

We are going to start with the cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท on the right! This is the throne name of Rameses II ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–, which is preceded by the normal royal title! 

๐“ŽŸ – Lord 

๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ – Two Lands

๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ– – Usermaatre setep en Ra

The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– โ€œUsermaatre setep en Ra ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–โ€ translates to โ€œThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra.โ€ Letโ€™s look at the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– more closely:

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“„Š – Powerful

๐“ง – Justice (Maat)

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“‰๐“ˆ– – Chosen

Now letโ€™s look at the cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท on the right! This is the birth name of Rameses II ๐“ฉ๐“›๐“ˆ˜๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ which is also preceded by the normal royal title! 

๐“ŽŸ – Lord 

๐“ˆ๐“ฅ – Appearances 

๐“ฉ๐“›๐“ˆ˜๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ – Ramessu mery Amun

The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– โ€œRamessu mery Amun ๐“ฉ๐“›๐“ˆ˜๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“โ€ translates to โ€œRa has fashioned him, beloved of Amun.โ€ The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– could also be translated as โ€œRa Bore Him.โ€ Letโ€™s look at the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– more closely:

๐“ฉ – Amun

๐“› – Ra

๐“ˆ˜ – Beloved

๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ – Bore Him/Fashioned Him/Born Of

Rameses IIโ€™s birth name cartouche has many variants and can also be written like this: ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ˜๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“. Certain symbols can be substituted for each other because ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ– and ๐“ฉ both mean Amun ๐“œ and ๐“‡ณ๐“บ both mean Ra.ย