Music 𓉔𓇌𓆸 and musicians were highly regarded in ancient Egyptian culture. I love music 𓉔𓇌𓆸, and music 𓇋𓎛𓇌 is something that I cannot live without! This is a sistrum 𓊃𓈙𓈙𓏏𓏣, which is a musical instrument from ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 that is similar to a modern rattle or tambourine.
Since Hathor 𓉡 was the goddess 𓊹𓏏 of music 𓇋𓎛𓇌, she was portrayed on most sistrums 𓊃𓈙𓈙𓏏𓏣𓏪 in her human form! However, even though Hathor 𓉡 is represented as a woman 𓊃𓏏𓂑𓏏𓁐, she is recognized easily because of her characteristic cow 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒 ears!
I love these two sistrums 𓊃𓈙𓈙𓏏𓏣𓏪 pictured below because while they are both from the Ptolemaic Period, they look so different! One of the sistrums 𓊃𓈙𓈙𓏏𓏣𓏪 is made of blue 𓇅𓆓𓏛 faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 while the other is made of silver 𓌉𓋞𓃉𓃉𓃉.
Fun fact: in ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, silver 𓌉𓋞𓃉𓃉𓃉 was actually considered to be more valuable because it was harder to obtain through trade! Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 does not naturally have a lot of silver 𓌉𓋞𓃉𓃉𓃉!
The silver 𓌉𓋞𓃉𓃉𓃉 sistrum 𓊃𓈙𓈙𓏏𓏣 has hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on the handle, however they are very hard to read due to cracks and natural wear. The blue 𓇅𓆓𓏛 faience 𓋣𓈖𓏏𓏸𓏼 one has hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 that are much easier to read!
Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!
𓅭𓇳 – Son of Ra
𓎟𓈍𓈍𓈍 – Lord of Appearances
𓊪𓏏𓍯𓃭𓐝𓇌𓋴 – Ptolemaios (Ptolemy I)
𓋹 – Life
𓏇 – Like
𓇳𓏺 – Ra
𓎛𓇳𓎛 – Eternity
𓆖 – Eternity
When 𓎛𓇳𓎛 and 𓆖 are used in the same phrase, it’s usually translated as “Everlasting Eternity” instead of “Eternity Eternity.”
Another way to write “Lord of Appearances” is like this – 𓎟𓈍𓏥 – using three strokes “𓏥” instead of repeating the “sun over the horizon 𓎟𓈍𓈍𓈍” hieroglyph three times! Both of these ways are the correct way to write the phrase, however the three strokes “𓏥” is usually used more because it takes up less space!
This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.
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