This is the sandstone ๐๐ ฑ๐ง๐๐๐ head ๐ถ๐ค of an 18th Dynasty (c. 1539-1493 B.C.E.) pharaoh ๐๐ป, but it is not known which pharaoh ๐๐ป the statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ is supposed to be depicting! The pharaoh ๐๐ป is wearing the White Crown ๐ค๐ of Upper Egypt ๐ and the uraeus ๐๐๐๐๐ has been broken off of the front of the crown ๐ค๐.
It is thought that the statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ is from one of the earlier 18th Dynasty pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ for a couple of reasons. The statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ very much mimics Middle Kingdom styles by having the pharaoh ๐๐ป slightly smiling and also having the other facial features simplified (ears are not three dimensional, eyes ๐น๐ฆ are large). It is thought that the statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ is either of Ahmose ๐บ๐ or Amenhotep I ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐๐ช because they were pharaohs ๐๐ป๐ฆ who tended to imitate Middle Kingdom styles.
This is a beautiful ๐ค example of a False Door from the reign of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Userkaf ๐ ฑ๐๐ด๐๐ (5th Dynasty). This False Door is part of a pair of False Doors and was from the west ๐๐๐ญ wall of a mastaba tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐ in Memphis ๐ ๐๐ค๐๐๐ด๐ that belonged to Nikauhor and his wife ๐๐๐ Sekemhathor ๐ก๐ด๐๐๐ . Nikauhor was a judge and a priest ๐น๐ in Userkafโs ๐ ฑ๐๐ด๐๐ sun temple while Sekemhathor ๐ก๐ด๐๐๐ was a priestess ๐น๐๐ of Hathor ๐ก and Neith ๐๐๐๐ญ. I have posted about Sekemhathorโs ๐ก๐ด๐๐๐ False Door previously, and I will talk about Nikauhorโs!
This specific false door pictured belonged to Nikauhor, as he is the one depicted in the images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ along with his two sons ๐ ญ๐ฆ (the smaller people standing next to Nikauhor). These images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ are expertly carved in raised relief. While the arch above the doorway isnโt there, Nikauhorโs name ๐๐ appears elsewhere on the door in order to identify it as his. It is common practice to have the deceasedโs name ๐๐ above the door, but the arch was lost in antiquity.
False Doors are an extremely important part of ancient Egyptian funerary practices. False Doors served as ways for the living relatives to make offerings ๐ต๐๐ช๐๐๐ฆ to the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ. The False Door acted as a link between the land of the living and the land of the dead. The ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช believed that the soul ๐ of the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ could travel between the two lands ๐ฟ๐ฟ through the False Door. They are also known as โka ๐ doorsโ or โsoul ๐ doors.โ
False Doors were usually located on the western ๐๐๐ญ walls of tombs ๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฆ because the west ๐๐๐๐ is associated with the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ. The west ๐๐๐๐ is associated with the dead ๐ ๐๐ฑ because the sun ๐ณ๐บ sets in the west ๐๐๐๐ – when Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ makes his daily journey across the sky ๐ช๐๐ฏ, sunset ๐๐๐๐ ฑ๐ถ is representative of his death.
This is a limestone ๐๐๐๐ statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ dated to the 19th Dynasty that depicts a man ๐๐๐ค named Panehesy ๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ด. Panehesy ๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ด is shown in a kneeling position, which usually indicates the active worship of a god ๐น๐น or gods ๐น๐น๐น. Panehesy ๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ด was the โOverseer of the Treasuryโ and has appeared in statues ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ๐ฆ before, however, this is the first statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ that has hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช to show that he served under the pharaoh ๐๐ป Rameses II ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ด๐.
Panehesy ๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ด is holding a shrine that contains the gods ๐น๐น๐น (from left) Horus ๐ ๐ญ, Osiris, ๐น๐จ๐ญ and Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ. This family ๐ ๐๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ฆ unit of the three ๐ผ gods ๐น๐น๐น is seen together often in statuary, as the Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช were fans of โtriadsโ or groups of three ๐ผ gods ๐น๐น๐น that were related to each other in some way.
While itโs hard to see it in my picture ๐๐ ฑ๐, there are hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช covering the statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ. Most of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช translate to prayers ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ on behalf of Panehesy ๐ ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ด, along with prayers ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ to the gods ๐น๐น๐น Horus ๐ ๐ญ, Osiris, ๐น๐จ๐ญ and Isis ๐จ๐๐ฅ. Prayers ๐ ๐๐๐๐ฆ to Anubis ๐๐๐ช๐ ฑ๐ฃ also appear, even though he isnโt depicted directly on the statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ.
This is a simple stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ that is painted in really nice bright colors on wood ๐ฑ๐๐บ! One of the reasons I like this piece so much is that it has retained its colors through time! This is dated between the 22nd and 25th Dynasties.
The stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ depicts a man ๐๐๐ค named Ihefy simply worshipping ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข/adoring the god ๐น Horus(?) ๐ ๐ญ. While the museum description says the god ๐น is Horus ๐ ๐ญ, I question that because of the sun disc ๐ณ๐ค appearing on the falcon ๐๐๐ก๐ head. Usually, Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ will appear as a falcon ๐๐๐ก๐ head wearing a sun disc ๐ณ๐ค. Horus ๐ ๐ญ is usually depicted wearing the crown of Upper Egypt ๐, Lower Egypt ๐, or both ๐ (most common).
However, since this is a later time period, this could be the god ๐น Ra-Horakhty ๐ ๐๐๐ค, who is a combination of Ra ๐ณ๐บ๐ and Horus ๐ ๐ญ into a single deity. I believe this is a depiction of Ra-Horakhty ๐ ๐๐๐ค because of the sun-disc ๐ณ๐ค crown that has a Uraeus ๐๐๐๐๐ at the front, along with the fact that Ra-Horakhty ๐ ๐๐๐ค is holding a flail ๐ and scepter ๐, which is another common way to depict him.
The main reason why I think this is a depiction of Ra-Horakhty ๐ ๐๐๐ค? The hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Ra-Horakhtyโs ๐ ๐๐๐ค name ๐๐ appears right above him on the stela ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ธ!
We know that Ihefy is worshipping ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข Ra-Horakhty ๐ ๐๐๐ค because his arms are in the raised position! The determinative for the word worship ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข is even a man with his arms raised ๐ข!
Here are a couple of limestone ๐๐๐๐ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures that belonged to three ๐ผ different officials who served during the reign of Rameses II. While faience ๐ฃ๐๐๐ธ๐ผ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures are the most commonly found (because they are easier to mass produce and there needed to be 300+ of them in a tomb), limestone ๐๐๐๐ ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures are not a rare find from New Kingdom burials. I love how most of these still contain some original paint – the black ๐๐ paint around the eyes ๐น๐ฆ is in stark contrast to the white ๐๐๐ณ limestone ๐๐๐๐ and it looks so cool!
These ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ figures all have inscriptions ๐๐๐ฅ on them. The purpose of the inscription ๐๐๐ฅ was to guide the ushabti ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ on its role in serving the deceased ๐ ๐๐ฑ in the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐! All of these contain spells mentioning the god ๐น Osiris ๐น๐จ๐ญ, which is common because Osirisโ ๐น๐จ๐ญ realm was the Duat ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ (afterlife).
Fun Fact! There are two ๐ป ways to write ushabti in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช:
๐ท๐ฟ๐ฏ๐๐๐ฎ๐พ – ลกwbtj – the earlier word that was used in Egypt. ๐ ฑ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ – wลกbtj – the โnewerโ form of the word. This is where the Egyptological term of โushabtiโ or โshabtiโ (both are correct terms to use) originated from!
Hereโs a bit of a different post for today! One of my absolute favorite pieces besides the Hatshepsut ๐๐ ๐๐น๐๐๐๐ผ๐ช statue ๐๐๐๐ญ๐พ and the Anubis shrine ๐ฃ is the wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ cartouche box from Tutankhamunโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐ tomb ๐๐ซ๐๐. I have always loved this piece because Tutankhatmunโs ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ฑ๐๐น๐พ๐บ๐ cartouche was one of the first hieroglyphic phrases that I learned how to read. I remember being so proud for being able to decipher its meaning when I first started learning! I remember showing my Nonno how I could read it! This box was just the beginning of my journey into the Egyptian language!
So all put together, the cartouche says โTutankhamun, Ruler of Upper Egypt.โ The name ๐๐ Tutankamun means โLiving Image of Amun.โ Amun ๐๐ ๐ is placed first in the cartouche because of honorific transposition – the name ๐๐ of the god ๐น is always placed (out of respect) first even though it is said last.
The wooden ๐ฑ๐๐บ cartouche box was one of the pieces featured at the King Tut exhibit in the USA back in 2007, and I spent so much time just looking at this piece while I was there! I was struck by the beauty ๐ค of the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช made of ebony and ivory. Seeing the box in person cemented it as one of my most favorite artifacts of all time! I have always wanted a replica (usually they are so expensive), and now I have one! This replica is very detailed and I got it on Amazon!
Fun Fact: The ancient Egyptians ๐๐๐๐๐ช referred to the cartouche as shen ๐ถ (cartouche is actually a French word). The word shen ๐ถ is derived from the verb meaning “to encircle.โ The purpose of the cartouche was to represent the pharaoh as ruler of all that the sun ๐ณ๐ค encircled! Shen ๐ถ was also representative of infinity, completeness, and protection.
Today I would like to share one of my favorite books on hieroglyphs: โHow to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphsโ by Mark Collier and Bill Manley.
Bill Manley wrote โEgyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginnersโ which is my number one book recommendation for people who want to begin reading hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช, but this book Iโm talking about today is like the advanced version of the beginners book! I would recommend diving into this one after you complete โEgyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginners.โ
The first chapter of the book is an introduction to the basics of Middle Egyptian, but then the book dives deeply into grammar and nuances of Middle Egyptian as a whole, without seeming overwhelming. I feel that Allenโs โMiddle Egyptianโ is so overwhelming with grammar that it can really turn off beginners to continuing their studies. Bill Manley is able to teach grammar in a practical way without coming off too strong – which as a teacher, I can tell you that that is a gift!
I also like how the book is interactive and gives guided exercises to the reader that allows them to practice what they learned in the reading. The exercises are based on real Middle Egyptian texts, so you are actually reading the words of the ancient Egyptians! Thereโs also an answer key in the back to check your work – donโt cheat ๐. In my opinion, jumping right into reading texts is the best way to learn. Learning vocabulary/grammar as you go is so much better than just studying for hours and then trying to recall the information by reading for hours.
The dictionary in the back is also a great addition! Overall, I would 100% recommend this book as a way to enhance your study of hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! I wish it was around when I was first learning! I have read through this book multiple times and still learn something new each time! The beauty of studying a language is that the learning is never complete – there is always something to learn! This book is a wealth of information and I treasure it!
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This is a linen ๐ฑ textile that was made in honor of the goddess ๐น๐ Hathor ๐ก and was meant to be placed at her shrine ๐๐๐ ๐๐ at Deir el-Bahri ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐ฅ๐.
In the beautifully ๐ค colored images ๐๐ ฑ๐๐ฆ on the right side of the linen ๐ฑ, we can see Hathor ๐ก in her cow ๐ค๐๐๐๐ form standing on a boat ๐ง๐ช๐๐, encompassed by a shrine ๐๐๐ ๐๐, and surrounded by lotus flowers ๐ธ๐ธ๐ธ. Below Hathorโs ๐ก head ๐ถ๐ค, stands a small figure in black ๐๐ that is representative of the pharaoh ๐๐ป Montuhotep II ๐ณ๐ค๐. We know that itโs Montuhotep II ๐ณ๐ค๐ because of the cartouche next to the small figure!
Letโs read some hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! ๐น๐ค – Great/Perfect God (๐ณ๐ค๐) – Nebhapetra (Montuhotep II)
Next to Hathor ๐ก, the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช read: ๐ก – Hathor ๐๐๐ฏ- Lady/Mistress of Heaven ๐ท๐๐๐๐ – Chief One of Thebes
On the left side, the first man standing before ๐๐ Hathor ๐ก has his arms raised, which is to represent him worshipping ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ข the goddess ๐น๐.
Hathorโs ๐ก name ๐๐ in hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช is quite unique compared to some of the other gods/goddesses. Her name ๐๐ is composed of a composite hieroglyph ๐น๐ which literally translates to โHouse of Horus.โ Hathor ๐ก was the goddess ๐น๐ of women ๐๐๐๐๐๐ช, motherhood, joy, music ๐๐๐ธ, happiness ๐ซ๐ ฑ๐, and a goddess ๐น๐ of the afterlife ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐.
While this piece is outwardly awkward and simple looking, the beauty ๐ค of it is in the hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! I love these types of pieces – where you really have to examine them and look closer to see the beauty ๐ค of it! This is the base of an offering table ๐๐๐ ก๐ฟ๐, and obviously the piece is incomplete and was most likely broken in antiquity.
The main highlight is the really long cartouche! Now, this cartouche doesnโt just contain the name ๐๐ of the pharaoh ๐๐ป, but his title and epithet as well. The title of the pharaoh ๐๐ป usually came before ๐๐ the cartouche (and was seated on the top outside of the oval) while the epithet would appear both after the cartouche or inside of it.
Letโs take a closer look! Some of the text is read from right to left and some is read from left to right because the symbols are pointing towards these two directions! It makes it very confusing to type it out but I will do my best! Iโm going to type it out as I see it in the cartouche so some of the symbols may be pointing the wrong way in my translation! Hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช are like one big puzzle which is why I love them so much!
The text reads: (๐น๐๐ฃ๐ณ๐ ๐ค๐น๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐บ๐บ๐)
๐๐น – Given Life ๐ณ๐ ๐ฃ – Menkheperra (Thutmosis III) ๐น๐ค – Great God ๐๐ ๐๐ณ๐บ – Amun-Ra ๐บ๐ – Beloved
So all put together the text reads โGiven Life, Menkheperra, the Great God, Beloved of Amun-Ra.โ
The British Museum has a cast of the Narmer ๐ ๐๐ Palette ๐๐๐๐ฑ that very much looks like the real thing! I remember being so confused seeing it in the display at first because I was like โisnโt this supposed to be in Cairo?!โ
Narmer (or Menes) ๐ ๐๐ is considered the first pharaoh ๐๐ป of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ and founder of the First Dynasty because he won a battle in the Western Delta and fully united the two lands ๐ฟ๐ฟ of Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ as a single country. Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ was considered to be two ๐ป distinct places – Upper ๐ and Lower ๐ค – before the unification. The denotations of Upper ๐ and Lower ๐ค Egypt ๐๐ ๐๐ were still widely used though, and titles such as โKing of Upper and Lower Egypt ๐ฅโ and โLord of the Two Lands ๐๐ฟ๐ฟโ that were used for thousands of years after Narmer ๐ ๐๐ show how these ideas persisted. Narmer ๐ ๐๐ is depicted here wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt ๐ค๐.
The original function of this palette is unclear, however, what is interesting is that it shows some early indications of hieroglyphs ๐น๐๐ช! Though this is up for interpretation, letโs take a look!
There are so many things happening on this palette ๐๐๐๐ฑ that it is impossible for me to explain it all so I chose some of my favorite things!
Above Narmer ๐ ๐๐, you can see what seems to be his name (๐ข๐). Next to the small figure on the left, you can see the hieroglyph ๐น๐ of a daisy. The use of the daisy hieroglyph ๐น๐ stopped but some scholars think it may mean โHorus ๐ ๐ญ.โ Narmer is holding a ๐ symbol, which is part of the word for โservant ๐๐ค๐,โ so this may indicate that the words mean โServant of Horus.โ
A question that a lot of scholars who study early Egyptian palettes ๐๐๐๐ฑ๐ฆ have to ask themselves is โwhere do the pictures end and the words begin?โ – we will probably never know!
