Category: Reading Hieroglyphs

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Ointment Jars from Deir el-Bahri

These ointment jars were found amongst many other artifacts in the foundation deposits of Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐. While foundation deposits can be traced all the way back to the 3rd Dynasty, putting ointment jars in them date back to the 12th Dynasty. There are fourteen foundation deposits associated with Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰!

These ointment jars that were found are made of travertine and many have hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ with Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ names π“‚‹π“ˆ–π“¦ on them! Many of the jars found at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐 contain oil stains, which means that they were probably used primarily to hold oil that was used in ceremonies at the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰. You can also see a blue 𓇋𓁹𓏏𓄿𓏸π“₯ faience π“‹£π“ˆ–π“π“Έπ“Ό, which were very common to find in foundation deposits too!

I love seeing the artifacts from the foundation deposits because they give a glimpse into cool things such as temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ construction and religious worship! The artifacts found in foundation deposits also contain the cartouches of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 under whom the temple π“‰Ÿπ“π“‰ was constructed under!

One of the ointment jars has some simple text on it! Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!

π“ŠΉπ“π“„€ – The Perfect Goddess
𓇳𓁦𓂓 – Maatkare
π“‹Ήπ“˜ – May She Live!

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Hatshepsut as Female King

I seem to always talk about the white limestone π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“ˆ™π“Œ‰ statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ because it’s my favorite, but I never seem to discuss the red granite π“…“π“Œ³π“π“ŽΆ statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ or β€œHatshepsut as Female King.” This statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is my second π“Œπ“» favorite!

The most striking aspect of this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 is that Hatshepsut’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ face, which displays feminine features, remained pretty much intact! Many of Hatshepsut’s 𓇳𓁦𓂓 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾π“ͺ have the faces destroyed, possibly in an attempt to destroy her image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 so she would be forgotten from history. Many blame Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 for this, but actually any motivation behind this deliberate destruction of Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ is unknown and mostly speculation.

It’s very difficult to read the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ on this statue, but you can make out that Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 is using the female version of titles, and referring to herself as a woman!

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!
π“„€π“ŠΉπ“ – Perfect Goddess
𓇳𓁦𓂓 – Maatkare

Something interesting about this statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 (that cannot be seen in my pictures) is that Taweret 𓏏𓄿𓅩𓂋𓏏𓆗, the goddess π“ŠΉπ“ that protects π“…“π“‚π“Ž‘π“€œ women π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“π“ͺ in childbirth (and women/children in general), is actually carved into the back of the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾! This is the only deity π“ŠΉ that is overtly carved into Hatshepsut’s 𓇳𓁦𓂓 statuary so this allows Egyptologists to infer that the statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 was probably meant to belong in the Hathor 𓉑 shrine π“π“Šƒπ“…“π“‚œπ“‰ at Deir el-Bahri 𓂦𓂋𓂦π“₯𓉐, and was probably used in cult worship 𓇼𓄿𓀒. It’s interesting that a goddess π“ŠΉπ“ specifically aimed towards women π“Šƒπ“π“‚‘π“π“π“ͺ was chosen to be carved!

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Reading Hieroglyphs

The “Water Jars in a Rack” Hieroglyph

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! 

TodayΒ π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³, we are going to be looking at another popular hieroglyphΒ π“ŠΉπ“Œƒ! This is the β€œwater jars in a rack 𓏅” symbol!

𓏅 is most commonly used as a triliteral phonogram, and is associated with the sound αΈ«nt. Less commonly, 𓏅 (and it’s variants) can be used as an ideogram for the word β€œjar-rack” and would then be associated with the sound αΈ«ntw.Β 

There are many variants of this symbol, all of which have the same sound associated with them. They are also classified as β€œwater jars in a rack: 𓏃, 𓏄, and 𓏆.” All of these can be used interchangeably! 

Let’s take a look at how 𓏅 can be used in a variety of inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯! 

Now, 𓏅 is very commonly used as a proposition to mean β€œin front at/of:” 

π“…π“ŠΉπ“‰±/π“…π“π“ŠΉπ“‰± – In Front at the God’s Booth (one of Anubis’ π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“Šͺ𓅱𓃣 epithets)

π“…π“ˆ–π“ – At the Head of/In Front of 

𓏅 Is also commonly used to mean the word β€œForemost,” especially in epithets of the godsπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉπ“ŠΉ. β€œForemost” can also be written as β€œπ“„‚π“.”

π“…π“ˆ–π“π“­π“‹€π“„Ώ/ – Foremost of the Westerners (one of Osiris’ π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ epithets)

π“…π“‹€π“π“π“ˆŠ – Foremost of the West (I have seen this epithet of Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­ written this way too)

𓏢𓏅 – Is Foremost (priest’s title)

𓏅 can also function as an ordinal number and mean β€œFirst.”

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Reading Hieroglyphs

The “Sedge” Hieroglyph

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ! 

TodayΒ π“‡π“‡‹π“ˆ–π“‡³, we are going to be looking at another popular hieroglyphΒ π“ŠΉπ“Œƒ! This is the β€œsedge 𓇓” symbol!

The 𓇓 is a biliteral phonogram and has the sound of β€œsw.” The symbol can also function as an ideogram for both the words β€œking (nswt)” and β€œsedge (swt).” The sedge 𓇓 is also the symbol to represent Upper Egypt!Β 

Let’s take a look at some examples of how 𓇓 can be used in words!

𓇓 – King

π“‡“π“π“ˆ–π“€­ – King

π“‡“π“π“ˆ–π“€² – King

π“‡“π“π“‡Œπ“›/π“‡“π“π“ˆ–π“‡Œπ“› – To Be King

π“‡“π“‡Œ – Kingship

π“‡“π“π“π“ˆž King’s Wife 

𓇓𓂋𓐍𓏏 – King’s Acquaintance (literally β€œKing’s 𓇓 Knowledge 𓂋𓐍𓏏(π“œ)”)

Now, let’s take a look at some examples of how 𓇓 can be used in popular phrases:

π“†₯ – He of the Sedge and the Bee or King of Upper and Lower Egypt

π“‡“π“π“Š΅π“™ – An Offering the King Gives (𓇓 – King, π“π“Š΅- Offering, 𓏙 – Gives)

As you can see, the sedge 𓇓 symbol has many uses, and they mostly have to do with the word β€œking!” So if you see the 𓇓, in most cases you’re going to be dealing with something to do with the king π“‡“π“π“ˆ–π“€²/pharaoh π“‰π“‰»! 

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Closeup of the Hatshepsut Stela

Here’s a closeup of a part of the Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 Stela π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έ from the Vatican Museum in Rome! My Nonno took this picture on one of his trips to the museum. He knows how much I love this piece (it’s second only to the limestone statue of Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 at the MET).

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!Β 

In the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, you can see the cartouches for the throne names (or prenomen) of both Hatshepsut and Thutmosis III. The prenomen was one of the five royal names of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.

𓇳𓁦𓂓 = Maatkare (Hatshepsut)
𓇳𓏠𓆣 = Menkhepra (Thutmosis III)

The hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ in between the two cartouches spell out 𓏙𓋹𓇳𓏇 which translates to β€œgiven life like Ra”

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Cartouche of the Pharaoh Khafre

This is another picture my Nonno took! I’ve always thought this cast of Khafre’s π“‡³π“ˆπ“†‘ cartouche was super interesting! As a kid I loved it because Khafre π“‡³π“ˆπ“†‘ was one of the pharaohs 𓉐𓉻π“₯ who built a pyramid 𓍋𓅓𓂋𓉴 at Giza in the 4th Dynasty, and my Nonno would always point this piece out to us because of that. As I started studying hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ though, this piece became even more interesting to me!

The cartouche reads: π“…­π“‡³π“ˆπ“†‘π“‡³π“†₯, which translates to Son of Ra, Khafre, King of Upper and Lower Egypt.

What’s interesting about this cartouche though is usually β€œSon of Ra𓅭𓇳” and β€œKing of Upper and Lower Egypt π“†₯” appear as titles above the cartouche, instead of inside of it! I don’t know why it’s written like this, but I’ve always found it to be an interesting piece because of this!

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Ancient Plagiarism – aka Usurping

This statue is very interesting because it was originally made for the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 Amenemhat II π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“…“π“„‚π“ during the 12th π“Ž†π“» Dynasty. However if you look at the hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ, the cartouches of Rameses II can be read! The pharaohs 𓉐𓉻π“₯ used to recycle statues all the time – this is a process known as usurping (taking one pharaoh’s monuments, erasing their name, and putting yours!). It’s kind of like ancient plagiarism!!

Let’s read some hieroglyphs π“ŠΉπ“Œƒπ“ͺ!Β 

π“†₯(π“‡³π“„Šπ“§π“‡³π“‰π“ˆ–) King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Usermaatre
𓅭𓇳(π“©π“›π“ˆ˜π“„Ÿπ“‹΄π“‡“) Son of Ra, Rameses

This statue is made of granodiorite, a type of volcanic (igneous) rock. It was quarried at Aswan and then transported up the Nile to Memphis, where it was sculpted.

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Reading Hieroglyphs

“Given Everlasting Life for All Eternity”

π“™π“‹Ήπ“†–π“Ž›π“‡³π“Ž› β€œGiven Everlasting Life for all Eternity.”

This is one of my absolute favorite Egyptian phrases – it appears a lot in hieroglyphic inscriptions π“Ÿπ“›π“₯ whether its on stelae π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έπ“ͺ or tomb/temple walls. The Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ spent their time on Earth preparing for the afterlife and their journey to the Underworld 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐 to meet Osiris π“Ήπ“Š¨π“€­. I interpret the phrase β€œπ“™π“‹Ήπ“†–π“Ž›π“‡³π“Ž›β€ two 𓏻 different ways. When they died, the Egyptians π“†Žπ“π“€€π“π“ͺ wanted to be remembered, hence the purpose of stelae π“Ž—π“…±π“†“π“‰Έπ“ͺ. Also, they believed death was the beginning of a journey to eternal life 𓋹𓆖.

𓏙 – Given
π“‹Ή – Life
𓆖 – Everlasting/Eternal
π“Ž›π“‡³π“Ž› – Eternity

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Scarabs of Hatshepsut with a Translation


Eventually everyone is going to get tired of me talking about Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 but I don’t care! I love anything that has her cartouche on it, and the scarab collection at the MET is no exception!! The MET has a new way of displaying the scarabs that makes it much easier to take pictures, and you can really see each one close up! There are a lot of the scarabs, so eventually you guys will see them all!

These two scarabs have very similar inscriptions carved into them, however one little symbol makes a total difference in the meaning of the inscription! The scarab on the left says β€œπ“‡³π“¦π“‚“π“ŽŸπ“‡Ώπ“‡Ώβ€ which translates to β€œMaatkare, Lord of the Two Lands” while the scarab on the right says β€œπ“‡³π“¦π“‚“π“ŽŸπ“π“‡Ώπ“‡Ώβ€ which translates to β€œMaatkare, Lady of the Two Lands.”

The symbol β€œπ“β€ makes the phrase feminine! It’s really interesting to see a scarab with just the symbol for Lord π“ŽŸ because while Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓 was the Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, most of the inscriptions that pertain to her use the female form of words.

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Sphinx of Thutmosis III

Here is a small quartzite Sphinx of Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣. This little statue is interesting for a couple of reasons. One of which is the way that Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 is commonly sculpted – he usually has a very child-like face. This is significant because it is thought that Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 was shown in a child-like way to visually justify the fact that Hatshepsut π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ–π“ŽΉπ“π“„‚π“π“€Όπ“ͺ was co-ruler and then eventually the sole pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.

Another interesting point is the inscription, which reads: π“„€π“ŠΉ(𓇳𓏠𓆣) π“Œ»π“‡Œ. β€œThe great God, Menkhepra, beloved.”

The part of the inscription where Amun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– name should be, has been erased. The inscription should read: π“„€π“ŠΉ(𓇳𓏠𓆣) π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– π“Œ»π“‡Œ β€œThe great God, Menkhepra, beloved of Amun.”

Why was Amun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– name erased? Well, we can thank Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…žπ“π“ˆ– for that! When Akhenaten π“‡‹π“π“ˆ–π“‡³π“…œπ“π“ˆ– banned the worship of the traditional pantheon, he tried to have Amun’s π“‡‹π“ π“ˆ– name erased everywhere!