This sandstone ππ ±π§πππ relief is dated to the Third Intermediate Period (Dynasty 25, c. 710-670 B.C.E.) and is most likely from Karnak. It depicts the Godβs Wife of Amun, named Amunirdis I, making an offering π΅ππͺπππ¦ of Maat ππ΄π£ππ¦ to Amun-Ra ππ ππ³πΊ. Standing behind Amun-Ra ππ ππ³πΊ is the god πΉ Khonsu ππππ ±π― (god of the moon ππππΉ) who is the son π of Amun-Ra ππ ππ³πΊ and the goddess πΉπ Mut ππΏπ.
In the Third Intermediate Period, the βGodβs Wife of Amunβ was a very powerful position to be in – at some points, they even had as much power as the pharaoh ππ»! The women who had this title were either the wife ππππ, mother π ππ, or daughter π π of the pharaoh ππ» and would be in charge of performing necessary rituals at festivals and religious ceremonies.
Letβs read some hieroglyphs πΉππͺ!
ππ ππ³πΊ – Amun-Ra πππ – King of the πΉπΉπΉ – Gods
ππ ππ³πΊππππΉπΉπΉ – βAmun-Ra, King of the Gods.β
Hereβs the inscription directly next to Amun-Ra:
πΌπΉ – Great God π – Lord πͺππ― – Sky
πΌπΉππͺππ― – βGreat God, Lord of the Sky.β
Hereβs a bit of a different post for today! One of my absolute favorite pieces besides the Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ statue πππππΎ and the Anubis shrine π£ is the wooden π±ππΊ cartouche box from Tutankhamunβs ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ tomb ππ«ππ. I have always loved this piece because Tutankhatmunβs ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ 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 βTutankhamun, Ruler of Upper Egypt.β The name ππ Tutankamun means βLiving Image of Amun.β Amun ππ π is placed first in the cartouche because of honorific transposition – the name ππ of the god πΉ is always placed (out of respect) first even though it is said last.
The wooden π±ππΊ 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 π€ of the hieroglyphs πΉππͺ 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 πππππͺ referred to the cartouche as shen πΆ (cartouche is actually a French word). The word shen πΆ is derived from the verb meaning “to encircle.β The purpose of the cartouche was to represent the pharaoh as ruler of all that the sun π³π€ encircled! Shen πΆ was also representative of infinity, completeness, and protection.
Believe it or not, this seemingly plain piece was probably one of my favorite objects that I saw in the Petrie Museum. I was so excited when I saw it, because Hatshepsutβs π³π¦π throne name appears on it! Since I absolutely love anything to do with Hatshepsut π³π¦π, I was incredibly excited to see something with her name ππ on it. I also think this piece is unpublished, so it was a total surprise for me to see that it even existed! Since her name ππappears on the blade, it means that it was most certainly made during her time as pharaoh ππ».
While it doesnβt look like much, this piece is actually a bronze ππ€ππ¦ blade that was once attached to a handle.
Letβs read some hieroglyphs πΉππͺ!
π€πΉ – Great God
(π³π¦π) – Maatkare (Hatshepsutβs Throne Name – translates to βTruth π¦ is the Soul π of Re π³.β)
ππ π – Amun
ππ¦π¦- Holiest of Holies (the name given to Hatshepsutβs temple at Deir el-Bahri. It can also be written as ππ¦π¦π or most commonly as π¦ππ¦π₯π).
πΊπ – Beloved
Put together, the inscription reads: π€πΉ(π³π¦π)ππ πππ¦π¦πΊπ βThe Great God Maatkare, Beloved of Amun, Holiest of Holies.β
One of the best ways to practice reading hieroglyphs πΉππͺ (especially phonogram symbols) is to read the cartouches of some of the pharaohs ππ»π¦ from the Old Kingdom! The reason why they are great to practice phonogram symbols is because the names πππ¦ are very phonetic!
Letβs take a look at the cartouche of the pharaoh ππ» Unas:
(πΉπππ΄) – Unas
Here is a breakdown of the symbols:
The βhare πΉβ is normally used as a phonogram, which means that it is a symbol that represents sounds, and is usually part of a larger word! The hare πΉ is a biliteral sign which means it represents two consonants. The πΉ represents the sounds βwn.β
The βripple of water πβ is also a phonogram sign, except it is uniliteral sign, which means that it just represents one consonant. The βπβ is associated with the sound of βn!β
The βreed πβ is a uniliteral phonogram for βΔ±Ν,β however it can also function as an ideogram for the word βreed ππΊ.β
The βfolded cloth π΄β is a uniliteral phonogram for βs.β
So the transliteration of the cartouche would be: βwnnΔ±Νs.β This would be pronounced/written as βUnas.β
As we learned yesterday, Ptah πͺπππ± was the chief god πΉ of Memphis π ππ€πππ΄π and was considered a great protector of Egypt ππ ππ. In the Book of the Dead, Ptah πͺπππ± is referred to as βThe Master Architect,β and βFramer of Everything in the Universeβ due to his role in βspeakingβ the world πΎπΎ into creation!
Letβs read some hieroglyphs πΉππͺ! Now, these two π» inscriptions πππ₯ are divided by a line because they are part of a larger text that is read downwards; they are not meant to be read together! However, I really wanted the closeup of Ptahβs πͺπππ± name ππ, so we are going to read them this way from my picture ππ ±ππ¦!
You probably know the first phrase already: ππΏπΏ – Lord of the Two Lands (π³ππ§π³ππ) – Rameses II (throne name Usermaatre) πͺπππ± – Ptah πΌ – Great (then the inscription continuesβ¦)
Ptah πͺπππ± can be written a couple of different ways in hieroglyphs πΉππͺ, but the phonogram symbols are always the same. Sometimes, the determinative symbol is left out because of spacing issues! Once you can recognize the first three πΌ symbols, you are well on your way to finding Ptahβs name ππ on monuments/artifacts!
Here are the different ways to write his name ππ: πͺπππ± πͺπππ πͺπππ° πͺππ
The full statue that the inscription is on the back of
This is a zoomed in view of some hand-written hieroglyphs πΉππͺ from a copy of The Book of the Dead! These hieroglyphs πΉππͺ were written on papyrus π πππ and are so beautiful π€! I always love seeing hand-written hieroglyphs πΉππͺ because usually papyri π ππππ¦ were usually written in Hieratic!
Letβs read some hieroglyphs πΉππͺ!
You might recognize this word as one that I use a lot: ππ ±ππ¦! The word βtwt ππ ±ππ¦β (probably pronounced like βtutβ) is the word for βimageβ in Middle Egyptian! Adding the π¦ to the end makes it plural, so βimage ππ ±πβ becomes βimages ππ ±ππ¦.β
So why did I choose to highlight this particular word?! Itβs because ππ ±π was one of the first Middle Egyptian words that I learned when I was first starting to read hieroglyphs πΉππͺ! The reason being is that it is part of Tutankhamunβs ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ cartouche! Here is a breakdown of Tutankhamunβs ππ πππ ±ππΉπΎπΊπ name ππ:
I remember being so proud as a little girl when I mastered reading the cartouche, and started recognizing the words in other inscriptions πππ₯! I think cartouches are a great place to start your hieroglyphic journey, because you begin to recognize the vocabulary elsewhere!
This is the name ππ of the goddess πΉπ Hathor π‘ in hieroglyphs πΉππͺ! Iβm sure you can see this, but Hathorβs name is unique compared to that of the other deities! This is because her name is written with a composite hieroglyph πΉπ! A composite hieroglyph πΉπ is the combination of many symbols into one symbol! Hathorβs π‘ name ππ is the combination of an enclosure π and the falcon π .
π +π = π‘
If the two π» symbols were written separately, we would actually read Hathorβs π‘ name ππ as βHouse of Horusβ or βEstate of Horusβ (depending on how you translated the π hieroglyph) – so that is the literal translation of her name ππ!
Just like other deities, there are many ways to write Hathorβs π‘ name ππ in hieroglyphs πΉππͺ! Here are some of ways: π₯ π‘π₯ ππ·ππ π‘
Also, just look at how beautifully π€ carved this hieroglyph πΉπ is! I will never not be amazed at the incredible craftsmanship of the ancient Egyptians πππππͺ!
The inscription πππ₯ that you see in the picture ππ ±π spells out the name ππ of the god πΉ Amun-Ra ππ ππ³πΊ! While many gods πΉπΉπΉ had different variations on how to write their name ππ in hieroglyphs, the spelling of Amun-Ra ππ ππ³πΊ was pretty consistent, which makes it an easy name ππ to recognize!
Letβs breakdown Amun-Raβs ππ ππ³πΊ name ππ into each individual symbol!
π – phonogram symbols for βjβ π – phonogram for βmnβ π – phonogram symbols for βnβ π³ – ideogram for βRaβ (π³ can also be a determinative for sun, day, and time) πΊ – not pronounced! The βπΊβ is there for spacing/aesthetic purposes!
Amun-Ra ππ ππ³πΊ is the combination of the gods πΉπΉπΉ Amun ππ ππ (originally god πΉ of the air, then evolved to become chief of the Egyptian gods πΉπΉπΉ) and Ra π³πΊπ (god πΉ of the sun π³πΊ). During the New Kingdom, Amun ππ ππ and Ra π³πΊπ were merged to create the single deity Amun-Ra ππ ππ³πΊ. Amun-Ra ππ ππ³πΊ was considered to be the father πππ and protector π ππ‘π of the pharaoh ππ». The worship πΌπΏπ’ of Amun-Ra ππ ππ³πΊ was extremely popular and took on a cult-like following.
The inscription πππ₯ that you see in the picture ππ ±π spells out the name ππ of the god πΉ Osiris πΉπ¨π. βOsirisβ is actually the Greek version of the name ππ; the ancient Egyptians πππππͺ probably would have pronounced his name ππ like βIsr.β
Osiris πΉπ¨π is considered one of the most important deities in ancient Egypt ππ ππ. While he is mostly known as the god πΉ of the underworld/afterlife πΌπΏππ (Duat), but that he also controlled all life πΉππ from the underworld πΌπΏππ. This means that Osiris πΉπ¨π was associated with the annual flooding of the Nile River ππππ ±ππππΊ but also the growing vegetation and annual harvest. This makes sense since Osiris πΉπ¨π is strongly connected with regeneration and rebirth, and the ancient Egyptians πππππͺ also associated the Nile ππππ ±ππππΊ with these characteristics. Osiris πΉπ¨π was even thrown into the Nile ππππ ±ππππΊ after he was cut up by his brother π’π Seth πππ‘π£!
It was believed that every person, not just deceased π ππ± pharaohs, became associated with Osiris πΉπ¨π when they died! However people were not resurrected in this life πΉππ (even Osiris πΉπ¨π himself wasnβt technically resurrected), instead, the person was reborn into the next life and lived in the Duat πΌπΏππ!
I was SO EXCITED to see the white limestone ππππ Sphinx ππ ±ππ€ of Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ again! It has been so long since Iβve seen this piece; it was honestly like greeting an old friend! This Sphinx ππ ±ππ€ used to be in the main Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ gallery at the MET, but for some reason itβs no longer there! Now it is hidden in one of the smaller galleries which is a shame because it is such a beautiful piece!
Most of Hatshepsutβs ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ statuary πππππΎ that was excavated from her temple π¦ππ¦π₯π were carved from red granite π π³ππΆ, however this one is carved from limestone ππππ – the red granite π π³ππΆ sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ and this Sphinx ππ ±ππ€ are very different too. The white limestone ππππ sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ have much more feminine features as compared to the red granite π π³ππΆ ones most likely because they were used in different parts of the temple π¦ππ¦π₯π for different purposes.
This Sphinx ππ ±ππ€ has been heavily reconstructed by using pieces that were modeled after the second Sphinx ππ ±ππ€ just like this one, which is in the Cairo Museum. These two π» sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ most likely guarded the upper terrace of Hatshepsutβs ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ temple at Deir el-Bahri π¦ππ¦π₯π while the red granite π π³ππΆ sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ would have guarded the lower terrace.
Instead of wearing the typical nemes ππ π΄ head cloth that most pharaohs ππ»π¦ who were fashioned into sphinxes ππ ±ππ¦ wear, Hatshepsut ππ ππΉππππΌπͺ is actually wearing a lionβs π³πΉπΏπ mane! This is very typical of Middle Kingdom art! This piece is dated to 1479β1458 B.C.E., and I love seeing New Kingdom art imitate styles from the past!
Letβs read some hieroglyphs πΉππͺ!
(π³π¦π) – Maatkare ππ π – Amun πΊππ – Beloved πΉππ- Life Given π – Eternity
βMaatkare, Beloved of Amun, Given Life for Eternity.β
I know this is strange, but βGiven Lifeβ is written backwards! It should be βππΉβ not βπΉπβ as itβs written (this inscription is read from right to left).
Thereβs also an added π, which makes it the feminine form! Thereβs a second sphinx ππ ±ππ€ just like this one in the Cairo Museum, and on that sphinx ππ ±ππ€, there is no added π! Why would one sphinx ππ ±ππ€ use the feminine form and one use the masculine?! We will probably never know!