Tag: hieroglyphs

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the word “Everyday 𓇳𓏺𓎟.” 

The word everyday 𓇳𓏺𓎟 will appear in funerary inscriptions especially on sarcophagi and false doors. 

Let’s break down the word! 

𓇳𓏺 – Day 

𓎟 – Every, All 

Let’s take a closer look at each of the symbols! 

The “sun 𓇳” symbol serves many functions and is a very common symbol to see in hieroglyphic inscriptions. It is a determinative for words that involve the sun, day, and time. It is also an ideogram for the words day, sun, and Ra. Depending on its use it will have different phonographic designations, with the most common being rˁ (ra). 

The “stroke 𓏺” has many different uses but here it is used not just to fill up extra space but to distinguish the word “day 𓇳𓏺” from other words that use the sun symbol – such as the god Ra! 

The “basket 𓎟” symbol is a  biliteral phonogram and is associated with the sound nb. Most commonly it can mean all, every, possessor, and Lord. 

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Let’s read some Hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳, we are going to be looking at the significance of the epithet “Upon His Hill/Mountain 𓁶𓈋𓆑𓏺.” 

The epithet “Upon His Hill 𓁶𓈋𓆑𓏺” or “Upon His Mountain” (depending on the translation) will commonly follow the name 𓂋𓈖 of the god 𓊹 Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 in inscriptions! This phrase is representative of Anubis’ 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 role as protector 𓅓𓂝𓎡𓀜 of the dead 𓅓𓏏𓏱; he was always standing watch on tombs/cemeteries from above! 

Here are some variants of the phrase: 

𓁶𓈋𓆑𓏺

𓁶𓊪𓈋𓆑𓏺

𓁶𓊪𓈋𓏺𓆑

Let’s break down the sentence! 

𓁶/𓁶𓊪 – Upon “tp”

𓈋 – Hill “ḏw”

𓆑 – His “f”

Let’s take a closer look at each of the symbols! 

The “head 𓁶” symbol is a biliteral phonogram that represents the sound “tp.” It can also be used as an ideogram and determinative for the word “head.” In this case it is a phonogram. 

The “stool 𓊪” symbol is a uniliteral phonogram for the sound “p.” In this phrase, it is acting as a phonetic complement, which means it is emphasizing the “p” sound in the “𓁶𓊪” part of the phrase. 

The “mountain 𓈋” symbol is a biliteral phonogram that represents the sound “ḏw.” It also functions as an ideogram for the words “mountain” and “hill.” 

The “horned viper 𓆑” functions as a uniliteral phonogram and represents the sound “f.” In this case, the singular symbol represents the word “his,” which has a sound of just “f.” In Middle Egyptian, the pronoun comes after the word it is describing. 

The “stroke 𓏺” has many different uses but here it is used for aesthetic purposes! The “stroke 𓏺” is used to fill up that extra space as needed and can almost be thought of as punctuation! 

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Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the phrase “God’s Booth 𓊹𓉱.”

The phrase “God’s Booth 𓊹𓉱” is associated with the god Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 and appears as an epithet to his name when it appears in the very common “Offering Formula 𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙” which appears on various types of funerary equipment throughout Egyptian history. The God’s Booth 𓊹𓉱 is a shrine specifically for Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣! 

Let’s break down the phrase: 

𓊹 – God

𓉱 – Booth

Let’s break down each of the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 a little bit more! 

The “cloth on a pole 𓊹“ hieroglyph is an ideogram for the word god. 𓊹 is also a triliteral phonogram, and represents the letters “ntr” which may have been pronounced like “neter.” 𓊹 Is also a determinative for “god.” So the “cloth on a pole 𓊹“ symbol can function as all three types of hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪. If you see this symbol, you are most likely looking at a word that has to do with the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹!

The “shrine facade 𓉱” is both a determinative and ideogram for the word “booth.” 

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Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the word “Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻.” 

In Middle Egyptian the word for pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 literally translates to “Great House. “ this is a direct reference to the palace where the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 resided during his/her rule. The picture shows Hatshepsut 𓇳𓁦𓂓, my absolute favorite pharaoh 𓉐𓉻! 

Here’s what the hieroglyphs mean:

𓉐 – House (pr)

𓉻 – Great (ˁ3)

Let’s break the hieroglyphs down further: 

The “schematic house plan 𓉐“ symbol is a biliteral phonogram for the sound “pr,” but it can also function as an ideogram for the word “house 𓉐𓏺.” This symbol is commonly used as a determinative for words that have to do with buildings (tomb 𓇋𓇩𓊃𓉐) or places (Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐). 

The “wooden column 𓉻” hieroglyph is a biliteral phonogram which represents the sound “ˁ3.” This symbol does have a variant, 𓉼, which means the same, it’s just oriented at a different angle! It is commonly used to represent the word “Great.” 

Fun Fact: the Roman Emperor Augustus used the word “pharaoh” as his cartouche instead of spelling out his name! Here is Augustus’ cartouche: 𓉐𓉻𓀀. This cartouche I have always found so fascinating because it is literally the word for pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 in Middle Egyptian plus the determinative sign 𓀀.

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Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the word “Image 𓏏𓅱𓏏.” 

I am always so excited to see the word “𓏏𓅱𓏏” or “𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾” appear in inscriptions! The reason I get so excited is because it was one of the first words I learned how to read in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 and I remember being so proud that I knew what it meant! 

“𓏏𓅱𓏏” or “𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾” can appear with or without the determinative symbol!

So what does “𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾” mean? The word “𓏏𓅱𓏏,” which can also be commonly written as “𓏏𓅱𓏏” or less commonly “𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏛” can mean Image, Likeness, Statue, Figure, and Complete. The word has a phonetic value of “twt,” but is inferred to be pronounced like “tut.” 

Let’s break down the symbols! 

The “flat loaf of bread 𓏏” is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound “t.”

The “Quail Chick 𓅱” is uniliteral phonogram that is representative of the sound w/u. 

The “Mummy Standing 𓀾” symbol is both an ideogram and a determinative! The symbol is an ideogram for “twt – Statue and Likeness.” It is a determinative for “Mummy, Statue, Likeness, and Form.” 

The reason why “𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾 or 𓏏𓅱𓏏” was one of the first words I learned how to read is because it appears in the cartouche of Tutankhamun 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓏏𓅱𓏏𓋹𓋾𓉺𓇓! Tutankhamun’s name means “Living Image of Amun.” 

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Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the title: “Lord of Appearances 𓎟𓈍𓏥.”

“Lord of Appearances 𓎟𓈍𓏥” is another popular title that is seen across many different types of monuments across Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 and museums around the world. To review: a title is a phrase that appears before a cartouche, which is the oval that encloses the name 𓂋𓈖 of a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 in inscriptions.

The meaning of “Lord of Appearances 𓎟𓈍𓏥” seems to be the one that can confuse people the most and the meaning can kind of be a little subtle/abstract. I always took it to mean that when the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 arrived or appeared somewhere it was a BIG DEAL; basically a god 𓊹 showed up! Since the pharaoh was a god 𓊹 on Earth𓇾𓇾, his/her arrival needed a whole title to mention it! 

Let’s break down the title: 

𓎟 – Lord 

𓈍𓏥 – Appearances

The hieroglyph 𓊹𓌃 for “appear 𓈍” is the sun 𓇳𓏤 rising over the horizon, which is to signify Ra’s 𓇳𓏺𓁛 daily journey across the sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯. The addition of the three strokes 𓏥 makes the word plural, hence why it is translated as “appearances” instead of just “appear.”

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Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the common funerary phrase: “A Voice Offering… 𓉓.”

“A Voice Offering… 𓉓” is a composite hieroglyph 𓊹𓌃, which is a single hieroglyphic symbol that is actually a combination of multiple symbols! The individual symbols do not lose their phonetic meaning when they become the composite hieroglyph 𓊹𓌃, instead they combine to just make a multi-consonant symbol! Composite hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 can be phonograms, ideograms, or determinatives too!

While a lot of the composite hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 are combinations of two 𓏻 symbols, “𓉓” is actually a combination of four 𓏽 symbols! I like to think of composite hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 as a math equation:

𓉓 = 𓉐 + 𓊤 + 𓏑 + 𓏊

Here is the symbol name, (and sound value in parentheses) designated to each of the symbols that are part of 𓉓:

𓉐 – House Plan (pr)

𓊤 – Oar (ḫrw)

𓏑 – Bread (t)

𓏊 – Beer Jug (usually a determinative like in this case, but can be hnw on occasion)

𓉓 would be pronounced like “prt-ḫrw.”

In terms of meaning, “𓉓” is classified as an ideogram (a single symbol that takes on the meaning of a full word) for the phrase “invocation offering” or “voice offering” and is a part of the standard offering formula that is seen on stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏪, false doors, sarcophagi 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭𓏪/coffins 𓋴𓅱𓎛𓏏𓆱𓏦 and other funerary equipment 𓈎𓂋𓋴𓏏𓏏𓊭.

Why are bread 𓏑 and beer 𓏊 highlighted in such a popular inscription that persisted for thousands of years? Bread 𓏑 and beer 𓏊 were pretty much the staples of the ancient Egyptian diet and they needed enough food 𓇬𓀁𓅱𓏔𓏥 in the Duat 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐 too!

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Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the phrase “For the Soul of 𓈖𓂓𓈖.”

“For the Soul Of 𓈖𓂓𓈖” would appear as part of the Offering Formula which typically began with “𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙 An Offering the King Gives.”

“For the Soul Of 𓈖𓂓𓈖” indicates that the offering is not only being made for the deceased person, but the soul 𓂓 of the deceased person, which demonstrates the ancient Egyptian cultural practice of the distinct parts of a person’s identity. In order to exist, a person needed to have five 𓏾 essential elements: the body 𓎛𓂝𓄼, the shadow 𓆄𓏏𓅱𓋼, the Ba 𓅡𓏤, the Ka (soul/life force) 𓂓𓏤, and the name 𓂋𓈖.

More specifically, the “ka 𓂓” or the soul is the part of the person that interacted with others (family 𓅕𓉔𓅱𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏦, friends 𓈘𓈇𓀀𓁐𓏦, even the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻) and can be thought of as the offices you held in life. Usually the list of jobs/titles/offices would follow “𓈖𓂓𓈖 For the Soul Of…” on the inscription! These memories of a person and their interactions were important to maintaining their offering cult when they died.

“For the Soul Of 𓈖𓂓𓈖” could also be written as “𓈖𓂓𓈖𓏺” with the little stroke at the end! So let’s take a closer look at the hieroglyphic symbols 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

The “ripple of water 𓈖” is a phonogram sign, and it functions as a uniliteral sign. The “𓈖” is associated with the sound of “n!” The 𓈖 has many grammatical functions on its own, and it can mean “to,” “of,” “for,” “we/us/our,” “in,” “because,” “through,” and some others! How do we know which word it is? Context clues!

The “two arms 𓂓” functions as a biliteral phonogram and an ideogram, both with the sound of “ka/k3.”

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Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the common title “King of Upper and Lower Egypt 𓆥.”

𓆥 can either be translated as “He of the Sedge and the Bee” or more simply “King of Upper and Lower Egypt.” 

𓆥 is an extremely common title that is seen across many different types of monuments across Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖 and museums around the world. A title is a phrase that appears before a cartouche, which is the oval that encloses the name 𓂋𓈖 of a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻. 

Let’s take a closer look at each of the hieroglyphic symbols involved in this title:

The “sedge 𓇓” is a biliteral phonogram and has the sound of “sw.” The symbol can also function as an ideogram for both the words “king (nswt)” and “sedge (swt).” The sedge 𓇓 is also the symbol to represent Upper Egypt! Normally if you see the sedge 𓇓 in an inscription, the word “king” is going to be involved!

The “flat loaf of bread 𓏏” is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound “t” and can also be used to make words feminine when placed at the end of the word! It can also be used as a phonetic complement, meaning it will add emphasis to the sounds of the symbol that comes before it, which is its function in the title we are examining today (𓆥)

The “bee 𓆤” is an ideogram for the words bee, wasp, or honey and has the phonetic sound of “bjt.” More commonly, the bee 𓆤 is the symbol that is used to represent Lower Egypt. 

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Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to look at the following phrase: 𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙 – “An Offering the King Gives.”

𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙, better known as the Offering Formula is probably the most common hieroglyphic phrase you will see in a museum. The Offering Formula is found on all different types of funerary objects 𓈎𓂋𓋴𓏏𓏏𓊭 such as stelae 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸𓏪, sarcophagi 𓎟𓋹𓈖𓐍𓊭𓏦, statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪, and false doors.

The purpose of the Offering Formula was to allow the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 to partake in and accept offerings 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦. These offerings could be either the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 making an offering to a god 𓊹 (usually Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭 or Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣) or the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 accepting offerings 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦 directly from family members.

What we are looking at today is the first part of the Offering Formula: 𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙. This translates to “An Offering the King Gives…”

𓇓 – King

𓏏𓊵 – Offering (shortened version of 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦)

𓏙 – Gives

Let’s break down each of the hieroglyphic symbols!

The “Sedge 𓇓” symbol functions as a biliteral phonogram and is associated with the sound “sw.” Most commonly, the symbol is used as an ideogram for the word “King,” which is associated with the sound “nswt.”

The “flat loaf of bread 𓏏” is a uniliteral phonogram used to represent the sound “t.” It also functions as the ideogram for the word “bread 𓏏𓏺” and can be used to make words feminine when placed at the end of the word!

The “bread loaf on a mat 𓊵” symbol is a triliteral phonogram for the sound “ḥtp” and is also an ideogram for “offering slab” which is also associated with the sound “ḥtp.”

The “bread mold 𓏙” symbol is functions as a phonogram for “d” or “ḏj” and also as “rdj” in the word for “give.”

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