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Hieroglyphic Flash Cards

Menkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to be looking at the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– โ€œMenkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ.โ€

Menkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ
Thutmosis III’s throne name Menkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ as seen on a relief at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC

Like many pharaohs, Thutmosis III had many different cartouches, and then different variants of those cartouches!The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Menkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ is Thutmosis IIIโ€™s throne name The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– translates to โ€œLasting is the Manifestation of Ra.โ€

Letโ€™s break down the meaning of the name:

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“  – Men [mn] (Lasting)

๐“†ฃ – Kheper [แธซpr] (Manifestation)

Letโ€™s break down each of the symbols: 

The โ€œ๐“‡ณ sun discโ€ symbol is an ideogram for โ€œraโ€ or โ€œre,โ€ but can also be a determinative in words such as sun, today, and for words associated with time. The single symbol alone (like in cartouches) would be pronounced like โ€œraโ€ or โ€œre.โ€ Re is written first but pronounced last due to โ€œhonorific transpositionโ€ – the name of the god is written first out of respect. 

The โ€œ๐“  game board and piecesโ€ is a phonogram sign. It is a biliteral sign, which means that it represents two consonants. The โ€œ ๐“ โ€ is associated with the sound โ€œmnโ€ which could be pronounced like โ€œmen,โ€ โ€œmun,โ€ โ€œmon,โ€ etc. 

The โ€œscarab beetle ๐“†ฃโ€ is a phonogram sign. It is a triliteral sign, which means it represents three consonants. The โ€œ๐“†ฃโ€ is associated with the sound โ€œแธซprโ€ which could have been pronounced like โ€œkheper.โ€ The โ€œ scarab beetle ๐“†ฃโ€ is also both an ideogram and determinative for the word โ€œscarab beetle ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ.โ€ 

This is a great cartouche to be able to recognize, because it is a very common one to see in museums – even more than his birth name! 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Cleopatra’s Needle (Part 2)

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! This is my second post on Cleopatraโ€™s Needle and here is a link to the first!

This obelisk ๐“‰ถ was commissioned to be built by Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ during his 18th Dynasty reign to highlight his military victories. On the obelisk ๐“‰ถ, not only can you see Thutmosis IIIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ throne name cartouche, but you can also see both the throne name and birth name of the 19th Dynasty pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Rameses II! Rameses II usurped this monument, as he did with the monuments of many past pharaohs! He not only put his cartouches, but at the top of the obelisk ๐“‰ถ his Horus Name also appears in the serekh! 

Cleopatra's Needle
A closeup image of the hieroglyphs on Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park!

The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Menkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ is Thutmosis IIIโ€™s throne name and it appears multiple times on the obelisk. The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– translates to โ€œLasting is the Manifestation of Ra.โ€

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“  – Lasting

๐“†ฃ – Manifestation

The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– โ€œRamessu Mery Amun ๐“ฉ๐“›๐“ˆ˜๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“โ€ is Rameses IIโ€™s birth name. The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– translates to โ€œRa has fashioned him, beloved of Amun,โ€ but could also be translated as โ€œRa Bore Him, Beloved of Amun.โ€

๐“ฉ – Amun

๐“› – Ra

๐“ˆ˜ – Beloved

๐“„Ÿ๐“‹ด๐“‡“ – Bore Him/Fashioned Him/Born Of

The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– โ€œUsermaatre setep en Ra ๐“‡ณ๐“„Š๐“ง๐“‡ณ๐“‰๐“ˆ–โ€ is Rameses IIโ€™s throne name and translates to โ€œThe Justice of Ra is powerful, Chosen of Ra.โ€

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“„Š – Powerful

๐“ง – Justice (Maat)

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“‰๐“ˆ– – Chosen

Can you spot the three different cartouches in my picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“? I will probably be doing another post on the inscriptions and their meaning so look out for that post too!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Cleopatra’s Needle (Part 1)

โ€œCleopatraโ€™s Needleโ€ aka the Obelisk ๐“‰ถ in Central Park is one of the most beautiful ๐“„ค๐“†‘๐“‚‹ sights in Manhattan!

Cleopatra's Needle
Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park

This obelisk ๐“‰ถ (and another, which now resides in London) was not commissioned by Cleopatra VII ๐“ˆŽ๐“ƒญ๐“‡‹๐“ฏ๐“Šช๐“„ฟ๐“‚ง๐“‚‹๐“๐“„ฟ๐“†‡; in fact, it was commissioned by Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ during his 18th Dynasty reign. The obelisks ๐“‰ถ stood at the city of Heliopolis at one of Thutmosis IIIโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ temples. The obelisk ๐“‰ถ is made out of โ€œAswan ๐“‹ด๐“ƒน๐“ˆ–๐“Œ๐“ฒ๐“Š– granite ๐“…“๐“Œณ๐“๐“Žถโ€ which was the third most used rock ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™ by the ancient Egyptians!

Cleopatra's Needle
Me with Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park

When the obelisks were discovered by the Romans, they were moved from Heliopolis to Alexandria and placed at a temple ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰ dedicated to Julius Caesar. The temple ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰ was commissioned by Cleopatra VII ๐“ˆŽ๐“ƒญ๐“‡‹๐“ฏ๐“Šช๐“„ฟ๐“‚ง๐“‚‹๐“๐“„ฟ๐“†‡, which is probably why the obelisks have the nickname โ€œCleopatraโ€™s Needle.โ€ 

Cleopatra's Needle
A closeup of me and Cleopatra’s Needle in Central Park!

The two obelisks were given by the Egyptian government as gifts; one is in London, and one is in Central Park in NYC! The obelisk is super close to the MET, so itโ€™s great to go and see before or after your museum trip! 

Cleopatra's Needle
William the Hippo with the obelisk!

Iโ€™m going to do another post about the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช on the obelisk ๐“‰ถ, so here is the link to that post!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Reading Hieroglyphs

Relief of Thutmosis III – Video

Letโ€™s Read some Hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช on this relief of Thutmosis III ๐“…๐“„ ๐“‹ด!

@ancientegyptblog

Letโ€™s Read some Hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! Here is a very nice raised relief in limestone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“Œ‰ which depicts pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Thutmosis III ๐“…๐“„ ๐“‹ด wearing the blue crown ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™๐“‹™ (left). He can be identified based off of the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช of his name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– that appear to his right. We are going to start reading from the right since that is the way the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช point! Here are the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช broken down: ๐“Šน๐“„ค – The Great God ๐“ŽŸ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ – Menkheperra (Thutmosis IIIโ€™s throne name) Also on the right is the remnant of another person – most likely the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช (a portion of a shoulder and a crown are seen, so the presence of the crown allows us to infer that it is in fact another royal figure). What is super interesting about this piece is that the images ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“ฆ of the pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ that are carved are not the actual pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ themselves, but statues ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ๐“ช of them! This relief is depicting a religious precession that took place at Hatshepsutโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri ๐“‚ฆ๐“‚‹๐“‚ฆ๐“ฅ๐“‰. This piece was excavated from the temple and is dated to c. 1478-1458 B.C.E. This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost. #ancientEgypt #letsreadsomehieroglyphs #languagelearning #egyptology #hieroglyphics #hieroglyphs #egyptianhistory #brooklynmuseum

โ™ฌ original sound – ancientegyptblog Nicole Lesar

Here is a very nice raised relief in limestone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“Œ‰ which depicts pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Thutmosis III ๐“…๐“„ ๐“‹ด wearing the blue crown ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™๐“‹™ (left). He can be identified based off of the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช of his name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– that appear to his right. 

We are going to start reading from the right since that is the way the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช point! Here are the hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช broken down: 

๐“Šน๐“„ค – The Great God

๐“ŽŸ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands

๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ – Menkheperra (Thutmosis IIIโ€™s throne name) 

Also on the right is the remnant of another person – most likely the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช (a portion of a shoulder and a crown are seen, so the presence of the crown allows us to infer that it is in fact another royal figure). 

What is super interesting about this piece is that the images ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“ฆ of the pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ that are carved are not the actual pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ themselves, but statues ๐“„š๐“ˆ–๐“๐“ญ๐“€พ๐“ช of them! This relief is depicting a religious precession that took place at Hatshepsutโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri ๐“‚ฆ๐“‚‹๐“‚ฆ๐“ฅ๐“‰. This piece was excavated from the temple and is dated to c. 1478-1458 B.C.E. 

This relief of Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ is on display at the Brooklyn Museum.

This is my personal video and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Thutmosis III – The Greatest Pharaoh?

I have a very complex relationship with Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ (this is probably the first time youโ€™ve read that sentence)! Many people will probably not agree with me on this (thatโ€™s okay), but I think that Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ was Egyptโ€™s ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– greatest pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป! He ruled ๐“‹พ Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– for 54 ๐“ކ๐“ކ๐“ކ๐“ކ๐“ކ๐“ฝ years, and was a very accomplished general ๐“€Ž๐“ฆ, having led troops into battle himself. Thutmosis III ๐“…๐“„ ๐“‹ด has been rumored to have never lost a battle!ย 

Thutmosis III - The Greatest Pharaoh?
Me with a limestone statue of Thutmosis III – was he the greatest pharaoh?

So why my complex feelings about Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ? It all has to do with Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช! Thutmosis III ๐“…๐“„ ๐“‹ด was only three ๐“ผ years old when his father Thutmosis II ๐“‡ณ๐“‰ป๐“†ฃ๐“ˆ– passed away, and was a co-regent with Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช before she completely took over the throne. During her rule ๐“‹พ, Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ was a member of the military and gained valuable experience that allowed him to be such a successful pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป. I believe that Hatshepsutโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช successful rule set Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ up for his extremely successful reign. 

About 25 ๐“ކ๐“ކ๐“พ years after Hatshepsutโ€™s ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“‚“ death, Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ went on a campaign to have her statuary destroyed and her name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– taken off of monuments ๐“ ๐“. No one knows why this occurred or the events that lead up to Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ doing this! This is where my complex feelings come in because Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช is my absolute favorite pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป and I believe that she is also one of the greatest rulers that Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– ever had! 

I find this statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ to be so beautiful ๐“„ค because the white ๐“Œ‰๐“†“๐“‡ณ limestone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“Œ‰ (it honestly looks like marble to me – but marble is metamorphosed limestone) contrasts so well with the black ๐“†Ž๐“…“ paint ๐“‡จ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ญ๐“ธ๐“ฆ on the nemes ๐“ˆ–๐“…“๐“‹ด head cloth and the eyes ๐“น๐“ฆ. Some red ๐“‚ง๐“ˆ™๐“‚‹๐“…Ÿ paint ๐“‡จ๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ญ๐“ธ๐“ฆ can even still be seen on the Uraeus ๐“‡‹๐“‚๐“‚‹๐“๐“†— that is on Thutmosis IIIโ€™s ๐“…๐“„ ๐“‹ด forehead!

Thutmosis III - The Greatest Pharaoh?
White Limestone statue of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Thutmosis III

The face of this statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is not the original, it is a cast; the original face is in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo! The MET then made a cast of the torso of the statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ, and that is now at the Egyptian Museum as well! So each museum has a real part of the statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ, and a cast of the statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ! The face and torso of the statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ were not found at the same time, hence why they ended up in different places! 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

@ancientegyptblogย 

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Steatite Scarab Ring

This mounted steatite ๐“…ฎ๐“ˆŽ๐“๐“ˆ’๐“ŠŒ scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ ring ๐“‚๐“ˆ–๐“๐“‹ช inscribed with the throne name cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท of the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ is a stunning example of the scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช that were made during this time period. Some Egyptologists state that the scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช made during the Hatshepsut ๐“‡ณ๐“ฆ๐“‚“/Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ era were some of the finest ever made, and I happen to agree!ย 

Steatite Scarab Ring
Steatite Scarab Ring inscribed with the throne name of pharaoh Thutmosis III

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! 

The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Menkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ translates to โ€œLasting is the Manifestation of Ra.โ€ This cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท appears twice on the scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ! 

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“  – Lasting

๐“†ฃ – Manifestation

The word โ€œEternity ๐“†–โ€ also appears on the Scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ. 

In the middle of the scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ there is also the โ€œGold Falcon/Gold Horus ๐“…‰โ€ symbol which shows a falcon ๐“…ƒ standing on the hieroglyphic symbol for โ€œgold ๐“‹ž.โ€ Usually the Gold Falcon ๐“…‰ is one of the five names of the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป and is the third part of the royal titularly. Thutmosis IIIโ€™s Gold Falcon name is โ€œ๐“…‰๐“‚ฆ๐“‚‹๐“›๐“ˆ๐“…ฑ๐“›๐“ฆ Djoser Khauโ€ which translates to โ€œSacred of Appearances.โ€ Obviously this full name does not appear on the Scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ, but the Gold Falcon ๐“…‰ symbolizes kingship ๐“‡“๐“‡Œ. 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost.ย 

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Alabaster Vase of Thutmosis III

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! Today ๐“‡๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‡ณ we are going to take a virtual trip to the Petrie Museum!

This is a calcite ๐“ฑ (alabaster) vase ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹ with the throne name cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท of pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ on it!ย 

Alabaster Vase of Thutmosis III
Alabaster Vase of Thutmosis III

Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ was one of the longest reigning pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฅ in Egyptian history! He co-ruled with Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช for about 21 ๐“ކ๐“ކ๐“บ years, and then he ruled on his own for another 30 ๐“ކ๐“ކ๐“ކ years! 

This alabaster ๐“ฑ vase ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹ was found in a foundation deposit. Both the Petrie Museum and the MET have very similar alabaster ๐“ฑ vases ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹๐“ช with Hatshepsutโ€™s ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– on them! I have done previous posts on the vases with Hatshepsut’s name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– – a translation and a post on foundation deposits!

These vasesย  ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹๐“ช usually contained incense or ointment.ย Sometimes, traces of the incense or ointment can still be seen within the vase ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“‡‹๐“‹ which is so cool!

Letโ€™s break down the hieroglyphic ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ symbols! 

๐“Šน๐“„ค – Perfect God 

๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ – Menkhepperra

๐“‹Š๐“Šพ – Min

๐“Žค๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“Š– – Koptos

๐“Œธ – Beloved

All ๐“ŽŸ together ๐“ˆ–๐“Š—, the full translation is: โ€œThe Perfect God, Menkhepperra, Beloved of Min of Koptos.โ€

Koptos ๐“Žค๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“Š– is the Greek name for the ancient Egyptian town of โ€œGbtyw ๐“Žค๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“Š–,โ€ and the modern Arabic name for the town is Qift. Since the Early Dynastic period, Koptos ๐“Žค๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“Š– was an important place of worship ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“€ข for the god ๐“Šน Min ๐“‹Š๐“Šพ, but it was also a key trading/economic location due to its proximity to the Red Sea. Koptos ๐“Žค๐“ƒ€๐“„ฟ๐“Š– remained an important town through the Ptolemaic and Roman periods too!

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost. 

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Egyptian Artifacts

Ritual Statue

A โ€œRitual Statueโ€ was used in ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– on processional boats to show the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป worshipping the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน. Usually, the statues ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ๐“ช that appeared on these processional/ceremonial boats were of the gods ๐“Šน๐“Šน๐“Šน exclusively. This particular ritual statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is the earliest one found from ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š– that depicts a pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป!

Ritual Statue
Ritual Statue of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Thutmosis III on display at the MET

Another important aspect of this statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is that it is made of bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ – with the exception of a few Middle Kingdom examples, this statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ seems to be the start of bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statuary in ancient Egypt ๐“†Ž๐“…“๐“๐“Š–!  Both ritual statues ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ๐“ช and bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statuary became much more common during the Third Intermediate and Late Periods. 

My Nonno loved bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statuary, and I do too because they are always so well preserved and the details can easily be seen! On this statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ in particular, the gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ around the eyes ๐“น๐“๐“ฆ is still intact (some of the gold was restored) as is the nemset jar ๐“Œ๐“บ! The inlays in the eyebrows are missing, but might have been gold ๐“‹ž๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰๐“ƒ‰ or stone ๐“‡‹๐“ˆ–๐“‚‹๐“Šช. While an arm ๐“‚๐“บ may be missing, this gives us insight into the artistic ingenuity of the Egyptian artisans; the arms ๐“‚๐“ฆ attach perfectly into the grooves provided, which allowed for more detailed work! 

This statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is dated to the 18th Dynasty (New Kingdom) and we know that because the throne name of the pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ appears on the belt that the statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is wearing! Kneeling bronze ๐“ˆ”๐“ค๐“ˆ’๐“ฆ statues ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ๐“ช of pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ dated to the New Kingdom are extremely rare! 

Egyptologists can also date this statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ to the 18th Dynasty based on the clothes it is wearing; the combination of the Khepresh Crown ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ™๐“‹™ and the way the skirt is styled (longer in the front) are very typical pharaonic fashion for the 18th Dynasty! 

This statue ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“๐“€พ is also very small ๐“ˆ–๐“†“๐“‹ด๐“…ฉ and is only 5 inches (13.1 cm) tall! 

This is my personal photograph and original text. DO NOT repost without permission.

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Cartouches of Thutmosis III from Elephantine

Today I am standing with a relief which contains the cartouches of Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ from Elephantine ๐“‹๐“ƒ€๐“ƒฐ๐“…ฑ๐“Žถ๐“ˆŠ! Elephantine ๐“‹๐“ƒ€๐“ƒฐ๐“…ฑ๐“Žถ๐“ˆŠ is an island ๐“‡พ๐“ˆ…๐“บ on the Nile River ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ˆ—๐“ˆ˜๐“ˆ‡๐“บ, and it forms part of the city of Aswan ๐“‹ด๐“ƒน๐“ˆ–๐“Œ๐“ฒ๐“Š– in Upper Egypt ๐“‡“! According to ancient Egyptian religion, Elephantine ๐“‹๐“ƒ€๐“ƒฐ๐“…ฑ๐“Žถ๐“ˆŠ was where the god ๐“Šน Khnum ๐“Žธ๐“๐“€ญ lived and he controlled the waters ๐“ˆ— of the Nile ๐“‡‹๐“๐“‚‹๐“…ฑ๐“ˆ—๐“ˆ˜๐“ˆ‡๐“บ from caves beneath the island ๐“‡พ๐“ˆ…๐“บ!ย 

The Temple of Satet ๐“‹ด๐“ฟ๐“๐“„๐“‰ (or Satis ๐“‹ด๐“„๐“๐“๐“€ญ) is on the island ๐“‡พ๐“ˆ…๐“บ of Elephantine ๐“‹๐“ƒ€๐“ƒฐ๐“…ฑ๐“Žถ๐“ˆŠ and while it began to be built during the pre-dynastic period, it was rebuilt several times, most notably during the reign ๐“‹พ๐“ˆŽ๐“ of Hatshepsut ๐“‡‹๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“Žน๐“๐“„‚๐“๐“€ผ๐“ช, and then the reign ๐“‹พ๐“ˆŽ๐“ of Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ. They both mostly expanded the temple ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰ and made it much larger. The relief I am standing with is from that temple ๐“‰Ÿ๐“๐“‰!ย 

Cartouches of Thutmosis III
Me with a relief from the Temple at Elephantine, which shows the cartouches of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Thutmosis III.

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! Two ๐“ป of Thutmosis IIIโ€™s cartouches ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท๐“ฆ appear on this relief, so letโ€™s take a closer look at each of them! We are going to look at the throne name (๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ) first! 

๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ Menkhepperra โ€œLasting is the Manifestation of Reโ€ 

๐“‡ณ – Re 

๐“  – Lasting

๐“†ฃ – Manifestation

Letโ€™s look at the birth name cartouche ๐“ ๐“ˆ–๐“ˆ™๐“ท! Itโ€™s hard to see which variant is in the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“ but I think itโ€™s this one: 

๐“…๐“„Ÿ๐“Šƒ๐“„ค๐“†ฃ – Thutmosis III (Thoth is Born, Beautiful of Form)

๐“… – Thoth

๐“„Ÿ๐“Šƒ – Born

๐“„ค – Beautiful 

๐“†ฃ – Form

Underneath the cartouches, this famous phrase โ€œ๐“‹น๐“Šฝ๐“Œ€๐“‡ณ๐“บ๐“‡โ€ appears: 

๐“‹น – Life 

๐“Šฝ – Stability 

๐“Œ€ – Strength 

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“‡ – Like

This translates to โ€œLife, Stability, and Strength Like Ra.โ€ The extra โ€œ๐“บโ€ is there as an aesthetic placeholder!ย All pharaohs ๐“‰๐“‰ป๐“ฆ wanted to be like Ra, so it is a fitting phrase to be put after the name of a pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Scarabs of Thutmosis III

Look at all ๐“ŽŸ of these scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช!ย 

Scarabs of Thutmosis III

I love these displays at the MET because they have all ๐“ŽŸ of the scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช grouped by the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of the pharaoh that is inscribed on them! These scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช contain the throne name of the 18th Dynasty pharaoh ๐“‰๐“‰ป Thutmosis III ๐“…๐“„ ๐“‹ด! I also love tiny things, so these displays are some of my favorites! 

The scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ is the personification is the god ๐“Šน Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“‡‹๐“›. The scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ amulets ๐“А๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช were said to be the most powerful of amulets ๐“А๐“Šช๐“…†๐“ช because the the ancient Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช believed that the dung beetle (which the scarab ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ was fashioned after) was capable of eternal regeneration. 

The god ๐“Šน Khepri ๐“†ฃ๐“‚‹๐“‡‹๐“› symbolizes a โ€œlife cycleโ€ – birth ๐“„Ÿ, death ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ, and then rebirth ๐“„Ÿ๐“ฟ๐“…ฑ in the afterlife ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰. This cycle was essential to Egyptian religious beliefs, as Egyptians ๐“†Ž๐“๐“€€๐“๐“ช spent their lives preparing for death ๐“…“๐“๐“ฑ and entering the Duat ๐“‡ผ๐“„ฟ๐“๐“‰ (afterlife).ย 

Scarabs of Thutmosis III
Can you see the throne name (๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ) and variant of Thutmosis III’s throne name (๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ๐“‚“) in the picture?

Letโ€™s read some hieroglyphs ๐“Šน๐“Œƒ๐“ช! 

The most common throne name spelling for Thutmosis III ๐“…๐“„ ๐“‹ด is โ€œMenkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ.โ€ The name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– Menkhepperra ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ translates to โ€œLasting is the Manifestation of Ra.โ€

๐“‡ณ – Ra

๐“  – Lasting

๐“†ฃ – Manifestation

One of Thutmosis IIIโ€™s throne name variants appears on one of the scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช- it is rare to see this variant! This throne name variant is โ€œMenkhepperkara ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ๐“‚“โ€ which translates to โ€œLasting is the Manifestation of the Soul of Ra.โ€ I love seeing the variants!ย 

Scarabs of Thutmosis III
Can you spot any of the words in the text below in the picture above?

There are some other common phrases that accompany the name ๐“‚‹๐“ˆ– of Thutmosis III ๐“‡ณ๐“ ๐“†ฃ๐“‚“ on these little scarabs ๐“๐“Šช๐“‚‹๐“‚‹๐“†ฃ๐“ช! See if you can spot them in the picture ๐“๐“…ฑ๐“: 

๐“ŽŸ – Lord of/Everything/All

๐“Šน๐“„ค – The Perfect God 

๐“™๐“‹น – Given Life

๐“†– – Eternity

๐“ŽŸ๐“‡ฟ๐“‡ฟ – Lord of the Two Lands