Tag: hieroglyphs

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Egyptian Artifacts

Apotropaic Rod or Magic Wand

This is a very unique piece (not the cute little hippo 𓌉𓏏𓃯)!

This artifact is referred to as an “Apotropaic Rod” or “Magic 𓎛𓂓𓄿𓏜 Rod” which means that it is an object that has the power to ward off evil 𓃀𓇋𓈖𓏏𓅨 or bad luck. This piece is dated to the Middle Kingdom (c. 1678-1640 B.C.E.) which was during the reign 𓋾 of Senwosret III 𓇳𓈍𓂓𓂓𓂓 (Dynasty 12). 

This piece is composed of multiple (four 𓏽) segments that are all joined together. This is the only Magic 𓎛𓂓𓄿𓏜 Rod that has been found of this type, and luckily it is completely preserved! In ancient Egyptian magic, animals that were considered to be dangerous, such as lions 𓌳𓁹𓄿𓄛𓏦, hippos 𓌉𓏏𓃯𓏦, and crocodiles 𓅓𓋴𓎛𓆌𓏦 could be used in amulet 𓊐𓊪𓅆 or wand to induce protection 𓅓𓂝𓎡𓀜 on the person. There are also some cute frogs 𓈎𓂋𓂋𓆏𓏦!! These animals can be seen as figures on the top of the wand! 

There is also a turtle 𓈙𓏏𓄿𓆉 amongst the other predatory animals on the top-center of the rod, so were turtles 𓈙𓏏𓄿𓆉𓏦 considered predatory? In ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, turtles 𓈙𓏏𓄿𓆉𓏦 were seen as an ambiguous force because they were creatures of both land 𓇾 and water 𓈗. Turtles 𓈙𓏏𓄿𓆉𓏦 were also seen as the enemy of Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛, and in chapter 162 of the Book of the Dead, it is stated that “May Ra live, and may the turtle die.” The turtles 𓈙𓏏𓄿𓆉𓏦 that lived in the Nile 𓇋𓏏𓂋𓅱𓈗𓈘𓈇𓏺 were mostly nocturnal, which is probably why they were considered to be Ra’s 𓇳𓏺𓁛 enemy.

Carved into the rock 𓇋𓈖𓂋𓈙 underneath the figures are other protective 𓅓𓂝𓎡𓀜 symbols such as the Wedjat 𓂀 or “Eye of Horus,” and baboons. There is also an image 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of a crocodile 𓅓𓋴𓎛𓆌 and what looks like a lioness 𓌳𓁹𓄿𓏏𓄛! 

Here’s another example of an Egyptian “Magic 𓎛𓂓𓄿𓏜 Wand,” which is more commonly referred to as an “Apotropaic Wand.” 

This piece is dated to the Middle Kingdom (c. 1981-1640 B.C.E. Dynasty 12-13) and wands such as these were common to find amongst burial equipment in Middle Kingdom tombs 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓏦. These type of “Magic Wands” are a lot more common than the one I posted about previously! 

This “Magic Wand” is made out of hippopotamus 𓌉𓏏𓃯 ivory.  Since the tusks is the most dangerous and powerful part of the hippopotamus 𓌉𓏏𓃯, this object symbolically has the power to ward off evil 𓃀𓇋𓈖𓏏𓅨 or bad luck. Not only is the ivory powerful, but the deities 𓊹𓊹𓊹 depicted are also carry knives in order to ward off evil forces 𓃀𓇋𓈖𓏏𓅨! Taweret 𓏏𓄿𓅩𓂋𓏏𓆗, Nekhbet 𓇑𓃀𓏏𓅐𓎟, Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣, and Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 are all shown! 

There are also some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on the Magic Wand! Some Magic Wands contain longer inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥 on the back (not this one though)! Many of these inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥 indicate that these wands were used as a protective amulet 𓊐𓊪𓅆 during childbirth, but they were placed in tombs 𓇋𓐫𓊃𓉐𓏦 to help the deceased 𓅓𓏏𓏱 at his/her rebirth. 

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

𓍲𓉔𓂋𓅱𓏺𓇳 – Protection of Day

𓍲𓎼𓂋𓎛𓇱 – Protection of Night

Night can also be written as: 𓎼𓂋𓎛𓄛 or 𓄛. 

Day can also be written as: 𓉔𓂋𓏺𓇳

Ancient Egyptian magic 𓎛𓂓𓄿𓏜 is so incredibly fascinating! 

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Reading Hieroglyphs

“Revered” in Hieroglyphs

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at a very popular word that appears on a lot of funerary equipment 𓈎𓂋𓋴𓏏𓏏𓊭 (coffins 𓋴𓅱𓎛𓏏𓆱𓏦, False Doors, Canopic Jar Cases, etc.)! This word can be tricky though because there are a lot of different variants of it – meaning that it can be spelled differently depending on how the word is used or the amount of space available on the object (in this case, the object is a wooden 𓆱𓏏𓏺 coffin 𓋴𓅱𓎛𓏏𓆱). Different variants of the word can even appear on the same object, as I illustrate with the pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 I’m sharing today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳!

The word for today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 is “Revered/Revered One,” which on the inscription 𓎘𓅱𓎖 in the pictures 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦, you can see two 𓏻 of the popular variants: 

𓇋𓌴𓄪𓐍

𓇋𓄪𓐍

Revered One/Revered can also be spelled like:

𓇋𓌴𓄪 

𓇋𓌴𓄪𓅱

𓇋𓌴𓄪𓐍𓇌

𓇋𓌴𓐍𓇌

𓄪𓐍

𓇋𓄪𓐍𓅱

𓇋𓌴𓄪𓐍𓅱 (Revered Man – Dead)

𓄪𓐍𓇌𓏏 (Revered Woman – Dead)

I’m sure I did not list all of the variants either! Word variants can be confusing for people who are just starting to read hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 and that’s okay! It will just take some practice, and the best way to practice is to just keep reading real Egyptian inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥! 

Next time you go to a museum, see if you can find a variant for “Revered/Revered One!” I’m sure you will!! 

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Thoth: Lord of the Divine Writing

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the name 𓂋𓈖 of not only a very popular deity 𓊹, but also one of my favorite deities 𓊹𓊹𓊹 (besides Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 of course)!! 

This is the name 𓂋𓈖 of the god 𓊹 Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭 in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! The name 𓂋𓈖 Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭 is actually the Greek version of his name 𓂋𓈖; the ancient Egyptians referred to him as Djehuty 𓅝𓏏𓏭!

Let’s break down the hieroglyphic symbols 𓊹𓌃𓏪 together 𓈖𓊗! 

The “ Ibis on Standard 𓅝” symbol is a variant of the “Ibis 𓅞” symbol and has the sound of “ḏḥwtj,” which we thing would sound like “Djehuty.” This symbol is an ideogram, so it represents the full sound of the word it is meant to represent. 

What’s interesting about the Middle Egyptian Language, is that even though ideograms like “𓅝” and “𓁟” would fully spell out Thoth’s name 𓂋𓈖, scribes would still add the phonograms to the end of the name 𓂋𓈖 if there was enough space on the monument/object to do so! This made inscriptions 𓏟𓏛𓏥 easier to read 𓎔𓂧𓀁 and also look nicer! The ancient Egyptians 𓆎𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏪 were all about the aesthetic!

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! 

The “two strokes 𓏭” symbol represents the sound “j” which in English would have the same sound as a “y.” It is usually only used at the end of a word!

Here are some variants of Thoth’s name 𓂋𓈖:

𓅤𓀭 

𓁟 

𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭 

𓅝𓏏𓏭

𓅝

Thoth 𓅤𓀭 was thought to have invented writing 𓏟𓏛𓏥, and was thus the god 𓊹 of all record keeping. Due to his vast knowledge, 𓂋𓐍𓏏𓏜 Thoth 𓁟 was thought to know magic and secrets that were unknown to the rest of the gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 in the Egyptian pantheon. He was also the god 𓊹 of scribes 𓏟𓀀𓏪.

Let’s read the inscription 𓎘𓅱𓎖 in the picture above: 

𓅝𓏏𓏭 – Thoth (Djehuty)

𓎟 – Lord

𓊹𓌃𓂂𓂂𓂂𓏟 – Divine Words/Writing

“Lord of the Divine Words/Writing 𓎟𓊹𓌃𓂂𓂂𓂂𓏟” was one of Thoth’s 𓅝𓏏𓏭 many titles! This title makes perfect sense since he was thought to have invented writing 𓏟𓏛𓏥/hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Fun Fact: “writing” was usually written as “𓏟𓂂𓂂𓂂,” but on this coffin it is switched to “𓂂𓂂𓂂𓏟!”

Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭 was originally god 𓊹 of the moon 𓇋𓂝𓎛𓇹, but then later became associated with writing 𓏟𓏛𓏥 and knowledge 𓂋𓐍𓏏𓏜. The moon 𓇋𓂝𓎛𓇹 could be thought of as a “night sun,” which kind of places him as an opposite of the sun 𓇳𓏺 god 𓊹 Re 𓇳𓏺𓁛. 

Thoth 𓅤𓀭 is also credited with inventing the 365-day calendar which is one of the ancient Egyptians’ long lasting contributions to astronomy! As their math an astronomy got better, Egyptian astronomers even adjusted the year to be exactly 365.25 days, which is the exact time it takes the Earth 𓇾𓇾 to revolve around the Sun 𓇳𓏺! How amazing is that!?

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Reading Hieroglyphs

“Qebehsenuef” in Hieroglyphs

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at one of the names 𓂋𓈖𓏦 of one of the Four Sons of Horus! 

Qebehsenuef 𓏂𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑 had the head of a falcon 𓃀𓇋𓎡𓅄, protected 𓅓𓂝𓎡𓀜 the intestines 𓈖𓊪𓅮𓄿𓏲𓏼, and was associated with the West 𓋀𓏏𓏏𓈊. 

Qebehsenuef can be written as both 𓏂𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑 and 𓏁𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑, and sometimes a determinative was added to the end of the name 𓂋𓈖, which reads like 𓏂𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑𓀭. 

The “water jar with water 𓏁 / 𓏂” symbols are both variants of each other and have the same meaning! These symbols mostly act as determinatives, however in the case of Qebehsenuef the symbols act as a triliteral phonogram with the sound “kbb/qbb” or “kbh/qbh.” 

The “arrowhead 𓌢” is a biliteral phonogram that is associated with the sound “sn.” Since the arrowhead 𓌢 is repeated three times in the name, that pluralizes the symbol and causes it to have the sound “snw.” 

The “horned viper 𓆑” functions as a uniliteral phonogram and represents the sound “f.” In other words, it can function as a determinative. The 𓆑 can be confusing for people learning hieroglyphs because it can also function as the word “he”! There are so many ways that 𓆑 and it takes practice to master them all!

So Qebehsenuef 𓏂𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑 may seem like a difficult name 𓂋𓈖 to pronounce but once you break down the symbols it’s not too bad! How the name 𓂋𓈖 is written with Romanized Letters is very similar to the hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪! Qebehsenuef 𓏂𓌢𓌢𓌢𓆑 would would like “Qbh-snu-f.” 

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Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

The Cartouche of Pharaoh Nebra

I am standing with the Horus cartouche of the Second Dynasty Pharaoh Nebra 𓎟𓇳 (or Raneb).

Not much is known about Nebra 𓎟𓇳 besides his name, which mostly appears on alabaster bowls and cups. The length of his rule is also not known, since that section of the Turin Canon/Papyrus is destroyed but Egyptologists estimate it to be about 10 𓎆 -14 𓎆𓏽 years.

The name Nebra 𓎟𓇳 (or Raneb) has puzzled Egyptologists because Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛 was not a big religious figure during the Second Dynasty. At that time, Horus 𓅃𓀭 was the main deity and Egyptian religion very much centered on the story of Horus 𓅃𓀭 and Seth 𓊃𓏏𓄡𓁣 and the importance of keeping divine balance. The name Nebra 𓎟𓇳 can also be translated as either “Lord of the sun (Ra)” or “Ra is my lord,” which would show that the sun was already being worshipped separately as its own deity at this time instead of just being part of Horus 𓅃𓀭. The Third Dynasty (around the rule of Djoser 𓂦) is really when evidence of the sun being an independent deity begins to show up in Egyptian society.

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Egyptian Artifacts

Cow Statue of the Goddess Hathor


I am with a statue 𓄚𓈖𓏏𓏭𓀾 of a cow’s 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒 head, which of course is representative of the goddess 𓊹𓏏 Hathor 𓉡.

Hathor 𓉡 is one of the most prominent goddesses 𓊹𓊹𓊹𓏏 of the Egyptian pantheon. Along with Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥, she is regarded as the “divine mother” of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻, but is also the goddess 𓊹𓏏 of love, joy, music, and dance – basically the fun things in life! Hathor is also the wife of Horus 𓅃𓀭, and the daughter of Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛. Hathor 𓉡 is usually associated with cows 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒𓏦 and can take the form of a cow 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒 in many forms of Egyptian art.

Fun fact: the words “beautiful woman” and “cow” are super similar in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪- only the determinative at the end is different! They are even pronounced the same (nfrt) Why? Probably because of Hathor 𓉡! I find this hysterical – you probably don’t want to mess these two words up (in English at least 😂). Even my family knows this fact about hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪, because I bring it up all the time!!

𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓁐 (beautiful woman)
𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓃒 (cow)

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

Anubis – Names and Titles in Hieroglyphs

It’s no secret that Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 (Inpu in Egyptian – the name Anubis is actually Greek) is my favorite of the Egyptian gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹! I have always been a fan of mummies 𓇋𓁹𓅱𓀾𓏪, so it makes sense that the god of embalming, tombs, cemeteries, etc ended up being my favorite! Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣 also could act as a guide to souls in the Underworld 𓇼𓄿𓏏𓉐(referenced in the Pyramid Texts of Unas).

The inscription (which is read from left to right on this particular text) states: 𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣𓁶𓏺𓈋𓆑 𓇋𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐎𓊖.

The translation is:
𓇓𓏏𓊵𓏙 – An offering the king gives
𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣- Anubis
𓁶𓏺𓈋𓆑 – Upon his hill/mountain
𓇋𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐎𓊖 – He who is in the mummy wrappings

The title “𓁶𓏺𓈋𓆑” refers to Anubis’ role as the protector of the tombs while “ 𓇋𓏶𓅱𓏏𓐎𓊖” refers to Anubis’ importance as the god 𓊹 of embalming/mummification.

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts

The Three Layers in the Temple of Dendur

One of my favorite things about the Temple of Dendur at the MET are the incredible details that are carved into the walls! The temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 was built by the Roman Emperor Augustus 𓉐𓉻𓀀(who liked to refer to himself as just pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 in his cartouche) and was meant to be a place of honor for the goddess 𓊹𓏏 Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥. Just like most other Egyptian temples, the common people weren’t allowed to worship 𓇼𓄿𓀢 inside of it. 

A lot of Egyptian architecture was built in three 𓏼 layers! In the case of the Temple of Dendur specifically, the three 𓏼 layers are the Earth 𓇾𓇾, the Sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯, and then what happens between the Earth 𓇾𓇾 and the Sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯. The “between the 𓇾𓇾 and 𓊪𓏏𓇯” section is the temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 itself! This section would be where the carvings of the deities 𓊹𓊹𓊹 are! 

The picture above details the section of the temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐 that represents the Earth 𓇾𓇾. I love this because it looks like papyrus 𓏠𓈖𓎛𓆰 and lotus 𓆸𓏪 plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰 are growing out of the base of the temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐! I think it is such a beautiful 𓄤 way to represent the Earth 𓇾𓇾! The ancient Egyptians really like plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰 and flowers 𓆼𓅱𓆰𓏦 so it makes sense that they would want to represent them realistically in this way! How do we know that the ancient Egyptians liked plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰 and flowers 𓆼𓅱𓆰𓏦? Art like this allows us to make these inferences! 

Fun fact! There are so many ways to write “papyrus” in Middle Egyptian! Here are a few:

𓅓𓍑𓏏𓏛 – papyrus roll/scroll 

𓏠𓈖𓎛𓆰 – papyrus plant

𓍯𓇅 – papyrus

𓇅𓆰 – papyrus

𓆓𓇌𓏏𓇇 – papyrus marsh

Let’s now take a look at the “in-between” layer!

Augustus making an offering to Osiris and Isis

What I like most about the  “between the Earth 𓇾𓇾 and Sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯” section is the depiction of Emperor Augustus 𓄿𓏲𓏏𓈎𓂋𓏏𓂋 with many different Egyptian deities 𓊹𓊹𓊹! He doesn’t look like an Emperor though – he looks like a pharaoh 𓉐𓉻! Augustus can be seen wearing many articles of Egyptian royal 𓋾 fashion such as the Atef crown 𓋚, the double crown 𓋖, a false beard, a broad collar 𓅱𓋴𓐍𓎺𓋝, armlets 𓄟𓋴𓎡𓏏𓅱𓏦, and bracelets 𓂝𓏠𓆑𓂋𓏏𓇛𓏦. These are all features that are associated with Egyptian pharaohs 𓉐𓉻𓏦, even though Augustus 𓄿𓏲𓏏𓈎𓂋𓏏𓂋 was Roman. 

In the following reliefs, Augustus 𓄿𓏲𓏏𓈎𓂋𓏏𓂋 is making offerings 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦 to Egyptian gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹. In the first image 𓏏𓅱𓏏, he is making an offering 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦 to Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭 and Isis 𓊨𓏏𓁥. You can even see the papyrus 𓏠𓈖𓎛𓆰 and lotus 𓆸𓏪 flower plants 𓆾𓆰𓆰𓆰 from yesterday’s post just below the relief! 

Hathor (right), Horus (middle) and Augustus (right) with me!
A closeup view of Horus and Augustus

In the second/third images 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓏦 above, Augustus 𓉐𓉻𓀀 is making an offering 𓊵𓏏𓊪𓏏𓏔𓏦 of wine to Horus 𓅃𓀭 and Hathor 𓉡! 

You can also see three 𓏼 of Augustus’ cartouches in these images! Can you spot them all?

𓄿𓏲𓏏𓈎𓂋𓏏𓂋 – Autokrator (Greek for “Emperor”)

𓈎𓇌𓊃𓂋𓊃𓋹𓆖 – Kaisaros (Greek for “Caesar”)

𓉐𓉻𓀀 – Pharaoh 

The next and final layer we are going to talk about is the sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯! The winged 𓂧𓌳𓏏𓆃 sun disc 𓇳𓏺 appears above all of the entrances to the temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐.

The wings 𓂧𓌳𓏏𓆃𓏦 belong to Horus 𓅃𓀭, who was often represented as a falcon 𓃀𓇋𓎡𓅄. Horus 𓅃𓀭, whose  realm was the Sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯, was one of the most important gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 in the Egyptian pantheon. Horus 𓅃𓀭 was not only the mythological representation of the pharaoh 𓉐𓉻/heir to the throne of Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, but also a sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯 god 𓊹. Horus’ 𓅃𓀭 name 𓂋𓈖 means “The Distant One,” due to him residing in the sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯! 

Due to the symbol’s association with Horus 𓅃𓀭, the winged 𓂧𓌳𓏏𓆃 sun disc 𓇳𓏺 also represents royalty 𓋾, power, divinity 𓊹, and order vs. chaos. There are many different representations of Horus throughout Egyptian mythology. The the winged 𓂧𓌳𓏏𓆃 sun disc 𓇳𓏺 design is also known as “Horus the Behdetite” and is a representation of Horus 𓅃𓀭. 

The sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯 was not only the realm of Horus 𓅃𓀭, but many other deities 𓊹𓊹𓊹 as well. Ra 𓇳𓏺𓁛, Shu 𓆄𓅱𓀭, Nut 𓏌𓏏𓇯𓀭, Khepri 𓆣𓂋𓇋𓁛 and others were deities 𓊹𓊹𓊹 associated with the sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯. The sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯 was where the divine 𓊹 resided, hence why it was so heavily represented in Egyptian mythology and architecture. 

The two 𓏻 columns represent papyrus 𓏠𓈖𓎛𓆰 and lotus flowers 𓆸𓏪 growing from the ground/Earth 𓇾𓇾 to the sky 𓊪𓏏𓇯! These columns can be seen as forming a connection between all three 𓏼 layers of the temple 𓉟𓏏𓉐! I will never not be amazed by the symbolism and craftsmanship of Egyptian architecture! 

Categories
Reading Hieroglyphs

“Sobek” in Hieroglyphs

Let’s read some hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

Today 𓏇𓇋𓈖𓇳 we are going to be looking at the name 𓂋𓈖 of the god 𓊹 Sobek 𓋴𓃀𓎡𓆋 in hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪!

I like Sobek’s 𓋴𓃀𓎡𓆋 name 𓂋𓈖 a lot because its phonetic and easy to spell/remember if you know the phonogram symbols! This is because Sobek 𓋴𓃀𓎡𓆋 has kept his “Egyptian Name” and it wasn’t changed by the Greeks like some if the other deities 𓊹𓊹𓊹 such as Anubis 𓇋𓈖𓊪𓅱𓃣, Osiris 𓁹𓊨𓀭, Thoth 𓅝𓏏𓏭𓀭, etc. 

The “Folded Cloth 𓋴” symbol is a uniliteral phonogram that has the sound of “s.” 

The “Foot 𓃀” symbol is also a uniliteral phonogram that has the sound of “b.” 

The “Basket with a Handle 𓎡” symbol is also a uniliteral phonogram that has the sound of “k.” A lot of people get this one confused with just the “basket 𓎟” symbol which is a biliteral phonogram that has the sound “nb.” So they are very different!! 

The “Crocodile on a Shrine 𓆋” symbol is the determinative in Sobek, so in this case it is not pronounced! The symbol can also be used as an ideogram, where it would have the sound “sbk” or Sobek! 

Sobek can be written as: 

𓋴𓃀𓎡𓆋

𓋴𓃀𓎡𓆍

𓆋𓏺

𓆍𓏺

Sobek 𓋴𓃀𓎡𓆋 is usually depicted as a crocodile 𓅓𓋴𓎛𓆌 sitting on a shrine 𓐍𓊃𓅓𓂜𓉐 – just like this hieroglyph “𓆋,” or as a human body with a crocodile 𓅓𓋴𓎛𓆌 head 𓁶𓏺. 

Categories
Egyptian Artifacts Reading Hieroglyphs

Stela of Hathsepsut and Thutmosis III

My Nonno took this picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 of the Stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 of Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 and Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 for me! While we did see it at the Vatican Museum together, he always made sure to take a different picture 𓏏𓅱𓏏 for me each time he saw it because he knew how much I love it! 

This stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 depicts Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 and Thutmosis III 𓇳𓏠𓆣 during their joint reign. Hatshepsut 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 is wearing the blue crown 𓆣𓂋𓈙𓋙 and making an offering of nemset jars 𓏌𓏌𓏌 to Amun-Ra 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓇳𓏺. The stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸 was meant to commemorate restoration works in Thebes 𓌀𓏏𓊖!

The most interesting parts about this stela is that it is one of two pieces (that I know of) that contains Hatshepsut’s entire titulary in one place! The only other place I know that has all of Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 names 𓂋𓈖𓏦 is the Obelisk at Karnak. 

Let’s take a closer look at all of Hatshepsut’s 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪 names 𓂋𓈖𓏦! The names 𓂋𓈖𓏦 can be found on the top two rows of hieroglyphs 𓊹𓌃𓏪 on the bottom of the stela 𓎗𓅱𓆓𓉸!

Horus Name: 𓄊𓋴𓏏𓂓𓂓𓂓 – “Wosretkau” translates to “The Mighty of the Kas” or “The Mighty of the Souls.”

Nebty Name: 𓅒𓇅𓏏𓆳𓆳𓆳 – “Wadjet renput” translates to “Flourishing of Years.”

Golden Horus Name: 𓅉𓊹𓏏𓈍𓏦 – “Netjeret khau” translates to “Divine of Appearances.”

Throne Name: 𓇳𓁦𓂓 – “Maatkare” translates to “Truth is the Soul of Re.” 

Birth Name: 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓄂𓀼 – “Khnemet Amun Hatshepsut” translates to “United with Amun, Foremost of the Noble Women.” This version of the Birth Name that appears on this stela is a variant of 𓇋𓏠𓈖𓎹𓏏𓄂𓏏𓀼𓏪. A “variant” is just a different way to spell out a person’s name 𓂋𓈖!