Hieroglyphs

Tꞽ.t, an Emanation of the Divine

2024-11-26T10:43:38+00:00

This lexicological analysis aims to examine the term tꞽ.t (Wb V, 239, 1–240, 11), most frequently translated as “image,” “hieroglyphic sign,” “symbol” or “form.” Following a clarification of the probable etymon, which suggests that the original meaning of tꞽ.t was “fragment,” this study will assess how this fundamental value may be actualized in relation to the various domains in which the term is applied. Beyond its specific meaning as a “hieroglyphic sign,” which emerges from the earliest occurrences of the term, we will explore the extent to which tꞽ.t may more systematically be understood as an “emanation” originating from the realm of the gods. Consequently, we will also list the reasons that appear to justify abandoning the interpretation of tꞽ.t as “image,” a meaning commonly accepted in the traditional rendering of the term.

Not so Black and White

2025-07-03T14:31:09+00:00

Studies of hieroglyphic palaeography have o!en focused on the morphology of each token, less so on the use of colour as a determinant feature in their design. The current paper relates some preliminary observations on the author’s latest project, which revolves around the visual impact the use of colour has on defining a certain graphic register (in the sense of Albert & Ragazzoli 2025) in the case of New Kingdom manuscripts. One particular instance is that of the rare presence of polychrome text in Book of the Dead manuscripts, as polychrome hieroglyphs are commonly connected to a monumental, not to a manuscript context. Through a visual analysis of both morphology and colour use in writings of the name and an epithet of Osiris, it will become evident that scribes had at their disposal a broad spectrum of options for bringing certain inscriptions closer to their monumental counterparts. The study will thus expand the understanding of graphic registers used in funerary manuscripts, including the diversity of colour use, and challenge the understanding of these writing media as intrinsically connected to “cursive” or “linear” script varieties.

A Note on “Hieroglyphic (Il)literacy” and Access to Inscriptions in Ancient Egypt

2025-11-03T08:51:45+00:00

The present article discusses the extent to which literacy in ancient Egypt extended to the hieroglyphic script in particular. Special attention is paid to late New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period examples of apparently limited and non-existent understanding of the said script and its principles. It is argued that contact with hieroglyphs was not an everyday experience for the ancient Egyptians and that the rare examples of the script written by very inexperienced authors reflect the degree to which they have access to hieroglyphic texts generally. The discussion also touches upon the curiously neglected topic of access to cemeteries in Ancient Egypt.

Walk Like a Wsr

2025-12-09T10:45:12+00:00

This essay offers a short discussion of the sign F 78, a variant of F 12. The known attestations are collected and are presented in an appendix.

A Vegetal Form of the djeser Hieroglyph in KV35

2025-05-24T15:40:36+00:00

The most common forms of the djeser sign (Gardiner D 45) are those of a scepter or staff, either long and thin (mks) or short and thicker (nḥb.t). In the New Kingdom, vegetal forms of the Gardiner D45 sign are known, some of which have sometimes been identified with a head of lettuce. Among these plant forms, a djeser sign from the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV 35) stands out as it resembles a kind of branch. The vegetal appearance of the Djeser hieroglyph may already exist in the 4th Dynasty, in a more elongated form, in the tomb of Queen Meresankh III at Giza.

Atypical Attributes of B3 (woman giving birth) Signs Created by Deir el-Medina Painters

2025-05-05T13:35:58+00:00

Note discussing atypical features of B3 signs.

The Shape of a God

2025-08-01T20:36:29+00:00

This note examines an unusual rendering of the emblem of the little-attested god Duau in the 11th Dynasty inscription of vizier Amenemhat at Wadi Hammamat. The oblong, empty-filled sign is here suggested to be connected to Duau’s association with the city of ꜥAyn, a toponym written with a similar oblong sign enclosing either an eye or a fish.

A Unique Classifier of a Palm Frond

2025-07-23T23:09:34+00:00

In Tjaennahebu’s tomb, the artisan appears to have consciously reverted to the Old Kingdom conception of a classifier derived from vegetal components. Nevertheless, the form employed does not constitute a direct replication of Old Kingdom prototypes; rather, it reflects a further adaptation consistent with the predominant Saite Period copies—specifically, a single palm midrib with projecting spines, in contrast to the earlier rendering of multiple stalks bound and sealed. This palm frond form appears to have been intended to evoke the likeness of a backbone with ribs, as exemplified in the F37B variant, thereby transforming the determinative from a mammalian-based image into a vegetal one, while preserving its underlying conceptual significance.

A Dancing Hoof

2025-07-23T22:48:32+00:00

Note on an unusual form of F25 which could easily be confused with Aa11.

The “Dressed” Child, an Unintentional Variant of the Naked Child Sign

2025-07-08T21:56:19+00:00

The Coptos Decree R shows three examples of the child hieroglyph, in sitting position with hanging legs (on an unrepresented lap), in sunk relief.

Kiss (the Earth) the Earth (A92)

2025-04-24T17:47:58+00:00

A92 classifier within the compound sn tꜣ.

The “God’s Palace”

2025-08-28T23:15:41+00:00

This article examines a striking graphic variation in the writing of šps (“august, noble”)—where the conventional seated-man-of-rank sign (A50) is replaced by the shrine façade sign (O21)—in the Wadi Hammamat inscription of the Director of Works Mery, dated to the reign of Amenemhat III. This substitution reflects a deliberate semantic strategy grounded in conceptual association, one of the key mechanisms underlying enigmatic writing. By means of this graphic choice, the inscription reconceptualizes the mountain as a sacralized architectural space, evoking the quarries themselves as the god’s true dwelling place.

A Falcon-Headed Crocodile Hieroglyph

2026-01-28T13:06:39+00:00

When reffering to supra-human entities, the noun ꜥḫm/ꜥšm/ꜥẖm is usually classified by falcon or crocodile hieroglyphs, animals associated with vigilance through their eyes. This note argues that the falcon-headed crocodile classifier is not merely a graphic fusion but a deliberate theological allusion to the composite form of Khonsu-Shu, who functions as a vigilant guardian of the dead in the Beyond. The comparison with simpler crocodile classifiers highlights this specific iconographic choice.

2026-01-28T13:10:37+00:00