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Home , Abydos King List, Amenemhat III, Giza writing board, Khafre, Menkaure, Nebmaatre

Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

I. Ancient Egyptian

Painting of , with her titles, from her tomb, QV66. New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty (ca. 1255 BCE)

ḏd mdw in wsir ḥm.t nsw.t wr.t (nfr.t-iry mr.t n Mw.t)| m3‘.t ḫrw Words spoken by the , Great Wife of the King, Nefertari, beloved of (the goddess) , True of Voice (deceased). Vocabulary: ḏd: spoken, mdw: words, in: by, wsir: Osiris, ḥm.t: wife, nsw.t: king, wr.t: great, nfr.t-iry: Nefertari, mr.t n: Beloved of, Mw.t: Mut (Goddess), m3‘.t: true, ḫrw: voice.

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

Statue of Nofret, with her titles, Old Kingdom, 4th Dynasty (ca. 2500 BCE)

rḫ(.t) nsw.t nfr.t The acquaintance of the King, Nofret Remember honorific transposition god’s names (and here the king’s name) are often written first, even though they are pronounced last. rḫ(.t): a (female) acquaintance (She was the wife of the king’s brother) nsw.t: king nfr.t: Nofret (Neferet)

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

I. Uniliteral Signs (Sign, Transliteration (Manuel de Codage), Notes) 3 “Aleph” ḥ “dotted h” Vulture twisted lamp wick (A) (H)

i “yod” ḫ “third h” unknown, reed leaf suggested that it

(i) (x) might be a placenta 2 reed leafs, ẖ “fourth h” y Diagonal strokes The udder of an or (X) animal Ꜥ “ayin” s 1) folded cloth arm and hand 2) a door bolt (a) or (originally a separate “z” sound) “waw” š “shin” w 1) Quail chick, a pool of water, or 2) coil (S) sounds like “sh” b lower leg and foot ḳ “qoph” a hill

(q) p stool k a wicker basket

f horned viper g a pottery stand with a pot on it

m 1) owl t “t-loaf” 2) ? a loaf of bread

“feminine ending” or 1) water “second t” 2) Red Crown of ṯ a rope hobble for n Lower animals, sounds like (T) “tj” or “tch” or “of” r mouth d a hand

A reed shelter or ḏ “second d” courtyard seen from a cobra, h above (D) sounds like “dj”

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

II. Biliteral Signs Used to Write Letters in Greek Names (e.g. Ptolemy, ) Sign Biliteral Sound Sound for Greek Note Words w3 “O” Lasso

rw “L” Recumbent lion

Hieroglyphs (ca. 3200 BCE – 394 CE) Cursive Hieroglyphs (ca. 3200 BCE – 3rd century CE) Demotic (ca. 500 BCE – 425 CE) Coptic (c. 200 BC to 18th century AD, still used today in Coptic churches in Egypt and abroad) …………………………………. Direction

Taken from Sir Alan Gardiner, Egyptian Grammar, 3rd Edition. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1957), 25. Free Materials on the Web: Henry George Fischer. Ancient Egyptian Calligraphy: A Beginner's Guide to Writing Hieroglyphs. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1999 http://www.gizapyramids.org/pdf_library/fischer_eg_calligraphy.pdf

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

III. Hieratic Uniliterals

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

Taken from William Clay Poe, The Writing of a Skillful Scribe (Santa Rosa, 2010), 13-14.

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

IV. Determinitives, Biliterals, Triliterals, and some useful words

Det. for a person nfr nṯr good, beautiful a god; ntr.w: gods

Det. for actions t3 R‘ with the mouth, land; t3.wy: the The sun, day, the eating, speaking two lands sun god Re () Det. for woman ḫpr stp to become “chosen” Det. for a king. st det. for sky, heavens () seat, place

Det. for a king. pr dpt () house; det. for a boat; det. for boats

buildings Det. for a ḥtp ‘nḫ god and offering life (sandal strap)

Cobra, a m3‘.t mn determinative for Truth, the goddess Board game with goddesses (An ostrich pieces feather) Det. for dog ms di

(fox tails) conical loaf of

“give birth” bread, “given” Det. for a cat ḫ‘ ḥ3t suns rays over front, in front of a hill “appear” nb wsr k3 Jackal’s head (basket) “lord” upraised arms, and neck, -soul “strong” mr s3 (z3) mi (plow) loved, goose, son, milk jug with a beloved, s3.t: daughter handle, “like” also mr n: beloved of s3 r‘: Son of Re

wn Plural marker “.w” Plurals (and false plurals)

or can also be made by nṯr.w nrfw rabbit, to be repeating the sing 3 times gods perfection

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

nsw.t bi.ty The King of Upper

and Lower Egypt

‘nḫ(.w)-wḏ3(.w)-snb(.w) LPH: Life, Prosperity, and health

V. Signs, Determinatives, and Egyptian Names for Various Deities Det. for the Det. For the Sign and sun god R‘e god Det. for (Ra), Ra- Amen/ mwt the R‘ Horakhty, imn goddess Amen-Ra Mut Det. for Det. for the Sign and the god Osiris Det. for goddess the god m3‘.t Maat wsir ptḥ Det. for Det. for Det. for the the the goddess nb.t-ḥy.t goddess goddess Isis Nephthys Sekhmet 3s.t sḫm.t Sign and Det. Sign and Det. for for Det. for and the god and the God and Seth (Djehuty)

ḥw.t-ḥr ḏḥwty stẖ Det. for Sign and Sign and the god Det. for Det. for Khnum and the god and the god ẖnmw ḥr inpw Det. for Det. for Det. for the god the the goddess and goddess N.t Bast sbk b3st.t

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

VI. Practice with Hieroglyphs and phonetic compliments

11. (Seth) stẖ 1. Sky p.t

12. Sobek sbk 2. Boat dp.t

13. Amen (Amun) imn (Imn) 3. Son s3

14. Mother mw.t 4. Daughter s3.t

15. God nṯr

5. Cat miw 16. Goddess nṯr.t

6. Dog ṯsm (ṯzm) 17. Snake (female) ḥf3(w).t 7. Beautiful nfr

8. Ptah ptḥ (Ptḥ) 18. Forever ḏ.t

9. Ra r‘ (R‘)

19. Thoth (Djehuty) ḏḥwty

10. Anubis inpw (Inpw) 20. Yesterday sf

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

VII. The Names of Kings Remember honorific transposition god’s names are often written first, even though they are pronounced last. Ra (Re) is commonly written first, but pronounced last. 1. from the , Temple of (19th Dynasty) mni ḫ(w)fw (Cheops) 1. 9. Builder of the Great Pyramid of tti ḫ‘=f-R‘ (Chefren) 2. 10. Builder of the second pyramid at Giza it3 mn-k3.w-R‘ Ita 3. 11. (Mykerinos) builder of the small third pyramid at Giza qbḥ nfr-f-R‘ Qebh 4. 12. sndi mn-k3.w-ḥr Sendi Menkauhor 5. 13. sḏs (zḏs) wnis Sedjes Unis (Wenis) 6. 14. nfr-k3-R‘ mry-R‘ Meryre 7. 15. snfrw mn-ḫpr-R‘ Seneferu Menkheperre 8. (Snofru) 16.

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

2. of Amenemhat III (12th Dynasty)

Right: nsw.t bi.ty (n(y)-M3‘.t-R‘)| di ‘nḫ ḏ.t The King of , Nimaatre (Sorry some signs here are not in your list), given life, forever s3 R‘ (imn-m-ḥ3t)| di ‘nḫ ḏ.t The Son of Ra, Amenemhat (III), given life, forever

3. Names of Pharaohs from the Turin Canon (19th Dynasty) a. nsw.t bi.ty (mni)| ‘nḫ(.w)-wḏ3(.w)-snb(.w), ir n … The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Menes, LPH (Life, Prosperity, and health), doer of…

b. nsw.t bi.ty (wnis) rnp.t ḥsb.t 30… The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Unis, Reigned thirty years…

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

4. Name of a female of the 12th dynasty from the Karnak King List (18th Dynasty)

(Sbk-nfrw-R‘)| [The (Female) King of Upper and Lower Egypt,] (Sobekneferure)

5. Her name from the Turin Canon (19th Dynasty)

nsw.t bi.ty (Sbk-nfr.w-R‘)|rnp.t ḥsb.t 3,10,24 The (Female) King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Sobekneferu (Sobekneferure), reigned 3 years, 10 [months], 23 [days].

6. Two 18th Dynasty Pharaohs

[s3 R‘] (ḏḥwty-ms)| [The Son of Ra,] Tuthmosis (Thothmes) (Tuthmosis IV) [nsw.t bi.ty] (mn-ḫpr.w-R‘)| [The King of Upper and Lower Egypt,] Menkheperure

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

nfr nṯr (Honorific transposition) nb t3.wy ir.t h.t [nsw.t bi.ty] (nb-M3 .t-R‘)| s3 R‘ (Imn-ḥtp ḥq3 w3st)| di ‘nḫ The good god, lord of the two lands, doer of things, the king of upper and lower Egypt, , the Son of Ra, Amenhotep (III), ruler of Thebes, given life.

7. Two Reliefs with Kings Names from the 19th Dynasty

s3 R‘ (R‘-ms-s mr(y) n Imn)| The Son of Ra Ramesses, Beloved of (the god) Amen nsw.t bi.ty (wsr-m3‘.t-R‘ stp-n-R‘)| The King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Usermaatre Setepenre

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Benjamin Daniels, Early Writing Systems, Berkeley Splash, 2018

[nsw.t bi.ty] (mn-M3‘.t-R‘)| [The King of Upper and Lower Egypt,] Menmaatre [s3 R‘] (Stẖy mr(y) n Pt ḥ)| [The Son of Ra,] Seti beloved of Ptah

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