Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻

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

Pharaoh 𓉐𓉻 was the word used to describe the rulers of ancient Egypt. This statue depicts Hatshepsut, a pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty.

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.

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

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