A lunar creature; the humid principle; believed to be tongueless and subsist on dew, the lizard was a symbol of silence.
In Egyptian and Greek symbolism, it represented divine wisdom and good fortune and was an attribute of Serapis and Hermes; in Zoroastrianism it was a symbol of Ahriman and evil.
In Christianity it is also evil and the Devil. The lizard is an attribute of Sabazios and usually appears on the hand of Sabazios.
In Roman mythology it was supposed to sleep through the winter and so symbolized death and resurrection. The lizard Tarrotarro is an aboriginal Australian culture hero.
[Source: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols by J.C. Cooper]
A solar bird with much the same symbolism as the eagle; it is an attribute of all sun gods and represents the heavens; power; royalty; nobility.
Like the eagle, it was regarded as being able to fly up to the sun and gaze on it without flinching.
Gods with a hawk, or hawk-headed, are sun gods.
Aztec: A messenger of the gods.
Egyptian: The royal bird; the Spirit; the soul; inspiration; the Bird of Khensu; Ra, the sun. Other gods with hawks, or hawk-headed, are Ptah, Horus, Mentu, Rehu, Sokar, Kebhsenuf. The hawk-headed crocodile is Sebek-Ra; the sphinx is sometimes hawk-headed. The hawk is also an emblem of Amenti, Great Mother and goddess of the West and the underworld.
Graeco-Roman: The ‘swift messenger of Apollo’; attribute of Circe.
Hindu: Gayatri, the hawk, brought soma from heaven. The hawk is also a vehicle of Indra.
Iranian: An attribute of Ahura Maxza, or Ormuzd, as light.
Mithraic: An attribute of Mithra as sun god.
[Source: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols by J.C. Cooper]
Egyptian Beadnet Dress. c. 2100 -2300 BC. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. [x]
This bead-net dress, presumably meant for an adult woman, was found in pieces and meticulously re-strung by conservationists at the MFA (think macaroni art). It was meant to be worn over a long, stiff linen shift, which was the basis of all Ancient Egyptian garments. While it looks narrow and constricting, clothing in the time period was generally meant to conform to the shape of the body. It is unknown if this particular dress was actually worn, or was made specifically for the burial of the tomb in which it was found.
The old master scribe settled onto his reed mat and looked at the boy sitting in front of him. ‘Why have you come here?’ he asked. 'I have come to learn how to be a scribe like my father was,’ the boy said.
The old man smiled, 'If you want to be a scribe, you must first learn about the scripts used to record the language of the Egyptian people. Then, you will learn to read and write these scripts.’ He paused, then closed his eyes. A minute passed. Then he began to speak in a low voice. 'I will start at the beginning.’
'A long, long time ago, Thoth, the great god of writing and knowledge brought the gift of Medu Netjer ('God’s words’) to the land. For hundreds of years this sacred script has been used to record the words and deeds of the pharaohs and the gods and goddesses.’
'If the script was sacred, what did scribes use for writing letters?’ the boy asked.
The old master scribe continued .'Some years later, another script was developed so that everyday information could be written down quickly and easily. It was used by scribes working in the temples and palaces who need to keep records and write letters.’ He paused.
'The signs for the new script were based on those of the sacred script. However, they were drawn with fewer lines and decoration. That made it easier and faster to write the signs.’
The old master scribe picked up a reed pen and carefully drew the hieroglyphic sign on a piece of limestone. Next to it, with a quick sweep of his hand, he drew the same sign in hieratic .
He showed it to the boy. 'Do you see the difference?’ he asked. The boy studied the signs and nodded his head.
'Today, in the reign of Wehemibra (Nekau II), we do not use the hieratic script that much anymore. Our common script is sekh shat, ('writing for documents’). The signs are based on hieratic signs, but they are even simpler. This makes them faster and easier to write.’
The old master scribe paused and wiped his brow. 'As a scribe you are given the power and knowledge of writing. First, you must learn the common script of the land so you can perform everyday tasks. After that, if you are lucky and talented, you will also learn the sacred script. Those who learn the sacred script will learn the secrets of the gods and the mysteries of the land.’
Has anyone seen the meme floating around that claims that Julius Caesar nicknamed Cleopatra “golden mouthed” because of her oral sex skills? Also that Cleopatra was called “meriochane” in ancient Greek supposedly meaning “she who gapes for 10,000 men”?
Both of these claims sound like complete BS and I haven’t been able to find a single citation to back them up.
*Also someone should tell the 4th century CE theologian John Chrysostom (“golden mouthed”) about his name.
THE GOD RA: ICONOGRAPHY here’s my study dedicated to the iconography of the God Ra, freely available on-line, where you will find an introduction to the iconography of Ra together with more than 100 images (with a full description) of all His various forms. Moreover, in the last part you will find all the images and the names of the forms of Ra from the “Litany of Ra” (Great and Little Litany), together with all the invocations.
Contents: Introduction: -Ra as a falcon-headed man -Anthropomorphic form of Ra -Zoomorphic and combined forms of Ra -The Sun with the forms of Ra
Iconographic index: I part: Ra as a falcon-headed man II part: Ra in anthropomorphic form -Ra in His form of Divine Child III part: Ra in His form of sacred falcon -Ra as a human-headed falcon -Ra as a ram-headed falcon IV part: Ra in His form of sacred cat -Ra as a cat-headed man V part: Ra as a lion-headed man -Ra in His form of hieracosphinx VI part: Ra in His sacred forms of calf and bull VII part: Ra in His forms of sacred baboon and baboon-headed man VIII part: Ra in His form of sacred serpent IX part: Ra as a crocodile-headed man -Ra in His form of sacred crocodile X part: Ra as a ram-headed man -the “flesh of Ra” in the “Books of the Netherworld” -Ra in His form of four-faced ram XI part: the Sun with the forms of Ra XII part: “The Litany of Ra”: -introduction -the ‘Prologue’ of the “Great Litany” -the forms of Ra in the “Great Litany” -the forms of Ra in the “Little Litany”
the twelfth and thirteenth lesson of the Egyptology course “BOOK OF THE AMDUAT, DEITIES AND SCENES: FIRST DIVISION”on“Amente Nofre-membership community” are on-line. Here’s a preview (first division of the Amduat, middle register, lower part), from left to right: the sacred barque of Khepry represented in His form of sacred scarab and flanked by two images of Osiris both kneeling and making adorations; the Serpent-God Npn, “the Pointed-one”; Smwy, “He of the plants”, holding a serpent-staff; Mdwy, “He of the staff”, and Ḏȝwty, “He of the garment”, both falcon-headed and holding a serpent-staff. Images from the funerary papyrus of the priest Nesmin, from the “House of Eternity” of King Sethi I (KV17), and from the “House of Eternity” of King Ramses V and King Ramses VI (KV9).
Become a patron of “Amente Nofre-membership community” for as little as $3/month or $5/month and you will participate in our online courses in Egyptology (and moreover you will get a complete access to the daily posts of the Ancient Egyptian Religious Calendar), see here: https://www.patreon.com/amentenofre
Is it really #WorldEmojiDay again already? I can hardly it! Were ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs similar to modern emojis? In some ways, yes. There are over 700 different hieroglyphs. Some of them, like emojis, stand for the objects they represent (ideograms). Others stand for sounds or syllables (phonograms). Were there rules of grammar? Absolutely! For example, word order in Egyptian is verb-subject-object. And some things never change—there were “spelling police” back then, too! Check out this student’s writing board in The Met collection (https://bit.ly/3xIV0o6).
Where did we come from and how did our world begin? For thousands of years, people from cultures all around the globe have devised stories to explain the creation of their domains. In this essay for Glencairn Museum News, Dr. Jennifer Houser Wegner, Associate Curator in the Egyptian Section at the Penn Museum, introduces us to the fascinating subject of ancient Egyptian creation myths, including the cosmological context for a number of objects in Glencairn Museum’s Egyptian gallery.
In another day or two we’ll be ready to publish an article in Glencairn Museum News about Egyptian creation myths. This hieroglyphic inscription is on the back pillar of a figurine in the Glencairn collection of Ptah, a creator god. The inscription includes three hieroglyphs which, when combined, form the word “hemut,” which can be translated as “craftsmanship.” The ancient Egyptians didn’t have a word for “art,” but they recognized the output of craftsmen as a form of creation!
Relief depicting a seated Anubis (jackal) hieroglyph, detail from the tomb lintel of Ihi. Old Kingdom, 6th Dynasty, ca. 2345-2181 BC. Now in the Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Virginia.
![Egyptian Beadnet Dress. c. 2100 -2300 BC. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. [x] This bead-net dress, pres](https://64.media.tumblr.com/cd2cd2be37d9c596fa950b209dcb592d/tumblr_mgoj7zMvpg1rzspuzo1_1280.jpg "Egyptian Beadnet Dress. c. 2100 -2300 BC. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. [x] This bead-net dress, pres")
on a piece of limestone. Next to it, with a quick sweep of his hand, he drew the same sign in hieratic 
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