| Original Message: Second thoughts |
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Linda,
I did some searching through the list of cartouches of the pharaohs since I love solving puzzles. I didn't find anything definitive but the fineness of the detail on the hieroglyphs for such a small piece is provocative, as is the possible translation of the two hieroglyphs in the upper left.
I make these out as a "hotep" which means offering and the figure of the god Amun. So the scarab could be something related to one of the Amenhotep pharaohs. The next figure to the right is another seated god figure - possibly Set. Amun and Set do appear on some cartouches but they usually face each other. However, there are many variations on how the hieroglyphs were inscribed for the exact same names. Or I may be mistaken since the hieroglyphs are so faint. I cold not make out any of the others, except possibly an "r" (lips or mouth) below the hotep. This hieroglyph is seen a lot since it is part of the word for "beloved" and many royal cartouches include phrase like "beloved of Ra", "beloved of Maat", etc. I would take this piece to your local antiquities department - there may be an Egyptian scholar at a university near you. Too bad you are not in the Bay Area since UC Berkeley has a large ancient Egyptian group that could probably sort it out for you. A very interesting piece, for sure, and could be ancient! All rights reserved by Bead Collector Network and its users |
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