Man-prisoner (hieroglyph)
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Man-(prisoner) (version 1) in hieroglyphs |
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Man-(prisoner) (variant, with stake) in hieroglyphs |
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The ancient Egyptian Man-prisoner is one of the oldest hieroglyphs from Ancient Egypt. An iconographic portrayal from predynastic Egypt eventually led to its incorporation into the Egyptian language. Not only rebels from towns or districts, but foreigners from battle were being portrayed.
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[edit] Example from the Hierakonpolis Palette
One of the oldest examples of the prisoner(Man) hieroglyph is found on the predynastic palette, the Hierakonpolis Palette. As some of the palettes involved animals, hunting, and weapons, captives were taken and displayed. Since the prisoners are shown, battles are implied. The famous Libyan Palette shows towns or districts, surrounded by enclosures, presumed walled fortifications, against outside forces or people.
[edit] Language usage of Man-prisoner hieroglyph
Since Egyptian walled reliefs often told stories, battle descriptions with prisoners is common. Of note, stories, and hieroglyphs of piled dismembered body parts are known, partially to show proof of the body counts.
[edit] 3000 years later: Rosetta Stone use
The Rosetta Stone, (the surviving second half, the Nabayrah Stele being the surviving first half), lists 22 reasons for honoring the pharaoh Ptolemy V-(Ptolemy Epiphanous-(with pr (hieroglyph) Eucharistos - the Greek on the stone), and the first third of the Rosetta Stone ends the list of 22. Line 1 summarizes what to do with the rebels from the town-(district): to display them on stakes (in the Demotic script) so everybody will be shown the example). The Nabayrah Stele uses four of the second version of the Man-prisoner hieroglyph, first in line N-19, and three times in line N-22, near the summary of the rebel story. Line 1 of the Rosetta Stone tells of the impaling on the stakes.
Prisoner, being held from behind on the Battlefield Palette |
The Man-(prisoner) variant as incorporated into identifying cartouches-(a list of captive/defeated peoples) |
Captives-(prisoners)-a memorial to Nectanebo II |
[edit] See also
- Gardiner's Sign List#A. Man and his Occupations
- Gardiner's Sign List#R. Temple Furniture and Sacred Emblems
[edit] References
- Budge. The Rosetta Stone, E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1929, Dover edition(unabridged), 1989. (softcover, ISBN 0-486-26163-8)