Mast (hieroglyph)

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Ship's Mast in hieroglyphs

Mast hieroglyph #2 in hieroglyphs

The ancient Egyptian ship's mast is one of the oldest language hieroglyphs from Ancient Egypt. It is used on a famous label of Pharaoh Den of the First dynasty.

Contents 1 Language usage of ship's mast 1.1 Rosetta Stone usage 2 See also 3 References

[edit] Language usage of ship's mast

The hieroglyphic language equivalent of the mast is kh, and means "to stand erect", or "to stand vertical"; its use is extensive throughout the language history, and hieroglyphic tomb reliefs and story-telling of Ancient Egypt. It is possibly a forerunner hieroglyph to khä, the sun rising upon the horizon.

[edit] Rosetta Stone usage

In the 198 BC Rosetta Stone, the ship's mast hieroglyph has the unique usage in the final line of the Ptolemy V decree: the mast is used twice-(adjective, verb):

engrave the decree..: "...upon a vertical-(mast) stone stele"..in the 3-language scripts, .."Shall be made to stand it in the sanctuaries in temples all..."

[edit] See also

• Gardiner's Sign List#P. Ships and Parts of Ships
• Gardiner's Sign List#U. Agriculture, Crafts, and Professions

[edit] References

• Budge. An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1978, (c 1920), Dover edition, 1978. (In two volumes) (softcover, ISBN 0-486-23615-3)
• Budge. The Rosetta Stone, E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1929, Dover edition(unabridged), 1989. (softcover, ISBN 0-486-26163-8)