The Nedj Nedj databases 2 The big picture 2.14 Glyphs panel

2.14 GLYPHS PANEL: pink

The glyphs panel shaded pink in the top right-hand corner of Fig. 2.12 is the fundamental part of the screen. This is where the data is entered for new words or records. 

Fig. 2.141 Glyphs entered into the 20 insertion positions in the glyphs panel. As each glyph name is entered, the appropriate hieroglyph picture appears, as well as its Gardiner number, and the sound

What follows is an example of how the glyphs panel might be used in practice.

In Karnak temple there is a wall covered in deeply incised hieroglyphs. 

Fig. 2.142a Hieroglyph wall at Karnak temple

Below is an extract from it, identified with a rectangle in the picture above.

Fig. 2.142b Detail from the hieroglyph wall at Karnak temple

We might try to find out what this group of glyphs says.

First it is necessary to recognise the particular hieroglyphs, and then to enter them in the glyph panel area, one by one. We start from the top, and read right to left as the animate hieroglyphs (birds in this instance) always face the beginning of a message, which is to the right. Thus these particular hieroglyphs seem to be:

arm arm quail pair viper owl slope water bun arm: stick water branch bun arm: stick

We start typing these into new records in the database . . .

Fig. 2.143 The glyphs from the Karnak wall inscription entered one after the other . . .

transliteration / respelt	English	EngJSM	source	page / line	glyph names	glyphs
(¬wy-f: a-wi-f)	""	arm two him-of	Karnak wall awi-f	[1:1]	<armx2 quail pair viper>
(m: em)	""	in connection with	Karnak wall awi-f	[1:2]	<owl>
(ḳnt: qen-et)	""	strong what is	Karnak wall awi-f	[1:3]	<slope water bun arm: stick>
(nḫt: neKHet)	""	strong	Karnak wall awi-f	[1:4]	<water branch bun arm: stick>

Table 2a Analysing a portion of the Karnak inscribed wall

. . . and without the benefit of an Egyptologist to guide us we have to attempt to divide the sequence up into constituent words. The analysis shown in the table seems a possibility.

What was first thought to be a <swallow> in the first row was on later consideration identified as clearly a quail, and this led to a a recognition of a standard formula glorifying a pharaoh. The two arms at the start, originally ignored (along with the rest of the wall inscription), were seen to be an integral part of this word; so too also the two strokes (having the sound ‘y’ or ‘i’) visually represented ‘dual‘ — thus these together with the <quail> /w/, formed wi, which also indicated ‘dual’. The <armx2> glyphs therefore must literally be ‘two arms’, with the <quail> and the <pair> together confirming this duality.

The formula of words in this part of the inscription then began to fall into place. This is a standard epithet honouring someone, most probably a pharaoh. And the message is something like ‘arm two him-of / in connection with / strength and might’ (perhaps more freely expressed as ‘his two mighty strong arms’).

(¬wy-f m ḳnt nḫt: awi-f em qenet neKHet)

""

arm two him-of / in connection with / strong / strong

Karnak wall awi-f

[1:0]

<armx2 quail pair viper owl slope water bun arm: stick>

Table 2b The complete section investigated: ‘his two strong arms’