The
ancient Egyptian Harpoon, (archaeological, single-barbed type), is one of the oldest
language
Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...
hieroglyphs from ancient Egypt. It is used on the famous
Narmer Palette
The Narmer Palette, also known as the Great Hierakonpolis Palette or the Palette of Narmer, is a significant Egyptian archeological find, dating from about the 31st century BC, belonging, at least nominally, to the category of cosmetic palettes. ...
of Pharaoh
Narmer
Narmer ( egy, Wiktionary:nꜥr-mr, nꜥr-mr, meaning "painful catfish," "stinging catfish," "harsh catfish," or "fierce catfish;" ) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period (Egypt), Early Dynastic Period. He was the successor ...
from the
31st century BC
The 31st century BC was a century that lasted from the year 3100 BC to 3001 BC.
Events
*c. 3100 BC: Polo ( mni, Sagol Kangjei) was first played in Manipur state.
*c. 3100 BC?: The Anu Ziggurat and White Temple are built in Uruk.
*c. 3100 BC?: ...
, in an ''archaic'' hieroglyphic form.
Language usage of harpoon
The hieroglyphic equivalent of the Harpoon is ''wꜥ'', and means "1", a single item, and it is one of the 102 Egyptian
biliterals; its use is extensive throughout the language history, and hieroglyphic tomb reliefs and story-telling of Ancient Egypt.
Rosetta Stone usage
In the 198 BC
Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone is a stele composed of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a decree issued in Memphis, Egypt, in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle texts are in Ancient ...
of
Ptolemy V Epiphanes
egy, Iwaennetjerwymerwyitu Seteppah Userkare Sekhem-ankhamun Clayton (2006) p. 208.
, predecessor = Ptolemy IV
, successor = Ptolemy VI
, horus = '' ḥwnw-ḫꜤj-m-nsw-ḥr-st-jt.f'Khunukhaiemnisutkhersetitef'' The youth wh ...
, the Harpoon hieroglyph is used only once, in line 8: "crowns, 10
..with
uraeus
The Uraeus (), or Ouraeus (Ancient Greek: , ; Egyptian: ', "rearing cobra"), ''(plural: Uraei)'' is the stylized, upright form of an Egyptian cobra, used as a symbol of sovereignty, royalty, deity and divine authority in ancient Egypt.
Symbol ...
on their fronts, on one every among them" ("on each among them").
Gallery
Image:NarmerPalette ROM-gamma.jpg, Front side usage of harpoon-(left photo), Narmer Palette
The Narmer Palette, also known as the Great Hierakonpolis Palette or the Palette of Narmer, is a significant Egyptian archeological find, dating from about the 31st century BC, belonging, at least nominally, to the category of cosmetic palettes. ...
Image:NarmerPalette ROM extract.jpg, Closeup of archaic form on Narmer Palette
Image:GD-EG-Alex-MuséeNat046.JPG, Example usage in text passage
Image:NarmerPalette-ROM-back.jpg, Front of Narmer Palette, using an ''archaic'' form of the Harpoon hieroglyph
See also
*
Gardiner's Sign List#T. Warfare, Hunting, Butchery
*
Gardiner's Sign List#U. Agriculture, Crafts, and Professions
*
List of Egyptian hieroglyphs
The total number of distinct Egyptian hieroglyphs increased over time from several hundred in the Middle Kingdom to several thousand during the Ptolemaic Kingdom.
In 1928/1929 Alan Gardiner published an overview of hieroglyphs, Gardiner's sig ...
References
*Budge. ''An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary,''
E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1978, (c 1920), Dover edition, 1978. (In two volumes) (softcover, )
*Budge. ''The Rosetta Stone,''
E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1929, Dover edition(unabridged), 1989. (softcover, {{ISBN, 0-486-26163-8)
Egyptian hieroglyphs: warfare-hunting-butchery
Egyptian hieroglyphs: arts and trades