Nine Bows
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The Nine Bows is a visual representation in Ancient Egyptian art of foreigners or others. Besides the nine bows, there were no other generic representations of foreigners. Due to its ability to stand in for any nine enemies to Ancient Egypt, the peoples covered by this term changed over time as enemies changed, and there is no true list of the nine bows. Alternatively, the nine bows may have had a separate or complementary meaning. In
Egyptian hieroglyphs Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs ( ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt for writing the Egyptian language. Hieroglyphs combined Ideogram, ideographic, logographic, syllabic and alphabetic elements, with more than 1,000 distinct char ...
, the word 'Nine Bows' is spelled out as a bow and three sets of three vertical lines. The bow, holding the phonic value "pḏ," means "stretch, (be) wide," and the three sets of lines makes the word plural. The number nine was used metaphorically to express totality. Using this more literal translation of the hieroglyphs, the nine bows could also refer to endless, innumerable foreign lands or the totality of foreign lands. Ancient Egyptians believed in dualism or that two cosmic forces, order and chaos, governed the universe.  While the nine bows stood in for Ancient Egypt's enemies, it is also possible that they stood in for disorder as well.


Symbolism in art

Instances of the nine bows appeared as early as the late predynastic period (3200-3000 BCE).  Discovered in Hierakonpolis or Nekhen, here the nine bows were carved on the head of a scepter. As time progressed, the use of the nine bows expanded to other mediums of art. When in statuette and statue form, it is typical for the nine bows to be displayed underneath feet.  The iconography is similar to a biblical text such as Psalm 110:1 “… until I make your enemies your footstool,” meaning the nine bows placement underneath the feet of
Pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...
s and other powerful figures, such as a sphinx, were meant to symbolize the enemy being trampled or entirely under control. One such example of the footstool comes from the tomb of Pharaoh-King
Tutankhamun Tutankhamun or Tutankhamen, (; ), was an Egyptian pharaoh who ruled during the late Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt. Born Tutankhaten, he instituted the restoration of the traditional polytheistic form of an ...
.  Each time that King Tut stepped on the footstool, he would symbolically be trampling his enemies.  Another example, can be seen on the insoles of Pharaoh's sandals. On the sandals, each shoe has eight bows laying horizontally in a vertical line with one another.  Four of the bows are at the top of the sandal near the toe, while four are at the heel.  Where the arch of the foot would be, there are two foreigners of Ancient Egypt depicted facing outward on each shoe. As with the footstool, whenever the sandals were worn, it would have been as if the enemies of Ancient Egypt were trampled.


Pharaoh Djoser

One of the oldest representations of the nine bows, and the first representation of the nine bows fully developed, is on the seated statue of Pharaoh
Djoser Djoser (also read as Djeser and Zoser) was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the 3rd Dynasty during the Old Kingdom, and was the founder of that epoch. He is also known by his Hellenized names Tosorthros (from Manetho) and Sesorthos (from Euse ...
. His feet rest upon part of the nine bows, which may have referred to
Nubians Nubians () ( Nobiin: ''Nobī,'' ) are a Nilo-Saharan speaking ethnic group indigenous to the region which is now northern Sudan and southern Egypt. They originate from the early inhabitants of the central Nile valley, believed to be one of th ...
during his reign because of their use of bows and arrows."Enemies of Civilization: Attitudes toward Foreigners in Ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, and China"
Mu-chou Poo. SUNY Press, Feb 1, 2012. p. 43. Retrieved 7 jan 2017


Pedestal of Ramses II

The pedestal of Ramses II was found in Antinoopolis, El-Minya, Egypt.  It is rectangular in shape and made of Egyptian alabaster.  The engravings found on three sides are carved using
Bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces remain attached to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb , to raise (). To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...
, which is indicative of the New Kingdom and Ramses II's reign.  Along with the nine bows depicted on top of the pedestal underneath Ramses II's feet, the pedestal also includes engravings of Ramses II's
cartouche upalt=A stone face carved with coloured hieroglyphics. Two cartouches - ovoid shapes with hieroglyphics inside - are visible at the bottom., Birth and throne cartouches of Pharaoh KV17.html" ;"title="Seti I, from KV17">Seti I, from KV17 at the ...
along with his
Horus name The Horus name is the oldest known and used crest of ancient Egyptian rulers. It belongs to the " great five names" of an Egyptian pharaoh. However, modern Egyptologists and linguists are starting to prefer the more neutral term "serekh name". T ...
and legends of Ramses II's rule.


Gallery of Images

File:Name-Keftiu-at-Abydos-Ramses-Temple.jpg, A depiction of a tied up Keftiu from Ramesses II's temple at Abydos File:Thutmose III sphinx-E 10897-IMG 0041-gradient.jpg, The Bronze Sphinx of Thutmose III, depicting a sphinx reclining over the Nine Bows File:Socle de statue 01.jpg, Statue pedestal of
Nectanebo II Nectanebo II (Egyptian language, Egyptian: ; ) was the last native ruler of ancient Egypt, as well as the third and last pharaoh of the Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt, Thirtieth Dynasty, reigning from 358 to c.340 BC. During the reign of Nectanebo ...
, the Nine Bows carved on the lower half File:Part of base of basalt royal statue. Queen's feet on 9 bows before an offering table. Hotep sign at front edge. Hes vase with spouted vases and lamp. Late Period. From Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London.jpg, Fragment of the base of a basalt statue dated to the Late Period, the Nine Bows being beneath the feet of the subject of the statue File:By ovedc - Egyptian Museum (Cairo) - 275.jpg, Sandals of Tutankhamun, showing foreigners alongside eight bows and the ninth being the sandal strap File:Medinet Habu Ramses III8.JPG, Wall relief of Mut, mortuary temple of Ramses III, Medinet Habu, Theban Necropolis, Egypt


References


Sources

* {{cite book, title=The Campaign of Pharaoh Shoshenq I Into Palestine, author=Kevin A. Wilson, publisher=Mohr Siebeck, year=2005 9 (number) Military history of ancient Egypt 9