THE HIEROGLYPHICS OF THOTHMES III.
_Translation of the Fourth Side._
"Horus, beloved of Osiris, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Ra-men-Kheper,
making offerings, beloved of the gods, supplying the altar of the three
Spirits of Heliopolis, with a sound life hundreds of thousands of
festivals of thirty years, very many; Son of the Sun, Thothmes, divine
Ruler, beloved of Haremakhu, ever-living."
The first part of the inscription, "Horus, beloved of Osiris, king of
Upper and Lower Egypt, Ra-men-Kheper," is similar to the other faces,
except that the figure of Osiris, the benignant declining sun, occurs.
[Illustration: "Making offerings, beloved of the gods, supplying the altar
of the three Spirits of Heliopolis."]
CHESSBOARD (=men=) _making_.
THREE VASES (=menu=) _offerings_. Plurality is indicated by the vase
being repeated thrice.
HAND PLOUGH (=mer=) _beloved_.
HATCHET (=neter=) _god_. The three vertical lines before the hatchet
indicate plurality.
LONG SERPENT (=g=) phonetic }
} The two form _gef_, _supplying_.
HORNED SNAKE (=ef=) phonetic}
ALTAR, _altar_.
ZIGZAG (=nu=) _of_.
THREE BIRDS, _three spirits_. These birds represent the bennu, or
sacred bird of Heliopolis, supposed to be an incarnation of a solar
god. Three are depicted to represent respectively the three solar
deities, Horus, Ra, Tum.
PYLON (=An=) _Heliopolis_.
VASE (=n=) complement to (_An_).
CIRCLE with CROSS (=nu=) determinative of city An.
[Illustration: "With a sound life, hundreds of thousands of festivals of
thirty years, very many."]
OWL (=em=) _with_.
CROSS (=ankh=) _life_. This hieroglyph is the usual symbol of life. It
is therefore known as the key of life, and from its shape is called
_crux ansata_, "handled cross." It ought to be distinguished from the
musical instrument called sistrum, which it somewhat resembles.
SCEPTRE (=uas=) _sound_. The sceptre usually stands for power, but
power in life is soundness of health.
LITTLE MAN (=hefen=) _hundreds of thousands_. This little figure with
hands upraised is the usual symbol for an indefinite number, and may
be rendered millions, or as above.
PALACE (=heb=) _festivals_. _See_ face one.
SWALLOW (=ur=) _very_. This symbol generally means great. Here it is
an intensive, very.
LIZARD (=ast=) _many_.
[Illustration: "Making offerings to their Majesties at two seasons of the
year, that he might repose by means of them."]
OFFERING (=hotep=) _offering_. The three vertical lines indicating
plurality may refer both to offering and succeeding hieroglyph.
CONE (=hen=) _majesty_. We have called this cone, from its likeness to
a fir-cone.
TWO CIRCLES (=aten=) _two seasons_. Each is a solar disk, the ordinary
symbol of Ra, but here means season, because seasons depend on the
sun.
SHOOT (=renpa=) _year_. This is a shoot of a palm tree; with one notch
it equals year.
The following hieroglyphs are obscure, but the highest authorities say
that they probably mean, "that he might repose by means of them;" that is,
that Thothmes hoped that repose might be brought to his mind from the fact
that he made due offerings to his gods at the two appointed seasons.
[Illustration]