Cartouche

By the term hieroglyphs cartridge, also Pharaohs or royal cartouche, refers to the used in Egyptian Hieroglyphics oval rope loop surrounding the name of the King ( Pharaoh) as it protectively.

Origin of name

The cartridge designation stands for the elliptic line, which the Egyptians since the Old Kingdom (oldest evidence: King Nebka ) moved to the proper name and the throne name of their kings ( pharaohs ). Since the end of the Middle Kingdom also separates the names of queens and princesses in cartridges are written. In the New Kingdom that is in name of queens to rule.

The origin of the name is not clear. Either it was borrowed from the usual Baroque frames or by other sources during the Egyptian expedition of Napoleon introduced by his soldiers, who were reminded by this presentation of the royal names to their small powder container, the so-called cartouches which they or for driving and / used squibs their former muzzleloader rifles. Subsequently, this term has also enforced in Egyptology.

Cartridge form

The cartridge form, probably originally came from the " 's Ring ", a rope loop with overlapping ends, the ancient Egyptian symbol of eternity or infinity and protection, developed with the length of the respective royal name to a more elongated, elliptical shape.

Made of highly detailed representations it is clear that the cartridges line actually consists of a double cord, which is defined as a rope loop around the royal name, and at the end with a knot. In more schematic representation of the node as a container positioned 90 ° to the longitudinal axis of the cartridge at an angle bar, which corresponds in length to about the width cartridges appear. The name hieroglyphs inside the cartridge always began on the opposite side of this bar. The entire cartridge could both vertically (perpendicular ) and horizontally ( horizontally ) are presented, which could be either on the right or on the left side in the latter type of cartridge beginning. In a mode of representation such the heads of certain contained in the cartridge hieroglyphs in their line of sight are optionally also aligned to this text start.

Significance for the Egyptians

The name completely encloses cartridge is to provide protection by encirclement. The name of the king stood for the world, which was orbited by the sun, making the universal power of the sun god, and thus also the king should be symbolized.

Importance for research

The cartridges were particularly helpful in Hieroglyphenentzifferung, since one could always assume that the characters would display the name of a king within the cartridge and it is this royal names were known from Greek sources.