CHAPTER XI.

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.

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.

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_.

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.