This lecture video focuses on noun phrases, i.e., two or more words used to express a relationship. In Medu Netcher, noun phrases are used to express three different relationships: possession (i.e., direct or indirect genitive), apposition, and connection (i.e., conjunction and disjunction). In addition to explaining these noun phrases, the video also highlights a special type of noun phrase referred to as "honorific transposition." This video prepares you to complete the exercise on noun phrases at the end of Chapter 4 in Allen's book.   

This lecture video introduces you to major prepositions in Medu Netcher as a building block for understanding a prepositional phrase (i.e., a preposition + a noun or noun phrase). With the understanding of the prepositional phrase, the lesson provides you with a brief glimpse of what is called the Adverbial sentence in Medu Netcher where the Subject is a noun or noun phrase and the adverbial predicate that follows is a preposition + a noun.  

This lecture introduces you to suffix pronouns and describes their three major uses: 1. as a genitive after a noun with our sense of possessive adjectives; 2. after prepositions; 3. as a noun with the simple tense of the verb. Please note that these uses are taken from Gardiner's Egyptian grammar book because Allen's grammar book does not provide enough clarity in Chapter 5 for the learner. The lecture concludes by highlighting a couple of examples from Allen's grammar book that show suffix pronouns in the context of adverbial.

This lecture introduces you to adjectives and focuses on two major uses: 1. adjective as modifier; 2. adjective as predicate. When adjectives are used to modify nouns in Medu Netcher, they follow them and agree in gender and number. When adjectives are used as predicates they are positioned before the noun (i.e., subject) and do not agree in number and gender with the noun. When adjectives are used as predicates, only the masculine singular form is used. In Allen's grammar book, these two uses are actually found in two different chapters, 6 and 7, but I think it is much easier to explain them together at the same time so that you can see the contrast. As I have indicated on a number of occasions, my approach transcends going chapter by chapter in Allen, but we will eventually cover everything.  

This lecture introduces you to apparent adjectives (i.e., words that are not really adjectives in Medu Netcher, but are usefully translated as such in English). This video focuses on apparent adjectives that are really nouns from the standpoint of Medu Netcher. After beginning the discussion on apparent adjectives, the lecture introduces our first Egyptian scene for translation which is a ritual libation scene between a deceased mother and daughter.     

Using small examples taken from Sir Alan Gardiner's Egyptian Grammar, this lesson focuses on introducing you to basic translations of primarily verbal sentences. It also provides you with initial conceptual tools to analyze sentence structure. Key terms discussed are main and subordinate clauses, marked and unmarked clauses, and the 3 types of subordinate clauses in Medu Netcher: adverb clauses, noun clauses, and relative clauses. This lesson highlights the adverb clause, the most dominant clause that you will encounter in reading Middle Egyptian.

This lesson begins by translating the third line of the upper lintel on the Ka Door of Mehu. Phrases and Titles found on Ka Doors are often given greater context in more narrative form in other parts of the tomb. In translating the third line, I highlighted a phrase that asks for offerings to be provided to Mehu during "every festival and every day." Referencing part of the handout that was originally provided on the Ka Door of Mehu, I cite and explain the specific festivals that Mehu makes reference to in another part of the tomb. This provided us with another opportunity to discuss the historical complexity of the Kemetic Calendar(s), civil, lunar, and eventually civil-based lunar, and situating important festivals within them. The second part of the lesson focuses on translating and explaining all of the titles on the Ka Door of Mehu that integrate the element of pr "house" within them in some way.

This lesson focuses on continuing our discussion of the third line of the upper lintel on the Ka door of Mehu by examining the important concept of Djet time which is commonly translated as “eternity.” Djet time is often contrasted with Neheh time which is also commonly translated at “eternity.” The major work by the prominent German Egyptologist Jan Assmann entitled The Search for God in Ancient Egypt, pp.73-80 was used as a starting point not only for our discussion, but to also provide a sense of major issues in orientation and perspective in examining Djet and Neheh time. Although Assman rightly asserts that these two concepts do not have one word equivalents in English translation, he is on less solid ground in arguing that the Ancient Egyptians had no concept of “space” as part of the cosmic totality, but only of “time.” Since Assmann used Chapter 17 of the Book of Coming Forth By Day in the New Kingdom to emaphasize this view, I presented two visual images from the shrines of Tutankhamun in the New Kingdom to ground an alternative view. Since an understanding of Maat is also inextricably linked to this discussion, I also highlighted Assamann’s view that Maat in the New Kingdom in the post-Amarna period was stripped of its central importance as a moral code as texts begin to emphasize a closer relationship to divinity. The work by Emily Teeter entitled The Presentation of Maat critiques the fundamental inaccuracies and limitations of Assmann’s interpretations and conclusions regarding this period. In attempting to define Djet time, Assmann also attempts to grapple with the dominant aspectual framework of Medu Netcher to contain the interpretation of Djet and Neheh time within an exclusive temporal environment. I present an alternative view that argues that Djet time that speaks to the timeless, permanent, expansive, metaphysical and unchanging essence of creation where Atum-Ra emerges from the primeval waters on Nun at the Sep Tepy “the first occasion” implies an inherent atemporal aspect that is part and parcel of the temporal environment. Assmann attempts to solidify his interpretation of Djet time by contrasting the divinities of Ra and Osiris. He links the sun divinity Ra to Neheh time and Osiris to Djet time. I argue against this rigid separation and assert simply that Osiris is not only considered the “Ruler of Djet time” as Assmann argues, but he is also commonly referred to as Neb Neheh, “the Possessor of Neheh time.” I conclude with the imperative for comparative studies to be done on this issue between Kemet and other African civilizations and to think deeply through the problems of orientation, evidence, perspective, and interpretation.

This lesson focuses on completing our discussion on the Ka door of Mehu through highlighting and examining major remaining titles and issues. Two major issues highlighted in the discussion centered on Mehu's judicial titles and his titles dealing with the regalia of the Ruler, especially the Crowns of Upper and Lower Kemet. The next lesson will focus on Lady Peseshet, a Director of Female Physicians in the Old Kingdom. In the readings you will find the original description of Peseshet's Ka door in Selim Hassan's Excavations in Giza and an excerpt on her importance by Theophile Obenga in preparation for next week.

This lesson focuses our attention on the importance of the Ka door of Lady Peseshet who was the Director of Female Physicians during the 4th dynasty. She is the first recorded female physician in world history and evidenced by her title, she was not alone. Her Ka door is in the tomb of Akhethotep, who is probably her son and she is positioned beside a man named Kanefer on her Ka door who scholars think is probably her husband and thus, Akhethotep's father. Her tomb was initially published in Selim Hassan's Excavations at Giza, 1929-1930. Her Ka door provides us with an opportunity to contextualize her identity within the broader Kemetic social order and medical profession. The excerpt on "Male/Female Relations in Ancient Egypt" by Theophile Obenga is used to provide some necessary context on the importance and power of women in Kemet. In the discussion, I also made reference to a work by Barbara Lesko entitled The Remarkable Women of Ancient Egypt that can be utilized to expand and amplify some of the ideas in Obenga's work. The work by Paul Ghalioungi on The Physicians of Pharaonic Egypt is used to discuss the debate surrounding the essence and meaning of the Kemetic word "swnw" "physician,"; the education of the physicians in the House of Life; the various important medical titles and specialization within the broader organzational structure that was, at once, national, regional, and local. 

This lesson seeks to provide deeper context to our discussion of Peseshet and the vocation of the role of the physician in Kemet by investigating and exploring the importance of the divinity Djehuty (Thoth). I begin with a brief excerpt from the late period Book of Thoth (2005) edited by Richard Jasnow that reads like an initiation text between a Master Teacher and a student disciple who is named mer rekh "one who loves knowledge," a phrase that some scholars argue as the source of the Greek word "philosopher." A Kemetic phrase of greeting, ankh, udja, seneb (life, prosperity, and health) is used as a starting point to discuss the deep origins of the cosmos and the role that marshaling these forces and energies plays in healing, especially in highlighting the importance of the eye of Heru (Horus).

The divinity Djehuty (Thoth) is the inventor of Medu Netcher and thus, the divine patron of scribes, priests, physicians, etc. who seek to investigate, explore, and acquire knowledge from the depths of the mysteries of the cosmos in all areas of life. Djehuty is prominently shown in the form of a sacred ibis bird, a bird that frequents aquatic environments, especially the papyrus swamps in Kemet. The word papyrus, from which our word "paper" is ultimately derived, has no known etymology in Greek because this was not an indigenous plant in their environment. It is theorized that the word papyrus may come from the phrase pa per aa "that of the Great House," a phrase referring to the central role of the Greek government in production and distribution of this product when they ruled Kemet. In addition to Djehuty's central importance in terms of both language (oral and written), and writing, Djehuty was also over the sacred city of Khemenu (Hermopolis), a city that refers to the Eight Infinite divinities that collectively form the essence and substance of the primeval waters of Nun that precede what is called the sep tepy "the first time" that creation happens, and the sun divinity Ra emerges.

Djehuty, in the form of the ibis and a reflection of the reactive activity within the primeval waters of Nun, lays the primoridal egg from which Ra emerges to give light and life. The principle of Heka (magic) is also a force that animated and permeated the cosmos, it was not separate from it, and it couldbe both productive and destructive. Djehuty in the form of the moon is also seen as the son of Ra. The Kemites viewed the sky or heaven as a face having two sacred eyes referred to as Udjat eyes of Heru (Horus), the right eye viewed as the sun and the left eye the moon. As a divine healer, Djehuty lessens the injury inflicted on the eye of Heru (Horus) by Seth and initiates divine healing. This archetype becomes critical for grounding what it meant to be physically and spiritually whole and healthy in Kemet. This lays the foundation for a detailed discussion in the next lesson on further explaining illness, healing, and the myriad treatments that physicians engaged in to help restore a person's wholistic health.

This lesson provides a narrative overview of major features of illness and healing in Kemet. There were a wide range of illnesses that were present in Kemet: various parasitic diseases, bacterial and viral infections, deformities like club foot, tumors, probably cancer, metabolic disorders like liver disease, various diseases of internal organs dealing with the cardiovascular system, lungs, large bowel, rectum, anus, urinary tract infections; various disorders of the ears, eyes, and skin; pains and aches in various bones and joints; the general breakdown of the body that occurs twith the ageing process. Illness can come from these negative physical processes or they could come from the power of a divinity or a deceased or living person. In addition, sickness and suffering could also be viewed as a self-inflicted character wound based upon negative thoughts and behavior towards others and towards oneself and negative personality traits, especially greed.  

The lesson emphasizes the importance of their knowledge of and examination of the heart in a strict medical sense and also in relationship to character as the seat of one's consciousness, intelligence, will, desires, emotions, and feelings. From the heart spring what are called the Metu which could refer to anything long and thin in the body, including blood vessels, ducts, nerves, tendons, and muscles. From the heart, these Metu branch in all directions of the body. Air flowed into the body through these Metu and during life, oxygenated blood flows through them from the pulsating heart. To provide you a sense of their technical medical approach involving the heart, I have provided an example from Case #1 of the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus in the readings taken from the excellent work by Gonzalo Sanchez and Edmund Meltzer.

Using the work of Charles Finch, the prominent African American physician at Morehouse College that has spent much of his career exploring science in Africa, entitled "African Background to Medical Science," I highlight the rigorous methodological approach evidenced in medical papyri by Kemetic physicians. Using the work of Theophile Obenga on medicine in his work African Philosophy: the Pharaonic Period, I discuss the complex range of therapeutic treatments to heal the body and spirit practiced in Kemet. Using the work of Nabil Ebeid, I presented the surgical instruments depicted in the Temple of Kom Ombo and referenced his discussion on the Udjat eye mathematically used in the process of creating prescriptions for illness combining various things. In my discussion of healing, I highlighted the importance of dreams and dream interpretation in Kemet. You will find supportive readings to guide further investigation for those who are interested in this topic.  And lastly, using the work of Dialo Diop, a Medical Doctor of Biological Sciences at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop, I provided some narrative sense of the importance of the Kemetic contribution to medicine in world history and its enduring influence from antiquity to the present.

This lesson is the first part of a discussion on the life and legacy of Imhotep, a Prime Minister in the 3rd dynasty under the reign of Netcherkhet (Djoser) who is primarily revered for designing and overseeing the construction of the vast Step Pyramid Complex in Saqqara. From the rock inscription in Wadi Hammamat of Khnumibre inscribed during the Persian reign of Darius (495-491 BC), I ground the discussion providing a sense of a long family genealogy of 25 Master architects and builders that stretched back to Imhotep's father, Kanefer. In addition, based on Late Period texts, his mother's name was Khereduankh and his wife's name was Renpetneferet. 

On the south side of the entrance colonnade of the enclosure around the Step Pyramid complex was found a statue of Netcherkhet and on the base of this statue, he is mentioned along with the name and a series of important titles of Imhotep. This pairing of the Ruler and an official on a statute base like this is singularly unique and definitively marks Imhotep as an official that was considered to have extraordinary knowledge and skills from the very beginning. I provide a full transliteration and translation of the base of this important statue which I have not seen fully rendered in the English language.

The second text that I focus on is a libation receptacle honoring Imhotep commissioned by the 4th son of Ramesses II, Khaemwaset, a renaissance man in his own right who had a deep appreciation for the Kemetic past and restoring monuments that were decaying, especially in the area of Memphis where he held office as a Sem priest of Ptah. This libation receptacle is very important, and it is not widely known, discussed, or even integrated at all into discussions on Imhotep. It is especially important because it explicitly calls Imhotep the son of Ptah and most scholarship argued that this epithet originated during the Late Period. It is fitting that Imhotep would be honored in this way by Khaemwaset in the form of a libation vessel because there was a long tradition of scribes and priests pouring a water libation explicitly to Imhotep before they commenced their work, clearly honoring the great legacy that Imhotep left in the Kemetic memory in the area of wisdom, administration, architecture, engineering, astronomy, and medicine. 

In the next lesson, we will intimately discuss the divinity Ptah and Imhotep's importance as the son of Ptah and further examine his enduring memory and legacy inside and outside Kemetic civilization.

This lesson is a meditation and reflection on the deeper meaning of why Imhotep is referred to as the "son of Ptah." The memory of Imhotep was pervasive throughout Kemetic history and transcended incorporations on various temples and monuments to include songs, proverbs carried on in the oral tradition, and literary texts as evidenced by "the Song of the Harper" and "the Immortality of Writers" respectively. Ptah, a divinity intimately linked to creative thought and utterance, speaks to the idea of the means by which the cosmos was transformed into reality.

The Mortuary Temple of Seti I at Abedju (Abydos) is stunning in the both the conception and beauty of the layout and scenes. Seti I ruled in the early part of the 19th dynasty and was the father of Rameses II. Although not complete in examining all of the scenes in the temple, the early work in 4 volumes on The Temple of Sethos I (1933) by Amice Calverly and Alan Gardiner and the more recent work by Rosalie David entitled The Temple Ritual at Abydos (2018) provide a solid foundation to ground a narrative study of the temple. I have attached the 4 volumes of The Temple of Sethos I (1933). For those interested in a more engaged and intensive study of Seti I's reign, I have attached the monumental work by Peter Brand entitled The Monuments of Seti I.

I begin the lesson by providing Seti I's throne name of Men Maat Ra ("Enduring one of the Maat of Ra) and his birth name which identifies him from birth as being linked the divinity Seth. Because this mortuary temple was situated in Abedju, a sacred sanctuary of Wsir (i.e. Osiris) who is featured heavily inside the temple in scenes, Seti I opted to replace the unknown Seth animal in the writing of his birth name in this temple with the knot of the goddess Aset (i.e Isis). Rulers can also be described as being beloved of a particular divinity and Seti I describes himself as being "beloved of Ptah."
This lesson is used to highlight the importance of the infinitive and its wide-ranging use in Kemetic scenes in both tombs, temples, and literary texts. The infinitive belongs to a special class of verbs known as verbal nouns. Unlike verb forms that are finite, the infinitive presents action that is not linked to a specific tense (i.e. past, present, future), aspect (i.e. the kind of action- completion or extension), mood (i.e. indicative or subjunctive) or voice (i.e. active and passive). The normal translation of the infinitive into English is ex. "to learn" and the gerund "the learning or learning." The infinitive is actually a noun that describes the action of the verb and as such, it can be used in most of the same ways that other nouns are used. In scenes, the infinitive is often used in headings to capture the essence of major action.

In this lesson, I present three scenes from the temple of Seti I to sensitize you to how the action of a scene is captured and is also contingent upon who is performing the action. In the scene that I present of Djehuty giving the two crowns of Upper and Lower Kemet to Seti I, the major action is captured by the sDm.n.f form (Allen, Ch. 17) which refers to completed action. In the other two scenes that I present, one with Seti I offering the Djehuty in the form of the heby (i.e. ibis) and Seti I offering the goddess Maat to Wsir (i.e. Osiris), the action in both is captured by the infinitive because these actions are part of a daily temple ritual and are viewed as ongoing, habitual and repetitive for eternity.

I have attached the transliteration of these scenes from Rosalie David's Temple Ritual at Abydos (2018) for you to review in preparation for the next lesson where we will transliterate, translate, and provide rich cultural context to understand the deeper meaning of these scenes and to further emphasize the importance of knowing how to feel for and spot the infinitive operating in Kemetic scenes

This lesson begins by addressing a question around the authenticity of a woman named Meritptah who was called the world's first female doctor in a book by Kate Campbell Hurd-Mead entitled A History of Women in Medicine (1938). Since Hurd-Mead does not provide any source for this assertion coupled with the fact that we have no actual evidence of a woman named Meritptah as a physician during any period in Kemetic history obviously means that this position can not be supported based upon the evidence. I use Wolfram Grajetzki's article on this issue who correctly deconstructs this falsehood, but I also point out that Grajetzki perpetuates another falsehood in relationship to the female physician that we do know and have discussed named Peseshet. Grajetzki argues that we don't know whether or not Peseshet was the Director of male or female physicians when the title on her ka door very clearly states that she was the Director of female physicians. In addition, he argues that it is questionable as to whether or not Peseshet herself was even a physician although she is titled as a Director of female physicians. I clearly argue that it is illogical to argue that anyone, male or female, who is a Director of anything would not have intimate knowledge and training in their respective vocations. No Egyptologist would ever make a case like this for a male who held any office as a Director.

This lesson begins with a continuation of our discussion of a scene in the Temple of Seti I at Abedju (Abydos) where Seti I is making and giving incense to Djehuty in the form of the sacred Hebi or Ibis. We complete our transliteration and translation of this scene along with cultural commentary.

This lesson focuses on interpreting and explaining the royal insignia and various aspects of the crowns on the head of Seti I in on our scene in the Temple of Seti I at Abedju (Abydos) where Djehuty (Thoth) gives life and scepters of Rulership of Upper and Lower Kemet to Seti I. To ground our discussion, I make reference to the dissertation by Sandra Collier, The Crowns of Pharaoh: the Development and Significance of Ancient Egyptian Kingship (1996). Although this dissertation is not comprehensive and lacks deeper analysis of the meanings of the various crowns in Kemet, it is a good starting point for these types of discussions. On page 12-14, she describes in a very useful chart form 8 major crown types with various subtypes which can have 1 or more among 15 different added elements.

This lesson provides a complete transliteration, translation, and grammatical commentary of the scene of Djehuty giving the life of Horu (Horus) to Seti I in the shrine of Seti I in the Temple of Seti I at Abedju (Abydos). The lesson provides a complex look inside my mind as a translator of Kemetic texts and highlights significant differences between my translation of this scene and the translation provided by Rosalie David in her book Temple Ritual at Abydos. This is the first time that I have attached descriptive excerpts from Allen's grammar book as part of translating a scene. This is a major feature of Theophile Obenga's method of specifically citing paragraphs in the process of understanding, explaining, and justifying translations. In terms of grammar, this lesson emphasized imperatives (i.e. commands), participles, the subject-stative construction, and the pseudo-verbal construction. Read closely my translation and explanation of the grammar in this scene, contrast it with Rosalie David and understand my key differences and how I support my interpretation. Read the specific grammar descriptions in Allen referenced by me over and over and each time we see these grammar features again, your knowledge and familiarity of them will grow stronger and over time many of your reads will become automatic. This process takes time, but consistent engagement is going to make the process much easier. In the final analysis, the art of translation is about both understanding language and culture and their inextricable relationship. You can not truly know one without the other. This is especially the case with Medu Netcher where understanding the complexities of the added dimension of image writing is critical to any translation and hopefully this lesson demonstrated the knowledge that a translator of Medu Netcher should possess and the different translation approaches that you will inevitably encounter as you engage more texts. 

Ramesses II, the son of Seti I, ascended to the throne formally around the age of 25, but was being prepared for this role significantly before this, serving as hereditary prince and co-regent alongside his father as is attested in the Temple of Seti I at Abedju (Abydos). Ramesses II is one of the most recognizable Kemetic rulers and you will feel and see his imprint everywhere in Kemet in terms of construction. The fact that he ruled for approximately 67 years provided him with an opportunity to leave a lasting legacy. It is fitting to begin our discussion on the grammar of Kemetic royal names with him because of his prominence. 

This lesson provides a nuanced discussion of the grammar of his birth name and throne names respectively which is something that you will not encounter as you read standard works on his life and times. I attempted to situate his names in a historical context, linking him to his grandfather Ramesses I and the last ruler of the 18th dynasty Horemheb who named Ramesses II's grandfather, Ramesses I, as his successor before he died without an heir. Ramesses II is named after his grandfather Ramesses I, and the major epithet, "who Ra has chosen" appended to Ramesses II's throne name is taken intentionally from Horemheb where it is first used. Thus, Ramesses II' birth name and throne name evidence a deep conversation around memory with a genealogy of the recent past. I have attached a detailed grammatical analysis of his name and I have also attached an excerpt from the chronicles of Manetho which provides us with some sense of how Kemetic royal names like Ahmose I, the founder of the 18th dynasty and Ramesses were rendered in Greek and how they inform and influence English translations. I also discuss the importance of Coptic in informing English translations, but each royal name has to be examined individually in regards to dynamics of translation and pronunciation. 

In the next lesson, I will provide nuanced commentary on all of Hatshepsut's royal names and also discuss the names of Tutankhamun, a name that you will see adorn a large amount of consumer products in modern Egypt. 

This lesson focuses on presenting and explaining the fivefold titulary of Hatshepsut, who was the daughter of the Ruler Djehutymose I and her mother Iahmes, holding the powerful office of the God's Wife of Amun, and eventually the Great Royal Wife of the Ruler Djehutymose II. After Djehutymose II died, his heir was Djehutymose III born of a lady of the court named Aset (Isis). Because Djehutymose III was only 3 or 4 years old and due to Hatshepsut's vast experience and royal pedigree, she handled the affairs of the country to ensure continuity of governance and eventually entered into a formal co-regency with Djehutymose III, undergoing all of the coronation rituals with a fivefold titulary given divine support by Amun.

This lesson focuses on Tutuankhamun, who came to the throne as a youth around 9 years old, following the aftermath of a series of greatly debated successors of Akhenaten, and reigned for approximately 9 years. His royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings (KV 62) found on November 4, 1922 was announced with great fanfare because it was largely intact, full of thousands of treasures. The opening of this tomb captured the world's imagination and I discuss the importance of this find for both modern Egyptians and African Americans.

This lesson begins with a discussion of the alteration of Tutankhamun's birth name from Tutankhaten by examining some of the major theological implications of contrasting Amun with the Aten in his probable father Akhenaten's sebayet "wisdom instruction." Akhenaten's elevation of the Aten is definitely an extension and elaboration on ideas of his father Amenhotep III during the latter part of his reign. During his reign, Akhenaten elevates the Aten to a central focus and uniquely provides it with its own shenu's (i.e. cartouches). I have attached a full grammatical analysis of the early and later versions of the names of the Aten discussed in the lecture. I have also attached a full grammatical analysis of the fivefold titularies of both Tutankhamun and Akhenaten respectively. 

During the second part of the lesson, I heavily focus on introducing some of my innovative scholarship around interpreting major features of the distinctive art style that accompanied the elevation of the Aten in Akhenaten's sebayet. I provide insight into the broad parameters of my method which involves both viewing the art as conveying a complex visual communication system that unites geography, landscape, astronomy, and language. I have attached the "Great Hymn of the Aten" in the Tomb of Aye that provides us with the most elaborate statement on Akhenaten's sebayet. As demonstrated in this lesson, my work moves us decisively away from viewing Akhenaten's body as depicting any physical deformity like Frohlichs or Marfan Syndrome by some Egyptologists. In interpreting Akhenaten's art style, it is essential to understand the concept of the Akhet "horizon" and the centrality that this plays in his sebayet. Among other features of his body, I prominently show how Akhenaten literally maps the form of the Akhet "horizon" on his body by forming a curvature in his torso and/or back that equates with the outlines of the mountain glyph. And when the rays of the sun, i.e the Aten reaches his body, it forms the glyph of the Akhet which is a combination of the sun and the mountain glyph. The importance of the Akhet was certainly not unique to Akhenaten's office as a Kemetic Ruler, but what was unique was his attempt to link himself exclusively to this recurring celestial phenomena through elevating the Aten. This scholarship is a major intervention in all existing scholarship that will hopefully fundamentally shift how we view the art style during his reign.

This lesson focuses on primarily discussing the cosmic symbolism in the Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel which is situated north of Lake Nasser on the Nile River, approximately 43 miles from the 2nd cataract. Ramesses II had this temple built to give honor to and marshal the power of the cosmic energy of the netcheru Ptah, Rahorakhety, and Amun respectively in his governance of the Kemet, in addition to deifying himself alongside of them. Because the power of these netcheru are invoked not only to sustain and maintain the life of the country, but to also defeat any perceived enemies.

Although I do not delve into this issue with any great detail in this lesson, Ramesses II's famous battle at Qadesh with the Hittites is illustrated prominently on the north wall in the pronaos of the temple to commemorate his "victory" against them although it is clear from the aftermath that this was not an overwhelming "victory" for either side.

In this battle, he narrated his singularly unique courage and fierce fighting and he gave high praise to Amun because he was able to live to tell the story of what happened in what appeared to be a certain defeat and death for him on the battlefield. The memory of this battle was so important for him that he had it carved on many temples during his reign. I have attached a translation of this battle from Miriam Lichtheim's Ancient Egyptian Literature (Vol. 2) for you to acquire some sense of how this battle was narrated from the Kemetic side.

For over 2000 years, Kemetic Rulers built monuments in The Temple of Karnak, located on the east bank of the Nile in Waset (Thebes). The major focus of the temple centered around Amun-Ra, his wife Mut, and their child, Khonsu. Measuring approximately 1 mile long and 1/2 mile wide, this is the largest temple complex in the world. The temple has a main axis oriented East-West that includes the first 6 pylons and the inner Holy of Holies sanctuary and a North-South axis that includes pylons 7-10. As mentioned in the lesson, the pylons are a useful way of orienting yourself in this vast temple.

This lesson focuses on explaining the essence and power of Amun-Ra through translating a scene on the west wall of the famous Hypostyle area of the temple, an area comprised of 134 open and closed bud papyrus columns the lay immediately behind the second pylon, that was constructed during the reign of Seti I and completed by his son Ramesses II. In the scene that we focus on, Ramesses II kneels before the Great Ennead and Amun-Ra, Mut, and Khonsu. As a primordial netcher and Ruler of the netcheru and existence, this scene highlights the idea of the Ennead, here emphasizing their human forms and not their anthropomorphic forms, as the mirror of and sum total of the image of Amun. As the scene demonstrates, Amun's power is shown in the specific context here of bringing Hapy, the Nile flood, the major source of life for the country. 

I have attached a full transliteration and translation of the scene that is highlighed in the lesson video, i.e. the conversation between Amun-Ra and the Great Ennead. I have also attached to this lesson a major reflection on the temple by Mirolsav Verner. And lastly, I have attached 3 large volumes that focus exclusively on scenes in the Hypostyle area of the temple that were produced by The Oriental Institute in Chicago. We will revisit various scenes from this temple again over the course of the next year.

In preparation for our trip to Kemet, the focus of this lesson is to translate a small scene in the famous White Chapel of Senusret I at Karnak that centers around the importance of Amun and Atum in crowning Senusret I. Senusret I had a co-regency with his father Amenemhat I and I discuss the importance and connection between both of their Horus names. The Horus name of Amenemhat I is Wehem Mesut "one who repeats the birth" and the Horus name of his son Senusret I is "one who lives the birth." This White Chapel highlights the elevation of Amun in the Temple of Amun during this Middle Kingdom period that was to become the core of the vast, larger temple complex at Karnak in later periods. The White Chapel was constructed in celebration of Senusret I's sed festival of renewal after 30 years of being on the throne. It later served as a temporary resting place during processions for the sacred barque containing the statue of Amun. 

After providing general reflections on some highlights and meaning of the Kemet Study Tour 2023, I focus this lesson on Maat and Creation, the first installment of many discussions over at least the next 2-3 months. I begin with an examination on the hieroglyphic writing of the word itself and major variant writings, citing select passages from my article on Maat written as a graduate student which I have attached. I focus on two major symbols, one that I have re-interpreted as the primeval hill which Allen and Gardiner view as a pedestal or platform and the other which is the ostrich feather. On Maat and Creation, I highlight a passage from Coffin Text 80. I have attached the glyphs and translation from Raymond Faulkner of this passage. I have also attached the full publication of Volume 2 of the Coffin Texts from which this passage is taken. This is a major reference work as you grow deeper in your knowledge and experience with the language.

The Sebayet (Wisdom Instruction) of Ptahhotep is one of the most important, oldest wisdom texts in world history. It is a reflection on life and the requisite social values that the Kemites saw as necessary to preserve and perpetuate an optimal social order for future generations. In this lesson, we will highlight one Maxim from this text that highlights the power of the enduring essence of Maat. Most Egyptologists who translate this text use the most complete version of the text conventionally labeled Papyurs Prisse (PP). The original hieratic version was published in 1911 by Gustave Jequier entitled  Le Papyurs Prisse et Ses Variantes. Since most people are not able to read the original hieratic version, a wider reading audience depends upon the reliability of hieroglyphic transcriptions of the text. In the 20th century, one major hieroglyphic transcription of this text was done by Zybnek Zaba called Les Maximes de Ptahhotep (1956). Although there are some problems with Zaba's hieroglyphic transcription that I have written about, I have attached it here to show you examples of major versions of the text placed side by side to provide you with a sense of changes made to the text over time.

I begin this lesson with a discussion on the importance of humility in the Sebayet (Wisdom Instruction) of Ptahhotep contained in Maxim 1. The second part of the lesson is a continuation and completion on the discussion of the Maxim on Maat contained in Lesson 64. See Lesson 64 for a fuller description and all of the texts/readings. I have attached here my full transcription, transliteration, translation, and grammar analysis of the four lines in Maxim 1 of Ptahhotep that focuses on humility in this lesson.

This lesson begins with a brief discussion on clarifying the transliteration and translation of a line in the Prologue of the Sebayet (Wisdom Instruction) of Ptahhotep that frames it as "the phrases (maxims) of good speech." I have attached the glyphs, transliteration, and translation of this line. The balance of the lesson is devoted to providing an initial general overview of one of the most famous stories in Kemet commonly referred to as "The Eloquent Peasant." The story revolves around a protagonist named Khuninpu who gets his goods stolen by a low ranking official named Nemtinakhet and after unsuccessfully appealing to Nemtinakhet to return his goods over a period of 10 days, he takes his case to the Chief Steward named Rensi in the area in which his goods were stolen. In nine petitions, Khuninpu offers profound, speculative insights on good speech and doing Maat as the foundation of ethical leadership and good governance.

This lesson begins with a close grammatical examination of the line towards the end of the first petition in "The Nine Petitions of the Farmer Whose Speech is Good" that revolves around the Chief Steward Rensi informing the Ruler Nebkaure about the qualities of Khuninpu. I offer a retranslation of this line arguing that what is being emphasized through the use of the nfr Hr construction is actually the good character of Khuninpu that manifests in his speech. The setting for the petitions takes place in Rensi's "courthouse barge" (Lichtheim's translation). See the end of the article by Nili Shupak given last week that provides greater contextual detail of the judicial importance of this phrase that is missing from Allen's work.

This lesson extends our discussion in Lesson 67 on the importance of Chief Steward Rensi being positioned both literally and metaphorically on "the Lake of Maat" in The Nine Petitions of the Farmer Whose Speech is Good. I begin by addressing a question around sacred lakes in temples and how important they were for priests in using them to cleanse and purify themselves before engaging in their service. For the Kemites, all life emerges from the primeval waters of Nun so, in a very powerful sense, the spiritual importance of water in any context, especially temples, implicitly hearkens back to a return to the source (i.e. Nun), the beginning of beginnings. Although the lakes at temples are not explicitly referred to as "Lakes of Maat," they profoundly contribute to the optimal maintenance of Maat as I illustrated by reading two small excerpts from the beginning of Kimani Nehusi's book entitled Libation.

I cite a small excerpt from the Third Petition of the text where Khuninpu emphasizes the role and office of Rensi in maintaining Maat by saying "the possessions of everyone are from you like the waters." Once again, we see the importance of water and it really ripples throughout the whole text with nautical metaphors. I use this excerpt as a springboard to highlight and examine a common phrase in Kemetic autobiographical texts where individuals will refer to themselves as "acting on the water" of netcher in general or a particular netcher. In the lesson, I focus on a prayer to Djehuty on the palette of a scribe named Iahmes during the reign of Djehutymes III where he prays that Djehuty "give his favor to one who acts on his water." The meaning of "acting on the water" of a netcher can speak to a wide range of optimal ritual and/or moral values and actions that ultimately uphold the cosmic order of Maat. I provide four additional examples in English translation from Miriam Lichtheim's book on Maat in Egyptian Autobiographies and Related Studies (1992) on the importance of this common phrase.

I end the lesson with a brief excerpt from the First Petition where Khuninpu tells Rensi that he is going to emphasize his importance by making his name according to all of the good rules, i.e. according to the Fivefold Titulary of the Ruler. In doing so, Khuninpu tells Rensi that he is not just a speaker of Maat, or a Doer of Maat, but he is also a "Creator of Maat," i.e. with his judicial procedures and judgments he intentionally makes the power of this principle of cosmic order felt on earth.

Our African ancestors in the Nile Valley pioneered the idea of the "scales of justice." In this lesson, I highlight two small excerpts from the third and eighth petitions of the Nine Petitions of the Farmer Whose Speech is Good that focus on the importance of the scale (balance) in relationship to Maat. Arriving at a "just" decision around a conflict involves weighing speech and evidence before rendering a decision. These excerpts highlight the natural extension of the scale (balance) from the social to the cosmic sphere where, in Kemet, one's heart, i.e. the lifespan of their thought, speech, and action is weighed against Maat as a prerequisite for an optimal transition into the next life. I have included my full transliteration, translation, and grammatical commentary of the excerpts discussed in this lesson. I have also included the glyphs, transliteration,and translation of the 3rd and 8th petitions respectively by James Allen in Middle Egyptian Literature.

Towards the end of the lesson, I focus on a contrast between Maat and the Greek concept of the scales of justice referred to as "Dike." I use the work of Vincent Tobin entitled "Maat and Dike: Some Comparative Considerations of Egyptian and Greek Thought" to emphasize major differences between these worldviews. In general, Tobin argues that Maat speaks to a more optimistic, moral universe that extends into the afterlife whereas Dike is grounded in a more pessimistic, amoral universe that ends at death and does not extend into the afterlife.  I have attached the full article for your deeper exploration.

This lesson begins by concluding our discussion of The Nine Petitions of the Farmer Whose Speech is Good (The Eloquent Peasant) through highlighting a passage in the 8th Petition that focuses on the power of Maat in life and entry into the afterlife, on earth (ta) and in heaven (pt). In the story, Khuninpu heightens the importance of the divine world in the final petitions (i.e. 8 and 9) when it appears like justice on earth in the form of a decision by Chief Steward Rensi returning his stolen goods is not going to materialize. At the end of the story, Rensi has the 9 petitions of Khuninpu preserved and read and he has Nemtynakhet brought to him and Nemtynakhet is punished for his crime by having all of his property given to Khuninpu along with receiving a physical beating. I have attached the excerpts from the 8th petition and the end of the story.

The discussion of the importance of Maat for entry into the next life in the Nine Petitions of the Farmer Whose Speech is Good naturally leads into a fuller, deeper discussion of this theme by focusing on the famous Weighing of the Heart Judgment scene in the Book of Coming Forth By Day (Chapter 30 and 125) and specifically the meaning of "True of Voice" as an epithet of the deceased at the culmination of the judgment. I tease out part of the meaning of Maa Kheru by asking us to think about the distinction between "speech" and "voice." The judgment takes place in "The Hall of Two Maats (Two Truths) and I argue that I think this term refers to the power of Maat in two realms, on earth (ta) and in heaven (pt). In the scene, the Ennead (i.e. Ra-Hor-Akhety, Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Isis, Nephthys, Horus, Hathor, Hu, and Sia) compose a divine council witnessing the judgment.

This divine council is going to lead to a deeper discussion of the Kemetic view of the cosmos in the next lesson in relation to Maat, but I start this discussion in this lesson through referencing the scientific mind and spirit of the great George Washington Carver. I use him as a (re)-entry point to a discussion on the Kemetic view of the cosmos and highlight his profound respect for exploring the depths of the natural world in his life and work which mirrors the kind of view that can easily be observed in Kemet that does not separate "science" from "spirituality" and this view yielded phenomenal human achievements and excellence in every arena of life. I use Carver's own words to ground the importance of this view by using Gary Kremer's George Washington Carver: In His Own Words (pp. 147,148,152,153,155,158,161). I have attached the chapter from this book that I referenced.

In the next lesson, I will focus on examining Maa Kheru in the Old Kingdom as far back as we can see it in texts, highlighting both the Pyramid Texts and excerpts from officials from their tombs.

This lesson focuses on beginning to provide a necessary historical context of the concept of maa kheru "true of voice" utilizing select excerpts from the Pyramid Texts and one Old Kingdom tomb from an official named Khuiwer. Answering the following questions in nuanced ways drive the discussion:

1. Does maa kheru begin with being linked to Usir (i.e. Osiris)?
2. Is maa kheru reflective of an objective or subjective assessment? i.e. Is it reflective of a judgment from without or the person themselves? Or both?
3. Does maa kheru imply a trial and a judgment and if so, where is the setting, i.e. where does it take place?
4. How is maa kheru distinguished from, yet overlaps the concept of imakh?
5. What are the implications of the different ways in which we can see maa kheru in grammar?

In this lesson, I begin to address questions 1, 2, 3, and 5. The major article by Rudolf Anthes, "The Original Meaning of Maa Kheru" is used as a starting point for our discussion, but his article focuses almost exclusively on references in the Pyramid Texts which is a limitation of his work. I highlight one reference on maa kheru in this lesson from an Old Kingdom tomb of Khuiwer that both expands and complicates Anthes core thesis which argues that maa kheru refers to an assessment that is made on the life of the deceased. Khuiwer and other texts highlight the idea that maa kheru can also be a subjective assessment. Maa kheru is not originally linked directly to Usir (Osiris) based upon the Pyramid Text references. 

I have attached the primary texts and my transliteration and translation of the excerpts highlighted in the Pyramid Texts and the text of Khuiwer.

This lesson focuses on maa kheru in the context of answering two major questions posed to me after viewing Lesson 71. The first question asked me to elaborate on the corpus of Kemetic Letters to Ancestors. In answering this question, I cite two letters from the work by Edward Wente, Letters From Ancient Egypt. The first letter is from a mother to her deceased son written on a bowl in a spiral pattern and I read the English translation and show the glyphs that highlight maa kheru in the letter as both something that can be given to the deceased at the side of every netcher and an actual place in the afterlife. I also include the full article on this letter by Alexandre Piankoff and Jacques Jean Clere entitled "A Letter to the Dead on a Bowl in the Louvre" for further exploration. The second letter is a letter from a husband to his decease wife and I read select passages, but I have attached the full translation by Wente. In addition, I am posting the piece by Michael Rowlands on "The Unity of Africa" and specifically I want you to take a look at the section entitled "A Politics of Closure" that speaks to the spiritual power of containers in Africa. 

The second question revolved around the concept of gr (ger) "silent, restrained, calm" as an optimal trait of a person that exhibits and actualizes good character. Navigating life with optimal moral values is the foundation for someone being maa kheru and ger is an important value to highlight. I discuss this concept by reading select maxims in the Wisdom Instruction of Ptahhotep (Maxim 3, 24, 25 in Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature).

I end this lesson with a narrative re-emphasis on the importance of the Kemetic view of the cosmos for this discussion on maa kheru. 

This lesson focuses on maa kheru in the Stela of Intef who was Chief of the Army during the 11th Dynasty. This stela gestures to the "weighing of the heart" of the deceased as a prerequisite evaluative process for entering into the afterlife. I highlight this text for a number of reasons. First, it shows a grammatical construction that is a subject-stative construction, i.e. "his voice is true" vs. the common nefer Her construction "true of voice." The use of the subject-stative construction implies a cumulative process of past action as part of a comment on a state of being. Thus, unlike the nefer Her construction, the subject-stative construction emphasizes a state, not a quality.

Second, the text emphasizes the mathematical dynamic of the weighing of the heart with the concept of Aaw "surplus." And lastly, the text has a very interesting statement asserting that if a person demonstrates honesty in admitting to their faults during the weighing process, the faults will not be factored in as part of the weighing of the heart.

I have attached the full glyphs, transliteration, and translation of the lines highlighted in the Stela of Intef along with the English translation of the Stela by Miriam Lichtheim contained in her work entitled Ancient Egyptian Autobiographies Chiefly of the Middle Kingdom. I have also attached the article in French by Jacques Jean Clere on the Stela of Intef.

This lesson highlights some of my initial reflections on presenting at and attending the Symposium on Cheikh Anta Diop held in Dakar, Senegal celebrating the 100 birthday of Cheikh Anta Diop. I particularly make reference to major scholars in Africa who presented at the conference and are intimately involved in teaching Medu Netcher and Egyptology in their respective countries. At the end of the lesson I discuss the most impactful presentation for me which was delivered by Malick Deme, a scholar at the University of Cheikh Anta Diop who teaches Egyptology and his work focuses on the origins and evolution of iron techniques and production among Nile Valley populations from the Neolithic to the Late Period. This presentation was complimented by Etienne Zangato, an archaeologist at the University of Nanterre in Paris, who focuses on early iron production in Central Africa from approximately 2500 BCE.

I have attached the following list of all works referenced in the lesson:

The Royal Wisdom Instruction for Merikare is a fascinating literary text to study with many complex dimensions. Merikare was a Ruler in the 10th Dynasty based in Herakleopolis during what is commonly referred to as the First Intermediate Period, a period of well over a century that saw the Kemites fighting themselves. There was a rival 11th Dynasty that was based in Waset (Thebes) and ultimately they defeat Herakleopolis and begin the complete reunification process of Kemet. This Royal wisdom instruction composed by one of Merikare's predecessors, provides him with intimate advice on how to best govern the country that combines a deep sense and respect for culture and traditions that extended far back into the ancient past along with a sobering sense of the present, observed reality of conflict. In this lesson, I highlight the fact that the Ruler also faced a final judgment, i.e. "the weighing of the heart" in order to render him Maa Kheru "True of Voice." The text highlights many optimal character traits and actions that the Ruler needed to effectively govern and I focus on the power of his tongue (i.e. speech) as central to this process. 

I have attached my hieroglyphic transcription, transliteration, and translation of the lines highlighted in the lesson. You will also find in this file the book from which I copied the glyphs by Wolfgang Helck, Die Lehre fur Konig Merikare (1977). I have attached Miriam Lichtheim's full translation contained in Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol. 1. 

I have also attached the major transliteration and translation of the Wisdom Instruction for Merikare by Stephen Quirke of the University College of London in his book on Egyptian Literature (2004). 

Quirke is a British Egyptologist who welcomes new approaches to the field coming from both Arab and African-Centered scholars respectively. He wrote the Afterword to Yoporeka Somet's book entitled Ancient Egypt: An African World System (2018) and I have attached it here. In addition, he noted the influence of the Arab scholar Okasha El Daly who has written a very important work entitled Egyptology: The Missing Millenium: Ancient Egypt in Medieval Arabic Writings (2005). In discussing El Daly, I specifically made mention of a Youtube video by Okasha El Daly captioned as "Medieval Muslims and Egyptian Hieroglyphs" that is very informative. Towards the end of this lecture, he presents the Weighing of the Heart scene from Ancient Egypt and he argues that the Kemetic idea of weighing the deeds of one's life in a final judgment influenced the same conception in Islam. 

As a prelude to examining the philosophy of governance contained in the Royal Wisdom Instruction for Merikare next week, this week's focus is on the concept and origin of the word philosophy itself through heavy reference to selected works by Theophile Obenga. Obenga views philosophy as a systematic reflective thinking about life and seeks to use this definition to open up a cross-cultural conversations that does not endorse or replicate ideas of Western superiority beginning with the Greeks. In fact, Obenga says that the word philosophy itself has no known etymology in either the Greek language nor the Indo-European language family.

Due to the absence of any etymology for the word, Obenga pioneered an etymology of the Greek word sophos "wisdom" emanating from the Kemetic word seba "to teach, learn, educate." Obenga naturally looked for this etymology of sophos based on the well-known fact and substantial Greek literature providing us with a positive portrayal and appraisal of the knowledge contained in and received from Kemet. I highlight the work Busiris by the Athenian orator Isocrates (436-338 BCE) which asserts that the Ancient Egyptians were viewed as the originators of philosophy and that the Greek Philosopher Pythagoras (590-530 BCE), who studied in Egypt for 22 years under the guidance of Kemetic priests, was the principle Greek scholar to bring back all philosophy to the Greeks from his education in the Nile Valley especially in the form of astronomy, geometry, and various rituals and ceremonies. 

In the latter part of the lesson, I highlight a relatively recent work entitled the Book of Thoth (2014) by Richard Jasnow and Karl Theodor Zauzich to provide us with a rare glimpse into ideas and ritual utterances, conversations, and practices involved in the initiation process of Kemetic priests in the House of Life. This text, in at least 30 manuscripts scattered in various museums around the world, is principally dated from 300 BCE to 300 AD but Dag Herbjornsrud, the prominent Norwegian scholar, cites Joachim Quack from the original larger publication on the Book of Thoth in 2005 as saying that the initiation text clearly extended back until at least the 12th c. BCE. I provide a narrative overview of the major contents that have been studied in the existing manuscripts. The work is framed as a conversation between a Master who is named "One who Praises Knowledge" which is probably a reference to Djehuty (Thoth) and/or a priest functioning as the Master inspired by Djehuty (Thorth) and a Student named Mer-Rekh "one who loves knowledge." I agree with Herbjornsrud's position that the Mer-Rekh "one who loves knowledge" could very well have directly provided the educational inspiration for the Greek word philosophy which has the same basic meaning. 

The Sebayet (Wisdom Instruction) for Merikare is a very sophisticated treatise on major ideas and ideals of governance in Kemet. Governance is informed by various ways of knowing in Kemet and in this lesson, I highlight the power of the legacy of ancestors and ancestral wisdom. The speech and counsels of the ancestors is elevated as both guide and authority in sustaining and reconstructing a society based on Maat. All of the ancestral predecessors of Merikare in his divine office as Ruler are conceptualized as part of a "Royal Ka," a collective genealogy that extends back to the earliest beginnings. The wisdom of this "Royal Ka" is transmitted intergenerationally both orally and in writing and Merikare is empowered to use both to inform the present in his quest to navigate all of the problems he is attempting to solve in the observed reality. 

I have attached my full transliteration and translation of the excerpt on Maat from the text highlighted in the lesson. I have also attached a brief description of the Royal Ka by Lanny Bell in an edited book by Byron Shafer, The Temples of Ancient Egypt. 

I highlighted the importance of bread in this lesson in the context of the word sny "to copy." I have attached an excerpt on bread from the book by Magda Medawy and Amr Hussein, The Pharaoh's Kitchen and a chart on the complexity of cereal production and processing by Mary Murray in an edited book by Paul Nicholson and Ian Shaw entitled Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology.

The framing of this lesson revolves around elaborating on a small excerpt of a Youtube interview of Theophile Obenga by Oba T'Shaka, former colleagues at San Francisco State University. Obenga was asked a question about whether or not the power of African culture can help to bring peace to humanity. Obenga answers in the affirmative and cited a well-known Kemetic story of Khufu and the Magicians to, in part, illustrate his point. This story is actually an interconnected cycle of three stories that speak to the past, present, and future respectively. Each story is relayed by one of the sons of Khufu, Ruler during the 4th Dynasty for whom the largest Pyramid at Giza was constructed. 

In the first story, Khufu's son named Bauefre tells him about a story of the past under the reign of Seneferu, Khufu's father. Seneferu was in search of new ideas on how to spend his leisure time and a famous Lector Priest named Djadjaemankh who was a master of Hekau (i.e. "magic") suggested to him to have some beautiful women row him in a boat on the Lake of the Palace. Seneferu was enthusiastic about this idea and during the rowing, one of the women stopped because she had lost her fish pendant made of turquoise in the lake. Seneferu tells her that he will replace it, but she insists on retrieving the original at the bottom of the lake. Seneferu calls the Lector Priest Djadjaemankh to solve this problem with his speech of Heka and he commences to part the waters of the lake to retrieve the pendant and then he returns the waters to their original position. 

In the second story, which Obenga highlights in his interview, Khufu's son Hordjedef insists on telling his father a story about a great master of Hekau in the present, who has no high titles and is just a commoner (i.e. "nedjes") whose name is Djedi. Djedi magical exploits are renowned, as he knew how to tie back a severed head, to make a lion walk behind him without a leash, and he knew the whereabouts of the secret chambers of the sanctuary of Djehuty. In order to demonstrate the power of his Hekau, Khufu asks Djedi to sever the head of a captive and to tie it back together. Djedi responds forcefully to Khufu and says that although he knew how to do this, this is something that should never be done to people because of their elevated divinity. He then commences to successfully perform this powerful feat of Hekau on geese and cattle. The exact same sense of the elevated divinity of people is also found in the Wisdom Instruction for Merikare which I also cite in this lesson. 

Obenga used this Kemetic story to emphasize the idea that bringing peace to humanity is intimately connected to how one views the conception and value of people. 

I have attached my full transliteration, translation, and grammatical analysis of all of the lines discussed in the lesson along with the accessible English translation by Miriam Lichtheim in Ancient Egyptian Literatute, Vol. I. I have also attached the whole book on text which contains the original text and the hieroglyphic transcription in A.M. Blackman, The Story of King Kheops and the Magicians. I have also attached Stephen Quirke's full transliteration and translation of the text published in his book on Egyptian Literature (2004). 

In Lesson 79, I use an excerpt from the work of Asa Hilliard's SBA: Reawakening of the African Mind entitled "Maat and Socialization" to help us to frame some concise, narrative commentary on some important Kemetic ideals, ideas, and practices in their quest to sustain and maintain a social order grounded in Maat. In practical terms, I highlight that in the arena of governance the text emphasizes the importance of making sure that the material needs of officials supporting the Ruler are optimal in order to disincentivize the lure of potential compromise and corruption. In the public arena, I draw attention to the imperative to help the most vulnerable in the society and the importance of   khet "property, possessions, things" in the context of family and community. I use an excerpt from Maulana Karenga's important book on Maat: The Moral Ideal in Ancient Egypt to discuss helping and protecting the vulnerable in the society. In my discussion of khet, I also gesture to issues around inheritance and provide a glimpse of a case study on a woman in the New Kingdom named Naunakhte who was disheartened by the lack of support from 3 of her 8 children and this impacted what she left them in her "will."

In addition to looking at the Wisdom Instruction for Merikare, I also discuss briefly the virtual genre of "Appeals to the Living," i.e. texts primarily found in tombs and on stela which revolves around the deceased reflecting on their good character in life as a rationale to communicate with those living on top of the earth to provide them with prayers and offerings. I have attached for your perusal the major dissertation by Stephen Shubert on this topic. For this task, I prominently use the stela of the commoner named Iti in a piece entitled "Three Stelae from Naga ed-Deir by Henry George Fisher in a book of essays honoring the prominent Egyptologist Dows Dunham. Dows Dunham was viewed as a friend and trusted advisor by William Leo Hansberry, the Howard University based scholar from 1922-1959, who pioneered what became African Studies in the US in so many ways. I cite a brief letter from the Introduction of a book on Hansberry by Joseh Harris, a professor in Howard University's History Department that reveals Dows Dunham directly making the case to as to why he would not support Hansberry participating in an archaeological excavation in Egypt or Sudan because of the erroneus racist idea that the presence of an "American Negro" would instantly be viewed as decreasing its intellectual value. I provide you with the whole essay by Harris.  

I have attached my full transliteration, translation, and grammar of lines discussed and displayed in glyphs in the lesson. There were some lines that I did not show glyphs for in the Wisdom Instruction for Merikare, but I have added them as part of the documentation for this lesson.

For those that do not have the major reference source by David Shennum entitled English-Egyptian Index of Faulkner's Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, I have attached it here.

In preparation for our discussion on Maat and Maa Kheru (True of Voice) in the famous Weighing of the Heart scene in the Book of Coming Forth By Day, it is appropriate to help lay a solid foundation for that prospective lesson with an examination of important concepts. This lesson begins with a narrative, brief exploration of one of those concepts, the Ba. The major scholarly treatment on the Ba in English is a book by Louis Zabkar which I have attached below. In this work, Zabkar lays out two broad theoretical approaches to explaining the Ba. One approach has Kurt Sethe as a major scholar who views the Ba as part of a person's nature which implicitly creates a dualistic opposition between the "body" and the "soul." Zabkar argues for a different approach that views the Ba as a "mode of existence" in which the deceased continued to live. I read two detailed paragraphs from his book on pages 113 and 162 respectively explaining his approach.

I discuss the saddlebill stork which is the bird that is used to write the word Ba and I offer a passage from the Wisdom Instruction of Ptahhotep which speaks to the dynamic of a person who intentionally seeks to "set goodness" in his Ba while on top of the earth in order to build up a cumulative power that will inevitably help the person in the next life. In the form of a bird, the Ba conveys the power of the freedom of movement. I have attached my transliteration, translation, and grammar of this line. I also highlight the article by John Gee on Ba Sending to emphasize the idea that a person can send their ba to someone else, especially in a dream. The power of the freedom of the Ba is also shown through the deceased being able to continue the power of their ib and physical activity with things like eating, drinking, and even copulating.

I use this lesson to also begin a discussion on Martin Delany and his predominant allegorical approach to Medu Netcher contained in a work entitled the Principia of Ethnology (1879) towards the end of a long, illustrious career. From my research, Delany is the first African American to attempt to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs. I have attached my article from the ANKH journal on this topic. On page 47, Delany writes two lines of hieroglyphs in his own hand which are copied from a work by George Gliddon on Ancient Egypt who is heavily credited with communicating the importance of the implications of Champollion's decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs to an American audience. The first line that Delany drew was actually supposed to be a depiction of the Ba, but he continued a mistake from Gliddon's publication which miscopied the line based on the original text by William Osburn, The Antiquities of Egypt. I did not actually provide this line in transliteration, but I discussed in translation at the end of the lesson. I spend the balance of the time in this lesson contextualizing and explaining an important shield situated at the end of Delany's text that he refers to as "the Garden of Hesperides." This symbol conveys a complex combination of symbolic and cultural understandings that include freemasonry, the Bible, Ethiopia, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and concepts derived from the Yoruba culture and language, a language he was exposed to in 1859 by Samuel Crowther in his trip to modern day Nigeria in search of a place for African Americans to emigrate to as a response to the seeming entrenchment of the institution of slavery in the US.

I have attached Delany's two chapters from Principia of Ethnology on "The Builders of the Pyramids" and "the Garden of Hesperides." I made mention of Delany's discussion of Freemasonry and I have attached is full address here on the topic before the St. Cyrpian Lodge in 1853. Since the number three is a sacred number in Freemasonry, based, in part, on the importance attached to the 47th problem in the work entitled Elements by the 3rd c. B.C. Greek mathematician Euclid which is a proof dealing with the Kemetic/"Pythagorean" Theorem. I have attached Theophile Obenga's discussion of this in French in his book on Egyptian Geometry. Delany extended the mathematical importance of the number three to a divine level to discuss Biblical and Egyptian conceptions of the power of God. I have attached a brief excerpt on this theme contained in the work by Francoise Dunand and Christiane Zivie-Coche entitled Gods and Men in Egypt.

This lesson focuses on contextualizing the importance of a line of hieroglyphs copied by Martin Delany in his work on Principia of Ethnology (1879) that comes from one of the pair of obelisks in Luxor Temple dedicated to Ramesses II which now resides in Paris at the Place de la Concorde. Freemasonry, I provide you with both my technical translation and grammar of this line along with Delany's more allegorical translation and explain the importance and meaning of his attempt through highlighting his involvement in Freemasonry. Delany attempted to synthesize Masonic, Biblical, and Hieroglyphic understandings and approaches in the symbolic presentation of his shield on the Garden of Hesperides introduced in the last lesson. I briefly reference the important work by Scot Trafton entitled Egypt Land: Race and Nineteenth Century American Egyptomania and I provide you here with an excerpt discussing Martin Delany and Prince Hall Freemasonry juxtaposed against white freemasons in the understanding and use of Egypt and Ethiopia. Since many of the prominent leaders in the U.S. government, most notably the first President George Washington, were Freemasons, I emphasize how this is clearly seen today in the construction of the Washington Monument in the form of an Egyptian obelisk. I provide an excerpt for you from the work by John Gordon on the Washington Monument.

I have provided background readings from Labib Habachi's The Obelisks of Egypt recounting the elaborate 5 + year process of France removing this obelisk from Luxor Temple and transporting it several thousand miles to Paris directed by a marine engineer named Jean-Baptiste Apollinaire Lebas.

In the attached readings, you will also find the complete hieroglyphs and translation of Ramesses II's obelisks in Luxor contained in Kenneth Kitchen's Ramesside Inscriptions.

In deciphering symbols in Delany's Garden of Hesperides, I provide you with Delany's own explanation of some of these symbols in the Principia of Ethnology, most namely his discussion of the Ram, Bull, Dog, and Phoenix. I conclude the lesson by laying a foundation for a more extensive discussion on obelisks through highlighting the importance of the city Iwnw (i.e. Heliopolis "the sun city") and the Benu "Phoenix" bird in Kemet. On the Phoenix, I provide you with an excerpt from Stephen Quirke's The Cult of Ra: Sun-Worship in Ancient Egypt and my dissertation that talks about the Benu "Phoenix" bird linked to the planet Venus which, I think, helps to deepens our understanding of the dynamic meaning of obelisks in Kemet.

In this lesson, I focus on the importance and meaning of teken.wi "obelisks" in Kemet through highlighting Hatshepsut's efforts to raise obelisks at Karnak. From what we can see in the historical record, the construction of obelisks extends back to at least the latter part of the Old Kingdom and Iwnw "Heliopolis" (i.e. "sun city") was a very important location for raising obelisks due to the Creation Cosmology that emerged from there. I provide a small excerpt from Stephen Quirke's book on The Cult of Ra to gesture to the importance of Obelisks at Heliopolis and the importance of the Benu bird (i.e. Phoenix) in the Heliopolitan cosmology. 

Hatshepsut attempted to construct what would have been the largest obelisk in Kemet, but during the quarrying process, a crack developed in the granite and the site was abandoned in Aswan. This unsuccessful attempt tells us a great deal about the Kemetic process of extracting obelisks from the earth. I provide a chapter by Labib Habachi on "How Obelisks were produced" to discuss the meaning of this failed attempt, but I provide a more detailed, current excerpt on "Theories of Erecting Obelisks" from Dieter Arnold's book on Building in Egypt: Pharonic Stone Masonry.  

I provide the scene of Hatshepsut raising obelisks for Amun-Ra at Karnak in glyphs, transliteration, and grammar that was highlighted in the lesson. Take note that the glyphs besides Hatshepsut are an example of what is referred to as "retrograde writing" (i.e. writing that flows in an unexpected, abnormal direction for intentional reasons). One theory is that retrograde writing flows in a west-east solar orientation in alignment with the solar cycle of rebirth. 

In this lesson, I continue the discussion of Hatshepsut raising obelisks at Karnak by focusing on an excerpt where she specifically talks about the pyramidal-shaped tip of the obelisk which is referred to as benbenet. I provide the glyphs, transliteration, translation, and grammar of the lines focused on in the lesson along with an article in French on this passage by Luc Gabolde, and the full hieroglyphic text contained in Kurt Sethe's Urkunden der 18 Dynastie (see the top of p.365 for the specific lines highlighted in the lesson).

I use the discussion of the benbenet to segue into a detailed discussion of a very famous math problem in Kemet referred to as Problem #14 in the Moscow Papyrus on the Volume of a Truncated Pyramid. The Kemites were the first to have developed the mathematical formula to calculate the volume of a truncated pyramid and I use the work of Theophile Obenga in his books on African Philosophy and Egyptian Geometry respectively to ground the discussion. I provide all glyphs, transliteration, translation, and grammar of this famous problem. I attach articles by Kurt Vogel and Quido Vetter to contrast with Obenga in terms of perspective and interpretation.