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.