Royal Titles and Sacred Symbols | Egyptology
Through dealing with the scenes and the texts the student will encounter a group of the titles, the vocabulary and the traditional formulae special to the formulae of praise, the invocations, the prayers and others; he will also notice their repetition whenever these scenes or those texts are repeated. As a facilitation for the student and the worker in the field of archaeology and guidance, we have gathered them within the framework of an appendix in the hope that it may achieve the desired benefit from it.
1 – The Royal Titles
There are five titles, namely:
(a) Horus
It is pronounced “Ḥr” in ancient Egyptian, “Hōr” in Coptic, and “Horus” in Greek.
(b) Two Ladies (or Horus of the Two Ladies / Nebty)
It has been the custom to translate this title as “Horus of the Two Ladies,” but researchers now tend to translate it: “Horus the Victor over Seth,” relying on the fact that the sign (nwb) upon which Horus stands is not a sign for “gold” in this case, but is rather an abbreviated form of the word (nwb.t) which is the name of the city of Ombos, the centre of the cult of the god Seth (present-day Nagada, Qena Governorate). From a symbolic and mythological viewpoint the standing of Horus upon the centre of the cult of Seth means his victory over this god – a matter that is confirmed through the standing of Horus upon Seth, who appears sometimes in the form of a pig, as appears in the story of the conflict between Horus and Seth recorded on the walls of the temple of Edfu.
(c) Golden Horus (or Horus of Gold)
“The One belonging to the Two Ladies,” an indication of the traditional bond across the Egyptian ages between the king and the goddess of the South before the Unification: “Nekhbet,” and the goddess of the North: “Wadjet.”
(d) Son of Re
“Son of the Sun”: this title expresses the relationship between the kings of Egypt and the sun-god in one of his forms. This title is the “birth” title.
(e) King of Upper and Lower Egypt (Nesu-bity)
“King of Upper and Lower Egypt”: this is the coronation title, that is, the title that confirms the king’s rule of the country. The title means literally: the One belonging to the plant “swt” (the sedge), the symbol of the South, and to the bee “bit,” the symbol of the North.
In addition to these five principal titles, the kings bore a large number of titles and epithets; we shall refer to one of them, namely the title (pr-ꜥꜣ): Pharaoh. The word “Pharaoh” is a compound word from “pr” meaning “house,” and “ꜥꜣ” meaning “great,” that is: “the Great House,” or “the palace” in which the king resides. The word continued to be used to mean “palace” until the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty, when it began to be used as a “royal” title among the titles of the kings of Egypt.
2 – Vocabulary Indicating the Sacred Symbols of the Gods and the Kings
Ḥqꜣ (Ruler / Sceptre)
It is the symbol indicating rule and authority, and it represents a curved staff that goes back in its origins to the shepherd’s staff.
Nḫḫ (Flail / Whip)
It is one of the signs indicating authority. In connection with our modern and contemporary history, the holders of authority in the towns and villages used to carry the flail (the minsha) as a manifestation of distinction from others, in addition to its practical role in driving away the flies and the flying insects.
Dd (Djed Column)
It means in its general sense “stability,” and it is one of the symbols of the god Osiris. It represents, it seems, a part of the vertebral column of man. This symbol indicates the house of Osiris – a matter that is confirmed through the ritual known as “the Raising of the Djed Column.”
Wꜣs (Was Sceptre)
The word “wꜣs” means in its general sense “prosperity, dominion,” and it became one of the religious symbols. It represents a staff with an animal’s head.
Wꜣḏ (Papyrus Stem / Column)
It is the “papyrus stem,” or “a column in the form of a papyrus stem.” In view of the sacredness of the papyrus from the earliest beginnings of Egyptian civilisation, it became one of the sacred symbols.
Ꜥnḫ (Ankh / Sign of Life)
One of the most famous symbols indicating “life,” which the kings and the gods used to carry. The sign represents in origin a “sandal-strap.”
3 – The Names of the Royal Crowns
The royal crowns and the coverings of the head multiplied in ancient Egypt; consequently the vocabulary indicating them also multiplied and differed according to the difference of the occasions and the rituals in which the kings took part. The ancient Egyptian applied the word “ḫꜥw” and its plural “ḫꜥw.w” to express the royal crown (the crowns) in general, but he made for each crown, by way of distinguishing it from the other crowns, a special name of its own as follows:
The White Crown (Crown of the South)
| Name | Transliteration |
|---|---|
| The White Crown | ḥḏt |
| Crown of the South | šmꜥ.w |
| The Great Crown | wrt |
| The Beautiful Crown | nfrt |
The Red Crown (Crown of the North)
| Name | Transliteration |
|---|---|
| The Red Crown | dšrt |
| Crown of the North | mḥ(w) |
| The Papyrus Crown | wꜣḏt |
| The Bee Crown | bit |
Other Crowns
| Name | Transliteration |
|---|---|
| The Atef Crown (of Osiris) | ꜣtf |
| The Blue Crown | ḫprš |
| The Double Crown | sḫmty |
| Head-cloth | ḫꜣt |
| The Two Feathers | šwty |
| The Nemes | nms |
4 – The Names of the Pyramids
Most of the Egyptian pyramids were given names that indicate the names of their owners, and that describe the pyramids and their owners with particular attributes and epithets. The names that were given – if they were given – to the attempts to arrive at the complete pyramidal form from the reign of Djoser until before the reign of Huni, the owner of the Meidum pyramid (which is also attributed to King Sneferu), are not known.
As for the pyramids (of the Old and Middle Kingdoms) for which names are not known, either they were not given names, or we have not yet found them; the latter possibility is the more probable.
Fourth Dynasty
| Pyramid | Name (Transliteration) | Location | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyramid of Sneferu | ḏd-snfrw | Dahshur | Sneferu Endures |
| Pyramid of Sneferu (Northern) | ḫꜥ snfrw | Dahshur | May Sneferu Shine (Rise) |
| Pyramid of Sneferu (Southern / Bent) | ḫꜥ snfrw rsy | Dahshur | May Sneferu Shine (Rise) – the Southern |
| Pyramid of Khufu | ꜣḫt ḫwfw | Giza | Horizon of Khufu |
| Pyramid of Djedefre | sḥd ḏd.f-rꜥ | Abu Rawash | Djedefre is Radiant |
| Pyramid of Khafre | wr ḫꜥ.f-rꜥ | Giza | Great is Khafre |
| Pyramid of Menkaure | nṯry mn-kꜣw-rꜥ | Giza | Divine is Menkaure |
| Mastaba of Shepseskaf | qbḥw špss kꜣ.f | South Saqqara | (The Place of) Purification of Shepseskaf |
Fifth Dynasty
| Pyramid | Name (Transliteration) | Location | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyramid of Userkaf | wꜥb swt wsr-kꜣ.f | Saqqara | Pure are the Places of Userkaf |
| Pyramid of Sahure | ḫꜥi bꜣ sꜣḥw-rꜥ | Abusir | The Ba of Sahure Shines |
| Pyramid of Neferirkare | bꜣ nfr-ir-kꜣ-rꜥ | Abusir | The Ba of Neferirkare |
| Pyramid of Neferefre | nṯr(y) nfr.f-rꜥ | Abusir | Divine is the Ba of Neferefre |
| Pyramid of Niuserre | mn swt n(y)-wsr-rꜥ | Abusir | Enduring are the Places of Niuserre |
| Pyramid of Menkauhor | nṯr(y) swt mn kꜣw ḥr | Dahshur | Divine are the Places of Menkauhor |
| Pyramid of Djedkare | nfr ḏd kꜣ-rꜥ | South Saqqara | Beautiful is Djedkare |
| Pyramid of Unas | nfr swt wnīs | Saqqara | Beautiful are the Places of Unas |
Sixth Dynasty
| Pyramid | Name (Transliteration) | Location | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyramid of Teti | ḏd swt tti | Saqqara | Enduring are the Places of Teti |
| Pyramid of Pepi I | mn nfr ppy | South Saqqara | Pepi is Established and Beautiful |
| Pyramid of Merenre | ḫꜥi nfr mri n rꜥ | South Saqqara | The Beauty of Merenre Shines |
| Pyramid of Neferkare (Pepi II) | mn ꜥnḫ nfr kꜣ rꜥ | South Saqqara | Neferkare is Established and Living |
| Pyramid of Neferkare the Second | ḏd ꜥnḫ nfr kꜣ rꜥ | South Saqqara | May the Life of Neferkare Endure |
Later Periods
| Pyramid | Name (Transliteration) | Location | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pyramid of Merykare | wꜣḏ swt mry-kꜣ-rꜥ | — | Flourishing is the Throne of Merykare |
| Pyramid of Mentuhotep | ꜣḫ swt | Deir el-Bahari | The Throne is Radiant |
| Pyramid of Amenemhat I | swt ḫꜥ imn m ḥꜣt | Lisht | The Places of the Appearance of Amenemhat |
| Pyramid of Senusret I | s n wsr.t ptr tꜣwy | Lisht | “Senusret surveys the Two Lands” |
| Pyramid of Amenemhat II | ḏd imn-m-ḥꜣt | Dahshur | Amenemhat is Provided (with Amun) |
| Pyramid of Senusret II | (name unknown) | Lahun | — |
| Pyramid of Senusret III | (name unknown) | Dahshur | — |
| Pyramid of Amenemhat III | (name unknown) | Dahshur | — |
| Pyramid of Amenemhat III | (name unknown) | Hawara | — |
| Pyramid of Khendjer | (name unknown) | Dahshur | — |
| Pyramid of Khendjer | (name unknown) | Mazghuna | — |
5 – A List of the Names of the Most Important Temples in Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptian expressed the word “temple” by means of several terms, among them:
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| r-pr | Temple |
| ḥwt | Temple / Enclosure |
| pr | Temple / House |
| ḥwt-nṯr | House of the God |
| pr-ꜥꜣḫ | Funerary Temple |
| pr-dwꜣt | Valley Temple |
Names of the Most Important Temples
First: The Temples of the Gods
| Temple | Name (Transliteration) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Temples of Karnak | ipt-swt | The Most Select of Places |
| Temple of Luxor | ipt-rsyt | The Southern Harem |
| Great Temple of Abu Simbel (Ramesses II) | pr mry-imn rꜥ-ms-swt | The House of Ramesses, Beloved of Amun |
Second: The Funerary Temples
| Temple | Name (Transliteration) | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Temple of Queen Ahmose-Nefertari | mn swt | Enduring of Thrones |
| Temple of King Amenhotep I | ḫnmt mn | United with Eternity |
Module Key Takeaways
- Royal identity: The five royal titles and key sacred symbols defined the king’s divine and political authority in ancient Egypt.
- Names as meaning: Crowns, pyramids, and temples each carried specific names with transliterations and meanings tied to gods, kings, and stability.
- Reference value: The appendix provides a practical reference for recognizing standard titles, symbols, and architectural naming patterns.