Harpoon (hieroglyph)

The ancient Egyptian Harpoon, (archaeological, single-barbed type), is one of the oldest language hieroglyphs from ancient Egypt. It is used on the famous Narmer Palette of Pharaoh Narmer from the 31st century BC, in an archaic hieroglyphic form.

T21
Harpoon
in hieroglyphs

Language usage of harpoon

The hieroglyphic equivalent of the Harpoon is wꜥ, and means "1", a single item, and it is one of the 102 Egyptian biliterals; its use is extensive throughout the language history, and hieroglyphic tomb reliefs and story-telling of Ancient Egypt.

Rosetta Stone usage

In the 198 BC Rosetta Stone of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, the Harpoon hieroglyph is used only once, in line 8: "crowns, 10 [...] with uraeus on their fronts, on one every among them" ("on each among them").

  • Front side usage of harpoon-(left photo), Narmer Palette
    Front side usage of harpoon-(left photo), Narmer Palette
  • Closeup of archaic form on Narmer Palette
    Closeup of archaic form on Narmer Palette
  • Example usage in text passage
    Example usage in text passage
  • Front of Narmer Palette, using an archaic form of the Harpoon hieroglyph
    Front of Narmer Palette, using an archaic form of the Harpoon hieroglyph

See also
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Harpoon (hieroglyph).

References
  • Budge. An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1978, (c 1920), Dover edition, 1978. (In two volumes) (softcover, ISBN 0-486-23615-3)
  • Budge. The Rosetta Stone, E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1929, Dover edition(unabridged), 1989. (softcover, ISBN 0-486-26163-8)
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