THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SIGN OF THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GODDESS SESHAT DOWN TO THE END OF THE OLD KINGDOM: ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION. PART TWO

In general, the ancient Egyptian deities are distinguished by their names and symbols. In spite of the decipherment of hieroglyphs by J.-F. Champollion in the 1820s and the number of published studies, some of the hieroglyphs and symbols still remain an enigma. The sign of the goddess named Seshat can undoubtedly be included in this category. This paper based on the study of the preserved records presents an attempt to understand the meaning of the hieroglyphic sign and symbol of Seshat, the ancient Egyptian goddess of writing, reckoning and building. The study is divided into three parts. Part One, published Ibid. Vol. 14 (2005) Nr 2, pp.45-55, consists of the iconographic records coming approximately from the beginning of the 3rd millennium B.C. down to the end of the Old Kingdom in the 22nd century B.C. It contains the main information about the sign of Seshat known from the wall reliefs, such as provenance, date, and basic description of each sign etc. Part Two of the study published in this volume of the AAS journal includes the epigraphic records of the sign of Seshat from the same period and with the same characteristics as mentioned above. Part Three intended to be published next year in the first volume of this journal is going to be the final part of the study and will bring the analysis and interpretation of the sign of the goddess Seshat in the context of its development in the Old Kingdom Period.