Plinth (hieroglyph)

Plinth (shape) in hieroglyphs

The Ancient Egyptian Plinth-(shaped) hieroglyph is Gardiner sign listed no. Aa15 for the shape of a plinth, side view.

The plinth hieroglyph is used in the Ancient Egyptian language hieroglyphs for the alphabetic consonant letter horizontal—m.^[1] The vertical m is the owl, Gardiner no G17.

Plinth use as mortuary: "Justified"

Base of funerary cone of
Ty, vizier. (NOTE: 2nd smaller cone to lower left)

Many examples honoring Ancient Egyptians in later life, and commemorating them show the use of two hieroglyphs, often paired, vertical, or horizontal, the Plinth with the Spoon-or-Oar shape (hieroglyph);

(opposites faced left right)

The meaning is often translated, justified, worthy, venerable, etc.

They are often paired together, but are also shown in temples and reliefs, each in the two different axes, (one vertical, one horizontal).

The Egyptian hieroglyph alphabetic letters

The following two tables show the Egyptian uniliteral signs. (24 letters, but multiple use hieroglyphs)

a	i	y	'	(w,u)	B
P	F	M	N	R	H1
H2	Kh1	Kh2	S	(Sh)=Š	Q/K2
K	G	T	Ch—Tj	D	Dj
L/(R) (special) (Ptolemaic, etc.)	--	--	--	--	--

a	i (ee)	y ii	' ah, (aïn)	w, (u) (oo)	B
P	F	M	N	R	H1
H2	(Kh)1	(Kh)2	S	Sh (Sh)	K emphatic
K	G	T	Tj Ch Tsh	D	Dj
(additionally 4 for vert/horiz)	--	--	--	--	--
M (horiz) M2-Plinth	N (vert) (see: N (red crown))	S (vert) S (folded) cloth)			M (3rd-M -2nd-vert) M3-Baker's tool (vertical)
(additionally 3 for equivalents)	--	--	--	--	--
(2 reeds) is— (2 strokes) y2-Two strokes	(quail) is— (coil) letter w, u (see w2-Coil)		T (no. 2) T2-Pestle

See also

• Gardiner's Sign List#Aa. Unclassified

References

1. Collier and Manley, 1998, How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs, F38, pair of ribs (?), p. 143.

• Collier, Mark, and Manley, Bill, How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs, c 1998, University of California Press, 179 pp, (with a word Glossary, p 151-61: Title Egyptian-English vocabulary; also an "Answer Key", 'Key to the exercises', p 162-73) {hardcover, ISBN 0-520-21597-4}