cartouche

Cartouche


 * Other Names:**

Name Amulet


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Shenu//


 * Hieroglyphics:**



For the ancient Egyptians, it was most essential that the Ren (name) should be preserved. The loss of the name meant the total annihilation of the individual, so the Egyptians hoped that the cartouche would protect it. Derived from the //shen //ring, a cartouche is an oval ring that is a hieroglyph representation of a length of rope folded and tied at one end. The cartouche evokes the concept of eternity through its form, having no beginning or end.

In ancient Egypt kings and those of high rank encircled their name with this protective design. Occasionally, one may find the name of a god or goddess in a cartouche. The cartouche hieroglyph also appears in many decorative contexts such as finger rings and cartouche-shaped boxes. In the tomb of Tuthmosis III in the Valley of the Kings, the entire burial chamber, as well as the sarcophagus, was constructed in the form of a cartouche.

The term "cartouche" is a relatively modern one, coined by the soldiers of Napoleon's expedition in Egypt, who saw in the sign the likeness of the cartridges, or "cartouche" used in their guns.

Egyptian Symbols