Nectanebo II's
obelisk uses the Mast hieroglyph when describing the construction of his obelisk; in a S-Egyptian emphatic word construct he adds a vertical S, the
folded cloth,
Gardiner no. S29,
, at the beginning of the word "to erect". (see here, high res:
[1], low res:
[2])
The Ship's Mast hieroglyph is used as a
triliteral phonetic hieroglyphic to represent the sound sequence
ꜥḥꜥ, which means "to stand erect", or "to stand vertical"; its use is extensive throughout the language history, and hieroglyphic
tomb reliefs and story-telling of Ancient Egypt. It is possibly a forerunner hieroglyph kh3[clarification needed], the sun rising upon the horizon.
In the 198 BC
Rosetta Stone, the ship's mast hieroglyph has the unique usage in the final line of the
Ptolemy V decree: the mast is used twice-(adjective, verb):
engrave the decree..: "...upon a vertical-(mast)
stone stele"..in the 3-language scripts, .."Shall be made to stand it in the sanctuaries in temples
all..."
From right, hieroglyphs: sedge of the South, Papyrus clump with leaves of North-
Nile Delta, wife-hieroglyph, the tree-hieroglyph, and the Ship's Mast hieroglyph
Cartouche amulet, with variant form of mast hieroglyph
Budge. An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary,E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1978, (c 1920), Dover edition, 1978. (In two volumes) (softcover,
ISBN0-486-23615-3)
Budge. The Rosetta Stone,E.A.Wallace Budge, (Dover Publications), c 1929, Dover edition(unabridged), 1989. (softcover,
ISBN0-486-26163-8)