Helicopter hieroglyphs
{{Short description|Egyptian palimpsest inscription misinterpreted as depicting a helicopter}}
File:Helicopter Hieroglyphs Disambiguation.png
The helicopter hieroglyphs is a name given to part of an Egyptian hieroglyph carving from the Temple of Seti I at Abydos. It is a palimpsest relief with two overlapping inscriptions, the titles of Ramesses II superimposed on those of his father and predecessor Seti I. They have been wrongly interpreted as an out-of-place artifact depicting a helicopter and other examples of advanced technology, in pseudo-scientific ancient astronaut circles.{{sfn|Brand|2023|p=82-84}}
The "helicopter", a product of pareidolia,{{Sfn|Brand|2023|p=108}} is made up of a bow hieroglyph of Seti I, and two arm hieroglyphs of Ramesses II.{{sfn|Brand|2023|p=84}}
Translation
The initial carving was made during the reign of Seti I ({{Circa|1294–1279 BC}}) and translates to:{{sfn|Brand|2023|p=84}}
{{Blockquote|text=Powerful of scimitar, who suppresses the nine bows (enemies of Egypt), [...], Menmaatra (throne name of Seti I)}}
Ramesses II ({{Circa|1279–1213 BC}}), Seti's successor, had the hieroglyphs filled in with plaster and re-carved the inscription to:{{sfn|Brand|2023|p=84}}
{{Blockquote|text=Two Ladies: protector of Egypt, who repels foreign lands, [...], Usermaatra-Setepenre (throne name of Ramesses II)}}
Over time, the plaster has eroded away, leaving both inscriptions partially visible, creating a palimpsest-like effect of overlapping hieroglyphs.{{cite web|url=http://www.finart.be/UfocomHq/usabydos.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050728103638/http://www.finart.be/UfocomHq/usabydos.htm|title=The Abydos temple "helicopter"|archivedate=28 July 2005}}
File:Abydos-Hieroglyphen Tempel Sethos I. 03 (cropped) 2.jpg in the Temple of Seti I at Abydos (read from right to left). The names of Seti I and Ramesses II are overlaid in the same cartouche.]]
See also
Sources
- {{Cite book |last=Brand |first=Peter J. |title=Ramesses II, Egypt's Ultimate Pharaoh |publisher=Lockwood Press |year=2023 |isbn=9781948488495 |pages=82–85, 108}}
References
{{Commons category|Helicopter hieroglyphs (Temple of Seti I in Abydos)}}
{{Reflist}}
Further reading
- Baumann, Stefan (2018). "Ägypten, das Land der Mysterien und pseudowissenschaftlicher Mystifizierungen". In: Stefan Baumann (ed.), Fakten und Fiktionen. Archäologie vs. Pseudowissenschaft, Zaberns Bildbände zur Archäologie, Darmstadt, 89.
- {{Cite journal |last=Roberson |first=Joshua Aaron |date=2016 |title=Anatomy of a Palimpsest: The Not-so-Strange Case of the 'Abydos Helicopter' |journal=Kmt |volume=27 |pages=61–66}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20190128030454/http://visit360.net/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=9:temples-of-abydos-in-360%C2%B0&Itemid=66&lang=en Temples of Abydos 360-degree view]
- [http://raincool.blogspot.com/2010/05/helicopter-hieroglyphs-explained.html?m=1 Page showing how two different sets of hieroglyphs could have merged into the controversial images.]