Ancient Egyptian Forum

Neb-Ma'at-Re · Pharaoh Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 690

The AE's used the hieroglyph [D22] from Gardiner's sign list to rpresent the 2/3 fraction. Does anyone know the phonetic value of [D22], which seems to be a modification of [d21] which has a phonetic value of 'r'?

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Neb-Ma'at-Re · Pharaoh Joined: 09 Dec 2003 Posts: 690

Here is what I have found (for easier identification of signs, all [bracketed] text refers to Gardiner's sign list).

In Budge's Egyptian Hieroglyph Dictionary List of Characters on pg. cxxxi section XVI he lists the sign in question as #17[D22]. Although he gives a signification as a determinitive or ideograph as 'fractional number 2/3, he gives no phonetic value.

Sign #16 on the same page shows the 's' sign [S29] overlapping the 'r' sign [D21] (similarly to the way that 's'[S29] overlaps 'f'[I9] in the sign [S30]).He gives a phonetic value for this sign of 'ser'. In analyzing signs #16 and #17[D22] it appeared to me that #17 is basically the same as #16 with the upper portion of the 's' sign [S29] trimmed off at the bottom radius of the 'r' sign [D21], leaving two legs, one longer than the other (the longer leg possibly representing 2/3 and the shorter 1/3 for a total of 1?). The difference in lengths of the legs is not seen in Gardiner's [D22] and may have been lost in copying the signs, but it can be seen in [D23].

On page 415a Budge's shows the word 'er' for [D21] and gives a translation of:'a prefix used to mark fractions'. He then gives examples of 1/3, 2/3, 1/5, 1/10, 1/15, 1/20, 1/30, 1/80, 1/100, 1/360. Interestingly he shows the fraction for 2/3 represented by the 'r' sign [D21] above the 's' sign [S29]!!! This would would be transliterated as 'eres' or 'res'.

This brought me back to sign #16 on pg cxxxi section XVI in which he gives a phonetic value of 'ser'. I searched for the words that included 'ser' showing the overlapping 's' and 'r' signs and found nothing!!!!! It appears that I may have found another one of Budge's mistakes and that perhaps sign #16 is but another version of 2/3 or #17[D22]and actually has a phonetic value of 'eres' or 'res' and not 'ser'.

In conclusion, I would say that the sign for 2/3, #17[D22], has a phonetic value of 'eres' or 'res'.

Can anyone confirm this? Your thoughts will be much appreciated.
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