seals Tag

Close-up of a seal impression on a mudstopper from Saqqara tomb S3503 with serekhs (rectangular symbols that were used to frame an Egyptian king’s name in the Early Dynastic period). Courtesy of the Egypt Exploration Society; used with permission from the author.

Egyptologists have long disputed whether Meretneith was an independent ruler of Egypt. Can new digital analysis of an old photograph solve the mystery?

2026-10/Abydos/Djer/dynasty/Early Dynastic/Egypt/Kelly/king/Meretneith/Merneith/pharaoh/photography/royal/Saqqara/seals/serekh/umm el-qaab

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Figure 5: Comparison of inter-regional motifs from pre-literate seal imagery and proto-cuneiform tablets. Figure by authors. For more details and examples, see the supplementary material accompanying our Antiquity article.

January 9, 2025

By ANE Today Editor

Language & Writing Mesopotamia

Inventing Writing in South-west Asia

The shift from symbols to writing represents a major advancement in human cognitive technology. What role did Mesopotamian seal imagery play?

2025-01/Cartolano/Cuneiform/Ferrara/Kelley/Mesopotamia/proto-cuneiform/seals/Susa/Uruk/Writing

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seals Tag

Did Meretneith Rule Egypt as a Female King in the First Dynasty?

Inventing Writing in South-west Asia