Time and again the Ancient Egyptian (AE) language offers quaint insights. Here is an example, in the word ‘sekher’ or ‘seKHer’, the rendering of ‘kh’ reflecting two of the ‘h’ sounds: h and ḫ respectively.
[The other two 'h' forms are h-underdot [ḥ] and h plain.]
sḫr: seKHer: plan
(with h-underscoop)
There are several examples of the sḫr: seKHer ‘plan’ interpretation:
| AE | English | EngJSM | source | glyphs |
| (sḫr: seKHer) | "plan" | plan | Allen [468.1:1] | <cloth string mouth PLANE> |
| (sḫr: seKHer) | "plan" | plan | Faulkner Concise [242:10] | <cloth string mouth PLANE-v> |
| (sḫrt: seKHer-et) | "roll" | plan what is | Faulkner Concise [243:1] | <cloth string mouth bun twiat> |
| (sḫry: seKHer-i) | "captain" | plan agent [captain] | Faulkner Concise [243:2.1] | <cloth string mouth reeds PLANE SQUATTER> |
The third and fourth examples above include suffixes:
-et, the ‘relative’ marker, indicating ‘what is’; and
-i, one of the forms indicating ‘agent’, the person or thing who or what does something — the ‘plan person’, here the captain (of a ship).
But for the present investigation we are interested in the other ‘sekher’. This follows:
shr: sekher: ‘sweep’, ‘overlay’
(with h-underline)
This next table features the alternative h-underline spelling. This entirely changes the meaning:
(shr: sekher)
|
"sweep"
|
sweep
|
Faulkner Concise [244:15.21]
|
<cloth mace mouth STROKE>
|
(shr: sekher)
|
"cover"
|
overlay
|
Gardiner [591.2:17]
|
<cloth mace mouth arrow arm: stick>
|
(shr: sekher)
|
"overlay"
|
overlay
|
Gardiner [620.1:27]
|
<cloth mace mouth arrow arm: stick>
|
(shrw: sekheru)
|
"a linen fabric"
|
xxx [?]
|
Faulkner Concise [244:18]
|
<bolt mace mouth quail comb: cloth>
|
Perhaps the final example, ‘linen fabric’ might conceivably be interpreted at an ‘overlay’.
sekher: ‘milk’
It is, however, the next examples that prompt further investigation:
(shr: sekher)
|
"milk"
|
milk
|
Faulkner Concise [244:16]
|
<bolt mace mouth breast: full>
|
(shrt: sekher-et)
|
"milking"
|
milk what is
|
Faulkner Concise [244:17]
|
<cloth mace mouth bun twist STROKEx3>
|
How can ‘milk’ be reconciled with ‘overlaying’ or ‘sweeping’?
Investigation
Noticing the introductory syllable se-, the causative marker, an investigator is tempted to enquire if ‘kher’ might mean anything possibly relevant.
A search of the Nedj Nedj Database yields a positive and promising result: ‘under’:
(Xer, hr: kher)
|
"under"
|
under
|
Col/Man [117:21.01]
|
<block mouth>
|
(Xer: kher)
|
"under"
|
under
|
EAWB [136:2.1]
|
<string mouth>
|
(Xeri: kheri)
|
"among"
|
under
|
EAWB [235:2.3]
|
<block mouth PAIR PLANE>
|
(hr: kher)
|
"under"
|
under
|
Faulkner Concise [203:4]
|
<block mouth>
|
(hr: kher)
|
"beneath"
|
under
|
Gardiner [607.1:13]
|
<block mouth>
|
So here we have the insight.
Imagine an Ancient Egyptian squatting on a stool beside his cow, working at the cow’s udder, well and truly under the creature.
This would offer an alternative way to present the ‘milk’ records:
(shr: se-kher)
|
"milk"
|
under make [milk]
|
Faulkner Concise [244:16]
|
<bolt mace mouth breast: full>
|
(shrt: se-kher-et)
|
"milking"
|
under make [milk] what is
|
Faulkner Concise [244:17]
|
<cloth mace mouth bun twist STROKEx3>
|
These are verbs. So sekher is not ‘sweep’ or ‘overlay’.
Rather, se-kher is ‘to do (or make) under’ something: which is what milking a cow precisely entails.
Jeremy Steele
Thursday 11 April 2013
