The names of the pharaohs still live on, despite that the first pharaohs ruled some 5000 years ago. Their names were inscribed with hieroglyphs on the massive monuments they created, yet their commonly used names today has an origin in the ancient Greek transcription. Modern transcriptions of the names yield quite different names than those of the Greeks of antiquity.
The full ancient Egyptian royal titulary consisted of up to five names meant to symbolise the power and might of the pharaoh:
- Horus name — the oldest form of a pharaoh’s name, often enclosed in a serekh, a sort of “heraldic crest” representing a palace facade.
- Two Ladies name — (nebty) the “heraldic Two Ladies”, the goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet, representing Upper and Lower Egypt respectively.
- Gold name — gold was strongly associated with eternity, but the meaning of this title is disputed.
- Throne name — (prenomen) the first of the two names written in a cartouche. The hieroglyphs of a sedge and bee label this title ‘nsw bity’ meaning ‘king of Upper and Lower Egypt’.
- Birth name — (nomen) the name given at birth, often the name by which a pharaoh is known today.
The full titulary was announced at the coronation, when a pharaoh officially became king.
For millennia, the names of the pharaohs were only known from ancient Greek scholars – who wrote in Greek. Centuries later, they were superceded by Roman scholars, who used Latin. Many of the names still in use to this day can trace their origin to these ancient scholars. Cheops, the builder of the Great Pyramid, is the ancient Greek version of Khufu. Does the name Rathotis sound familiar? No? It is the ancient Greek version of Tutankhamun, but as King Tut was an unknown pharaoh until the late 19th century, thanks to modern Egyptology we know him by his Egyptian name. The ancient names are so ingrained common memory that they are still used to this day, and would be difficult to correct.
Ramessisu, who left his name on more monuments than any other pharaoh, is better known by his ancient Greek name – Ramesses II. His full titulary in hieroglyphics is:
nesu-bity user-Maat-Ra, setep-en-Ra, sa-Ra, Ramessisu mery-Amun
Horus, the strong bull, beloved of Ra, great of majesty, Protector of Egypt for the Two Ladies, rich in years, great in victories forever
The Dual King, the justice of Ra is powerful, chosen by Ra, the son of Ra, Ramesses, beloved of Amun