Orientation of Hieroglyphs. Part 1. Reversals

Description

The purpose of the present volume is, first, to review the various situations which call for a reversal of the dominant orientation of hieroglyphic inscriptions, facing right and reading from right to left; and, secondly, to review those situations which call for a change in orientation within the same inscription, whether the prevailing orientation be rightward or leftward. Although my survey covers the whole of ancient Egyptian history, including examples from the Late Period, I have, as a rule, concentrated on the beginning, floruit and development of the phenomena under consideration, and the evidence of the latest periods is only produced insofar as it relates to that of earlier times, down to the end of the New Kingdom. The emphasis is on reversals that enhance and illuminate the meaning rather than those which—along with other cryptographic devices—attempt to obscure it. While the study is certainly far from complete, even within the framework I have indicated, I hope that it will suggest the range of possibilities and will foster a more comprehensive understanding of the subject. Since the material has not previously been examined systematically, its arrangement has required much thought and has imposed some difficult decisions. In general the organization is governed by use and context, the aim being to facilitate comparison as much as possible, so that the logic of the reversals may be examined to best advantage. If, in following this procedure, I have been obliged to separate some cases that are structurally comparable, that disadvantage has been remedied, so far as possible, by cross-references.