What is a cartouche?
Q: What is a cartouche?
A: A cartouche is a hieroglyphic symbol of an ancient Egyptian pharaoh that encloses a royal name.
Q: When did cartouches start to be used?
A: Cartouches started to be used at the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu.
Q: What is the shape of a cartouche?
A: A cartouche is usually oval with a horizontal line at one end and is usually vertical with a horizontal line, but it can be horizontal if it makes the name fit better, with a vertical line on the left.
Q: What does the Ancient Egyptian word for a cartouche mean?
A: The Ancient Egyptian word for a cartouche is shenu.
Q: Which royal titles were enclosed by a cartouche?
A: Of the five royal titles, the prenomen, the throne name, and the "Son of Ra" titulary, the so-called nomen name given at birth, were enclosed by a cartouche.
Q: Who wore cartouches?
A: Cartouches were only worn by pharaohs.
Q: Why are cartouche amulets important to archaeologists?
A: Cartouche amulets displaying the name of a king were placed in tombs, and therefore often important to archaeologists for dating the tomb and its contents.
