Schwartze, Moritz Gotthilf: Das alte Aegypten oder Sprache, Geschichte, Religion und Verfassung des alten Aegyptens: nach den altägyptischen Original-Schriften und den Mittheilungen der nichtägyptischen alten Schriftsteller (Band 1) (Leipzig, 1843)

von Young.

181

TA, pA, pF, pvi, pt, pO, CA, CF, Ct, CO), Ht, Oy, Ol u. s. f. die ihnen eigenthümlichen Schriftcharaktere
mit unterschlagenem Sinne als blosse Lautzeichen an einander gerückt hätten, so erhellt sehr leicht,
wie auf diese Weise fremde Namen ausgedrückt und ein Alphabet gebildet werden konnte, welches
scheinbare Buchstaben enthielt, die jedoch an und für sich in der That selbständige Wörter aus-
machten.

Ein fortgesetztes Studium der Papyrus, vornehmlich des Casatischen mit seiner Griechischen
Copie, erweiterte Young's Ansicht von dem syllabischen Alphabete dahin dass er dessen An-
wendung über die Griechischen Eigennamen hinaus auch auf die Aegyptiechen ausdehnte. Er legte
daher in seinem Account eine Anzahl von 79 in enchorischen Zügen geschriebenen, theils Griechi-
schen, theils Aegyptischen Namen von königlichen und Privatpersonen, von Aegyptischen Gottheiten,
Städten und Monaten vor und zog aus ihnen die Folgerung, dass es vor allen die Charaktere der
Aegyptischen Götternamen, des Amun, Osiris, Hör, der Isis u. a. waren, welche in jenen Namen
als syllabische Bestandtheile auftraten. So oft auch immer M in Verbindung mit N, sei es in unmit-
telbarer Zusammenstellung, sei es in mittelbarer neben einem dazwischen stehenden Vocale, wie in
den Namen Amenaihes, Avionorytins, vlmom-asonther, Chimraaraus, Psen«?)f?mis, Snacho>«ueus, vor-
komme, so finde man weder M noch N, sondern das symbolische Zeichen Amun's. Doch machten
sich auch die Zeichen anderer Wörter auf diese Weise geltend, indem z. B. in den Namen
Psenamunis und Senerieus die Sylbe se durch das symbolische Zeichen eines Kindes dargestellt sei,
welches man wahrscheinlich für eine Zusammenziehung aus Schert (<£)Fpi Tochter) zu halten habe 2).

1) Young Account, p. 60. fit. The resiilt, derived at once from (Iiis comparison, is tlie ideutification of more than
thirty proper names as they were written in die running band of the couutry. 1t might appear, lipon a superficial con-
sideration, (hat a mere catalogne of proper uames would be of little comparative value in assisting us lo recover the lost
Clements of a language. Hut, in fact, they possess a considerablc advantage, in (he early slages of such an invesligadon,
from the grealer facility and certainty with which they are ideulified, and from their independeooe of any giamniatical
inflexions, at least in the present case; by nieaus of which they Iead us immediately to a füll understanding of llie ortbo-
graphlcal System of the language, wliere any such System can be traced.

The general iufereuce, to be derived from an examination of the names now discovered, is soniewhat mOre in favour
of an extensive employinent of an alphabetical niode of writing, (hau any that cotild have beeil deduced from the pillar of
Rosetta, which exhibits, indeed, only foreign names and affords us therefore lidle or no Information respecting tlie mode of
wrltlbg the original Kgyptian names of the iuhabilants. Several of the words, which occur in diese documents, and more
especially ju diose which are hereafter to be mentioned, might be read pretty correctly by means of die ajphabet originally
made out by Mr. Akerblad from die foreign names of die enchorial iuseriplion ; bat liiere are many more w liicli appear to
be radier syllabically thaa alphabetically constituted: and die names of die diflerent deities seem to be very oo'mmonly
employed in writing them; for instance, tliose of Horns, Amnion and Isis; and perbaps in the same way (hat they are oflen
composed, in die mythological mannsoripts, found widi die mtimmies: in which, for want of die occurrence of a ring or
border, or <>l die corresponding enchorial marks, I had concluded that the groups could not be inteuded to represent the
ordinary names of the individnals. Bat diese marks are, in fact, by no means constantly employed in the enchorial papyrl;
aud they seem only to hSye beeu inserted When either great precision, or some disliuguished mark of respect was required.

2) Young Account. (Nach Aufführung der eneliorisclien Namen p. 124-128. fährt er p. 129. also fort:) From these
speeimens, we are also enabled to make some further inferences respecting the „populär" System of writing among the
Kgyptians. They shöw incontestably, that the employinent of die aiphabet, dlscovered by Akerblad, Is not allogelher con-
fined (o foreign, or at least to Greciau uames: it is applicable, for example; very readily, lo the words Lubais, Tbaeais,
Phabis, and perbaps to some otliers. But they exhibit also unequivocal traces of a kind öf syllabic writing, in which the
names of some of (he detties seem (o have beeil priucipally employed, in order to compose that of (he individual concerned:
thns it appears, (hat wherever both M and N occur, either together, or separated by a vowel, t|le symbol of the god
Amnion or Arnim is almost untformly employed; for example in Amenothes, Amonoryüas, -Imo«rason(her, Chlmnarans,
Psenamimis and Bnacbomneus, in which we find neitber M nor N, but, the symbol for Amman or Jupiter. It follows there-
fore, tliat such must have been die 'original proiiuneialion of die word, and (hat this deity was not called either IIo or JYo
(vergl. oben p. 172. no. 2.), as Akerblad was disposed to Imagine. Iu die same mnuner we have traces of Osiris, Arueris,