Description: What were the original names of the pharaohs? Detailed information on the hieroglyphic king lists and the origin of the Hellenized names of the pharaohs that we still mostly use today.
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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 invaluable king lists of pharaohs were important to show the king beside revered ancestors, establishing their rightful rule. 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: