Meanings and Structures of WDa in Ancient Egyptian Onomastics

ElShamy, Sarraa Rizq; Omar, Nageh Omar Ali; Abdelhamid, Taher

doi:10.21608/ifjsis.2023.214504.1026

Meanings and Structures of WDa in Ancient Egyptian Onomastics

Document Type : Original full papers (regular papers)

Authors

¹ Tourism Guidance Department, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Fayoum University, Egypt

² Egyptology Department, Faculty of Archaeology, Fayoum University., Egypt

10.21608/ifjsis.2023.214504.1026

Abstract

Name (rn) was an essential element for resurrection in Ancient Egypt so the deceased can benefit from the offerings and not to get lost his way in Netherworld. Most Egyptian personal names follow basic groups like (One-word names, Compound names). The concept of "wDa" represents a carpenter's tool in nature ( ) was known from the 4th dynasty, Old Kingdom. The core of the research is to trace Ancient Egyptian Onomastics contained wDa in its structure from the Old Kingdom till the New Kingdom through different evidences were found on tombs, false doors, and religious books. The study utilized descriptive and analytical approaches. The study is an attempt to answer the following question: Is there any particular relation between wDa and the profession of the name-bearer? Moreover, the study of this onomastic material allows a linguistic and anthropological reflection on the form and meaning of anthroponyms based on wDa. Ten characters were the study sample including three during the Old Kingdom, two during the Middle Kingdom and five during the New Kingdom.

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