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The Hieroglyphics of Horapollo

By

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Horapollo was one of the last priests of the Ancient Egyptian religion in the fifth century C.E. His only extant work is this, the Hieroglyphica, which claims to be an explanation of the Egyptian Hieroglyphs, mixed with a great deal of ancient natural history. It was translated two centuries later into Greek. The text was rediscovered in 1422, and it was first put into print in 1505. By the time that Egyptian was finally deciphered in the 19th century, the Hieroglphics of Horapollo fell out of favor. A few of the examples in the beginning of the book turned out to be correct, or close to correct. What makes this book of continued interest is that it can be read in a number of ways: a glimpse into an archaic mindset, a mystical inventory of the universe, or a series of surreal images.

Title Page
Preface
Title Page and Front Matter
Chapter I. How They Denote Eternity
Chapter II. How the Universe
Chapter III. How A Year
Chapter IV. How A Month
Chapter V. How the Current or Civil Year
Chapter V. How the Current or Civil Year
Chapter VI. What They Signify by Delineating a Hawk
Chapter VII. How They Indicate the Soul
Chapter VIII. How Ares and Aphrodite Hor and Hathor
Chapter IX. How Marriage
Chapter X. How an Only Begotten
Chapter XI. What They Imply by Depicting a Vulture
Chapter XII. How They Denote Hephæstus Phthah
Chapter XIII. What They Intimate When They Depict a Star
Chapter XIV. What They Denote When They Pourtray A Cynocephalus
Chapter XV. How They Denote the Renovation of the Moon
Chapter XVI. How the Two Equinoxes
Chapter XVII. How They Denote Intrepidity
Chapter XVIII. How They Denote Strength
Chapter XIX. How They Denote a Watchful Person
Chapter XX. How the Terrible
Chapter XXI. How the Rising of the Nile
Chapter XXII. How They Designate Egypt
Chapter XXIII. How a Man That Has Not Travelled Abroad
Chapter XXIV. How an Amulet Protection
Chapter XXV. How They Denote an Imperfect Man
Chapter XXVI. How an Opening
Chapter XXVII. How Speech
Chapter XXVIII. How Dumbness
Chapter XXIX. How a Voice From a Distance
Chapter XXX. How Ancient Descent
Chapter XXXI. How Taste
Chapter XXXII. How Delight
Chapter XXXIII. How Sexual Intercourse
Chapter XXXIV. How a Soul Continuing a Long Time Here
Chapter XXXV. How a Man Returning Home After a Long Time From a Foreign Land
Chapter XXXVI. How They Denote the Heart
Chapter XXXVII. How Education
Chapter XXXVIII. How the Egyptian Letters
Chapter XXXIX. How a Sacred Scribe
Chapter XL. In What Manner They Represent Government, or a Judge
Chapter XLI. How They Signify the Bearer of the Shrine
Chapter XLII. How They Represent an Horoscopus Observer of the Hours
Chapter XLIII. How They Denote Purity
Chapter XLIV. How They Intimate a Thing Unlawful, or an Abomination
Chapter XLV. How They Represent the Mouth
Chapter XLVI. How Manliness Combined with Temperance
Chapter XLVII. How Hearing
Chapter XLVIII. How the Member of a Prolific Man
Chapter XLIX. How They Denote Impurity
Chapter L. How a Disappearance
Chapter LI. How Impudence
Chapter LII. How They Represent Knowledge
Chapter LIII. How They Represent a Son
Chapter LIV. How a Fool
Chapter LV. How They Represent Gratitude
Chapter LVI. How an Unjust and Ungrateful Man
Chapter LVII. How One Who is Ungrateful to His Benefactors
Chapter LVIII. How an Impossibility
Chapter LIX. How a Very Bad King
Chapter LX. How a Vigilant King
Chapter LXI. How They Designate a Ruler of the World
Chapter LXII. How a People Obedient to Their King
Chapter LXIII. How a King Who Governs a Part of the World
Chapter LXIV. How One Who Governs All Things
Chapter LXV. How a Fuller
Chapter LXVI. How a Month
Chapter LXVII. How a Rapacious, or Prolific, or Furious Man
Chapter LXVIII. How Sunrise
Chapter LXIX. How Sunset
Chapter LXX. How They Shadow Forth Darkness
Introduction
Chapter I. What They Signify By Depicting A Star
Chapter II. What by an Eaglet
Chapter III. What by Two Feet Conjoined and Advancing
Chapter IV. What by the Heart of a Man Suspended by the Windpipe
Chapter V. How They Denote the Front of Battle
Chapter VI. What by a Finger
Chapter VII. Quid Penis Manu Compressa
Chapter VIII. How They Denote Disease
Chapter IX. How the Loins of a Man
Chapter X. How They Symbolize Permanency and Safety
Chapter XI. How Concord
Chapter XII. How a Crowd
Chapter XIII. How Admeasurement
Chapter XIV. How a Woman Pregnant
Chapter XV. How Wind
Chapter XVI. How Fire
Chapter XVII. How a Work
Chapter XVIII. How Punishment
Chapter XIX. How Impiety
Chapter XX. How an Hour Execration?
Chapter XXI. How Anything of Long Duration
Chapter XXII. How Aversion
Chapter XXIII. How a Future Act
Chapter XXIV. How a Murderer, or the Blood of a Crocodile
Chapter XXV. How Death
Chapter XVI. How Love
Chapter XXVII. How the Most Ancient
Chapter XXVIII. How a Siege
Chapter XXIX. How Infinite, or a Song, or Fate
Chapter XXX. What One Line Bent Over Another Signifies
Chapter XXXI. What They Denote by Depicting a Swallow
Chapter XXXII. What by a Black Dove
Chapter XXXIII. What by an Ichneumon
Chapter XXXIV. What They Denote by Engraving Origanum (Wild Marjoram) for a Hieroglyphic
Chapter XXXV. What by a Scorpion and Crocodile
Chapter XXXVI. What by a Weasel
Chapter XXXVII. What by a Hog
Chapter XXXVIII. How Immoderate Anger
Chapter XXXIX. How an Old Minstrel
Chapter XL. How They Denote a Man Who Lives with his Wife
Chapter XLI. What They Intimate by Pourtraying a Blind Beetle
Chapter XLII. What They Design by Depicting a Mule
Chapter XLIII. How They Denote a Woman who has Brought Forth Female Infants
Chapter XLIV. How They Denote Wasps
Chapter XLV. How A Woman Who Miscarries
Chapter XLVI. How a Man Who Cures Himself by an Oracle
Chapter XLVII. How a Swarm of Gnats
Chapter XLVIII. How a Man That Has No Bile, But Receives It From Another
Chapter XLIX. How a Man Who Dwells Securely in a City
Chapter L. How a Man Who is Weak and Persecuted by Another
Chapter LI. How They Denote A Man Who Flees For Refuge to his Patron, and Receives No Assistance
Chapter LII. How They Represent a Weak Man That is Audacious
Chapter LIII. How a Woman Suckling and Bringing Up Her Children Well
Chapter LIV. How a Man Fond of Dancing
Chapter LV. How a Mystic Man
Chapter LVI. How a King who Keeps Himself Apart, and Shews No Mercy to Delinquencies
Chapter LVII. How the Great Cyclical Renovation
Chapter LVIII. How One Who is Fond of His Father
Chapter LIX. How a Woman That Hates Her Husband
Chapter LX. How They Denote Children Plotting Against Their Mothers
Chapter LX. How They Denote Children Plotting Against Their Mothers
Chapter LXI. How They Denote a Man Who Sickens Under the Reproach of Accusation
Chapter LXII. How a Man that is Burnt with Fire
Chapter LXIII. How a Blind Man
Chapter LXIV. How a Man That Never Stirs Out
Chapter LXV. How a Man who is Injured by Self-Inflictions
Chapter LXVI. How a Man Who Has Been Succeeded in His Property by a Son Whom He Hated
Chapter LXVII. How a Man That Conceals His Own Defects
Chapter LXVIII. How One Who Hears With More Than Usual Acuteness
Chapter LXIX. How an Unsettled Person
Chapter LXIX. How a Man Overcome by his Inferiors
Chapter LXX. How a Man Who Overcomes His Private Enemy
Chapter LXXII. How a Man Who Passes Fearlessly Through the Evils Which Assail Him
Chapter LXXIII. How a Man Annoyed by his Private Enemies
Chapter LXXIV. How a Man Who is Fearful Lest Accidents Should Happen Unexpectedly to Himself
Chapter LXXV. How a Man Calmed by Fire During Anger
Chapter LXXVI. How a Feverish Man Who Cures Himself
Chapter LXXVII. How a Man who Becomes Steady at Last After his Former Excesses
Chapter LXXVIII. How a Man Whose Temperance is Easily Changed
Chapter LXXIX. How a Slayer of Sheep and Goats
Chapter LXXX. How They Denote a Man Eating
Chapter LXXXI. How They Denote a Rapacious and Inactive Man
Chapter LXXXII. How a Woman That Has Brought Forth Once
Chapter LXXXIII. How a Man Who is at First Deformed
Chapter LXXXIV. How a Powerful Man, and One That Discerns What Things Are Right
Chapter LXXXV. How a King That Flees From Folly and Intemperance
Chapter LXXXVI. How a King that Flees from a Trifler
Chapter LXXXVII. How a Man That is Quick in his Movements, But Who Moves Imprudently and Inconsiderately
Chapter LXXXVIII. How a Man That is Providing His Own Tomb
Chapter LXXXIX. How a Man that has Lived to a Proper Age
Chapter XC. How a Man who Conceals his Depravity within Himself
Chapter XCI. How a Man Deceived by Flattery
Chapter XCII. How the Presage of a Plentiful Vintage
Chapter XCIII. How a Man Having Received Injury from the Grape
Chapter XCIV. How a Man that Guards Himself from the Plots of His Enemies
Chapter XCV. Quomodo Pædicationem
Chapter XCVI. How an Old Man Dying of Hunger
Chapter XCVII. How a Man Living Perpetually in Motion, and Agitation of Mind
Chapter XCVIII. How a Man Skilled in Celestial Matters
Chapter XCIX. How a Man Who Through Want Dismisses His Own Children
Chapter C. How a Man Who is Tardy in Moving With His Feet
Chapter CI. How a Man Who is Impudent and Quick-Sighted
Chapter CII. How a Man Unable to Move Himself
CHAPTER CIII. How a Man Hostile to All
Chapter CIV. How a Man Who Saves Many in the Sea
Chapter CV. How a Man that Wastefully Consumes Both Things that Are Requisite and Things That Are Not
Chapter CVI. How a Man the Ruler of his Tribe
Chapter CVII. How a Man who is Married to a Woman
Chapter CVIII. How a Man that Does Not Provide For Himself
Chapter CIX. How a Man Addicted to Gluttony
Chapter CX. How a Man that Vomits Up His Food
Chapter CXI. How a Man That Has Commerce With Persons of Another Tribe
Chapter CXII. How a Man Punished for Murder
Chapter CXIII. How a Man that Eats Unsparingly of Anothers Substance
Chapter CXIV. How a Man That is Eager After Good
Chapter CXV. How a Prolific Man
Chapter CXVI. How a Man That is Constant, and Uniformly Tempered
Chapter CXVII. How a Man Previously Deranged in His Intellects, but Afterwards Becoming Sane
Chapter CXVIII. How a Man Who Distributes Justice Impartially to All
Chapter CXIX. How a Man That is Fond of Building
Appendix
Index of the Abbreviations Used