Hieratic signs in a cursive hieroglyphic text : the case of the burial chamber of the tomb of Djehuty (TT 11) with additions of other contemporary examples

Abstract

Hieratic signs are often scattered throughout funerary texts that were written in cursive hieroglyphs during the New Kingdom. While some reasons for their presence have been adduced in the past, this paper suggests that an in-depth analysis of the type, function, frequency, and location of hieratograms in a text casted in a more formal script can offer meaningful insights into wider aspects of scribal culture and practices. Departing from a case study of the burial chamber in the tomb of Djehuty (TT 11) and other contemporary examples, the author argues that the presence of hieratograms can be explained by a dynamic combination of material factors, cultural causes, individual choices, and, probably, by unconscious and mechanical reasons.