When you meet a sign you do not know, you need to find it. Gardiner's sign list, the last part of his Egyptian Grammar, is the standard tool, and its codes are the ones this course has used all along (Common Determinatives).
Key idea
Gardiner's list sorts signs by what they show into lettered groups: A man, B woman, C gods in human form, D parts of the human body, E mammals, F parts of mammals, G birds, H parts of birds, I reptiles and amphibians, K fish, L insects and small animals, M plants, N sky, earth and water, O buildings, P ships, Q furniture, R temple furniture, S crowns and dress, T weapons, U tools, V rope and baskets, W vessels, X bread, Y writing and games, Z strokes, Aa unclassified. Each sign has a number in its group: G1 is the vulture.
Why it works
A beginner who meets a sign cannot look it up by sound, since its sound is what is unknown, nor by meaning, since that depends on how it is used. What anyone can see is the picture. So Gardiner arranged the list by picture, group by group, and gave each sign its uses: sound values, word-sign meanings, determinative uses. There is no group J; Gardiner left it out.
| Code | Sign shows | Group |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | seated man | A: man and his occupations |
| B1 | seated woman | B: woman and her occupations |
| D46 | hand | D: parts of the human body |
| F35 | heart and windpipe | F: parts of mammals |
| I9 | horned viper | I: amphibians, reptiles |
| M17 | flowering reed | M: trees and plants |
| V31 | basket with a handle | V: rope, fiber, baskets |
| Aa1 | round sign of uncertain meaning | Aa: unclassified |
Worked example: Find the group
A sign shows a seat. In which group would you look?
- A seat is furniture.
- Gardiner's group Q is domestic and funerary furniture.
Answer: Q (the seat is Q1).
Worked example: A tricky one
The heart and windpipe nfr is F35, not D. Why?
- D is for parts of the human body.
- Gardiner took this sign as an animal's heart and windpipe, so it is among the parts of mammals, F.
Answer: Because Gardiner classed it as part of a mammal.
Unicode and fonts follow Gardiner's codes too: the vulture is EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPH G001. Later scholars added signs with letter suffixes (N35A, three ripples) and further numbers; the ones in this course all keep Gardiner's numbers.
Common mistake
Searching the list by what a sign means. A student who wants the sign for "good" looks for a section on qualities. The list has none: nfr is under F, because of what it shows. Check: first ask what the picture is, then go to that group.