An oval or oblong enclosure containing Egyptian hieroglyphs that spell out the name of a pharaoh or royal person. These sacred name-rings were believed to protect the royal name for eternity.
From French 'cartouche' meaning paper cartridge, because early French archaeologists thought the oval hieroglyphic enclosures resembled the paper cartridges used for gunpowder. The Egyptian term was 'shenu,' meaning 'to encircle.'
The cartouche was the key that unlocked the mystery of hieroglyphs! When Jean-François Champollion identified Cleopatra's and Ptolemy's names in cartouches on the Rosetta Stone in 1822, he could finally begin deciphering the ancient Egyptian writing system that had been lost for over 1,400 years.
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