290 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 
to sink into Amenti or the Western Hades, whence he rose every ~ 
morning from the Eastern horizon. One journey of the -sun-god 
being a day, the same word Ra denoted both the sun and also a day. 
The serpent was the symbol for asp, and also denoted a “god,” and 
is found on the crown of some of the old Egyptian rulers, signifying 
the power and wisdom of the king. It is quite easy to perceive the 
figurative use of the serpent form. The sting of the Cobra was 
incurable by any known Egyptian remedy. Probably, therefore, to 
propitiate it, and also as a tacit acknowledgment of its deadly power, 
they gave it a place in their Pantheon. 
The segment of a circle signified both the moon and a month, for 
the Egyptian month seems to have been determined by the lunar 
revolutions, and the year to have consisted of so many of them, with 
intercalated days at the end of the year. 
In the old Assyrian the same method was adopted with a slight 
variation. The wedges placed as nearly as possible in the form of a 
circle denoted the sun. Three angular figures denote 30. These 
figures placed within the circle denoted the month, consisting of 30 
days. The modern Assyrian form was modified into — ~~ _', with 
the phonetic value of Arkhu. 
From the earliest historic time the Egyptian hieroglyphs were 
phonetic. They represented either a letter or a syllable, which was 
resolvable into its separate letters. The following method was 
adopted in employing a sign to convey a particular sound. They 
employed an object, which was denoted by a word, whose first letter 
was identical in sound with that which they wished to express. 
Hence the Eagle was the sign of the A sound, because the name of 
the Eagle in Egyptian Akhém contained in its first letter the sound 
required. A reptile became the sign of the letter T for the same 
reason, for the first letter of Z'etef, the Egyptian for reptile, begins 
with the sound required. 
The Egyptians increased the difficulties of their language by 
arbitrarily employing a number of signs to convey the same sound. 
To denote the sound of A they used a palm branch, the figure of an 
Eagle, and a hand with the arm outstretched to the elbow. 
To express the sound of the letter T they used the palm of the 
hand ; two parallel lines, united at one end by a curved line and 
terminating at the other in small circles; and the segment of a circle. 
Their numerous syllabic signs, and the use of various signs to express 
