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The Ancient Egyptian phrase 'ankh, wedja, seneb' "life, prosperity, health" is a formula often suffixed to the names of ancient Egyptian kings–(the ''Pharaohs''). It is frequently abbreviated in Egyptian–'A.U.S. or a.u.s.' with just three hieroglyphs (or with their equivalent forms in Demotic and Hieratic), making it possibly one of the oldest acronyms used in written language, although strictly speaking the first word ''ankh'' is not truly abbreviated.
English translations of Egyptian often use the abbreviation "L.P.H." for "Life, Prosperity, Health. "
'ankh wedja seneb' represents the following Egyptian words-(and their concepts):
:#'Ankh': "Life"
:#'wedja': "to be whole/–intact"/'Endurance' (= "Prosperity")
:#'seneb': "Health"

Contents

Ankh

Wedja

Seneb

Notes

References

Ankh

Life:
:''"Ankh"'', "to live," "life,"^[1] was associated with the gods of Egypt, and Egyptian kings–(''pharaohs'') aspired to achieve their responsibilities of governing and protecting life in Egypt.

Wedja

Prosperity:
:''Wedja'' (written "utcha" in 19th century transcriptions) literally means "to be whole; to be intact,"^[2] but also has the connotation of "prosperity" and "well-being."^[3]
:''Dominion'' is a second term that is implied with prosperity. The raising of the Djed pillar was symbolic of the pharaoh creating, and maintaining his kingdom. It is the reason some pharaohs campaigned beyond the Egyptian border, leaving a legacy for the next pharaohs to deal with.

Seneb

Health:
:''Seneb'' has many translations: "to be well," "to be healthy," and "to have 'soundness' ": "to be sound."^[4] Another word, also ''seneb'' has the determinative of a wall and means "to build," but with the connotation of "to build (soundly)."^[5]
=='a.u.s.' in the Rosetta Stone==
For the actions by the pharaoh Ptolemy V of the Rosetta Stone (196 BC), the gods reward him by (line R5)^[6]
:"....As a reward (for his deeds of kingship) these are given Him (by) the Gods-(pictured with the Uraeus on the god–hieroglyphs-(Ntr, Ntr, Ntr)):
::Victory,
::Strength (= Greek god Nike),
::Life, Power (strength=prosperity), Health, (A.U.S.) and '' 'Everything Good to the Fullest' '' ..."

Notes

1. Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache 1, 193.8–198.10, 198.11–200.8
2. Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache 1, 399.14–401.2
3. Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache 1, 401.3–8
4. Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache 4, 158.2–159.5
5. Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache 4, 161.7
6. ''The Rosetta Stone''

References

★ Erman, Johann Peter Adolf, and Hermann Grapow, eds. 1926–1953. ''Wörterbuch der aegyptischen Sprache im Auftrage der deutschen Akademien''. 6 vols. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs’schen Buchhandlungen. (Reprinted Berlin: Akademie-Verlag GmbH, 1971).

★ Budge, E. A. Wallis, ''The Rosetta Stone'', 1929, 1989-(Dover Edition); Dover Pub, N.Y.