Serekh
/ˈsɛrɛk/noun
An ancient Egyptian rectangular emblem enclosing a king’s Horus name, often designed like a palace façade.
Did you know?A serekh did not usually contain the pharaoh’s personal birth name; it displayed the Horus name, linking the ruler symbolically with the god Horus.
Etymological Timeline
Early Dynastic Egypt, c. 3200–3000 BCE
Egyptian
srḫ
“A royal emblem resembling a palace façade, used to frame the king’s Horus name.”
Old Egyptian, c. 2700–2200 BCE
Egyptian
srḫ
“A sign associated with making a royal identity known and publicly recognizable.”
Middle Egyptian, c. 2000–1650 BCE
Egyptian
srḫ
“The conventional term for the façade-like frame surrounding a king’s Horus name.”
19th–20th Century
Egyptology
serekh
“Scholarly transliteration used for the ancient Egyptian royal-name enclosure.”
Modern English
English
serekh
“A technical Egyptological term for the rectangular royal emblem.”