Foreign or domestic? Classifiers, placenames, and the categorisation of space in the hieroglyphic system

The Egyptian hieroglyphic script employed unpronounced signs called classifiers at the termination of words, providing unique insights into how Egyptians ordered their lexicon and world. This classificatory system extended to proper nouns and placenames, communicating basic spatial taxa in which Egyptians placed toponyms. Changing alongside the numerous political, ideological, and orthographic developments throughout the millennia of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, the manner in which Egyptian scribes classified toponyms tells us a great deal about how they imagined their environment, their world, and associated notions of home, territory, and foreignness. This study assesses the boundaries and changes in the toponymic classifier system, outlining how and why classifiers for the same toponyms could change. Notably, this research demonstrates that the toponymic classifying system was “active,” being subject to interpretation by scribes. An appreciation of the inner workings of this system provides us with a newfound and emic perspective of the ancient Egyptian world.