Km and Km.t (Kemet) (hieroglyphs)

Rossini and Schumann-Antelme propose that the km hieroglyph (Gardiner: I6) actually depicts crocodile claws coming out of the hide.

[2] and that km originally derived from the word 'ikm' meaning 'shield' although typically they were made of cow hide (but later copper or bronze) [3] If it depicts part of a crocodile, hide or foot, it's relation to the color black is unknown (although Nile crocodiles may appear dark gray, or loosely "black" in color).

Consistent with this meaning some scholars believe the hieroglyph depicts "a piece charcoal burning to its ending", this at the same time, a black colored object.

[5] The determinative O49 used in both words is the hieroglyph for 'country, inhabited/cultivated land' and called the niw.t (a political designate) It is believed to represent a 'town intersection' of roads.

[9] The discussion of the biliteral states: The conclusion of a document, written in black ink, ending the work, has the same semantic connotation.

[10] (as km for 'concluding') The Rossini, Schumann-Antelme write-up states that initially the word comes from "shield", ikm, and thus the original association with the crocodile.

12 "Kam-ur" is defined as "The Red Sea" Variations that follow include various animals, gods, goddesses and a couple of lakes 21 and 22, describe a "buckler", or "shield", and "black wood".

Most Egyptologists then (and today) use the transcription and transliteration system developed by the Berlin School which issued the master compendium of Egyptian hieroglyphic language in 1926, Wörterbuch der Aegyptischen Sprache (7 Vols.

[23] Ogden, Goelet (1999), "Kemet and Other Egyptian Terms for Their Land", in R. Chazan, William W. Hallo and L. H. Schiffman (ed.