In Egyptian hieroglyphs, a cartouche /kɑːrˈtuːʃ/[1] is an oval with a horizontal line at one end, indicating that the text enclosed is a royal name,[1][2] coming into use during the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty under Pharaoh Sneferu. While the cartouche is usually vertical with a horizontal line, it is sometimes horizontal if it makes the name fit better, with a vertical line on the left.[3] The Ancient Egyptian word for it was shenu, and it was essentially an expanded shen ring. In Demotic, the cartouche was
