Egyptian kings usually bore five different names. The first of these is the so-called Horus name. It was usually written in a rectangle with a Horus falcon on top. Illustrations from early times clearly show that the rectangle is a stylized rendition of a palace. As the ruling king was the incarnation of the falcon god, this way of writing the name is interpreted as 'Horus who is in the palace' (with 'in' being shown as 'on' in the Egyptian manner). The rectangle was not regarded as an illustration of a palace for long, as is shown by the appearance of lines which look more like a decoration. Thus the whole is explained as a kind of podium or throne on which the Horus falcon is sitting. The rectangle is usually referred to by the word 'serekh', an Egyptian term which is known at least from the New Kingdom on.