1:H 1 E-111D T$W “When a Man Smells of Myrrh, ! 11 H Z P 7] 1Mh ! ! Tb B + His Wife Is a Cat Before Him

M \ r -! 1:h 1 e-111D t$w “When a man smells of myrrh, ! 11 h z p 7] 1mh ! ! Tb b + his wife is a cat before him. M M -! 1:h 1Ed9 When a man is suffering, ! 11 h zp 7q 111] 1mh ! ! b + his wife is a lioness before him.” The Instructions of Ankhsheshonq (a priest of Re at Heliopolis), British Museum, P. 10508—a ‘Wisdom Text’ dated to the Ptolemaic Period, ca. 332–30 b.c. Hieroglyphic transcription from the original demotic text courtesy of Christian Casey. The dual nature of women: sexual playthings to be enjoyed, and cunning creatures of which to be wary. That’s the chauvinistic message from the above papyrus text, dated to the Ptolemaic Era (but perhaps composed a lot earlier). To make the point, the author references the two feline goddesses: Bastet and Sekhmet. The first line is charged with erotic imagery: sweet fragrances were connected with notions of rebirth and sensuality. Here, the author is suggesting that when a man was lathered in aromatic scents, his wife appeared, fertile and flushed with desire. These ideas found their expression in the cat goddess Bastet who was worshipped for her protective and nurturing instincts, as well as her capabiltiy for great proliferation. Conversely, if the husband displayed any weakness in his authority, then Sekhmet—the fiery lioness and manifesta- tion of the fury of Re—was ready to pounce and subdue him (and not in the fun way). The patriarchal message: you can’t trust women. Female divinities, however, were highly venerated, and the centuries surrounding the creation of the above papyrus text, and the statue at left, were the heydays of the great Temple of Bastet at Bubastis. Here, thousands of pilgrims thronged each year for the uninhibited revelry of the Festival of Bastet. METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART. ROGERS FUND, 1944. ACC. NO. 44.4.19 6 NILE #25 | MAY–JUNE 2020 Fallen Glory © HEIDI KONTKANEN The Temple of Bastet at Bubastis appears to have collapsed The temple’s first major excavations were directed by during an earthquake around 2,000 years ago, and its Swiss archaeologist Édouard Naville, who happily hauled ruins still contain the weather-beaten remains of statuary away the finest sculpture and carved masonry for placed there by the 22nd-Dynasty pharaohs (although museums around the world. Those pieces that Naville belonging to older periods of Egypt’s history). deemed unworthy of museum display were left on site. Dr. Elsayed Hegazy Director, Team Bastet Kat Hammond Co-Director, Team Bastet Hesham Abdul El Moomen Director of the Eastern Delta Restoration of the Great Temple of the Goddess Bastet The temple of Bastet, at Bubastis in the 1889, British author (and founder of the eastern Delta, presents itself to today’s Egypt Exploration Society) Amelia Edwards visitors as a huge field of rubble. Its ruins— wrote that “it was with the satisfactory cer- around 4,000 rose-granite fragments of tainty that there remained no gleanings for statues and monumental architecture—are any future explorer.” Of course, the ruins the only visible remains. of the Temple of Bastet, have a lot more to When archaeologist Édouard Naville offer—including plans to restore the temple wrapped up his final season of digging in to its former glory. (OPPOSITE) THE BEER THAT SAVED HUMANKIND. This Third Intermediate Period/Late Period statue shows Bastet seated on a throne decorated with two registers of figures—some holding wine cups. This imagery could be connected with the Festival of Drunkenness, which celebrated the salvation of humankind from a rampaging Sekhmet (the destructive aspect of Hathor). The goddess was tricked into binging on vast amounts of beer to a state of happy excess, thus forestalling the destruction of the human race. NILEMAGAZINE.COM.AU 7 Hathor-Headed Pillars of Osorkon II (22nd Dynasty) Hypothetical reconstruction of the Sanctuary of Nectanebo II with shrines (Late Period: 30th Dynasty) © JEFFREY ROSS BURZACOTT Hall with a central colonnade of Hathor- Headed columns flanked by shorter columns with palm-leaf capitals. —Osorkon II, 22nd Dynasty Temple of Mahes, son of Bastet —Osorkon II, Hypostyle Hall: 22nd Dynasty. Papyrus bundle columns with Hathor Capitals —Osorkon II Roman Well Colonnade with papyrus Sed Festival Court bundle columns of Osorkon II —Osorkon II Sed Festival Gateway of Osorkon II Area of Season One work of Team Bastet Statue of Karomama (possibly Queen Tiye), 18th Dynasty First Court —Osorkon I (22nd Dynasty) Reconstruction by Édouard Naville, Gateway of Osorkon I (22nd Dynasty) published in 1892. North THE TEMPLE OF BASTET—FACT FILE: DATE: Visible ruins are mostly Third Intermediate Period, LENGTH: Around 200 metres. 22nd Dynasty (ca. 945–715 B.C.) and Late Period, 30th FIRST EXCAVATION: Édouard Naville for the Egypt Explora- Dynasty (ca. 380–343 B.C.). tion Fund (now Society), 1887–89. LOCATION: Modern Zagazig, 80 km northeast of Cairo. RECENT DISCOVERIES: In 2004—a duplicate of the Canopus REGION: Southeast Nile Delta, Lower Egypt. Decree of Ptolemy III (ca. 238 B.C.), demonstrating that the DEDICATION: The lioness (and later cat) goddess Bastet. temple was still important in the 3rd century B.C. MATERIAL: Limestone (mostly missing) and granite. CURRENT CONDITION: Scattered ruins of granite blocks. 8 NILE #25 | MAY–JUNE 2020 ou could hear them coming for miles. Along began as the women on the boats shouted insults at those the side of the great river, people cheered and onshore, raising their skirts and howling with laughter, waved. The blast of horns and the trills of voices mocking them for not also making the pilgrimage. Y rent the air. There were drums booming as well This was one of many barges that plowed the river this as the rhythmic shaking of sistra and tambourines. They time of year. They were headed up to the ancient temple of rounded the bend of the river and flashed into the sunlight. the goddess Bastet, “she of the ointment jar,” she of joy like They sang and laughed and threw sweets to the children the kittens playing on the bank. Her temple lay in the ancient who lined the bank. Then the good-natured wisecracks city of Bubastis in the eastern Nile Delta. COURTESY OF THE EGYPTOLOGY LIBRARY PEGGY JOY “At a depth of but a few feet from the surface, Shocked at the rapid destruction of Egypt’s ancient the picks and spades of the diggers struck heritage, British author Amelia Edwards founded the Egypt granite. Broken columns, capitals, archi- Exploration Fund (now Society) in 1882 to help preserve its traves, building-blocks, roofing-stones, and deteriorating monuments. In 1889 she sailed to the United large slabs covered with elaborate sculptures States to deliver a series of lectures to increase awareness in low relief were uncovered in swift succes- of ancient Egypt and to raise badly-needed funds for the sion. Then the plan of the structure began fledgling organisation and the excavations it sponsored. gradually to unfold itself. It was orientated, One of those early projects had been directed by Swiss as usual, from east to west. At the lower, or Egyptologist and Biblical scholar Édouard Naville, who, easternmost end, two enormous columns with two years earlier, had discovered the ancient Temple of palm capitals, now prostrate and broken, Bastet at Tell Basta, the ancient Bubastis in the Nile Delta. marked the entrance to what seemed like a great Naville conducted three seasons at Bubastis, between first hall. The next trench, about 150 feet (46 1887 and 1889, but had initial doubts as to how fruitful metres) higher up, disclosed another hall, excavations there might be: situated apparently about the middle of the “As for Tell Basta I believe it is hopeless to building. A hundred and fifty feet higher yet, do anything there, at least on a large scale.” it was evident that the site of the Hypostyle —A letter to Amelia Edwards in early January 1887 Hall was laid open. Lastly, at the sanctuary (Egypt Exploration Society archives). end, the diggers encountered a vast and con- fused pile of enormous granite blocks, and a The engravings in this article are from an article that mass of limestone chips. Edwards contributed to the January 1890 issue of The “‘It is not a few stray blocks that we are Century Magazine, published in New York. Art collector finding at Tell Basta,’ wrote M. Naville, in the William Joy notes that Edwards’ article “preceded the first flush of his great discovery; ‘it is a appearance by a year of Naville’s first official report of whole temple.’”—Amelia Edwards, The Century excavation work at Bubastis, issued by the Egypt Explor- Magazine, January 1890. ation Fund.” NILEMAGAZINE.COM.AU 9 COURTESY OF THE EGYPT EXPLORATION SOCIETY. REF. BUB.PRINT.02 “Standing on the western part of the mounds of Excavations at Bubastis, ca. 1888–89. Tell Basta, and looking towards Zagazig, the Édouard Naville favoured the pith helmet-look, which was visitor has before him an area of several acres, popular among European travellers, explorers and Swiss which has been dug out thoroughly. Near the archaeologists at the time. Here he poses for a photograph numerous pits by which the place is honey- of the works-in-progress at Bubastis. combed, are seen heaps of white bones of cats. The British Museum’s Neil Spencer wrote about Naville’s This spot has been one of the most productive Bubastis excavation in The Egypt Exploration Society— mines which the fellaheen had at their dispos- The Early Years, and notes that “the lack of stone blocks al. There they found the numerous bronze cats suggests it may have been taken in the sacred cat which fill the shops of the dealers at Cairo.

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