DOCSLIB.ORG

The Original Cult

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Original Cult CHAPTER TWO THE ORIGINAL CULT Its Antiquity The earliest evidence for the cult of Osiris is still confined to the closing phases of the Fifth Dynasty. His name occurs in the Pyramid Texts of Wenis in Saqqara, and Wenis is the last king of the Fifth Dynasty. His name also occurs in private mastabas of this dynasty, especially in the offering formulae. 1 While there is very likelihood that the Osirian material in the Pyramid Texts derives in part from a much earlier date, so far it has not proved possible to track down the god or his symbols tangibly to the First or Second Dynasty. An interesting find was made by Zaki Y. Saad 2 in a tomb of the First Dynasty at Helwan- two ivory pieces which, in his opinion, form the most ancient example of the djed-pillar, which in turn he describes as 'the symbol of the god Osiris'. The djed-pillar, however, is not consistently an Osirian symbol, at least not in its early forms. Only in the New Kingdom does it become unambiguously Osirian. 3 Even so, do these pieces represent cijed-pillars? They seem to imitate papyrus-columns, with four papyrus flowers superimposed one over the other. 4 It may equally be doubted whether the ivory toilet spoon is at this time a 'symbol of the goddess Isis', or again the knot represented on the adjacent box lid. 5 1 Cf. Scharff, Ausbreitung, 21; Heick, 'Osiris', 480f.; Kees in Mercer, Pyr. 123f. Not all the mastabas, naturally, can be precisely dated, but Kees shows that the datable allusions do not precede the 5th Dyn. See further below, p. 113f. 2 Royal Excavations at Saqqara and He/wan (1941-1945) (ASAE, Cahier No. 3, Cairo, 1947), 27 and Pl. 14b. 3 Bonnet, Reallexikon, 150; Heick, 'Osiris', 503. 4 Cf. S. Clarke and R. Engelbach, Ancient Egyptian Masonry (Oxford, 1930), 10 and Fig. 7. Admittedly in the architectural type there seems never to be a super­ imposition of papyrus plants. The 'papyrus cluster' column is a different idea, for which see Edwards, The Pyramids of Egypt (Ed. 2, London, 1961), 183f. For the view that the djed is in origin a bundle of reed-stalks tied together see Bonnet, Reallexikon, 150, citing Schafer in Griffith Studies, 424. 5 It is fair to add that some scholars have accepted Saad's claims: see Drioton and Vandier, L'Egypte (Ed. 3, Paris, 1952), 135; Westendorf, M/0 2 (1954), 179; Emery, Archaic Egypt (1961), 122f.; Rundle Clark, Myth and Symbol in Ancient Egypt (London, 1959), 98. Against this see Heick, 'Osiris,' 481. The Isis-knot, of course, is not originally distinctively Isiac: see H. Schafer, z;ls 62 (1927), 108-110. 42 THE ORIGINAL CULT In his valuable study, Die Inschriften der iigyptischen Fruhzeit, 6 339 ff. Kaplony, who deals with inscriptions of the first three dynasties, refers to a divine name which may be cited in relation to the cult of the gods in the sedan-chair. He reads this name as is(?), but in a note on two occurrences (p. 1019, n. 1651) he wonders whether Jjs, 'eine Vor­ form von 1st ,Isis" und Wsjr (/st-irt) ,Osiris"' is not involved. The intriguing sign used is compared by him with that used in a later writing of the gods' names; it is doubtless not the hieroglyph for flesh, as Gardiner also recognizes in his Sign-list (F 51). Obviously it would be rash to conclude that the early occurrences refer to Isis or Osiris, and Kaplony shows commendable caution in making this suggestion. Elsewhere 7 Kaplony shows less hesitancy in finding a mention of Isis in an inscription of the Second Dynasty King Peribsen. It occurs in Petrie, Royal Tombs, II, Pl. 21, 176. Kaplony (op. cit.) translates 'Vermogensverwaltung (pr-i!Jt) der Gottin Isis'. But the !flatter is far from being beyond query. F. Ll. Griffith in Petrie, op. cit., 53 suggests that a priestly title is implied which should be connected with the goddess figured to the right; 'possibly Isis .. .', he concludes, 'though her headdress seems to be that of a Nile-goddess'. He assumes that the throne-sign is repeated below this figure. Only the lower part appears in the drawing, 8 and the form is more rounded than in the other occurrence; there must be some doubt as to whether it is a replica of the first title. Even so, the figure of the goddess does not suggest Isis. 9 It seems preferable to translate the phrase as 'property office of the royal household'. 10 Another relevant problem in the sealings of Peribsen is the identity of the god figured in Petrie, Royal Tombs, II, Pl. 22, 178. He appears twice, wearing the Upper Egyptian crown and carrying a wJs-sceptre and an 'nb-sign. That he must be a god, and not the divine King, is apparent from sealings 176 and 179 of the same King, where Horus ( ?) 11 and Ash are respectively figured. F. Ll. Griffith 12 suggests doubtfully that the god in No. 178 may be 6 Agyptologische Abhandlungen, ed. Heick und Otto, Bd. 8, Wiesbaden, 1963. 7 ZAS 88 (1962), 74. 8 It is sad that we here have to rely on Petrie's inked-in pencil drawings. 9 Dr. S. Allam suggests to me that Seshat may be portrayed. The three feathers (?) do not exactly correspond to her symbols; cf. Wainwright, JEA 26 (1940), 30f. Dr. K. Bosse-Griffiths points out to me that, if the drawing is to be trusted, the goddess is lion-headed. See also M. Munster, Isis, 159. 1° For this use of st cf. Urk. I, 210, 4 and Wb. IV, 2, 12-15. 11 According to H. Stock, Die Welt des Orients, I, 3 (1948), 142 this is Ash. The drawing suggests a falcon head, but Stock may nevertheless be right. 12 In Petrie, RT, II, 53. .
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Presence of Myth in the Pyramid Texts
    The Presence of Myth in the qnamid Texts A thesis submitted in conformity with the nquirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Near and Middk Eastern Civilizations University of Toronto National CiBrary Bibiioth ue nationale u*m of Canada du Cana% The author has granteci a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive ticence allowing the exclusive pennettant a la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, Ioan, distri'btûe or sen reproduire, prêter, disbn'buer ou copies of this thesis in microfonn, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fome de microfiche/& de reproduction sur papier ou sur fomiat électronique. The author retains ownership ofthe L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the choit d'auteur qni protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantid exûacts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être miphés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. THE PRESENCE OF MYTH IN THE PYRAMID TEXTS Doctor of Philosophy 200 1 Jeder Elisabeth Hellum Graduate Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations University of Toronto The Pyramid Texts, written on the waUs of the entrance corridors, antechambers, and funerary chambers of the royal pyramids of the late Fiifth and entire Skth Dynasties, are filied with mythic statements and allusions, without using prose or poetic narrative. They hctioned as a holistic group, each distinct from the other, yet each working within the group to create a situation paraHehg the mythic, celestial worid of the afterlife.
    [Show full text]
  • In Ancient Egypt
    THE ROLE OF THE CHANTRESS ($MW IN ANCIENT EGYPT SUZANNE LYNN ONSTINE A thesis submined in confonnity with the requirements for the degm of Ph.D. Graduate Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civiliations University of Toronto %) Copyright by Suzanne Lynn Onstine (200 1) . ~bsPdhorbasgmadr~ exclusive liceacc aiiowhg the ' Nationai hiof hada to reproduce, loan, distnia sdl copies of this thesis in miaof#m, pspa or elccmnic f-. L'atm criucrve la propri&C du droit d'autear qui protcge cette thtse. Ni la thèse Y des extraits substrrntiets deceMne&iveatetreimprimCs ouraitnmcrtrepoduitssanssoai aut&ntiom The Role of the Chmaes (fm~in Ancient Emt A doctorai dissertacion by Suzanne Lynn On*, submitted to the Department of Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, University of Toronto, 200 1. The specitic nanire of the tiUe Wytor "cimûes", which occurrPd fcom the Middle Kingdom onwatd is imsiigated thrwgh the use of a dalabase cataloging 861 woinen whheld the title. Sorting the &ta based on a variety of delails has yielded pattern regatding their cbnological and demographical distribution. The changes in rhe social status and numbers of wbmen wbo bore the Weindicale that the Egyptians perceivecl the role and ams of the titk âiffefcntiy thugh tirne. Infomiation an the tities of ihe chantressw' family memkrs bas ailowed the author to make iderences cawming llse social status of the mmen who heu the title "chanms". MiMid Kingdom tifle-holders wverc of modest backgrounds and were quite rare. Eighteenth DMasty women were of the highest ranking families. The number of wamen who held the titk was also comparatively smaii, Nimeenth Dynasty women came [rom more modesi backgrounds and were more nwnennis.
    [Show full text]
  • Temples and Tombs Treasures of Egyptian Art from the British Museum
    Temples and Tombs Treasures of Egyptian Art from The British Museum Resource for Educators this is max size of image at 200 dpi; the sil is low res and for the comp only. if approved, needs to be redone carefully American Federation of Arts Temples and Tombs Treasures of Egyptian Art from The British Museum Resource for Educators American Federation of Arts © 2006 American Federation of Arts Temples and Tombs: Treasures of Egyptian Art from the British Museum is organized by the American Federation of Arts and The British Museum. All materials included in this resource may be reproduced for educational American Federation of Arts purposes. 212.988.7700 800.232.0270 The AFA is a nonprofit institution that organizes art exhibitions for presen- www.afaweb.org tation in museums around the world, publishes exhibition catalogues, and interim address: develops education programs. 122 East 42nd Street, Suite 1514 New York, NY 10168 after April 1, 2007: 305 East 47th Street New York, NY 10017 Please direct questions about this resource to: Suzanne Elder Burke Director of Education American Federation of Arts 212.988.7700 x26 [email protected] Exhibition Itinerary to Date Oklahoma City Museum of Art Oklahoma City, Oklahoma September 7–November 26, 2006 The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens Jacksonville, Florida December 22, 2006–March 18, 2007 North Carolina Museum of Art Raleigh, North Carolina April 15–July 8, 2007 Albuquerque Museum of Art and History Albuquerque, New Mexico November 16, 2007–February 10, 2008 Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art, History and Science Fresno, California March 7–June 1, 2008 Design/Production: Susan E.
    [Show full text]
  • Raising of the Djed-Pillar
    RAISING THE DJED PILLAR, THE RAMESSEUM DRAMATIC PAPYRUS Adapted by Stuart Tyson Smith from the translation & commentary of Kurt Sethe (1964, German translation by Jessika Akmenkalns), Henri Frankfort (1948), & Edward Wente (1980). Amenhotep III raises the Djed during his Heb-Sed in the tomb of Kheruef at Thebes. The annual ritual of “Raising the Djed” was the culmination of the larger “Mysteries of Osiris,” which commemorated the resurrection of Osiris after his murder by Seth and the restoration of the throne to Osiris’s son Horus. During the Coronation and Heb-Sed festival, Pharaoh took the place of Horus in the ritual, emphasizing the stability of his rule and his connection with the Osiris myth. Its phallic overtones alluded to the renewal of Pharaoh’s potency as ruler like Osiris in the myth. The Djed appears already in Predynastic art and was probably originally a fetish consisting of a pole with sheaves of grain attached. The Djed is described later on as the “Backbone of Osiris” in the Book of the Dead, but the original harvest and renewal symbolism was retained in the ritual. Although probably originally part of Ptah’s cult, the two gods were associated through a syncretism with Sokar, and the ceremony resonated with Osiris’s role as a god of the agricultural cycle. Cast: Lector Priest, Thoth, Geb, Horus/the King, Children of Horus, Osiris (as the Djed), Seth, Isis, Nephthys, Descendants of the King/Followers of Horus/Great Ones of Lower Egypt (royal princes and princesses), Musicians, Dancers and Singers, Followers of Seth/Great Ones of Upper Egypt, Spirit Seekers and the Keeper of the Two Feathers.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded from Brill.Com09/29/2021 06:13:37AM Via Free Access 314 Listing One
    LISTING ONE PYRAMID TEXTS BY TYPOLOGY AND DISPOSITION 821 Pyramid Texts were examined for typology. The typological classification was primarily according to the person of the beneficiary, and secondarily by recurring series and motifs. In this way Pyramid Texts were divided into two categories: Sacerdotal Texts and Personal Texts. The Coda went on to assert a subdivision of the categories into types: Offering Texts and Priestly Recitations for the category of Sacerdotal Texts, and Apotropaic, Transition, and Provisioning Texts for the category of Personal Texts. Figure 18 represents this as a schematic hierarchy. Except for four exceptional texts,1053 the types are subdivisions of par- ent categories. The features distinctive to the types are, consequently, also distinctive to categories. Figure 19 represents their relations heuristically. It is intended to show that, for instance, a priestly motif distinguishes a text not only from those of the offering type but also from texts of the personal category. Listing One is organized according to the texts’ numerical order. For each text, informa- tion is given about category, person of the beneficiary, person citation, type, recurring series, motifs, and group. In the context of typology, references to ‘Coffin Texts Series’ and ‘Coffin Texts’ indicate Middle Kingdom texts which have not been classified in the present work. In this case the term ‘Coffin Texts’ is not meant to indicate a genre of text concerned, but rather that they are not attested in the Old Kingdom. The listing does not give an explicit indication of the comparative weight of a given text’s typological attributes: the core motifs are not distinguished from the secondary motifs, which are sometimes sparsely attested in the opposing category.
    [Show full text]
  • Bulletin De L'institut Français D'archéologie Orientale
    MINISTÈRE DE L'ÉDUCATION NATIONALE, DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT SUPÉRIEUR ET DE LA RECHERCHE BULLETIN DE L’INSTITUT FRANÇAIS D’ARCHÉOLOGIE ORIENTALE en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne BIFAO 114 (2014), p. 291-338 David Klotz Replicas of Shu. On the Theological Significance of Naophorous and Theophorous Statues Conditions d’utilisation L’utilisation du contenu de ce site est limitée à un usage personnel et non commercial. Toute autre utilisation du site et de son contenu est soumise à une autorisation préalable de l’éditeur (contact AT ifao.egnet.net). Le copyright est conservé par l’éditeur (Ifao). Conditions of Use You may use content in this website only for your personal, noncommercial use. Any further use of this website and its content is forbidden, unless you have obtained prior permission from the publisher (contact AT ifao.egnet.net). The copyright is retained by the publisher (Ifao). Dernières publications 9782724708288 BIFAO 121 9782724708424 Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l'étranger (BAEFE) 9782724707878 Questionner le sphinx Philippe Collombert (éd.), Laurent Coulon (éd.), Ivan Guermeur (éd.), Christophe Thiers (éd.) 9782724708295 Bulletin de liaison de la céramique égyptienne 30 Sylvie Marchand (éd.) 9782724708356 Dendara. La Porte d'Horus Sylvie Cauville 9782724707953 Dendara. La Porte d’Horus Sylvie Cauville 9782724708394 Dendara. La Porte d'Hathor Sylvie Cauville 9782724708011 MIDEO 36 Emmanuel Pisani (éd.), Dennis Halft (éd.) © Institut français d’archéologie
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Egyptians
    Ancient Egyptians As the Learning Team are working from home and don’t have access to our actual handling artefacts, we have created a series of learning posts/pages based on our schools Egyptian loans box replicas and photographs of objects in our Ancient Lives Gallery. We’ve also put together a brief Ancient Egyptian history timeline. As well as the information here there is a short video to go with each object, available on the website and linked to our social media posts. Our information is short and easy to read - but remember this is about interesting you in the topic, it’s not the whole history of Ancient Egypt! Canopic Jars These are replica canopic jars. Canopic jars were used as part of the burial pro- cess, and held the internal organs of the mummified person. Each jar had a different head and held a different organ. Imsety had a human head and carried and protected the liver. Qebehsenuf had a falcon’s head and carried and protected the intestines. Hapy had the head of a baboon and carried and protected the lungs. Duamatef had the head of a jackal and carried and protected the stomach Replica mini canopic jars Canopic jar heads in the gallery Amulets In ancient Egypt amulets were created for a number of reasons. There were deities and symbols that transferred the powers that they represented. They were worn like modern charm bracelets, tucked into the bandages of a mum- mified person, or even woven into beaded burial nets. Ankh. Djed. Sekhmet. Eye of Horus.
    [Show full text]
  • 149 Original Article MONTU, the ORIGIN of a SACRED NETWORK
    id1575000 pdfMachine by Broadgun Software - a great PDF writer! - a great PDF creator! - http://www.pdfmachine.com http://www.broadgun.com Egyptian Journal of Archaeological and Restoration Studies "EJARS" An International peer-reviewed journal published bi-annually Volume 7, Issue 2, December - 2017: pp: 149-160 www. ejars.sohag-univ.edu.eg Original article MONTU, THE ORIGIN OF A SACRED NETWORK Soliman, R. Tourism Guidance dept., Faculty of Archaeology & Tourism Guidance, Misr Univ. for Sciences & Technology, 6th October City, Egypt. E-mail: [email protected] Received 11/5/2017 Accepted 2/12/2017 Abstract A key issue in understanding the sacred landscape of Thebes is the origin of god Montu and how his cult, and system of temples, changed through time and in relationship to other gods. He had several temples built for him in the Theban region including those at the closely connected sites of Armant and Tod south of Thebes, and also at Medamoud north-east of Karnak. One aspect of Montu is his division into multiple forms, particularly visible by the time of the new kingdom where he can manifest himself in the form of four Montus connected with the four primary cult places of the Theban nome: Thebes proper, Tod, Armant and Medamoud. A network that could imply an originally linked series of Theban religious sites defined by the rituals and festivals dedicated to Montu. The evolution of Montu within a cultic and temple framework of the Theban nome is an issue yet to be resolved. However, the comparatively limited state of excavation and publication of these sites complicates the analysis and has led to various controversies such as that regarding the specific origin of Montu.
    [Show full text]
  • The Mysterious Pyramid on Elephantine Island: Possible Origin of the Pyramid Code
    Archaeological Discovery, 2017, 5, 187-223 http://www.scirp.org/journal/ad ISSN Online: 2331-1967 ISSN Print: 2331-1959 The Mysterious Pyramid on Elephantine Island: Possible Origin of the Pyramid Code Manu Seyfzadeh Lake Forest, CA, USA How to cite this paper: Seyfzadeh, M. Abstract (2017). The Mysterious Pyramid on Ele- phantine Island: Possible Origin of the After the step pyramids of the Third Dynasty and before the true pyramids of Pyramid Code. Archaeological Discovery, the Fourth Dynasty, seven mysterious minor step pyramids were built by King 5, 187-223. Sneferu1 and a predecessor. None of them were tombs. Clues as to why they https://doi.org/10.4236/ad.2017.54012 were built emerged from analyzing their orientation to objects in the sky Received: August 26, 2017 worshiped by the ancient Egyptians and hinted at a renewed preoccupation Accepted: September 19, 2017 with measuring time and the flow of the Nile. The first of the seven was built Published: September 22, 2017 on the Island of Elephantine, Egypt. Its orientation suggests that an aspect of Copyright © 2017 by author and the star Sirius was being enshrined. This paper proposes that this aspect per- Scientific Research Publishing Inc. tained to the different timings of its annual invisibility period observable from This work is licensed under the Creative either the capital at Memphis in Lower Egypt or from Upper Egypt at Ele- Commons Attribution International License (CC BY 4.0). phantine. I argue that these periods, measured in days, were converted to di- http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ mensions in cubits, and consequently these numbers and the resulting geo- Open Access metric relationships between them became important.
    [Show full text]
  • The Organization of the Pyramid Texts
    The Organization of the Pyramid Texts Harold M. Hays - 9789004227491 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 09:57:14AM via free access Probleme der Ägyptologie Herausgegeben von Wolfgang Schenkel Antonio Loprieno und Joachim Friedrich Quack 31. BAND The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/pae Harold M. Hays - 9789004227491 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 09:57:14AM via free access The Organization of the Pyramid Texts Typology and Disposition (Volume One) By Harold M. Hays Leiden • BostoN The titles published in this series are listed at brill.nl/pae 2012 Harold M. Hays - 9789004227491 Downloaded from Brill.com09/26/2021 09:57:14AM via free access The digital edition of this title is published in Open Access. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hays, Harold M. The organization of the pyramid texts : typology and disposition / by Harold M. Hays. v. cm. — (Probleme der Ägyptologie, ISSN 0169-9601 ; 31. Bd.) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-90-04-21865-9 (set : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-23001-9 (v. 1 : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-22749-1 (e-book) — ISBN 978-90-04-23002-6 (v. 2 : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-90-04-22749-1 (e-book) 1. Pyramid texts. 2. Egyptian literature—History and criticism. I. Title. II. Series: Probleme der Ägyptologie ; 31. Bd. PJ1553.H39 2012 299’.3182—dc23 2012006795 ISSN 0169-9601 ISBN 978 90 04 21865 9 (hardback, set) ISBN 978 90 04 23001 9 (hardback, volume 1) ISBN 978 90 04 23002 6 (hardback, volume 2) ISBN 978 90 04 22749 1 (e-book) Copyright 2012 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands.
    [Show full text]
  • Egypt's Hieroglyphs Contain a Cultural Memory of Creation and Noah's Flood
    The Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism Volume 7 Article 36 2013 Egypt's Hieroglyphs Contain a Cultural Memory of Creation and Noah's Flood Gavin M. Cox Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/icc_proceedings DigitalCommons@Cedarville provides a publication platform for fully open access journals, which means that all articles are available on the Internet to all users immediately upon publication. However, the opinions and sentiments expressed by the authors of articles published in our journals do not necessarily indicate the endorsement or reflect the views of DigitalCommons@Cedarville, the Centennial Library, or Cedarville University and its employees. The authors are solely responsible for the content of their work. Please address questions to [email protected]. Browse the contents of this volume of The Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism. Recommended Citation Cox, Gavin M. (2013) "Egypt's Hieroglyphs Contain a Cultural Memory of Creation and Noah's Flood," The Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism: Vol. 7 , Article 36. Available at: https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/icc_proceedings/vol7/iss1/36 Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Creationism. Pittsburgh, PA: Creation Science Fellowship EGYPT'S HIEROGLYPHS CONTAIN CULTURAL MEMORIES OF CREATION AND NOAH'S FLOOD Gavin M. Cox, BA Hons (Theology, LBC). 26 The Firs Park, Bakers Hill, Exeter, Devon, UK, EX2 9TD. KEYWORDS: Flood, onomatology, eponym, Hermopolitan Ogdoad, Edfu, Heliopolis, Memphis, Hermopolis, Ennead, determinative, ideograph, hieroglyphic, Documentary Hypothesis (DH). ABSTRACT A survey of standard Egyptian Encyclopedias and earliest mythology demonstrates Egyptian knowledge of Creation and the Flood consistent with the Genesis account.
    [Show full text]
  • Hathor in the Context of the Coffin Texts
    Studia Antiqua Volume 6 Number 1 Article 6 June 2008 Hathor in the Context of the Coffinexts T BG McGill Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studiaantiqua Part of the Classics Commons, and the History Commons BYU ScholarsArchive Citation McGill, BG. "Hathor in the Context of the Coffinexts. T " Studia Antiqua 6, no. 1 (2008). https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/studiaantiqua/vol6/iss1/6 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Studia Antiqua by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Hathor in the ConteXT of the Coffin TEXts BG McGILL he modern understanding of Egyptian religion is heavily based on the Textensive funerary texts. The basic collection of Egyptian funerary literature includes the Pyramid Texts, dating from the Old Kingdom, the Coffin Texts, dat- ing from the Middle Kingdom, and the Book of the Dead, dating from the New Kingdom. Funerary texts are comprised of mortuary rituals and spells to attain eternal life. This paper focuses on the Middle Kingdom and the Coffin Texts. The Middle Kingdom consisted of a brief period of unification, a civil war instigated by the nomarchs or nobles, a reunification, and the eventual downfall to the Hyk- sos. This period is most specifically characterized by a diffusion of power from the pharaoh to the nomarchs.1 During this time, there were significant changes in the funerary texts. One change is the additional emphasis of the goddess Hathor in the Coffin Texts.
    [Show full text]