Island of Philae Cult Center of Isis/Aset

According to Plutharch´s late version of the myth this is the place where Aset found the heart of her husband Osiris when his body had been torn to pieces and spread out over the land by His brother Seth. It is also said that she buried him on the neighbouring island of Bigeh.

The temple on Philae was built in the Late Period to the Greek influenced and Romanized Isis, but it´s perhaps here that the importance of Aset can be traced most vividly, as the rulers during the Greek and Roman time period were eager to show their commitment to the ancient Egyptian religion, for political reasons. Through the magnificent display of this great cult center and the hieroglyphs which adorn the temple and pylon walls, the influence of Aset seems to come forward across the times to meet us.
On Philae she is shown as the wife of Wesir (Osiris), who mourned his death when he was murdered by his brother Seth, searched throughout the land for his body, restored him to life and gave birth to his son Heru (Horus).
Here she is is called the Lady of Abaton, which means Lady of the Tomb, referring to the tomb of Osiris at nearby Bigeh. She is also called Lady of Philae. Here Aset and Het-Hert (Hathor), for whom there is a small temple too, have merged into one deity.
Aset is also depicted as the Mother and Protector of the King. In the Birth House of the temple of Aset, rites were held at every new king´s ascendancy to the throne of Egypt, to manifest and secure his Divine birth. The hymns which are inscribed on the walls of the Birth House, which have been transcribed and translated by the Swedish egyptologist Per Linder 1997, are all dedicated to, and partly describes these rituals.
There are also hymns engraved on the walls of the sanctuary, some of them which are transcribed, translated and discussed by Louis V. Zabkar in his book 'Hymns to Isis in her Temple at Philae', London 1988. In these hymns Aset is placed as both Creator of All Life as well as Royal Spouse and Mother of God, thus making her the chief deity not only in her temple at Philae but over the whole land.

On the island of Bigeh next to Philae is the alleged tomb of Wesir (Osiris). Therefore, every tenth day (ten days is one week according to the ancient Egyptian calendar) a procession carrying the statue of the Great Lady of Philae travelled by boat over to Bigeh to make offerings by her husband´s tomb.

Comments

The bindweeds of Egypt and their symbolic role for the deceased

http://www.egyptraveluxe.com/cairo_half_day_tour_to_cairo_egyptian_museum.php From the Middle Kingdom until the 18th Dynasty, representations are found of a parasitic bindweed associated with the stems of papyrus, . Its representations increase and refine themselves during the Amarnian period because of the naturalistic leaning to nature; but it is in Ramesside times, and more particularly that of Ramesses II, that the images become more beautiful and most detailed. The plant is frequently attached to the stem of the papyrus, or to bouquets, but being also able to, more rarely, exist separately. After the 20th Dynasty, if the theme persists, the quality of the representations decrease (as do all more representations of nature). This success under the Ramesseses is probably linked with the specific beliefs of that time, and notably the eminent place that the solar cults occupy. The nature of the plant has been under debate a long time ...

US authorities return eight stolen ancient Egyptian artifacts

US authorities agreed to return eight ancient Egyptian artifacts stolen and illegally smuggled out of the country. Today, upon his arrival from the United States, Minister of Antiquities Mohamed Ibrahim announced that US authorities agreed to return eight ancient Egyptian artefacts stolen and illegally smuggled out of the country. The objects are to arrive next month. The pieces include the upper part of a painted anthropoid wooden sarcophagus from the Third Intermediate period depicting a face of a woman wea ring a wig decorated with coloured flowers. Two linen mummy wrappings covered with plaster and bearing paintings showing winged amulets pushing the sun disc are also among the artefacts. Hieroglyphic text showing the name and titles of the deceased are also found on the plaster cover. The third piece is a cartonage painted mummy mask from the Third Intermediate period while the fourth and fifth items are Middle Kingdom wooden boats. The other three items are lim...

KV-63 ~ Newly Discovered Tomb

Valley of the Kings Valley of the Kings - Luxor Tomb of Tutankhamun Valley of the Kings - Luxor Valley of the Kings, Egypt KV-63 ~ Newly Discovered Tomb KV-63 is located in the Valley of the Kings approximately 14.5 meters from the south edge of KV-62, the Tomb of Tutankhamun. Dr. Zahi Hawass officially pronounced the newly discovered tomb, KV-63 on 10 Febru ary 2006. However, the initial shaft was discovered a few days before the end of 2005 excavation season. KV-63 is the first tomb to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings since 1922. it is now believed to have been a storage chamber for the mummification process. The chamber contained seven wooden coffins and many large storage jars. All coffins have now been opened, and were found to contain only mummification materials, with the jars also containing mummification supplies including salts, linens, and deliberately broken pottery. Some clay seal impressions contain text, such as the partial word 'pa-aten,' part o...

Search This Blog