The Thoth Review And World Report
Em Hotep, my fellow Egyptians and welcome to our latest edition of the Acta Diurna.
We recently celebrated our final Springfest here at Ancient Worlds, and Egypt was one of the hosting worlds of the event. There was much to see, do and learn during Springfest. We had the Bragging God's at the Four Corner's Bar and Grille where you could root for your God while enjoying good food, lively music and hysterical company; and there was also the breathtaking Rock Art Tour, also my personal favorite, the Dining in Egypt where you not only learned a lot but you were indulged with mouth watering recipes. And last but not least the wine tour that took you through wine country and turned a Roman Demi into and Egyptian God, better known as Herkanubis.
This time of year in ancient Egypt the harvest season is beginning to come to an end and soon the land will be parched and dry awaiting the annual flooding of the Nile, and in the interim there will be many festivals to be celebrated among them the Festivals of Het-Hert and Bast, the Festival of Mut and the summer solstice to name a few, and with that in mind I found it quite timely when Mirjam Nebet sumitted the following article on the roles of female priests in ancient Egypt. Please read below and enjoy!
Female Priestesses in Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt there were several occupations open to women, like priesthood, midwifery, mourning, textile working, dancing and music. Among this, the priesthood was the most prestigious one, and for a long period open only to women of noble families. It was not until the New Kingdom that women from all social levels could enter into temple service.
read more...
Archaeology News
Statues Of Sekhmet Found At Luxor
A team of Egyptian and German Archaeologists doing restoration on the temple of Pharaoh Amenhotep III found numerous statues with the head of a lion and the body of a woman ie, the goddess Sekhmet, goddess of both war and healing. Six of the twenty-three statues found are made of black granite and show the goddess seated on a throne and holding a ankh in her left hand. The remaining statues are life size and show Sekhmet seated and wearing a crown.
Archaeologists are surprised by the number of statues and there are several theories as to volume of statutes of Sekhmet, one according to Zahi Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities,
"The reason for this large number of Sekhmet statues may be that Amenhotep III was sick and put statues in the temple to heal him, Or possibly it was wartime, and [the statues were meant to] help the soldiers win and be healed." Others suggest they may have been moved to the west bank for a festival to honor the pharaoh, or possibly even to stave off disease. You can read the complete article
Here
World's Oldest Ships Found In Egypt
According to National Geographic
"Massive wooden planks, ropes, and cargo boxes found in a series of caverns near the Red Sea have been identified as parts of the oldest seafaring ships ever discovered."> And supports the beliefs that ancient Egyptian's were able to sail to far away lands such as the land of Punt where they would exchange in trade. According to the article the ships were assembled in "kit form" then carried across the desert and set sail for their destinations and after a successful journey the ships were abandoned.
The 4,000 year old ships were found on the shores of the Red Sea in an area known as Wadi Gawasis, and there is no doubt that they were seafaring vessels because the planks show damage from a wood boring mollusk known as shipworm and is only found in saltwater. If you like to read the full article you can find it
Here
A Few Fun Facts
The average Egyptian male was 5 feet tall.
Some physicians were so skilled they performed brain surgery.
Ancient Egyptians believed
fried micecured tooth aches.
