The Land of Egypt with Unique Characteristics - Essay Example

?Egyptian Images: The land of Egypt is known to the world for its unique characteristics. Mummies, Pyramids, Sphinx are among them. The ancient Egyptian civilization reflects through various things and Papyrus is one of them. Egyptians were the first to write on papyrus. The chosen image is also a fine specimen of papyrus illustration. The image is a Facsimile of an Egyptian hieratic papyrus of the reign of Rameses III, now in the British museum. It is a beautiful sketch that incorporates history, social, political religious life of ancient Egypt of about 4000 years ago. It is an insight to the progressive Egyptian civilization. The papyrus is an appropriate example to the critics for interpreting Egyptian culture with all its facets. Before interpreting the picture, it is very essential to know the human figures sketched in the picture. King Rmeses III is shown on the left side of the picture. He is shown as worshiping to the three deities. The right side figure is Rameses III. Opposite to him, there are three Gods, who are known as the Gods of Memphis. Memphis had been the capital city of ancient Egypt around 3000 BC. It was one of the main administrative cities of Egypt. The first God in the row is God Ptah, a God of construction, metalworking, and sculpture. He is also known as a patron of carpenters and shipbuilders. His place is very important as Ptah means creator God, who existed before all other things of the world. He is the creator of nature with flora fauna and he is regarded as the preserver of the world. Another God, second in row is actually a Goddess Sekhmet, who is the consort or companion of Ptah. She is the combination of the body of woman and lioness. There is a sun over her head. She is the giver of divine retribution, and conquest. Third in the row is God Nefertem. He appears with a blue lotus on his head. He is the protector of two lands.. At Memphis he was worshiped as a son of Ptah and Sekhmet .This a family of Gods that is known as Memphis Triad. It is shown that Kind Rameses III is worshiping the triad. Papyrus Harris 500 describes the triad in a following manner: Its rushes are Ptah, Sakhmet is its foliage, Iadet its buds, Nefertem its lotus blossoms( 1 ) Rameses III was a staunch devotee of The Memphis triad. In the illustration he is shown worshiping them. “Reinforced by a coloured full-height illustration showing the defied Rameses III addressing the gods of first Thebes, then Memphis, and finally Iunu...” (2) I (Ramses III) made for thee (Ptah) a mysterious shrine of Elephantine granite, established with work forever, of a single block, having double doors of bronze, of a mixture of six (parts), engraved with thy august name, forever. Ptah, Sekhmet, and Nefertem rest in it, while statues of the king are by their side, to present offerings before them.(3) In the critical writing on the image following factors need to be taken into consideration: 1. Political interpretation: The King here is shown in front of the deities of Memphis. The king has crook and flail in with him. In Egyptian culture, Crook and flail were the important items in regalia of ancient Egypt. Crook is associated with the duty to be performed by an ideal king. They represent two functions of the king. The qualities of the king are depicted through the outward appearance of Rameses III. The flail is a short handle with three beaded strands or flyers attached to it. It is the symbol of the royal power. “The crook and flail are sometimes thought to represent two of the functions of the king: the crook stands for the shepherd, carer of the people, while the flail as scourge symbolizes the punishments deemed necessary to sustain society.”(4) The banded cloth headdress, sash, triangular fronted kilt and bull’s tail, all these things represents the king’s royal status. We also come to know the religious orientation of ancient Egyptian people. The concept of polytheism was prevalent in ancient Egypt. The Religious connotation: The three of these Gods have their own identity, which is also shown through their attire. God Ptah is appeared as a man with punt beard and wearing a skull cap. He is shown wrapped up as if he is mummified. His hands are free though his body is wrapped which represents life, stability and power. In ancient mythology, the God with the combination of human being and the animal was quite common. The Goddess Sekhmet can be compared with Egyptian sphinx. The difference is that the body of Sekhmet is human body and her face is of lioness. Contradictory, Sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of lion and the head of human or sometimes of a cat. The combination of human animal representation is the characteristic of ancient civilization. There is a sun or solar disk and a cobra on the head of Goddess Sekhmet. She is sometimes supposed to be the daughter of Sun God Ra. Basically she was regarded as the protector of pharaohs, the Egyptian kings. The solar disk over her head represents her dazzling personality. It can be said that in ancient Egypt high respect was given to the women and their status was like Goddess. Her face is of a lioness which represents her power & strength. She has a quality of lioness. No other animal can be as brave as a lion. “Sekhmet, whose name means simply the “Powerful One.” (5) Nefertem, son of Ptah and Sekhmet is the young God associated with lotus. He was believed to have emerged from the primeval waters. Like his mother, he has also warlike qualities and sometimes he is depicted as a lion. He is represented holding scimitar with a falcon’s head and wearing a headdress of a lotus. He is also supposed to be the God of dancing and music. Critical appreciation of the image through comparative study: Almost all ancient civilizations are almost same. The stories of ancient mythologies also resemble to each other. While studying the image what observed was that, like human beings Gods also have their own families. Similar to the family of Ptah, Lord Shiva and his family has been worshipped in Indian mythology. Like Ptah, Lord Shiva is the supreme deity. He is the God of destruction. His wife is Adi Shakti or Parvati. Like Sekhmet, she is known for her bravery and she has fought and killed the demons who gave lot of sufferings to the common and powerless people. Below is the image of Lord Shiva with Adi Shakti and their two sons. One more similarity was observed between the Egyptian image and Indian image was that in Egyptian image the wife of Ptah, Sekhmet is shown as half human and half animal. In Shiva’s family his son is seen in the form of human body with the face of an elephant. He is known as Lord Ganesh. The face of an elephant is represents the extraordinary talents and so it is supposed to be the God of knowledge in Indian mythology. Below is the picture of Shiva’s family. The sun or the solar disk was seen over the head of Goddess Sekhmet which is seen behind the head of Shiva and all his family members. The sun or the solar disk of these Gods whether it is over the head or behind the head, is an aura. It further indicates their divinity and their dazzling supreme status, which has occupied over the entire universe and also the cosmos. Lord Shiva & his Family Ptah and his famiy (The picture of Lord Shiva: website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24366741@N08/3299381689/) Like Indian mythology the concept of polytheism is reflected in the picture of Ptah and his family . General Critical appreciation: The three figures of God represent different duties of mankind in this material world. The duties have been reflected in their personalities.. Ptah is the symbol of preservation, a parental duty and a protector. It is the symbol of caring parenthood a protector which are the major qualities of a king. He should assure his subject all kinds of assurance of living a good life such as financial stability, happiness, prosperity etc. Sekhmet is the Goddess associated with bravery and justice. The king must be brave and he must fight against the injustice. He should end all the malevolence from his kingdom and assure happiness, healthy life and justice to his subject. Neferten is the God associated with music and art. He is the typical representation of the enjoyment in material world which the king and all the people from his kingdom are entitled to. Rather the Egyptian image depicts that the king’s desire for the establishment of a utopian society in his kingdom. He is worshiping the three God to bring prosperity, happiness, family values, in his kingdom. Bibliography: 1. M.Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol.2, p.189) 2. Monderson Fredrick,( 2009) “Medinet Habu: Mortuary Temple of Rameses II (Author House Publication) p.25 3. Restoration of Hat-ke-ptah, the House of the ka of Ptah at Memphis Papyrus Harris J. H.Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, Part Four, § 320 4. Andrews Carol (1994) Amulets of ancient Egypt, University of Texas Press, p.75 5. Morenz, Egyptian Religion, 17; Lurker, Illustrated Dictionary, 106; Hornung, Conceptions of God, 282 Read More