Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt This book is a vivid reconstruction of the practical aspects of ancient Egyptian religion. Through an examination of artifacts and inscriptions, the text explores a variety of issues. For example, who was allowed to enter the temples, and what rituals were performed therein? Who served as priests? How were they organized and trained, and what did they do? What was the Egyptians’ attitude toward death, and what happened at funerals? How did the living and the dead communicate? In what ways could people commu- nicate with the gods? What impact did religion have on the economy and longevity of the society? This book demystifi es Egyptian religion, exploring what it meant to the people and society. The text is richly illustrated with images of rituals and religious objects. Emily Teeter, PhD, is a Research Associate and Coordinator of Special Exhibits at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago. She has curated temporary and permanent exhibits of Egyptian art at the Oriental Institute Museum, the Seattle Art Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago. The author and co-author of a wide range of popular and scholarly publica- tions, her most recent books include A ncient Egypt: Treasures from the Collection of the Oriental Institute , Egypt and the Egyptians , and The Life of Meresamun: A Temple Singer in Ancient Egypt . Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Wed Oct 10 12:24:32 BST 2012. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511780462 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012 Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Wed Oct 10 12:24:32 BST 2012. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511780462 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012 Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt Emily Teeter University of Chicago Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Wed Oct 10 12:24:32 BST 2012. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511780462 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012 CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Tokyo, Mexico City Cambridge University Press 32 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013-2473, USA www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521613002 © Cambridge University Press 2011 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2011 Printed in China by Everbest A catalog record for this publication is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication data Teeter, Emily. Religion and ritual in ancient Egypt / Emily Teeter. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-521-84855-8 (hardback) – ISBN 978-0-521-61300-2 (paperback) 1. Egypt – Religion. 2. Rites and ceremonies – Egypt. 3. Egypt – Antiquities. I. Title. BL2441.3.T44 2011 299’.31–dc22 2010040539 ISBN 978-0-521-84855-8 Hardback ISBN 978-0-521-61300-2 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet Web sites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee that any content on such Web sites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Wed Oct 10 12:24:32 BST 2012. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511780462 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012 Contents List of Maps, Plans, and Figures page viii List of Color Plates x ii Acknowledgments x iii Chronology of Ancient Egypt x v Introduction 1 1 The Egyptian Mind 3 2 Priests 16 Types of Priests and Their Duties 19 Priestesses 27 Becoming a Priest 28 Purity and the Priesthood 32 Organization of Priests 35 Remuneration of Priests 36 3 Inside the Temple: The World of the Gods 3 9 The Care and Feeding of the God 41 The Daily Offering Ritual 46 The King’s Offering Cult 51 Knowledge of Temple Ritual 51 What Happened to the Cult Statues? 53 4 Festivals 56 Festivals of Osiris 58 Feast of the Valley 66 The Festival of Amunhotep I 73 v Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Wed Oct 10 12:24:33 BST 2012. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511780462 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012 5 Contacting the Gods 76 Places of Prayer 77 Outside the Temple 84 Votive Offerings 87 Statue Cults 92 Intercessory Statues 96 Trances and Dreams as a Means of Contacting the Gods 101 Self-Dedication to the God(s) 102 6 In the Presence of the Gods: How the Gods Communicated with Men 104 Controlled Contact with the Gods 105 Uncontrolled Contact with the Gods 112 Seeking Protection from the Gods 115 7 Death and Funeral Rites 119 The Egyptian Attitude Toward Death 119 Building the Tomb 121 Provisioning the Dead 128 Preparing the Mummy 132 The Funeral 137 8 Communicating with the Dead 148 Akh Spirits 148 Letters to the Dead 153 Dreams and Nightmares 158 9 Magic to Charm and to Kill 161 Toward a Defi nition of Magic in Ancient Egypt 161 Who Were the Magicians? 163 Evidence for Magical Practices 165 Spells of Protection 167 Magic to Cure 171 Spells to Maim and Kill 177 10 The Amarna Period: Practical Aspects of “Monotheism” 182 The Nature of the Aten and the Rise of the God 184 Impact of the New Theology 188 The Conception of the Afterlife in the Amarna Period 190 Contents vi Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Wed Oct 10 12:24:33 BST 2012. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511780462 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012 Impact of the New Religion on Society 193 What Did the Amarna Theology Offer the People? 194 Conclusion 196 A fterword: An Appraisal of Egyptian Religion 1 97 Notes 2 01 Bibliography 2 09 Index 219 Contents vii Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Wed Oct 10 12:24:33 BST 2012. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511780462 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012 List of Maps, Plans, and Figures Maps 1 Egypt p age xix 2 Thebes xx Plans 1 The Karnak Temple xxi 2 The Luxor Temple xxii 3 Medinet Habu xxiii Figures 1 Aerial view of the necropolis in western Thebes 5 2 King Senwosert III 6 3 Statue of Nenkhefetka and his wife, Nefershemes 7 4 The sun (Atum) in the form of a ram 10 5 The vault of the sky represented as the goddess Nut 11 6 Ramesses IV offering a tray of food and four trussed cows to the god Khonsu 18 7 Procession of anonymous priests carrying shrines 19 8 Scene from the tomb of Khons showing him acting as a priest 20 9 Two h em ka ( ka priests) 23 10 Priests performing the Opening of the Mouth ritual 24 11 The God’s Wife Amunirdis embracing Amun 29 12 A priest of Hathor, Basa 30 viii Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Wed Oct 10 12:24:37 BST 2012. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511780462 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012 13 Doorway at the Temple of Amun at Karnak with inscription that all who entered must be “four times pure” 33 14 Signs that identify each of the groups (phyles) of priests who worked in rotation in the temples 36 15 Aerial view of granaries surrounding the Ramesseum in western Thebes 37 16 Wall at Karnak covered with scenes of King Ramesses II making offerings to various deities 40 17 The corridor surrounding the sanctuary at the Edfu Temple 42 18 Scene from the daily offering ritual in the Second Hypostyle Hall of the Temple of Seti I at Abydos 46 19 Temple to the Aten at the city of Akhetaten 49 20 Procession of sacred boats 50 21 Relief in the chapel on the roof of the Temple of Hathor at Dendera recounting the “script” of the festival of Osiris in the month of Khoiak 59 22 Osiris, on his funerary bier, impregnating his wife, Isis 60 23 A corn mummy 63 24 The Osiris catacombs at East Karnak 64 25 Bronze Osiris fi gurines deposited in the “Osiris Grave” at Medinet Habu 65 26 Brick representing the sarcophagus of the god Osiris 66 27 View of the three temples at Deir el Bahri 69 28 Triple shrine of Seti II at the Karnak Temple 78 29 Relief of Ramesses II surrounded by holes that supported a covering 79 30 Alabaster (calcite) “shrine of the hearing ear” at Karnak 80 31 The Temple of “Amun Who Hears Petitions” at East Karnak 81 32 Scene on the High Gate at Medinet Habu showing Ptah “Who Hears Petitions” and Sekhmet inside a shrine 82 33 Exterior back wall of the temple at Kom Ombo decorated with the ears of the god 83 34 Stela incised with the ears of the god who would hear petitions 84 35 Stela showing the god Amun standing before a shrine that contains statues of Ptah and Ramesses II 85 36 Shrine to Meretseger 86 37 Votive stela in honor of Meretseger 87 List of Maps, Plans, and Figures ix Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Wed Oct 10 12:24:37 BST 2012. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511780462 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012 38 Baked clay fi gurines in the form of women 88 39 Statue of Peraha with his hand to his mouth in a gesture of begging for offerings 97 40 Statuette of Imhotep 98 41 Statues of Amunhotep Son of Hapu in the guise of a scribe 99 42 Scene of a procession during the Opet Festival 106 43 Veiled shrine of a god 107 44 Flake of pottery (ostracon) inscribed with an oracle text 108 45 Falcon that may have been used as an oracle 110 46 Papyrus inscribed with an oracular decree from the goddess Nekhbet 116 47 Baked clay votive offering in the form of a woman’s vulva 117 48 Diagram of a tomb with chapel and subterranean burial chamber 124 49 Magic brick made of mud with remains of a fi gure of a recumbent jackal 125 50 Fragment of a curse 126 51 Interior of the wood coffi n of Ipi-ha-ishutef 127 52 Group of statues that represent the deceased’s family and house workers 130 53 Mummiform statue (shabti) of Hedj-renpet 133 54 Materials from an embalmer’s workshop 136 55 Limestone label used to identify a mummy in an embalmer’s workshop 137 56 Nephthys and Isis, the sisters of Osiris, in the form of winged goddesses 140 57 The Nine Friends dragging the sarcophagus to the tomb 141 58 A group of female professional mourners 142 59 Anubis, the guardian of the necropolis, embracing the coffi n of the priest Ramose on the day of his burial 143 60 Clay mask in the form of the head of Anubis 144 61 Muu dancers who impersonated people of the marshes at funerals 145 62 The ceremony of breaking red pots 146 63 An a kh iker n Re stela 151 64 Limestone bust representing an a kh iker n Re 152 List of Maps, Plans, and Figures x Downloaded from Cambridge Books Online by IP 14.139.43.12 on Wed Oct 10 12:24:37 BST 2012. http://ebooks.cambridge.org/ebook.jsf?bid=CBO9780511780462 Cambridge Books Online © Cambridge University Press, 2012