Ancient Egyptian Goddess Bastet, and her cultural importance in Egypt
By: Charlotte Goldberger
The Ancient Egyptians’ usage of cat figures in art is representative of their adoration for Bastet, the goddess of the felines, home, fertility, joy, dance, music and love. Bastet’s importance in everyday life was not limited by the boundaries of the class system and was translated by the Egyptians into a love for all cats, putting the felines in a position of sacredness in the culture. An example of her influence on ancient Egyptian culture can be found in the vocabulary as the word kitten was “miw” and children were called “miw-sheri (little cat)”. These animals also played a big part in agriculture as they would kill the mice, helping out the farmers.
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So, not only did Pharaohs worship her, but civilians and servants also honored her. “Egyptian families welcomed her into their homes as goddess of the hearth and protector of pregnant women. Her festivals were famous, and she was called ‘goddess of plenty’ and ‘mistress of pleasure.’ This festival usually started out in April, and lasted until May, and welcomed over 700,000 people annually. The Egyptians would gather along the Nile to celebrate by feasting, drinking wine, singing, and dancing. Throughout the month, cats were killed, as the British Museum points out, to later on be mummified and embalmed, for the purpose of being buried in a necropolis located at Bastet’s temple. The ceremonies following funerals were grandiose, as cats were seen as living miniatures of Bastet. Lastly, out of respect for the goddess, the Pharaoh stopped hunting felines during the festivities. Overall, not only was she loved and honored throughout lives of common ranked individuals, but her trace could be also found throughout burials in the form of grave goods in royal tombs and in her temples in the forms of …show more content…
This statue represents Bastet standing on her hind legs, on her ankles are depictions of bracelets. She is wearing a knee length v-neck dress. Additionally, the designs on the dress are “reminiscent of Syrian designs”. According to the Louvre, “this style of dress was not Egyptian, and was only worn by this particular goddess” , thus she was incredibly important to the Egyptians and had her own style of fashion. The statuette of the goddess indicates that she is holding an object in her hands. This object is commonly known as a sistrum, a cup-like musical instrument, “designed to soothe and charm the goddess”. The second decoration added on, is the aegis, a collar-like necklace, featuring the head of a lioness “crowned by the sun disk and uraeus”. The disk is a reminder of Bastet’s heritage as her father was the sun god Re. Finally, both the sistrum and the aegis were made to represent the dual aspects of Bastet’s character: “the dangerous, irascible lioness versus a peaceful, protective cat”. Based on prior knowledge, it is evident that this statuette was used to “tame an angry goddess and transform her into a gentle cat”. Hard to find and mold, the materials necessary to build a small statue of Bastet, made out of metal, required specialized training, and thus were more expensive. Only individuals that had royal or elite ranks could obtain these statues and place them in her temples, as objects that
age-old Pharaonic traditions) with elements of Greek culture and also made great innovations. Egyptian depictions tended toward the idealistic but stiff, with no attempt to likeness but with the influence of Greek culture, they started to emphasis on the face more than it the past. Smiles suddenly appear. Like on the head of the carved and painted wood featured a large face synonym of smile. It was round and painted in gold. The face was decorated with a fake beard, a wig painted in blue, and has black-lined eyes and eyebrows makes it look exotic. Colors were more expressive rather than natural: blue or gold association with precious materials indicated divinity because of its unnatural appearance; the use of black for royal figures expressed the fertility of the Nile from which Egypt was born. This is probably the reason why the coffin covered with a red net clothing above which many iconography, and gods and goddesses of the ancient Egypt were painted. Animals were also highly symbolic figures. For example, on the coffin of Pedi-Osiris above the painting of a goddess named Nut, there were paintings of a scarab beetle named Khepri, god of the morning sun, with wings and it ball of dung. On each shoulder of the wooden coffin featured paintings of a baboon that was raising its arms in a worshiping position. Also the paintings of two jackals, gods of embalming, appeared on the base of the coffin, representing veneration and protection of the deceased. Symbolism played an important role in establishing a sense of order. The fake beard in ancient Egypt was symbolic and meant wisdom, high rank, wealth, etc. In the usage of hierarchical proportion, the size of figures indicated their relative importance. The figures of gods and goddesses or the divine pharaohs, high officials were usually larger compared other figures: any servants and entertainers,
These two statues are famous to the Egyptian art era. They represent the woman’s position and the man’s position at that day and age. Traditionally, the rulers of Egypt were male. So, when Hatshepsut, Dynasty 18, ca. 1473-1458 B.C., assumed the titles and functions of king she was portrayed in royal male costumes. Such representations were more for a political statement, rather than a reflection of the way she actually looked. In this sculpture, she sits upon a throne and wears the royal kilt and the striped nemes (NEM-iss) headdress with the uraeus (cobra) and is bare chested like a man. However, she does not wear the royal beard, and the proportions of her body are delicate and feminine.
Mythological Details: My novel is fiction because it involves the Egyptian gods in a modern day world, and also the main characters pet cat had been an Egyptian god, named Bast, that had been ordered to protect them. A quote to support this is "So, yeah. Our cat was a goddess" (Riordan, 114).
Bastet was the goddess of warfare in lower Egypt, before the unification. She is the goddess of joy, the home and the warmth of the sun. In modern day she is portrayed as a woman with the head of a cat. Before the unification, Bastet was the lioness-goddess, but that role became diminished as Sekhmet, a similar deity became more dominant in the Two Lands (Upper and Lower Egypt). In the 1st millennium BC, during the 18th dynasty when domesticated cats were popularly kept as pets, Bastet started being represented as a woman with the head of a cat, and then ultimately by the end of the 22nd dynasty she became the cat-goddess. She was seen as a protective and gentle goddess, and she would appear with the head of a lioness in battle to protect the King. She was very important to the ancient Egyptians because she was the goddess of protection.
The funerary rituals introduced by the Egyptians were the most intricate, spiritual rites in their times and, perhaps, even to this day. Their elaborate customs, tombs, and gifts to the dead were representative of their pious, devoted nature. Albeit not all were as imposing as the oldest and still remaining Seven Wonder of the World, the Pyramids of Giza, all were meaningful and sacred. The Egyptians, highly reverent of their dead, adopted ornate, religious burial practices to fit to every member of their society.
And just like the Greek the statue are both big and almost human size. A great example of this is the “Augustus of Primaporta, 1st century C.E. (Vatican Museums).” It truly shows the evolution of art sculpting. It is a full size very detailed sculpture of Augustus. It very detailed from his hair showing every curl and split to the small details in his armor that also depicts a story as well is shows the god of the sky looking down on him and the goddess of the earth looking up towards him as they watch the Parthians surrender to him and returning the standards shows the great power that Augustus has, and not just that but also the sculpture itself is a symbol for how Augustus wanted everyone to see him as, as god like. And it even has a little small cupid on the side which is also detailed which shows that Augusts is decedent from a
The feline was the most important animal given divine honors because it was admired for its energy or power, strength and agility (Ions, 103). Egyptians first domesticated cats around 2000 BCE in Egypt. This was essentially because of their instincts to catch and kill rats and other rodents (Michelle). Eventually these domesticated house pets surpassed other animals of its time and elevated its status to a worshipped deity. Goddesses that are often depicted with a lion or cat embodiment are; Mafdet, Bastet, Sakhemet, Tefnut (Pinch, 134). Egyptian gods depicted with a lion or cat embodiment are Atum-Ra and Bes. All w ere associated with the sun-god Ra, sometimes being identified as “The Eye of Ra”. Ra was viewed as one of the most important gods because the sun controls farming and crops (Pinch, 129). Egyptians considered cats as royalty and treated them as such through laws that protected them from any harm. Therefore, if any human ...
Egyptian art is infamous across the world - classified by the monumental pyramids, and the Sphinx. Although these are both valid forms of Egyptian art, they do not make up the entire artistic history of the country. On the contrary, perhaps the most replicated example of classic Egyptian art, from the Old Kingdom, can be found in their rendering of the human form. An interest in portraiture developed early in Egypt. (Gardner, 75) Whether painted on pottery, or cut into rock, the figures all had notably Egyptian characteristics. "The seated statue is one of only a very small number of basic formulaic types employed by the sculptors of the Old Kingdom." (Gardner, 75)
This is a copy of the sculpture of Athena Parthenos, dressed in battle attire, that was originally created by Phidias during the period of 447-39 B.C. The statue of Athena Parthenos was to be constructed, not of bronze, but of gold and ivory. The face, arms, and feet of the statue were to be made of ivory and the clothing, of thickly plated gold. The statue was an enormous size that towered thirty-three feet tall. The costly nature of the materials out of which it was designed was intended to overwhelm the viewer, creating a sense of religious awe.
There once was a period in a time where cats ruled the earth and man followed them as a pet for each individual cat. Everything was in perfect harmony. Mankind obeyed their masters and there were no questions about authority since everyone was happy. A group of men even created a statue of the Sphynx cat breed as a symbol of their gratitude. The Sphynx cat was a very noble and gracious breed. They also had the thickest, most luscious, coat of fur. Sphynx cats treated their pets with respect and kindness, which was the primary cause as to why the group of men created that statue.
The ancient Egyptians are known for many of the incredible aspects of their culture and everything they have produced. Some of the well known ancient Egyptian relics are the ones like the ancient pyramids, the Great Sphinx of Giza, mummies, and their many forms of art. Ancient Egyptian art is one of the most recognized styles of art. The most commonly known types of ancient Egyptian art are types like paintings, ceramics, and sculptures. Not only is Egyptian art beautiful, but it carries a huge deal of value and significance with it. A great portion of the time, the art has some kind of religious meaning to it. Consequently it is very difficult to discuss the art itself without delving into the various gods and goddesses presented in it. Something that particularly struck me about ancient Egyptian art was their proneness to use animals in their art. Not only do they use the animal’s full figure, but they also put individual parts on human bodies. This intrigued me because not many cultures have art that embrace animals to this extent. I will be exploring why the ancient Egyptians depict animals in their art repeatedly, and considering what they meant to them.
It is clear that tombs and burial rituals were a key element in the Egyptian society and their way of life as it ties into almost all things they did on a daily basis. Whatever a person’s status was when they were alive followed them into the afterlife. Food and luxury goods were buried with a person so that they could have it in the afterlife. The tombs became a person’s new house after they died. Therefore, making it as nice as possible was really important. Art work and clay models were added to a person’s tomb as material goods needed for the afterlife. They were also seen as decorations that kept the tombs looking nice. Throughout the years, Egyptian artworks on the inner parts of the tombs and on the coffins show a development in the Egyptian customs. Each new development was created to better preserve the bodies and comfort of the dead.
The Egyptians were big lovers of all beauty and fashion. They were such lovers of beauty that some of their names were based on the word ‘nefer’, which means beautiful. Examples of such were Nefert, Nefertiti, and Nefertari. The goddess associated with adornment was “Hathor the Golden”, who is seen as the ideal of beauty in love and poetry of the time.
Fischer, Henry George. Egyptian Women of the Old Kingdom and the Heracleopolitan Period. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York. 1989
The ancient Egyptian civilization impacted multiple cultures and was influential to others by being the most fascinating and sophisticated old civilization. Egypt lies in the far north -east of the continent of Africa, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea from the north, and the Red Sea to the east, and is separated from the continent of Asia by the Suez Canal. Ancient Egypt contains the oldest civilizations on earth. Ancient Egyptians were able to keep records and pass down their historical achievements over eras. Ancient Egypt set a precedent and inspired other cultures to advance and to become more innovative in several aspects, such as, medicine, and architecture. As mentioned by David Silverman in his book Ancient Egypt, “this land of