Note: the Gardiner font reads left-to-right; the Palermo Stone is written opposite: right-to-left. "price": { Wilkinson notes how by virtue of her role in the foundation ceremony [Seshat] was a part of every temple building (Complete Gods, 167). These were located in temples or temple complexes and would have been presided over by Seshat and Thoth no matter which god the temple was dedicated to. Seshat was also portrayed recording the pharaohs jubilees, such as in the Sed Festival, cattle counts, and the pharaohs campaigns as early as the 2nd dynasty. Egyptologist Richard H. Wilkinson notes how Seshat appears in reliefs and inscriptions in the Early Dynastic Period as a goddess of measurements and writing, clearly indicating she was already an important deity at that time: Representations show the king involved in a foundation ritual known as stretching the cord which probably took place before work began on the construction of a temple or of any addition. They had a child called Hornub. She first appears in the 2nd Dynasty (c. 2890- c. 2670 BCE) of the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150 - c. 2613 BCE) as a goddess of writing and measurements assisting the king in the ritual known as "stretching of the cord" which preceeded the construction of a building, most often a temple. Seshat's responsibilities were many. Originally, she lived on earth, but got tired of the way her husband and family treated her. The House of Life was a combination library, scriptorium, institute of higher learning, writers workshop, print shop/copy center, publisher, and distributor. Unfortunately there is no clear evidence to confirm which view is correct. Seshat also appeared in funerary contexts, where, along with Nephthys, she restores the limbs of the deceased. It is known, for example, that the female pharaoh Hatshepsut (r. 1479-1458 BCE) hired a tutor for her daughter Neferu-Ra and that Queen Nefertiti (r. c. 1370- c. 1336 BCE) was literate as was her mother-in-law, Queen Tiye (r. 1398-1338 BCE). } Goddesses were, and still are . As writing was both a creative and preserving art, one which brought concepts to life and caused them to endure, which bestowed eternal life on both the writer and the subject, Seshat would be considered by the ancient Egyptians as the goddess responsible for the preservation of Egyptian culture and its enduring fascination among the people of the present day. Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund (Public Domain). "@media (min-width: 601px)": { Thoth was the god of wisdom and Seshat is often viewed as his feminine counterpart. Corrections? She holds a Masters degree in Linguistics and Education, and has also studied Political Science, Ancient History and Literature. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. amzn_assoc_linkid = "4eda58dec7c8b129d359fd25811237dd"; Unlike the major gods of Egypt, Seshat never had her own temples, cult, or formal worship. She was also an integral part of the temple through her supervision of the House of Life. "products": { Ancient Egyptian Beauty: Seshat, the Goddess of Writing and Wisdom Statue Seshat was the goddess of writing, notations, wisdom, knowledge, books, and measurements her name means "The Female Scribe" and she was the daughter and consort of Thoth the god of wisdom and writing. ca. Seshat, Goddess of WritingCharles Edwin Wilbour Fund (Public Domain). Wiki User. . Perhaps because Thoth already had so many responsibilities, the Egyptians transferred the supervision of writing to the goddess Seshat. He had sanctuaries and temples throughout Egypt, but his main cult center was at Thebes. Women in ancient Egypt enjoyed a level of equality unmatched in the ancient world. "styles": { Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The members of the institution's staff, all scribes, were considered the learned men of their age. 99. Thoth is the messenger much like the Greek god, Hermesa transmutation made from Egyptian to Greek mythology. "background-color": "#ffffff" The dead were not gone as long as their stories could be read in stone; nothing was ever really lost. }, She also kept track of tribute owed and tribute paid to the king and, beginning in the New Kingdom (c. 1570-1069 BCE), was closely associated with the pharaoh recording the years of his reign and his jubilee festivals. Seshat was the deity responsible for wisdom, writing and architecture in ancient Egyptian mythology. } It involved measuring out the dimensions when constructing a new building (which was usually a temple) and laying out its foundations. While the Coffin Texts, a collection of funeral spells painted on the walls of the sarcophagus of middle Kingdom Pharaohs, reveal her psychoactive power. She was portrayed as a female wearing a headband with horns and a star with her name written on it. Kemetism (also Kemeticism; both from the Egyptian kmt, usually voweled Kemet, the native name of ancient Egypt), also sometimes referred to as Neterism (from nr (Coptic noute) "deity"), or Kemetic paganism, is a neopagan religion and revival of the ancient Egyptian religion and related expressions of religion in classical and late antiquity, emerging during the 1970s. For Seshat: Digital History Databank, see, Seshat, depicted in a leopard skin, inscribing the, Last edited on 30 November 2022, at 07:40, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, Learn how and when to remove this template message, Gardiner's Sign List#R. Still, when it comes to the majority of women in Egypt, images and inscriptions leave some doubt as to how many could actually read and write. She was called the "Lady of Books," or celestial librarian, and was the patroness also of arithmetic, architecture and records, although she shared . }); A large renpet (hieroglyph) for YEAR, precedes the register (forms its starting border). She has also been associated with fertility, music and physical pleasure. At this time, Thoth seems to have been considered a god of wisdom and knowledge - as he remained - and once a writing system was developed it was attributed to him. Seshat is often shown with a palm stem in her hand with notches along it giving the idea of recording the passage of time. Who Was Seshat? OF DIVINE WISDOM, BOOKS & LIBRARIES Writing is the physical manifestation of a spoken language. amzn_assoc_design = "enhanced_links"; She works as the chief editor of Symbol Sage but also takes the time to write on topics that interest her. The Egyptians saw writing as a form of magic, believing that if something could be created in the form of the written word, it could also manifest into the world through the word as a medium, something that holds true for many magical systems to this present day. domain: 'thecoreshop.myshopify.com', Seshat. Seshat is only one of a number of female deities venerated in ancient Egypt reflecting the high degree of respect given to women and their abilities in a number of different areas of daily life. However, others have suggested that the horns were originally a crescent moon, representing her husband (or alter ego) Thoth. So one cannot be sure that the scribal kit belonged to the woman. if (window.ShopifyBuy.UI) { Seshat assisted the pharaoh in the "stretching the cord" ritual. It is a certainty that the majority of the priests and scribes of the Per-Ankh were men but some scholars have pointed to evidence for female scribes. Amun. All rights reserved. /*
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