The pantheon of the Egyptians contained numerous deities, but Bastet was given the primary position. She was portrayed to have a cat-head, due to which Egyptians placed cats in a place of reverence. As decades passed by, her clothing underwent a constant change so that its portrayal also kept changing.
The initial picture of this god showed the formidable form of a lioness. But later, with the domestication of cats as the Egyptian people started liking them, this deity was rendered to show a cat-headed lady rather than the formidable lioness.
Bubastis, a temple of Bastet was built by the Egyptians. There were scores of idols within the temple showing this cat-headed goddess. An in depth observation of these idols has helped historians to discover the way the god was usually attired.
The majority of the statues depict her as a cat headed woman although there are some exceptions in which she is depicted as a leopard and in some older statues as a lion. The trademark statue had the head of a cat upon a body of a youthful woman.
The clothing of the deity was decorative with lots of stylish features added to make it intricate. A small purse carried by her adorned many of the sculpted images, whereas a few others portrayed her holding a musical instrument namely, the Sistrum in one of her arms whereas, she has a tender basket worn on the other arm.
Also part of her attire was a breastplate that formed the center of her attire. According to Egyptian mythology this deity had a love for music and dance. She was also regarded as having a generous nature while being very rich as well. Actually the basket that the statue of Bastet was wearing was meant to represent the bountiful harvest which the goddess was associated with.
The temple dedicated to the god had many living species of Egyptian cats in reverence of the goddess herself. Archeologists have been able to find thousands of mummified bodies of cats from the temple of Bubastis which was considered as being a burial ground for domesticated cats in Egypt.
A bronze sculpture clothed in the regular style was supposed to be empowered to bring luck, and so many Egyptians took possession of them. Many people offered these bronze sculptures within the temple. Therefore, many of them reaching to thousands have been found by archaeologists in the temple.
Cats attained a unique place amongst the Egyptians because of Bastet. There were special laws in place that protected cats. Any person who would intentionally harm a cat was to be punished and similarly they had elaborate burial rituals for when a domesticated cat died in a family.
The initial picture of this god showed the formidable form of a lioness. But later, with the domestication of cats as the Egyptian people started liking them, this deity was rendered to show a cat-headed lady rather than the formidable lioness.
Bubastis, a temple of Bastet was built by the Egyptians. There were scores of idols within the temple showing this cat-headed goddess. An in depth observation of these idols has helped historians to discover the way the god was usually attired.
The majority of the statues depict her as a cat headed woman although there are some exceptions in which she is depicted as a leopard and in some older statues as a lion. The trademark statue had the head of a cat upon a body of a youthful woman.
The clothing of the deity was decorative with lots of stylish features added to make it intricate. A small purse carried by her adorned many of the sculpted images, whereas a few others portrayed her holding a musical instrument namely, the Sistrum in one of her arms whereas, she has a tender basket worn on the other arm.
Also part of her attire was a breastplate that formed the center of her attire. According to Egyptian mythology this deity had a love for music and dance. She was also regarded as having a generous nature while being very rich as well. Actually the basket that the statue of Bastet was wearing was meant to represent the bountiful harvest which the goddess was associated with.
The temple dedicated to the god had many living species of Egyptian cats in reverence of the goddess herself. Archeologists have been able to find thousands of mummified bodies of cats from the temple of Bubastis which was considered as being a burial ground for domesticated cats in Egypt.
A bronze sculpture clothed in the regular style was supposed to be empowered to bring luck, and so many Egyptians took possession of them. Many people offered these bronze sculptures within the temple. Therefore, many of them reaching to thousands have been found by archaeologists in the temple.
Cats attained a unique place amongst the Egyptians because of Bastet. There were special laws in place that protected cats. Any person who would intentionally harm a cat was to be punished and similarly they had elaborate burial rituals for when a domesticated cat died in a family.
About the Author:
The ancient Egyptian ankh is said to represent eternal life. For more information on ancient Egyptian boats click on the link.
No comments:
Post a Comment