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==Categories== |
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The most famous part of the ''Book of Gates'' today refers to the different races of humanity known to the [[Egyptians]], dividing them up into four categories that are now conventionally labelled " |
The most famous part of the ''Book of Gates'' today refers to the different races of humanity known to the [[Egyptians]], dividing them up into four categories that are now conventionally labelled "Reth" (Egyptians), "Aamu" ([[Levant|Asiatics]], "Themehu" ([Ancient Libya|Libyans]]), and "Nehesu" ([[Nubians]]). These are depicted in procession entering the next world. <ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/egy/gate/gate20.htm The Book of Gates, E. A. Wallis Budge, 1905]: "Four groups, each group containing four men. The first are RETH, the second are AAMU, the third are NEHESU, and the fourth are THEMEHU. The RETH are Egyptians, the AAMU are dwellers in the deserts to the east and north-east of Egypt, the NEHESU are the black races and NEGROES, and the THEMEHU are the fair-skinned Libyans."</ref> |
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The text and images associated with the Book of Gates appear in many tombs of the New Kingdom, including all the pharaonic tombs between [[Horemheb]] and [[Ramesses VII]]. They also appear in the [[TT1|tomb]] of [[Sennedjem]], a worker in the village of [[Deir el-Medina]], the ancient village of artists and craftsmen who built pharaonic tombs in the [[New Kingdom]]. |
The text and images associated with the Book of Gates appear in many tombs of the New Kingdom, including all the pharaonic tombs between [[Horemheb]] and [[Ramesses VII]]. They also appear in the [[TT1|tomb]] of [[Sennedjem]], a worker in the village of [[Deir el-Medina]], the ancient village of artists and craftsmen who built pharaonic tombs in the [[New Kingdom]]. |
Revision as of 15:13, 15 July 2014
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The Book of Gates is an Ancient Egyptian funerary text dating from the New Kingdom.[1] It narrates the passage of a newly deceased soul into the next world, corresponding to the journey of the sun through the underworld during the hours of the night. The soul is required to pass through a series of 'gates' at different stages in the journey. Each gate is associated with a different goddess, and requires that the deceased recognise the particular character of that deity. The text implies that some people will pass through unharmed, but that others will suffer torment in a lake of fire.
Categories
The most famous part of the Book of Gates today refers to the different races of humanity known to the Egyptians, dividing them up into four categories that are now conventionally labelled "Reth" (Egyptians), "Aamu" (Asiatics, "Themehu" ([Ancient Libya|Libyans]]), and "Nehesu" (Nubians). These are depicted in procession entering the next world. [2]
The text and images associated with the Book of Gates appear in many tombs of the New Kingdom, including all the pharaonic tombs between Horemheb and Ramesses VII. They also appear in the tomb of Sennedjem, a worker in the village of Deir el-Medina, the ancient village of artists and craftsmen who built pharaonic tombs in the New Kingdom.
The goddesses listed in the Book of Gates each have different titles, and wear different coloured clothes, but are identical in all other respects, wearing a five pointed star above their heads. Most of the goddesses are specific to the Book of Gates, and do not appear elsewhere in Egyptian mythology, and so it has been suggested that the Book of Gates originated merely as a system for determining the time at night, with the goddess at each gate being a representation of the main star appearing during the hour.
The titles of the goddesses
Hour | Title | Explanation of the title |
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1 | Splitter of the heads of the enemies of Ra | |
2 | Wise guard of the lord | |
3 | The one who cuts through Ba | |
4 | The one of great power | |
5 | She who is on her boat | |
6 | Successful leader | |
7 | The one who repels the serpent | |
8 | Lady of the night | |
9 | She who is in adoration | |
10 | The one who beheads rebels | |
11 | The star who repels rebels | |
12 | The witness to Ra's magnificence | Ra is the sun, and this is the dawn |
See also
References
- ^ Hornung, Erik. The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife (in German). David Lorton (translator). Cornell University Press.
- ^ The Book of Gates, E. A. Wallis Budge, 1905: "Four groups, each group containing four men. The first are RETH, the second are AAMU, the third are NEHESU, and the fourth are THEMEHU. The RETH are Egyptians, the AAMU are dwellers in the deserts to the east and north-east of Egypt, the NEHESU are the black races and NEGROES, and the THEMEHU are the fair-skinned Libyans."