Archaeologists have discovered a shrine in a temple in Egypt that describes a never-before-seen ritual. This discovery was made in the religious complex of the ancient port of the city of Berenike, which dates back to the 3rd century. The complex itself is known as a relatively modern group of buildings, as it was built 700 years later, in the last century and the collapse of the Western Roman Empire.
The newly found sanctuary was nicknamed the “Hawk Temple” by researchers because of material dating to the fourth to sixth centuries AD, suggesting a ritual function associated with a falcon cult. During this time, the city was partially occupied by the Blemmyes, a nomadic group of people from the Nubian region who had spread to many other parts of Egypt’s Eastern desert.
This finding provides new insight into the religious practices of the Blemmys and how they combined them with the Egyptian belief system. The most incredible find that gave the temple its name was the discovery of 15 falcons, most of them headless, buried inside the temple. Although the burial of mummified falcons has occurred at other temples, there was usually only one found. That’s why finding more than one bird with the eggs is considered a unique discovery.
“Material finds are particularly striking and include votives such as harpoons, cube-shaped statues and a stele with indications of religious activity,” Professor Joan Oller Guzmán, director of the Sikait Project research team, said in a statement.
“It is not appropriate to boil the head”
Among the material finds, the stele is particularly interesting. There is an inscription on the stele, which is believed to depict the emergence of a god, saying “It is not appropriate to boil your head here.” Such a prohibition in a religious temple was not seen before at Berenike, implying that performing this ritual in the temple was a profane act. Therefore, this ritual was probably performed elsewhere.
All these elements point to intense ritual activity, possibly sustained by a theological foundation of the worship of the god Khonsu, combining Egyptian traditions with contributions from the Blemmys, Professor Oller said. semi-nomadic people expand our knowledge of the Blemmys.”
The team’s working hypothesis is that this temple is older and had a different use before the Blemmyes arrived and was reused for their religious ceremonies. Since Egyptian religious ceremonies continued to be performed at the same time in Berenike, it seems possible that these semi-nomadic peoples could incorporate Egyptian traditions into their practices and add new rites.
The study was published in the American Journal of Archeology…
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