Decoding the Osirian Myth

Decoding the Osirian Myth
Author: Panagiota Sarischouli
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 693
Release: 2024-09-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 3111435210

The earliest written references to the Osirian myth-complex appeared already in the Pyramid Text spells (c. 2400–2300 BCE). The most complete exposition of this ancient Egyptian myth is, however, found in the Greek treatise On Isis and Osiris, in which the 2nd-century CE Platonist Plutarch utilises Egyptian mythology to advocate his philosophical ideas concerning the divine and the nature of the cosmos. This book aims at “decoding” Plutarch’s narrative of the Osirian myth, linking his claims to the existing Egyptian and Greek parallels. It thus analyses a multitude of mythic and religious traditions from a transcultural perspective, exploring the relation of the Pharaonic features of the Osirian divinities to the features they had acquired in Ptolemaic and Roman times, interpreting the Egyptian myth within the overall framework of parallel mythologies from other cultures, and examining whether the brief mythic stories (historiolae) recited in Late Egyptian ritual texts can be deployed to enrich the context of certain obscure episodes in Plutarch’s account of the myth. The book will be of great interest not only to scholars and students of Plutarch and later Middle Platonism, but also to Egyptologists. Due to its thematic variety and scope, this publication will also appeal to a wider array of readers (specialists and non-specialists alike) interested in religious syncretism, interreligious connections, and the challenge of multiculturalism from Hellenistic times until Late Antiquity.

Decoding the Osirian Myth

Decoding the Osirian Myth
Author: Panagiota Sarischouli
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2024-09-09
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 9783111435022

Egyptologists and classicists alike agree that the most complete ancient exposition of the Osirian myth is found in Plutarch's On Isis and Osiris, dating from the first quarter of the 2nd century CE. This book "decodes" Plutarch's narrative of t

H.D.

H.D.
Author: Rachel Blau DuPlessis
Publisher: Conran Octopus
Total Pages: 200
Release: 1986
Genre: Feminist criticism
ISBN:

How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs

How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs
Author: Mark Collier
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 196
Release: 2003
Genre: Foreign Language Study
ISBN: 9780520239494

With the help of Egyptologists Collier and Manley, museum-goers, tourists, and armchair travelers alike can gain a basic knowledge of the language and culture of ancient Egypt. Each chapter introduces a new aspect of hieroglyphic script and encourages acquisition of reading skills with practical exercises. 200 illustrations.

Egyptian Mythology, A to Z

Egyptian Mythology, A to Z
Author: Pat Remler
Publisher: Infobase Publishing
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2010
Genre: Electronic books
ISBN: 1438131801

Alphabetically listed entries identify and explain the places, figures, animals, beliefs, and other important themes of Egyptian mythology.

Individuals and Materials in the Greco-Roman Cults of Isis (SET)

Individuals and Materials in the Greco-Roman Cults of Isis (SET)
Author: Valentino Gasparini
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 1191
Release: 2018-10-16
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004381341

In Individuals and Materials in the Greco-Roman Cults of Isis Valentino Gasparini and Richard Veymiers present a collection of reflections on the individuals and groups which animated one of Antiquity’s most dynamic, significant and popular religious phenomena: the reception of the cults of Isis and other Egyptian gods throughout the Hellenistic and Roman worlds. These communities, whose members seem to share the same religious identity, for a long time have been studied in a monolithic way through the prism of the Cumontian category of the “Oriental religions”. The 26 contributions of this book, divided into three sections devoted to the “agents”, their “images” and their “practices”, shed new light on this religious movement that appears much more heterogeneous and colorful than previously recognized.

Egyptology: The Missing Millennium

Egyptology: The Missing Millennium
Author: Okasha El Daly
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 259
Release: 2016-07-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1315429764

Egyptology: The Missing Millennium brings together for the first time the disciplines of Egyptology and Islamic Studies, seeking to overturn the conventional opinion of Western scholars that Moslims/Arabs had no interest in pre-Islamic cultures. This book examines a neglected period of a thousand years in the history of Egyptology, from the Moslem annexation of Egypt in the seventh century CE until the Ottoman conquest in the 16th century. Concentrating on Moslem writers, as it is usually Islam which incurs blame for cutting Egyptians off from their ancient heritage, the author shows not only the existence of a large body of Arabic sources on Ancient Egypt, but also their usefulness to Egyptology today. Using sources as diverse as the accounts of travelers and treasure hunters to books on alchemy, the author shows that the interest in ancient Egyptian scripts continued beyond classical writers, and describes attempts by medieval Arab scholars, mainly alchemists, to decipher the hieroglyph script. He further explores medieval Arab interest in Ancient Egypt, discussing the interpretations of the intact temples, as well as the Arab concept of Egyptian kingship and state administration—including a case study of Queen Cleopatra that shows how the Arabic romance of this queen differs significantly from Western views. This book will be of great interest to academics and students of archaeology, Islamic studies and Egyptology, as well as anyone with a general interest in Egyptian history.

Ancient Egyptian Sky Lore

Ancient Egyptian Sky Lore
Author: Joanne Conman
Publisher: CreateSpace
Total Pages: 254
Release: 2013
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781490506654

This book presents an illuminating in-depth investigation which demonstrates that the deep-rooted, fervently defended belief in ancient Egyptian astronomy is false, that it is a myth disseminated by scholars who have failed to make sense of the evidence in the archaeological record. The author's meticulous detective work has led to a breakthrough that reveals the reality of the sky for the ancient Egyptians. Beginning where Egyptology first went wrong, with the Greco-Roman-era temple zodiacs and the Enlightenment-era scholars, the book provides a comprehensive review of the material that has been offered as support for the identifications of Orion and the Big Dipper for the last two centuries, convincingly demonstrating how it fails. The author reveals artistic and textual evidence that challenges the prevailing dogma and uncovers the roots of astrology in ancient Egyptian religion.