Seshat
Seshat was the ancient Egyptian idea of knowledge, shown as a goddess. She became the goddess of writing, astronomy/astrology, architecture, and mathematics. When Thoth became the god of wisdom, Seshat was seen as his daughter, or sometimes, as his wife. In art, she was shown as a woman with a stylised papyrus plant above her head. This symbolised writing since the Egyptians wrote on a material that came from papyrus.
Seshat Media
Hatshepsut (c. 1479–1458 BC) and Seshat in a sunken relief at the Red Chapel, depicted performing the "stretching the cord" ritual for the temple's founding.
Depiction of Seshat, Thoth, and Atum (not pictured) writing on the fruit of the sacred persea or ished tree. Sunken relief from the Ramesseum, mortuary temple of Ramesses II (c. 1303–1213 BC).
Print of the recto side of the Palermo Stone (c. Fifth Dynasty, 2392–2283 BCE), edited for readability. Seshat's emblem appears twice in the third row down, in the sections 7th and 13th from the right.
Seshat (third from the left) shown performing the "stretching the cord" ritual with Ramesses II (second from the left). Sunken relief at the Karnak Temple Complex.
Ptolemy III and Seshat, with Horus alongside, depicted conducting the "stretching of the cord". Bas-relief in the Temple of Edfu (c. 237–57 BC), Ptolemaic dynasty.
Seshat shown holding the mallet, pole, and rope used in the "stretching the cord" ritual, alongside Horus. Bas-relief at the Temple of Kom Ombo (c. 180–47 BC), Ptolemaic dynasty.
Depiction of Seshat writing. Sunken relief in limestone from the Pyramid Temple of Senusret I (Dynasty 12, c. 1919–1875 BC); copy of a relief made for Pepi II (Dynasty 6, c. 2284–2214 BC).
Depiction of Seshat recording the king's life on the palm rib. Thoth (not pictured) is doing likewise across from her. Sunken relief in granite from the back of the throne of the statue of Ramesses II, in the Amun temple at Luxor (c. 1250 BCE).
Full length of Seshat from the previous image.
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Other websites
- thekeep.org Archived 2007-06-14 at the Wayback Machine
- egyptmyths.net
- ancientegypt.co.uk
