2,000 year-old temple built to cat goddess, Bastet, recently unearthed in Alexandria, Egypt
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A very old caboodle of cats was found in Egypt recently among the remains of what appears to be a temple built in honor of the cat goddess Bastet.
Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities announced it unearthed the remains of Queen Berenike's temple and found a large collection of cat statues along with other ruins that date back more than 2,000 years ago.
The find was discovered in the Kom el Dikka area of Alexandria and extends under Ismail Fahmy Street. Dr. Zahi Hawass, noted Egyptian archaelogist, advised the temple remains are 196 feet tall by 49 feet wide and the foundation can be dated to Queen Berenike's time, making this the first Ptolemaic temple discovered in Alexandria to be erected in Bastet's honor. The queen was married to King Ptolemy III (246-222 BC).
The large collection of Bastet statues were found in three different areas, along with limestone figures of women and children. Terracotta statues of the Egyptian gods Harpocrates and Ptah have also been uncovered.
Nancy Venus, Wiccan High Priestess of the Copper Cauldron coven on Long Island, has provided the following insights into the goddess Bastet:
Bastet is worshipped by some Wiccans. Wicca in itself is eclectic and open to many different pantheons. To Bast's true worshippers, she is known as Bastet, though her most frequently used name in the west is Bast. She is also known by many of her worshippers as Pasch, Ubasti and Ba en Aset. She is the cat-headed moon/mother Goddess of the Egyptian pantheon. Bastet is seen holding in her hand a sistrum (sacred rattle) and she wears the utchat, the divine all-seeing eye of Ra. She is much like most moon goddesses in the west, except with a heavier feline influence. The Greek moon goddess Artemis parallels her in many ways.
Bastet is the protectress of women, children and cats. In ancient Egypt, cats were revered. To kill or harm a cat carried a sentence of punishment by death. Bastet is also a goddess of pleasure, dance and music, fetility, childbirth and family. She is known as the instrument of the sun god Ra's vengeance and most likely to take this form in her flip side, Sekhmet. The dark moon goddess Sekhmet is also known as Bastet's dark twin sister. Sekhmet has the head of a lioness and sympolizes the destructive forces of nature and humans, and is the dark balance for Bastet's goodness.
Water wells, remains of a bath area, clay pots dating to the 4th Century BC, and a Roman water cistern were also found in the area. A granite statue with 9 lines of Greek text was unearthed, dating to 205-222 BC. The translated text says the statue was the property of a top official in the Ptolemaic court. It is believed to honor the Egyptian victory in the Battle of Raphia over the Greeks in 217 BC.
This newly discovered temple is an important find, as it may give archaeologists clues as to the location of the ancient city of Alexandria, which is still buried.
The best flights this week on Orbitz from JFK to Borg El Arab Airport (HBE), Alexandria, are with Delta and a transfer to Royal Jordanian Airlines for $1,154 including taxes.
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Comments
Interesting.
Cat lovers will rejoice at this find. Seems like Egypt has an unending supply of mummies!
How very cool. Those cat sculptures are fab! They look very contemporary!
Amazing that they are still finding sites like this today. What an incredible job these people have.
Very cool article and video! Thanks for sharing this information.
Love all things (ancient) Egyptian ... great info.
When I traveled to Egypt, I could hardly keep my mouth closed with all the wonders I saw. Your article does justice very well to the items you describe.TX
Me and my cats rejoiced! Great article, Leslie.
Nance...I have had no sleep... :)
Gotta love people who love cats!
Great article and video.
Interesting article, Nance, cool.
That's really cool - I LOVE Egypt!
What an interesting article, I would love to visit Egypt someday, and see it in person. Thanks for the great article.
Very intersting! Well done.
Neat archeological - based story, nance.
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