TYPE 4

#THE PATH OF THE CHRAFTSMEN IN EGYPT

THE PATH OF THE CRAFTSMEN IN ANCIENT EGYPT

One of the traditions in ancient Egypt was that of the artists

and craftsmen. All of the best artists and craftsmen were trained in

one place, the Temple of Ptah in Memphis (presently 20 min south of

Cairo). all other artists and craftsmen were usually trained at the

Temple or by people who were trained there.

These artists and craftsmen include: Architects, draftsmen, stone

workers (large stones and small), jewelers, painters, eventually glass

workers, dyers, (but not weavers, who studied at the Temple of Neith

in the Delta). All the architects and draftsmen who produced all of

the pyramids, temples, palaces, royal tombs, and even forts were

trained here.

Have you noticed how all the men and women in paintings and

statues have a similar body? Unlike the Greeks, who wanted to show how

a persons body really looked like, the Egyptian were interested in

showing the "inner essence" of the person. Therefore only in the

background, the workers, and not the central family, are people shown

as they really were, crippled people, occasional starvation, over

weight persons, etc. Therefore the Egyptians were interested in the

"inner man (or woman)".

Look at a book on Egyptian art and check out what the god/desses

are holding or wearing. That is important to see what powers and

attributes are being portrayed. For example, if Bes is holding a

knife, she/he becomes a protector and avenger; if holding a sistrum,

he/she (it's hard sometimes to tell which sex Bes is), becomes the

God/desses of joy, pleasure, music, dance, and another kind of protec-

tor; if holding other objects or wearing other outfits, she/he becomes

a Protector of Women and of the Family, of Mothers. The same holds

true with all of the other gods and goddesses. Hence, Isis can be a

Mother Goddess or a Goddess of Women, or of the Visible World depen-

ding on what she is wearing or carrying. All of this is taught by the

temple of Ptah to the artists.

The similar thing occurs with amulets and talismans. Some amulets

and talismans are always shown in a certain color or always made of

certain material. The Buckle of Isis is almost always of red carnelian

or garnets. The Ankh is almost never down in silver (because the ankh

is associated with the Sun, and gold is the metal of the Sun).

The temple of Amon at Luxor is patterned after a human body; in

fact, in the sanctuary part, if you observe the stones in the floor,

you see that two different stones were used. If you had an archaeolog-

ical map of the temple with the floor stones shown, and color in the

darker stones, you end up with a huge side profile of a face! So the

Temple of God reflected the Temple of Man!

Ptah had other powers and attributes than just artists and

craftsmen (he was one of the Great Creator Gods), and was married to

Sekhmet (who was into other traditions including healing). Ptah is

also associated with the Science and Art of Alchemy. Their offspring

is Nefertum, the God of perfumes and aromatherapy, and of the Lotus.

As you will see in future discussions, more than one god/dess is

associated with a tradition. Ptah is one of the few gods who ever

since predynastic periods, was always portrayed as a human.

Remember that most of the popular literature is from material of

the New Kingdom and later periods. By then Horus was associated in the

popular ancient Egyptian mind as the son of Isis, and especially

popular as that during the Greco-Roman period.

BLESSED BE.