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العنوان
The Deity Nephthys in the Temples and Tombs of the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods in Egypt /
المؤلف
Shelaih, Radwa Mohammed Aly Aly.
هيئة الاعداد
باحث / Radwa Mohammed Aly Aly Shelaih
مشرف / Abd EL Halim Nour El-din
مشرف / Mofida Hassan EL Weshahy
مشرف / Abd EL Rahman Aly Mohamed
مشرف / Faten Hamdy El Elemy
الموضوع
Temples. .Egypt
تاريخ النشر
2014.
عدد الصفحات
450 p. :
اللغة
الإنجليزية
الدرجة
الدكتوراه
التخصص
Multidisciplinary تعددية التخصصات
تاريخ الإجازة
1/1/2014
مكان الإجازة
جامعة قناة السويس - كلية السياحة والفنادق - الارشاد السياحى
الفهرس
Only 14 pages are availabe for public view

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Abstract

This thesis is entitled” The Deity Nephthys in the Temples and Tombs of the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods in Egypt”. Nbt-Hwt (Nephthys) appearance dates back to the Pyramid Texts in the Old kingdom. She is one of the oldest deities in Egypt, and also one of the most famed. Nephthys is a funerary goddess who is closely associated to her sister Isis and they act together in many utterances in the Pyramid Texts. She belonged to the ennead of Heliopolis consisting of, Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Seth and Nephthys. She is one of the four guardian deities of the canopic jars. Her own festival was celebrated in the in the 28th day of the 4th month prt. She was characterized as the nominal partner of Seth just as Isis the wife of Osiris to balance the couple. The usual manner of depiction for Nephthys is anthropomorphic as a female goddess distinguished only by the hieroglyphic symbols for her name which appears above her head. Worship of Nephthys is evident throughout the Egyptian history. Despite her important position in Ancient Egyptian funerary beliefs and her widespread representation, Nephthys never had formal cult of her own. Nephthys was not confined to the context of the tombs, and she was depicted on the walls of temples as beautiful and dangerous, a defender to her brother by shooting flame at his enemies.
Although she was an equal double of Isis, Isis hold the principal position within
the Egyptian religion and become the most popular goddess in the Mediterranean in the GR period.
Research Methodology
The objective of the thesis is:
- Studying the representations of Nephthys in the temples and the tombs of the Ptolemaic and Roman periods in Egypt in order to lay emphasize on her forms, roles, titles, and her relation with other deities.
- Illuminating the cult of Nephthys outside the Osirian family, as few studies mentioned her role within the Osirian family.
This could be considered as an attempt to make a study to the deity Nephthys and an iconographical study in a number of representations of the deity in the temples and tombs; however the 229 documents may not cover all the representations of the deity in the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. But the selected documents in this research could give a good idea about her characteristic roles, her iconography and her titles.
In order to select the documents, the different volumes of the PM were checked then the selected bibliography was examined. This research depends on published monuments. There is a method for the classification of the scenes of the Deity Nephthys, according to the geographical sequence of the temples and the tombs from south to north of Egypt.
Research Outline
This thesis is composed of two parts; the first is the research’s body or text, and the second part is the catalogue of the plates.
The First Part:
This part contains the thesis which is divided into three chapters preceded by an introduction.
• The Introduction
It focuses in a short presentation about the research’s topic and the previous studies which helped me in the research and the methodology of this research.
• Chapter One: ”The Name and Iconography of Nephthys in the Temples and Tombs of the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods”. This Chapter represents the forms of writing the names of Nephthys and her particular forms in the temples and the tombs.
• Chapter Two: ”The Deity Nephthys in the Temples of the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods”. This Chapter includes the representations and the texts of Nephthys in the temples of Upper and Lower Egypt and the Oasis.
• Chapter Three: ”The Deity Nephthys in the Tombs of the Ptolemaic and Roman Periods”. This Chapter includes the representations and the texts of Nephthys in the tombs of Upper and Lower Egypt and the Oasis.
Finally, the study finalized by the conclusion and the results of the study which is obtained from the research.
The Second Part:
This part is enclosing the catalogue which contains the list of plates then 212 plates, below each plate there is a brief description.
Research Results
- Nephthys most common form is a woman standing; seated on the throne or either squatting with the symbol of her name above her head, or with the vulture’s headdress and the symbol of her name above it. Sometimes she appears with the Hathorique crown only or with the symbol of her name above it.
- She appears in two scenes at Edfou as a woman with the symbol of Isis above her head.
-She is depicted in two scenes at temple of Isis at Aswan and at Philae as a woman with the crown of goddess Anuket consisting of a low crown surmounted with a row of bound plumes with streamers at the rear.
- She is depicted in the mourning situation at the temple of Dendera as a kneeling woman with shaved hair and above her head is the symbol of her name.
- She is represented as a mourning woman with spreading wings protecting the mummy of Osiris performing her role as a mourner and protective deity at Dendera; at the Cata-combs of Kom-el-Shuqafa; at the tomb of Tigran, and at the tomb of PA-di-wsir at El-Dakhla Oasis.
-At the temple of Isis at Dendera she appears in the form of a seated woman with the cobra above her head which is symbol of power and protection.
- She appears at Edfu in a rarely form as a woman with serpent’s head seated on the throne.
- She appears at two scenes in Dendera in the form of an Ibis headed woman, in one of the scenes she appears with her symbol above the head.
- However her human form is the most common Nephthys also takes on an animal form. Nephthys is represented in only one instance at Dendera as a lion headed-serpent.
- Nephthys appears holding some arms such as: an Arc, arrows and a knife on both hands to protect Osiris against his enemies, which reflects her role and nature as a protecting deity.
- Nephthys was identified with the name or the form of several deities such as: Ist, anqt, sSAt, sfxt-abwy, Mrt-MHw, Mrt-Smaw, Mr-xt.s, Tmt (counterpart of Atum), Tfnt, Rat-tAwy, Msxnt, @wt-Hr, Ipt, MnHyt-sxmt, NHmt-aAwy, mAat, sxmt, srqt and Iwnyt at Dendera.
- Nephthys has many roles as she gives: health, joy, love, light, terror, kingship, eternity to the king and drives away darkness. She plays sistrum and makes beer.
-She associated with the cult of Osiris taking the roles of protecting him and his limbs, mourning him and emits flame against his enemies and burns them with her breath.
- Nephthys took many titles that expressed her regard as essential deity as: the mistress of destiny and nurture, mistress of life, mistress of years and mistress of eternity.
- Nephthys has a cosmic nature as she took the titles of: she who shines, who shines in horizon, the female sun disk, the mistress of light, the mistress of the sky and the mistress of the two lands.