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| Seshat | |||||
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 Seshat, depicted in a leopard skin with her emblem above her head, inscribing theyears of reign for the king on apalm-leaf rib (hieroglyph for "year").[1] | |||||
| Name inhieroglyphs |
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| Symbol | Leopard skin, tablet, star,Cannabis flower,stylus | ||||
| Parents | Thoth andMaat | ||||
| Consort | Thoth | ||||
Seshat (Ancient Egyptian:𓋇𓏏𓁐,romanized: sšꜣt,lit. 'Female Scribe',[1] under various spellings[Note 1]) was theancient Egyptiangoddess ofwriting,wisdom, andknowledge. She was seen as ascribe and record keeper. She was also credited with inventingwriting.[citation needed] She became identified as the goddess ofmeasurement,accounting,architecture,science,astronomy,mathematics,geometry,history andsurveying. She was variously depicted as the wife, daughter, or feminine counterpart ofThoth, who was also associated with knowledge, astronomy, measurement, and writing.[2][3]
Seshat is attested from at least theFirst Dynasty. Her priests and image are referenced in theRoyal Annals of the Old Kingdom, during the reign ofDen.[4] She was depicted in image as early as theSecond Dynasty, where she was shown conducting the "stretching the cord" ritual withKhasekhemwy.[1] The antiquity of her symbols, such as the notchedpalm stick that predated writing, suggests that she may have originated earlier than the First Dynasty.[5] In addition, examples of heremblem, or symbols that appear related, have been found dating from the 3rd millennium BCProtodynastic Period.[6]
Starting in theMiddle Kingdom, Seshat was alternatively represented by the nameSefkhet-Abwy.[Note 2] Seshat and Sefkhet-Abwy continued to be depicted until at least the Ptolemaic Dynasty.[7]
Inancient Egyptian art, she was depicted as a woman with a seven-pointedemblem above her head or extending from a headband.[8] This emblem was the origin of an alternate name for Seshat,Sefkhet-Abwy,[Note 2] which may be translated as "seven-horned".[1][9] She was frequently shown in aleopard-skin or dress, sometimes with a robe layered under a skin.[7] The leopard-skin was a symbol of funerarypriests, with the pattern on the natural hide thought to represent thestars, being a symbol ofeternity, and to be associated with the night sky.[citation needed]
Usually, Seshat is shown holding a notchedpalm rib, the symbol for "year" inEgyptian hieroglyphics. The stem was often depicted ending in atadpole above ashen ring, representing 100,000 and infinity, respectively.[8][10] Seshat's notching of the stem indicated therecording of the passage of time, especially that of the king's lifespan.[11] Hieroglyphs representing festivals were shown as suspended from the palm stem when Seshat recorded these events. She was also depicted holding other tools, often theknotted cords that werestretched to survey land and structures.[1]
Seshat was the divine measurer and scribe, and thus assisted thepharaoh in both of these practises. Her skills were necessary for surveying the land, to re-establish boundary-lines after theannual floods. The priestess who officiated at these functions in her name also oversaw the staff of others who performed similar duties and were trained in mathematics and the related store of knowledge. She also was responsible for recording the speeches the pharaoh made during thecrowning-ceremony.[citation needed]
As early as theOld Kingdom, Seshat was depicted recording the goods, loot, and captives brought to Egypt, especially those gained in military campaigns.[8] She was also shown conducting cattlecensuses.[12] From theMiddle Kingdom onwards, she was depicted recording foreign tribute given to Egypt.[1]
Seshat was closely associated withThoth (Ancient Egyptian:Ḏḥwtj), the reckoner of time and god of writing, who was also venerated as a god of wisdom. The two shared some overlapping functions and she was variously considered to be his sister, wife, or daughter. Seshat invented writing and Thoth taught writing to man.[citation needed] Seshat also appeared in funerary contexts, where, along withNephthys, she restored the limbs of the deceased.[1]
Seshat held titles related to construction, including "Lady of Builders",[13] as she was involved in planning the building and expansion of sacred sites, such as temples.
The "stretching the cord" ritual, orpedj-sesh(r) ceremony, is one such example.[14] This ritual related to laying out the foundations of temples and other important structures. It would have helped plan dimensions and align structures to astronomic or geographic features,[15] while fixing the ground plan and determining its corners.[13] It involved the use of rope/cord, poles/stakes, and clubs/mallets. Depictions of the ritual typically showed Seshat and the king, across from another, holding these tools and "stretching" the cord between them. The godHorus is sometimes depicted alongside them.[14]
Text from thePalermo Stone indicates that this festival was performed at least as early as theFirst Dynasty, where it involved her priests.[16][4] The oldest iconographic depiction dates from theSecond Dynasty, where Seshat andKhasekhemwy carry out the ritual.[17]
By theNew Kingdom, she was involved in theSed festival, a ceremony attested since theEarly Dynastic Period. Also called the Heb Sed, the festival celebrated the continuing reign of a king, typically after thirty years of rule.[18] Seshat, sometimes alongsideThoth, recorded the king's jubilees andregnal years on a notched palm rib or the leaves of the sacredished (or persea) tree.[3][11] Seshat and Thoth would have also recorded the names and histories of kings on the sacredished tree.[19]
Seshat was strongly associated with the king's reign and official ceremonies. She was not worshipped by the general populace and did not have a dedicated cult or temple of her own. However, her role in the "stretching the cord" ritual would have involved her in the founding of every temple.[1] Likewise, her association with writing and architecture would have made her a patroness of scribes and builders.[7][16]
Seshat held various titles related to writing andlibraries, including "Mistress of Scribes"[3] and "Lady of Books,"[9] as her priests oversaw the places in which scrolls of knowledge were assembled and spells were preserved. This responsibility would have involved her in theHouse of Life, a place where scribes were trained.[20]Heliopolis was the location of her principal sanctuary.[citation needed]
A prince of theFourth Dynasty,Wep-em-nefret, is noted as a priest of Seshat (among other deities) on aslab stela from his tomb.[21]
TheSeshat emblem is ahieroglyph representing the goddess Seshat inancient Egypt.[22] In art, it was shown above her head or as part of her headpiece.
It is unclear what the emblem symbolises. It is variably described as a flower, star, or rosette below a crescent or arc.[1] Alternatively, the emblem may represent a device similar to the Romangroma[15] or a method of identifying directions through the use ofgnomons.[13] It is typically shown with seven points and one "stem" of variable length extending from the bottom.[5] The points of the emblem may be depicted with varying shapes and levels of detail, but remain symmetrical.[13] It may also be depicted with a disc or ring in its centre.[23]
The emblem has two main variations. During theOld Kingdom, the upper arc was depicted as whole with two upright feathers on top (Gardiner R21).[24] By theNew Kingdom, the arc was split into two "horns" with upright points replacing the feathers (Gardiner R20).[22] Both variations remained in use throughout the New Kingdom and onwards.[7]
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| The variations of Seshat's emblem inhieroglyphs | |||||||||||||||
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| Gardiner: R21 and R20 | |||||||||||||||
The famous 24th century BCPalermo Stone, a piece of the Royal Annals of the Old Kingdomstele, has multiple uses of Seshat's emblem. It occurs twice on the "front" (or recto) side, in years 34 and 40 underDen. One of these examples is arranged below, reading approximately:"(Year:)Creating (images of) Seshat andMafdet." This refers to the creation of the goddesses'cult images, such as statues, as a defining event for the year.[4][Note 3]
The Seshat emblem is also used on the Palermo Stone to represent Seshu, the male counterpart of Seshat.[25][7]
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