The epagomenal days were five days that were added to the end of the typical three hundred and sixty-day year of the Egyptian civil calendar. These days were said to be introduced for the sole purpose of aligning the calendar with the Sothic cycle. Along with this, the Old Kingdom is indicated to be when the epagomenal days were first mentioned in Ancient Egyptian text; verifying that the addition of these days within the calendar had taken place no later than this period of time.
Due to the common occurrence of plague and disease during the epagomenal days it is to be believed that the Ancient Egyptians held a great amount of fear and distress towards this time of the year. The outbreak of disease and plagues, credited to the emissaries, arrows, of Sekhmet, was
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predominantly rampant at the end of the Egyptian calendar year. During the epagomenal days, supernatural Ancient Egyptian texts, such as the Book of the Last Day of the Year on Papyrus Leiden, were to be recited for the purpose of pacifying the goddess Sekhmet. Furthermore, rituals were also performed; for instance, linen bandages with the illustrated with certain gods and goddesses were to be applied/ worn on the throat with the purpose of warding off the evil effects of disease. The Cairo Calendar, which is one of the calendars that held information on the lucky and unlucky days of the year, provides insight into some aspects of the mythology that is connected to the epagomenal days, as well as including ancient magical texts that were used to ward off the dangers that were ever present during these days. Communicated in this research paper will be an analysis on the myths as well as rituals that are associated with the epagomenal days.
The focal point will be on the textual sources, for the most part the Cairo Calendar, since it reveals portions of the mythology linked to the epagomenal days; as well as supernatural Ancient Egyptian texts, such as The Book of the Last Day of the Year, which will help with supporting the examination of the fear ascribed to these final days of the year, along with determining whether the Egyptians were truly terrified by the epagomenal days themselves, or if they were fearful of the disease and plague that commonly persisted during that time of the year. This paper will present that the Ancient Egyptians, having been driven by their need for order, Ma’at, to succeed over chaos, Isfet, used myths of mystical causation for the purpose of providing themselves a rational and sound reason of the chaos and hostility that occurs during the last five days of the year to insert into their perspective; and instead of being apprehensive of the epagomenal days alone, the Egyptian were terrified of the recurring threat of plague and disease that was common during that time of the
year. The perspective of any society, ancient or modern, is best explained as the style that people are granted with comprehension of the means of their world around them. People are granted with this ability that allows them to interpret events that happen in life and question the purpose of event that they have no control of, this provides people with a rational sense of being. Knowing this, it is enticing to brand the fear the Egyptians had towards the epagomenal days as irrational, or even superstitious; but doing so would inaccurate and thoughtless. Since such conditions would absolutely never apply into the Ancient Egyptian perspective. J. Gwyn Griffiths offers a translation of Plutarch, a Greek historian, who captures the perspective of the Egyptians, accentuating as to why the word “superstition” is unable to be of use when qualifying the fear linked with the epagomenal days.:
The Old Kingdom of Egypt (from 2700 to 2200 B.C.), saw the commencement of many of the rigid, formal beliefs of the Egyptian civilization, both in regards to their religious and political beliefs, as they were very closely intertwined. "... There was a determined attempt to impose order on the multitude of gods and religious beliefs that had existed since predynastic times... and the sun-god Re became the supreme royal god, with the ki...
Kohn, George Childs. "Black Death." Encyclopedia of Plague and Pestilence: From Ancient Times to the Present, Third Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Ancient and Medieval History Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?
During the course of the Plague common beliefs and/or concerns underwent a dramatic change. During the early years of the Plague outbreak the prevalent belief was of fear of the Plague and its uncertainty of the cause. Most people during this time were concerned that the Plague would affect their economy and their own work/business. People were also concerned of their lives and their family's well being. Then as time went on beliefs changed from this to fear to a religious superstition.
During the fourteenth century, bacteria and viruses were mostly unknown to doctors, which meant they were most certainly unheard of for the majority of the population. Now, it is widely believed that it was caused by bacterial strains. Back then, however, people had to produce their own reasons for the Plague. In Europe, the causes of the Black Death were said to be miasma (impure air) carried by the warm southern winds. The event of March 20, 1345, the conjunction of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, and excessively atrocious clothing were thought to add to the ubiquitous disease. In contrast, the people near the East believed that the said disease was supposedly caused by miasma as well, but due to wind carrying the vile odor of Mongol bodies...
Since Plagues and Peoples covers several subjects of knowledge, he helps the reader understand key concepts by fully explaining parasitism and its dependence on humans and animals. People in the field of history, which make up a majority of this books audience, would need more insight into epidemiology to grasp its key concepts. It would not be likely for a historian to be knowledgeable in a branch of medical science that deals with the incidence, distribution, and control of disease in populations.
No other epidemic reaches the level of the Black Death which took place from 1348 to 1350. The epidemic, better regarded as a pandemic, shook Europe, Asia, and North Africa; therefore it deems as the one of the most devastating events in world history. In The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350, John Aberth, compiles primary sources in order to examine the origins and outcomes of this deadly disease. The author, a history professor and associate academic dean at Vermont’s Castleton State College, specializes in medieval history and the Black Death. He wrote the book in order to provide multiple perspectives of the plague’s impact. Primarily, pathogens started the whole phenomenon; however, geological, economic, and social conditions
beset by a plague, and a delegation was sent to Apollo, the Greek God of
The Web. The Web. 24 Mar. 2011. The. http://liboc.tctc.edu:2058/ps/i.do?&id=GALE%7CH1420001374&v=2.1&u=tricotec_main&it=r&p=LitRC&sw=w> The "Plague".
There is a lot to prove that Paneloux first sermon contains a lot of bad ideas. Even though God does bring His wrath out on the world a lot in the Bible, the plague is mos...
The grandeur with which Egyptians regarded their funerary customs does not come without explanation. They delighted in tying the occurrences of the natural world with supernatural dogma, and their burial practices exemplified this deluge of religion. A special deity was even attributed to cemeteries and embalmers: Anubis (Fiero, 46). Due to this deep sense of religion, a fixation with the afterlife developed within their culture. The Egyptian afterlife, however, is not synonymous of heave, but, rather, of The Field of Reeds, a continuation of one’s life in Egypt meant “to secure and perpetuate in the afterlife the ‘good life’ enjoyed on earth” (Mark 1; “Life in Ancient Egypt” 1). The pursuit of this sacred rest-place prompted the arousal of intricate Egyptian funeral rituals.
Over thousands of years, the ancient Egyptian civilization been closely associated with religion, mythologists have considered itself one of the most important fundamentals of the Egyptian civilization, more than five thousand years, and the pillars of the establishment of the Egyptian state and standardization. However, I was always fascinated about the myths in the middle east, not because I was born in Iraq and grew up in an Assyrian family, it’s because the ancient Egyptians have contributed in adding many civilizational achievements to the world through the knowledge of their agriculture, stability, creating the first major central country in the region, and may be accompanied by the presence of major achievements in various fields in
of the gods. Once the Greeks knew the cause of the plague, they would do
Although it is not apparent whether or not Ancient Egyptian physicians had formal training or not, their methods for diagnosing and handling illnesses were very efficient at times. As a matter of fact, we still use some of their remedies today when we make medicines. Examples of the diagnosis and remedies for diseases in Ancient Egypt can be found in the Ebers Papyrus. This is one of the oldest known documentations of ancient medical practices, dating as far back as fifteen hundred BC. Steven Gilbert, the author of A Small Dose of Toxicology: The Health Effects of Common Chemicals, defines the text as “approximately one hundred and ten pages on anatomy and physiology, toxicology, spells, and treatment recorded on papyrus. The papyrus also has many prescriptions showing the treatment of many disorders by animal, plant, and mineral toxins that still occur today.” Modern-day examples of medical ailments mentioned in the Ebers Papyrus include Asthma, Cancer, and Belly Aches. Oddly enough, the heart, rather than the brain, was regarded as the headquarters of human knowledge in the body because this was where the abundance of emotion was said to be drawn forth from. The heart was also thought to be a means of communication between the people and the gods because people were given insight and instruction pertaining to the gods will through this organ of the body. The Egyptians did not understand how important the heart was in terms of blood circulation, as we understand it today. Their belief was that the heart was connected to all the other parts of the body, via canals, which were used to transport bodily fluids and waste to their appropriate locations. The brain’s only purpose was to transport mucus to the nose, and therefore it wa...
Although there are few religions that still consider the ways of the ancient Egyptian culture important, they are still out there. They are influenced every day by the history, which permeates their rituals, scriptures, and more. Furthermore, Egypt’s political influence may be outdated and not the clearest system, but it led the way for further development and refinement for future use. Without the influence of Egypt, we would not be the civilization that we are
Reproductive hormones induce estrous cycle. In female, usually, estrous cycle starts after sexual maturity and it is disturbed by anestrous and sometimes pregnancies. Different species have different length of estrous cycle because the duration of the luteal phase is different among them. Estrous groups including monoestrous, diestrous, polyestrous, and seasonal breeders have different number of cycles per year. There are three phases of estrous cycle which are the follicular phase, ovulation phase and the luteal phase. The dominant hormone for the follicular phase is estrogen while for the luteal phase is progesterone. Corpus luteum is established from the cells that remained from ovulated follicle. The estrous cycle consists of 4 different stages. The stages involved are proestrus, estrus, metestrus and diestrus.