I found it interesting that the 3rd intermediate period is not studied as much as the other time periods. I did not know that ancient Egyptian politics could cause a lack of archaeological evidence. During this time many rulers overthrew each other. Some erased presence of another pharaoh on the kings list and other state documents. Many royal tombs were also replaced with other family tombs, which caused a lack of tomb goods that was present before this time. So much of Egypt’s history is lost or told by certain perspectives. It would be interesting to find out more about the pharaohs whose names were erased from the kings list. I always thought every place had trees that could be used for building materials, but Egypt apparently did not have trees that can be used for construction. The Kushite and Libyans gained most control of Egypt , yet the kushites let local rulers still rule. The kushite rulers believed some of Egyptians deities, but also kept some of their beliefs such as a horse burial. They also took some of Egyptians symbols of a cobra and vulture to use as meaning of kingship.I wonder if rulers from other nations also did this or did they not change their beliefs at all.
During late kingdom, I thought that it was interesting that Psamtek I enlisted several foreign mercenaries that helped strengthen his army. They were commonly Greeks or Carians. Did this ever backfire by taking in foreigners? It was Psamtek’s son Nekau II that expanded the red sea trade. If In addition, during the late period animal cults became popular. The bull was one of the animals that were praised since early Egyptian times. Several burials of bulls were found at Saqqara date back to 18th dynasty. They began under the ruling of Rameses II. How did the animals worshiped become a symbol and do these symbols for these animals still remain? It mentions that these animal cults had several resources invested into them. How much did the state put into these cults and were they taxed or not? In addition, were all the animal cults specifically placed by the Egyptian people or did the invading nations have any influence on the animals symbol? Were all the animals worshiped and or did the pharaoh choose who the people should worship? The bull seems to have a higher status compared to the other animals is there a reason for this? The animal cults had strong ties to the Egyptians at the time if it did fade what was the reason? The readings were enlightening on how politics and culture influenced Egypt into what it has become today.
Mercedes I found this chapter to be very enlightening a well and I wrote my blog post on the concept of animal cults. I found myself asking the same questions you did in regards to the cults. Why were certain animals, especially the Apis bull, praised above others? Were other animals praised but in a smaller concept confined to the household level? What value did Ancient Egyptians tie to animals, especially household pets? Why did this particular cult location attract so many pilgrims to bring offerings from all over the country? I wish there were more accounts recording this phenomenon so we could understand the reasoning and importance behind the ritual. I also wondered: since Apis bulls are closely linked to the pharaoh and are symbolic of his power, did the pharaoh at some point of his rule have his own bull? Were those particular bulls native to the land the pharaoh inhabited? If not, did it cost money to import them therefore showing that the more bulls a pharaoh had the more power and influence he had? Was a bull sacrificed every time a pharaoh died? There are so many possible avenues of questions that can come from such a short part of the reading that really shows the extensiveness and depth of such a culture. The more I think about the subject and try to understand it, the more questions come up that need to be answered! I’m sure there has been research done on this by Egyptologists but I wonder how big a field of inquiry it is. Many seem to focus on the architecture, towns, texts, and individuals-not so much to my knowledge about animal mummification and its deep reasons. It would definitely be something that would unearth more secrets about the values of Ancient Egyptian life.
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