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Seshat

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Seshat
Seshat, depicted in a leopard skin with her emblem above her head, inscribing the years of reign for the king on a palm-leaf rib (hieroglyph for "year").[1]
Name in hieroglyphs
R20tB1
SymbolLeopard skin, tablet, star, Cannabis flower, stylus
ParentsThoth and Maat
ConsortThoth

Seshat (Ancient Egyptian: 𓋇𓏏𓁐, romanized: sšꜣt, lit. 'Female Scribe',[1] under various spellings[Note 1]) was the ancient Egyptian goddess of time, surveying, and record-keeping. She was believed to be the creator of writing, specifically the act of engraving or carving hieroglyphs.[2]: 77  Her primary duty was recording the pharaoh's regnal years on a palm rib. She was variously depicted as the consort, daughter, or feminine counterpart of Thoth, the god of knowledge, writing, and wisdom.[3]: 294 [4]

History

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Seshat is attested from at least the First Dynasty of Egypt. However, the antiquity of her symbols, such as the notched palm rib— a method of recording information that predated writing— suggests that she likely originated earlier than the First Dynasty.[5] Examples of her emblem, or related symbols, have been found as early as the Predynastic Period.[6] Her ancient age was emphasized by her epithet 'The Primeval One'.[2]: 77 

The first time her priests and image are definitively referenced is during the Old Kingdom period. She was referenced on the Palermo Stone stele during the reign of the pharaoh Den.[7] She was also mentioned in the Pyramid Texts, where she was identified as an aspect of the goddess Nephthys, and is invoked as the 'Lady of Builders'.[8] In funerary contexts, she was described as restoring the limbs of the deceased alongside Nephthys. Seshat was first visually depicted as early as the Second Dynasty, where she was shown performing the 'stretching the cord' ritual with the pharaoh Khasekhemwy.[1] Seshat continued to be depicted and referenced until at least the Ptolemaic Dynasty.[9]

Seshat was closely associated with the Thoth (Ancient Egyptian: Ḏḥwtj), the Egyptian god of wisdom, knowledge, scribes, and the moon. She was variously depicted as his consort, daughter, or feminine counterpart.[1] Depending on the source, either Seshat or Thoth was considered to be the creator of hieroglyphs— the writing system of the ancient Egyptians.[10] This is supported by her epithet 'The One Who Started Carving/Marking'.[2]: 77 [11]: 222–223  However, Seshat was not considered a scribe in the traditional sense, and she was likely something more akin to an accountant or "tally-keeper".[5] Specifically, she was the goddess of 'notching', 'carving', or 'engraving'— methods used to write on temple walls or other architecture. Conversely, Thoth may have presided over writing on papyrus.[2]: 77 

Worship

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While Seshat originally had her own priests, they gradually disappeared, and the last pharaoh known to have made offerings to her is Senusret I.[5] One priest of note was a prince from the Fourth Dynasty, Wep-em-nefret, who was noted her priest on a slab stela from his tomb.[12] 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]

Iconography

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In ancient Egyptian art, she was depicted as a woman with a seven-pointed emblem positioned above her head or extending from a headband.[13] This emblem was the origin of an alternate name for Seshat that emerged during the Middle Kingdom period, Sefkhet-Abwy,[Note 2] which can be translated as 'Seven-Horned' or 'She Who Has Laid Aside the Horns'.[5][1][14]: 366 

Seshat was commonly shown wearing a dress or a leopard-skin; sometimes a robe would be layered underneath the skin.[9] The leopard-skin may serve as evidence of her pre-dynastic origins, as the fashion gradually died out after the Old Kingdom period ended. However, it did survive in ceremonial contexts.[5]

Depiction of Seshat, Thoth, and Atum (not pictured) writing on the fruit of the sacred persea or ished tree. Sunken relief from the Ramesseum, mortuary temple of Ramesses II (c. 1303–1213 BC).

Typically Seshat was shown holding a notched palm rib, the hieroglyph for "year". The rib was often depicted ending in a tadpole above a shen ring, representing 100,000 and infinity, respectively.[13][5]: 35  Depictions of Seshat often showed her notching the rib to record the passage of time with one hand, and writing down the pharaoh's regnal years with the other.[6]: 67  When Seshat was depicted recording festivals, hieroglyphs representing them were shown suspended from the rib. She was also often depicted holding other tools such as the knotted cords that were stretched to survey land and structures in ancient Egypt.[1]

Roles

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Seshat was a goddess primarily associated with the passage of time and record-keeping. While she was originally worshipped as an important goddess with her own priests at Memphis and festivals, her influence gradually waned, and her role became one of attendance to the pharaoh.[5] Her primary role was recording the pharaoh's life, regnal years, and jubilees on a palm rib or sacred ished tree.[4][6]: 67 [14]: 152  Additionally, ancient Egyptians may have believed Seshat determined the pharaoh's lifespan and fate.[11]: 220  When a new pharaoh was crowned, she recorded their new royal title and the speech that they gave.[5] Thoth was sometimes depicted assisting Seshat in these activities.[4] By the New Kingdom, Seshat's duties expanded to include granting the pharaoh the right to celebrate Sed festival, a ceremony attested since the Early Dynastic Period. Also called the Heb Sed, the festival celebrated the pharaoh's reign, typically after thirty years of rule.[3]: 660 

Additionally, Seshat recorded the names of royal children at birth on the ished (persea) tree, a role that gave her the epithet 'Before the House of the Books of the Royal Offspring'. As early as the Old Kingdom, Seshat was depicted recording the goods, loot, and captives brought to Egypt, especially those gained in military campaigns.[13][1] From the Middle Kingdom onwards, she was depicted recording foreign tribute given to Egypt.[1] She was also depicted conducting cattle censuses.[15]

Divine surveyor

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Seshat was involved in surveying and planning prior to the construction of structures; however, she did not oversee the actual construction of buildings, as this domain belonged to gods like Ptah.[5] The 'stretching the cord' ritual, or pedj-sesh(r) ceremony, is one example of her duties.[16]: 197  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[16]: 203–210  while also fixing the ground plan and determining its corners.[17] It involved the use of rope/cord, poles/stakes, and clubs/mallets. Depictions of the ritual typically showed Seshat and a pharaoh standing across from each other, holding these tools, and stretching a knotted cord between them. The god Horus is sometimes depicted alongside them.[16]: 197  Text from the Palermo Stone indicates that this festival was performed at least as early as the First Dynasty, and involved her priests.[7][6]: 72 

Hatshepsut (c. 1479–1458 BC) and Seshat in a sunken relief at the Red Chapel, depicted performing the "stretching the cord" ritual for the temple's founding.

Patroness of libraries

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Seshat held various titles related to writing, archives, and libraries, including 'Mistress of Scribes',[4] 'Lady of Books',[14]: 366  and 'Mistress of the House of Books'.[2]: 86  These epithets, and her association with writing, made her a patroness of scribes.[9] She was commonly visually depicted in libraries; she is pictured on a frieze in the library in Edfu, crouching with Thoth next to the pharaoh's cartouches. In ancient Egypt, libraries were generally not open to the public, and instead primarily served as places where theological and scientific texts were written, copied, and stored.[2]: 86–87 

She was a patron of the House of Life— an educational institution and library— since its founding in the Old Kingdom period.[18] She was described as "dwelling in the House of Life", and carried the title 'The Lady of Plans, the Lady of Writings in the House of Life'.[4] The House of Life held religious significance, and may have been seen as a place where humans could commune with gods like Seshat and Thoth; Ramsses IV was described as "excellent of understanding like Thoth, and he hath penetrated into the annals like the maker thereof, having examined the writings of the House of Life".[2]: 88  Similarly, an inscription found on the tomb of the chief scribe Amenwashu states he was a "scribe who wrote the annals of the gods and goddesses in the House of Life".[2]: 89 

Emblem

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R21
 
 
 
 
 
 
R20
The variations of Seshat's emblem
in hieroglyphs
Gardiner: R21 and R20

The Seshat emblem is a hieroglyph representing Seshat.[19] 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 Roman groma[16]: 203–210  or a method of identifying directions through the use of gnomons.[17] It was typically drawn with seven points and one "stem" of variable length extending from the bottom.[5] The points of the emblem were depicted with varying shapes and levels of detail, but always remained symmetrical.[17] The emblem may also contain a disc or ring in the centre.[6]: 62–63 

The emblem has two main variations. During the Old Kingdom, the upper arc was depicted as whole with two upright feathers on top (Gardiner R21).[6]: 64–65  By the New Kingdom, the arc was split into two "horns" with upright points replacing the feathers (Gardiner R20).[19] Both variations remained in use throughout the New Kingdom and onwards.[9]

The 24th century BC Palermo Stone, a piece of the Royal Annals of the Old Kingdom stele, has multiple depictions of Seshat's emblem. It occurs twice on the "front" (or recto) side in years 34 and 40 under Den. One of these examples is arranged below, reading approximately: "(Year:) Creating (images of) Seshat and Mafdet." This refers to the creation of the goddesses' cult images, such as statues, as a defining event of the year.[7][Note 3]

Print of the recto side of the Palermo Stone (c. Fifth Dynasty, 2392–2283 BCE), edited for readability. Seshat's emblem appears twice in the third row down, in the sections 7th and 13th from the right.

The Seshat emblem is also used on the Palermo Stone to represent Seshu, the male counterpart of Seshat.[20][9]

F31
X1
 
R21
U1S39Z9
Z9
I9
D47
X1		 S39Z9
Z9
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See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Including Safkhet, Sesat, Seshet, Sesheta, and Seshata.
  2. ↑ Also spelled Sefkhet-Abut, Sefkhet-Abwi, and Sefekhet-Abuy.
  3. ↑ The Unicode font reads left-to-right; the Palermo Stone was written right-to-left. On the stone, a large renpet (or palm rib), the hieroglyph for year, precedes this selection.

References

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  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. London: Thames & Hudson. pp. 166–167. ISBN 0-500-05120-8. Retrieved 8 July 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Ramsey, S. D. (2026). The Gods Themselves: Rhetoric and Myth in Sumer, Egypt, and Greece Before 355 BCE. University of South Carolina Press.
  3. 1 2 Asante, Molefi Kete; Cérol, Marie-José, eds. (2009). Encyclopedia of African Religion. Los Angeles: Sage (published 2008-11-26). ISBN 978-1-4129-3636-1. Retrieved 27 February 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Gregory, Steven R.W. (2022-02-04). Tutankhamun Knew the Names of the Two Great Gods: Dt and nHH as Fundamental Concepts of Pharaonic Ideology. Archaeopress Publishing Ltd. p. 36. doi:10.2307/j.ctv2b07tzx. ISBN 978-1-78969-986-9. JSTOR j.ctv2b07tzx. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Wainwright, G. A. (1940). "Seshat and the Pharaoh". Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 26. London: The Egypt Exploration Fund: 30–33. doi:10.1177/030751334002600105. Retrieved 27 February 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Magdolen, Dušan (2006). "The Development of the Sign of the Ancient Egyptian Goddess Seshat Down to the End of the Old Kingdom: Analysis and Interpretation – Part Three" (PDF). Asian and African Studies. 15 (1). Bratislava: Institute of Oriental Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences: 55–58. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 Wilkinson, Toby A. H. (2000). Royal Annals Of Ancient Egypt: The Palermo Stone and its Associated Fragments. London: Kegan Paul International. pp. 112–118. ISBN 0-7103-0667-9. Retrieved 17 March 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  8. ↑ Allen, James (2015). The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts (2nd ed.). SBL Press. p. 84. ISBN 9781628371154.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Magdolen, Dušan (2005). "The Development of the Sign of the Ancient Egyptian Goddess Seshat Down to the End of the Old Kingdom: Analysis and Interpretation – Part One" (PDF). Asian and African Studies. 14 (1). Bratislava: Institute of Oriental Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences: 46–47. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  10. ↑ Budge, E.A. Wallis, (1969) [1904]. The Gods of the Egyptians. Vol. 1. New York: Dover Publications. pg. 414
  11. 1 2 Rechholz, M. (2023). Seshat and Lady Wisdom: Prov 8 in Light of the Demotic Book of Thoth. Vetus Testamentum, 74(2), 216-236.
  12. ↑ Smith, William Stevenson (March 1963). "The Stela of Wepemnofret" (PDF). Archaeology Magazine. 16 (1): 13. Retrieved 16 March 2025 – via Digital Giza, Harvard University.
  13. 1 2 3 Hart, George (2005). The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. New York: Routledge. pp. 142–143. Retrieved 8 July 2022 – via Internet Archive.
  14. 1 2 3 Bunson, Margaret R. (2002). Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt (Revised ed.). New York: Facts on File Inc. ISBN 978-0-8160-4563-1. Retrieved 27 February 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  15. ↑ Asante, Encyclopedia of African Religion, p. 609.
  16. 1 2 3 4 Belmonte, Juan Antonio; Miguel Angel, Molinero Polo; Miranda, Noemi (2009). "Unveiling Seshat: New Insights Into The Stretching Of The Cord Ceremony" (PDF). In Belmonte, Juan Antonio; Shaltout, Mosalam (eds.). In Search of Cosmic Order: Selected Essays on Egyptian Archaeoastronomy. Cairo: Supreme Council of Antiquities Press. Bibcode:2009iscc.book.....B. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-12-02. Retrieved 3 July 2022.
  17. 1 2 3 Magdolen, Dušan (2009). "A New Investigation of the Symbol of Ancient Egyptian Goddess Seshat" (PDF). Asian and African Studies. 18 (2). Bratislava: Institute of Oriental Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences: 169–189. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  18. ↑ Gardiner, Alan (1938). "The House of Life". Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 24. London: The Egypt Exploration Fund: 174. doi:10.1177/030751333802400131. Retrieved 27 February 2025 – via Internet Archive.
  19. 1 2 Gardiner, Alan (1927). Egyptian Grammar: Being An Introduction to the Study of Hieroglyphs (Third ed.). Oxford: Griffith Institute. p. 503. ISBN 978-0900416354. Retrieved 3 July 2022 – via Internet Archive. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  20. ↑ Budge, E. A. Wallis (1920). An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary. Vol. 2. London: John Murray. p. 698a. Retrieved 27 February 2025.

Further reading

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