The gods of the others, the gods and the others. Forms

The gods of the others, the gods and the others.
Forms of acculturation and construction of difference in the Egyptian religion
Journée d’études in memory of Sergio Donadoni
Sapienza Università di Roma - Facoltà di Lettere e Filosofia
Odeion, 23 maggio 2016
CONFERENCE THEME
AND ABSTRACTS OF THE PAPERS
Conference theme
Paola Buzi, Angelo Colonna
Otherness – just as Identity, its polar counterpart – is an essential feature in the process of appropriation,
categorization and semiotization of reality. As such it is more a cultural product than a self-evident fact:
each culture sets up the criteria for its own distinction (Bordieu), developing specific mechanisms and
strategies by which roles and hierarchies can be established between “us” and “them”, while ideology
plays a crucial part in the process.
In pharaonic Egypt such a phenomenon takes the form of a “cosmographic presentation” (Baines),
according to which anything not included within the normative of centre is pushed away to the borders
of cosmos as a chaotic and perturbing force.
While being widely exploited in the characterization of human relations with foreigners outside Egypt,
the concept of the Other also affects the domain of deities. Also in this second case, acknowledgment of
the Other means the recognition of difference and implies its thematization and communication according
to modes which are the result of historical and cultural dynamics: the implantation of foreign gods in
Egyptian pantheon, as well as the demonization of Seth, represent just two – although outstanding and
manifest – of these solutions.
The relationship with the Other, indeed, is always relative and constructed: it pertains to the definition
of a border which marks a difference but at the same time is an interface which allows contact; separating
(therefore producing a duality between center and periphery, inside and outside) but possibly also
implying crossed influences.
The conference aims to explore how the notion of the Other inscribed within the polytheism of
pharaonic Egypt, focusing on both the sphere of “imaginaire” and of “réel” (Derchain). The Other(s) and
the gods will be thus the two main axis of reflection and their mutual relationship could be examined on
different levels, i.e. foreign gods in the Egyptian pantheon, Egyptian deities operating in or moving across
“other” spaces and times, the liminal character of specific gods and related peculiarities in cult, etc.
The major aim of the conference will be to attempt to single out how the Other was integrated into the
religious system and it functioned in shaping personalities and structuring (dis)connections between
them, as well as between the related societies.
The Other, in this perspective, reflects less a geographical feature than a wider cultural dynamic, while the
world of gods represents the appropriate stage, both regarding the differences and the connections it
manifests, and also the aggregations, exchanges and negotiation which occur.
Abstracts
Paola Buzi – Sapienza Università di Roma
Introduction: Defining Otherness and Identity. Brief preliminary remarks
The concept of Otherness is strongly interlaced with that of Identity. It is within a group with a strong
cultural identity, or better self-identity, and a consolidated political power that the representation of the
Other(s) – foreigners, minorities, enemies, etc. – takes shape.
Identity, however, is not a natural or innate feature, but rather it is the result of a progressive and
targeted construction, which reflects the way individuals and groups internalize established social
categories within their societies. Such a construction determines a social order, a religious system, a
hierarchy where certain groups are defined as being superior to other groups and it is often based on
ethnocentrism.
According to Jean-François Staszak, specialist of economic and cultural geography, “Opposing Us,
the Self, and Them, the Other, is to choose a criterion that allows humanity to be divided into two groups:
one that embodies the norm and whose identity is valued and another that is defined by its faults,
devalued and susceptible of discrimination”.
In brief Identity implies some elements of exclusivity, being geographical distance, ethnic diversity and
religion some of the main parameters that mark the difference.
A strong and consolidate Identity, however, does not exclude at all forms of appropriation and
acculturation of difference. The result of such phenomenon is a new form of Identity, enriched by the
incorporation of Otherness.
It is in this framework that the Egyptian religion and its relationship with other cults should be
analyzed. Putting aside the long-lasting prejudice according to which Egypt was a culture impermeable
to any other cultural (and religious) influence, this short introduction will guide to the fruition of the
following papers and will aim to define the forms in which the encounter between the Egyptian gods and
the gods of the others took place and the modalities of integration of foreign deities within the Egyptian
polytheism.
Christiane Zivie-Coche – Paris, École pratique des Hautes Études, Directeur d’études
Les dieux des autres. Réception et identité dans le polythéisme égyptien [keynote lecture]
La présence de dieux étrangers, ou encore « dieux des autres », a été une constante dans le monde
religieux égyptien, polythéiste. Ces dieux ont déjà fait l’objet de diverses études mais pour comprendre
leur réception et la perception de leur identité dans le monde égyptien, il est indispensable de
contextualiser sur le plan historique et religieux leur introduction dans un panthéon lui-même foisonnant.
Et pour cela, il convient de tenir compte de l’époque à laquelle sont intervenus de tels faits, l’histoire de
l’Égypte se déployant sur la longue durée entre ses débuts au IIIe millénaire avant notre ère jusqu’au IVe
siècle de notre ère. Entre la constitution de la pensée et de la culture égyptiennes et ses ultimes
manifestations, la religion avait évolué, et le monde circumvoisin avait subi de profonds changements.
Comme le temps ne me permettra pas de traiter de tous les aspects, je laisserai de côté les dieux
présents dès les époques les plus anciennes dans l’iconographie ou les textes égyptiens et qui semblent
d’origine extérieure, comme Sopdou le dieu de l’orient, implanté dans le delta oriental et qui a des relations
probables avec certains cultes orientaux des bétyles, ou Ha, le dieu de l’occident du Delta avec ses
connexions libyques, ou encore Dedoun, le Nubien. Certains dieux égyptiens, eux, règnent sur les marges
du pays ou s’installent à l’étranger, tels Min, Seth ou Hathor. À l’autre bout de l’histoire, je n’envisagerai
pas l’installation à côté des dieux égyptiens de divinités grecques, ni le phénomène de l’interpretatio graeca
des dieux égyptiens dont Hérodote a donné un modèle, mais qui a connu des développements beaucoup
plus complexes.
La période choisie pour l’analyse de ce phénomène est celle du Nouvel Empire qui voit l’introduction
organisée et programmée d’une pléiade de dieux « orientaux » ou syro-palestiniens (Rechep, Baâl,
Houroun, Astarté et Anat, Qadech) par le pharaon et l’élite du pays. Cela correspond à une période
d’intense activité guerrière et conquérante à l’extérieur du pays, après la reconquête sur les Hyksos, mais
aussi d’échanges économiques et culturels, linguistiques et religieux pendant une période où le pouvoir
pharaonique est globalement fort.
On doit noter que des cultes de dieux non autochtones qui n’étaient pas implantés en Égypte depuis
des millénaires et qui sont présents sur des monuments royaux ne peuvent avoir acquis droit de cité
qu’avec l’aval du pouvoir et même à son instigation ; et non pas comme des cultes de la seule dévotion
personnelle et plus particulièrement de celle des étrangers qui étaient installés dans le pays, ce qui a
longtemps été l’explication donnée.
Cette présence des dieux étrangers montre qu’était nettement établie une distinction, voire même un
hiatus entre, d’une part le rejet affirmé dans la propagande officielle de l’autre, humain, en tant qu’ennemi
potentiel ou réel, et d’autre part l’introduction et l’acceptation de dieux des autres. En effet, le
polythéisme, qui n’est pas fondé sur l’exclusion des autres dieux en face d’un dieu unique et seul « vrai »,
permet d’admettre de nouveaux dieux dans un panthéon déjà abondant. Ces dieux ont l’attrait de la
nouveauté et de la puissance que recèle l’autre, et pas seulement le danger. Ils vont s’adapter à
l’iconographie égyptienne avec quelques détails spécifiques, au type de cultes locaux, tout en gardant leurs
noms d’origine, simplement transcrits en égyptien, signe d’une interculturalité à l’œuvre. C’est ce que
nous aborderons de manière plus détaillée en se fondant sur des exemples précis.
Cette analyse de la réception et de l’identité de dieux des autres dans le polythéisme égyptien à une
époque donnée nous invite à réfléchir aujourd’hui sur la façon dont est abordée la notion d’identité,
religieuse en particulier, dans le monde contemporain et à la confronter à des exemples historiques, même
s’il s’agit de ceux d’une culture disparue.
ÉLEMENTS BIBLIOGRAPHIQUES
- HELCK, Wolfgang, Die Beziehungen Ägyptens zu Vorderasien im 3. und 2. Jahrtausend v. Chr., ÄgAbh 5, 2ème
éd., Wiesbaden, 1971, p. 446-473.
- SCHNEIDER, Thomas, « Foreign Egypt: Egyptology and the Concept of Cultural Appropriation »,
Ägypten und Levante XIII, 2003, p. 155-161.
- SCHNEIDER, Thomas, « Akkulturation – Identität – Elitekultur », dans R. Gundlach et A. Klug (éd.),
Der ägyptische Hof des Neuen Reiches. Seine Gesellschaft und Kultur im Spannungsfeld zwischen Innen- und
Aussenpolitik, Königtum, Staat und Gesellschaft früher Hochkulturen, Wiesbaden, 2006, p. 201-216.
- STADELMANN, Rainer, Syrisch-palästinensische Gottheiten in Ägypten, PdÄ 5, Leyde, 1967.
- ZIVIE-COCHE, Christiane, « Dieux autres, dieux des autres. Identité culturelle et altérité dans l’Égypte
ancienne », dans I. Alon, I. Gruenwald et I. Singer (éd.), Concepts of the Other in Near Eastern Religions, IOS
14, Leyde New York Cologne , 1994, p. 39-80.
Angelo Colonna – PhD, Sapienza Università di Roma
Gods in translation: dynamics of interculturality between Egypt and Byblos in the III
millennium B.C.
Fostered by the preeminent role they play within the anthropological debate, Egyptology has started
to devote a more critical attention to the problems and issues involved in studying ancient conceptions
of “self” and “other”, questioning the traditional image of Egypt as a sort of monolithic cultural block,
rather static and fixed in its own splendid isolation. While, this is the very message that the Egyptian
sources – ideologically biased – convey, beneath such strict constraints, a cultural scenario appears where
experience of (and interaction with) the Other occurs and is defined in a much more complex and
articulated way. As a highly structured cultural and social field, religion plays a pivotal role in the process;
practices of perception, reception and circulation of deities fit such a context, and could therefore be
investigated in order to reconsider (and model) mechanisms of contacts and cultural exchanges between
Egypt and the outside world from a richer and more nuanced perspective.
The present paper will try to address these issues from the standpoint of transculturality, focusing
discussion on a specific historical context – Old Kingdom Egypt and its connections with Byblos – and
using, as a case study and point of departure for the analysis, a peculiar artefact – the so called “cylindre
Montet” – where three (apparently) local deities are mentioned and their names inscribed in Egyptian
hieroglyph. The goal is threefold:
(1) to frame the object and its content in the milieu of contemporary relations affecting Egypt, Byblos
and the Levantine area;
(2) to explore how (religious) concepts and ideas were mediated, translated, re-shaped as they moved
between different contexts;
(3) to show how, for the actors involved, the domain of gods could function as a discursive and
integrating tool, the appropriate locus for contacts and interactions to be both conceptualised and
promoted.
Dimitri Meeks – Montpellier, CNRS
Hathor et Seth passeurs de l’Autre
On sait que les Égyptiens de l’Antiquité concevaient leur pays comme un espace privilégié au centre de l’univers,
selon une logique concentrique : ce qui était hors du centre était potentiellement dangereux, hostile, et le devenait
de plus en plus dès lors que l’on approchait d’une périphérie mythique.
Les Égyptiens, pourtant, ne se voulaient pas isolés et ont toujours communiqué avec l’extérieur. Cela est évident
du point de vue politique et militaire. Toutefois, dans une culture où la religion et la vision mythique du monde
qu’elle construit ont valeur de référence, il était inévitable que les contacts extérieurs, quelle que soit leur nature,
puissent, ou doivent, se justifier par des éléments issus du mythe.
Hathor et Seth offrent ici une possiblité de comprendre comment fonctionnaient ces clés ouvrant vers
l’extértieur et quels étaient les présupposés mythiques qui leur permettaient de donner une logique théorique aux
échanges avec l’extérieur.
Marilina Betrò – Università di Pisa
Borders and interfaces: the Bau of the four cardinal points.
One of the most acute characterizations of the concept of Ba in ancient Egypt was given by Jan
Assmann in Der König als Sonnenpriester (1970, p. 48-53), pointing out the Ba’s capacity of moving between
different worlds and spheres of existence, and its role of interface between them. My paper will deal with
the Bau of the four cardinal points, that represent the cosmological –geographical aspect of this
conception, and will explore one of the ways by which ancient Egyptians expressed the notion of the
Other and their relationship with it through the divine world.
Verena Lepper – Ägyptisches Museum und Papyrussammlung, Berlin
My god – your god – our gods. Local practices of religion in Ancient Egypt
On Elephantine island we find texts over a period of more than 4000 years in 10 different languages
and scripts. These texts also reflect the local traditions of religion on this island.
At the southern end of Egypt existed this multicultural community with a diverse population.
Individual practices of different religious concepts can be observed here. Examples of religious
acculturation as well as of segregation will be highlighted in this paper.
Manfred Bietak – Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften
A new understanding of the worship of Canaanite gods in Egypt
This lecture will show that there was in Avaris/Piramesse a continuity of Canaanite cults in Egypt
from the late Middle Kingdom, to the Hyksos Period, the 18th Dynasty till the Ramesside Period. This
continuity developed despite distinct political changes. The first Canaanite settlers who appear at that site
during the late 12th Dynasty built during the 13th Dynasty temples with definitely Near Eastern features.
As gods of this period we can identify most likely Hadad/Baal Zephon, Aschera and Astarte. The frst
two are tied to the sea and seafaring.
While Avaris was abandoned, the major temple precinct continued without interval its cult throughout
the 18th Dynasty. A hiatus may have occurred during the Amarna Period. Horemheb and Seti I. rebuilt
the temple precinct on a much larger scale. It remains to be seen how far population from the Hyksos
Period survived the fall of Avaris and contributed to the creation of the naval port of Peru-nefer at the
same place and continued to have an impact not only on the cult of Seth of Piramesse but also in the
culture of the Ramesside Period in general.
Francesca Iannarilli – PhD Candidate, Università di Venezia Ca’ Foscari
sTi Ddwn - The Scent as mark of Divinity and Otherness
The Egyptian interpretation of the world passes through a universe of, not only knowledges and skills,
but also physic sensations. In this perspective, the empiric experience can be integrated into that cultural
baggage that the Egyptian can reinterpret in different ways and contexts. Part of this experiential database
are: images, sounds, tastes and smells, the five senses being the main road to gather informations from
the earthly world, but also from the divine. Scents and smells are one of the ways in which humans can
feel the presence of the gods – together with particular sounds or colours and an increasing perception
of fear or confusion - maybe also because they were especially sought after for their value and their
exoticism, having origin in distant and legendary lands.
A good example of this idea is provided by Ddwn, a god mentioned about six times in the Old
Kingdom corpus of the Pyramid Texts as a Hwn Smaw di.f snTr; he is a good-looking youngster who
provides the incense for the dead king and, therefore, is linked to the the Lower Nubia and the southernoriental desert, whence spices came from. Indeed, the search for exotic products and essences in distant
and unknown lands was widespread in Egypt since the IV dynasty – and even more from the VI – and it
was functional to the cultural construction of the external world and of the otherness. This otherness
envelops the figure of Ddwn by means of the incense, foreign scent which comes to assume ritual
connotations in a funerary context – as that of the Pyramid Text is – and symbolic meaning in association
with the divine.
Martin Bommas – Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology School of History
and Cultures, University of Birmingham
‘Gods to Go’ During the New Kingdom
Primary sources suggest that when ancient Egyptians travelled, they took figurines of gods with them
so that domestic cults and prayers could be carried out on the go. Continued travels to distant places,
however, equally led to the establishment of permanent cult installations for gods outside their
mainstream religious landscapes.
Who were those who exported and maintained the cults of these foreign gods and how where these
new-comers received? To which extent did gods have to assimilate before they were acceptable away
from home? By looking into evidence from New Kingdom Elephantine and Deir el-Medineh, it will be
possible to identify some of the rules that were in place to accommodate foreign gods in their new
environments.
Valeria Turriziani – PhD, Sapienza Università di Roma
Delimiting, fighting and embracing the other. Liminality in the Egyptian divine world
In the Egyptian mind, there was a clear division between the outside and the inside of Egypt, between
the Egyptians and the ‘others’, namely the Nubians, the Libyans and the Asians, who existed outside the
borders of the country, inhabitants of deserts and foreign countries, and for this reason were potential
enemies (Zivie-Coche, 1994).
Despite the looseness of Egypt’s real boundaries, the marking of the borders of Egypt as a whole is
recalled in much more mythical and religious ways. The frontiers of Egypt were extended in every
direction, towards the four cardinal points, and remarked in a symbolic way by the presence of deities
who served themselves as geographical points: Iahes, Dedun, Horus, Ha and Sopedu appear in references
both in the Pyramid Texts and the Coffin Texts. Already in the Old Kingdom, most of these deities also
served as controllers of the same borders/frontiers against the outside world. The religious geography of
Egypt, particularly in regard to these liminal deities, is quite complex both in the features and functions
of each deity and in the aims of their actions.
When the Egyptians started to have access to areas frequented by populations of other cultures, these
territories, and their more-or-less defined limits and frontiers, became populated by hybrid divine beings,
mostly frontier deities disguised as foreigners in order to assure domination over a territory, or to act as
points of reference for the Egyptians within a dangerous area or a border.
The aim of this contribution is to face the issue of the Egyptian versus the Other at the very borders
of the country: from the Egyptian vision of the world, the boundaries and their mythical setting up to
the role played by the liminal gods, analyzing their features, their function and the use of iconography
and specific epithets in order to shed a light on the concept of liminality in the Egyptian divine world.