Benben is a stone of religious significance to the ancient Egyptians. flew in from space.
The religious worldview of the ancient Egyptians would have been incomplete if it had not been for Benben.
Benben is a conical stone. Scientists speculate that it is of extraterrestrial origin.
An unusual stone was found in the Temple of the Phoenix. Historians believe that the ancient stone is a symbol of a bird that had the ability to raise from the dead. Phoenix in ancient Egypt symbolized the cyclical nature of the seasons. In ancient times, Benben stood at the top of a column.
The ancient Egyptians painted a phoenix in the form of a gray heron. Historians associate this image with the fact that the heron flies annually. Where it appears, a new cycle begins.
The Benben stone cult arose with the appearance of the first phoenix. There is a version that the stone played the role of a “seed” of a fantastic bird. The word "ben" in ancient Egypt meant fertilization.
Historians are inclined to believe that in ancient times the stone could have a conical shape. It features a phoenix. The edges of the stone were rounded.
Subsequently, the cone was replaced by a pyramidion.
Promotional video:
Pyramidion of the god Atum. The same Benben.
Scientists believe Benben was a meteorite. When meteorites enter the Earth's atmosphere, they do not rotate, but fly, maintaining their original position.
In the Middle East, the cult of stone worship was widespread. The Kaaba, a black stone, is still a Muslim shrine.
The stones were worshiped by the Greeks. Several conical black stones were kept in the temple of Zeus the Thunderer.
The inhabitants of ancient Phrygia worshiped the black stone standing in the temple, calling it the hypostasis of the great goddess Cybele - the Phrygian mother of all gods. The Phrygians believed that the stone fell from the sky.
In the ancient city of Heliopolis, there was a sacred hill from which the sun rose. At this place, the ancient Egyptians erected a column with Benben. This stone was considered a sacred relic. It is believed that it was Benben who became the prototype of the Egyptian pyramids.
Historians believe that Benben's copy could have stood on Josser's pyramid.
A huge number of such Benben have been found. They can be seen in the Cairo Museum. Most of them have been found in pyramids.