In Israel, a veterinarian named Rafi Bahalul, while swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, accidentally discovered a mysterious artifact on a sandy bottom, which was supposedly an ancient Egyptian shrine.
Haaretz talks about the discovery. Rafi Bahalul noticed an unusual object during his morning swim and dived to the bottom after it. Later, scientists found that the age of this artifact is about 3400 years. It was made in Ancient Egypt.
An amazing find, she was made near Haifa, makes her appearance. Initially, it was a slab depicting an ancient Egyptian goddess. However, someone drilled a hole in it, after which the shrine probably began to be used as a ship's anchor.
Judging by the fact that the artifact went deep into the sand, the anchor lay under water for many years. Perhaps in recent decades or even centuries, it was completely hidden under a layer of sand. However, he was nude during the last storm.
According to archaeologists, such anchors were widely used during the Bronze Age on the coast of the Levant, until about 1200 BC. They were trapezoidal with rounded corners. A rope was inserted through the hole drilled in the upper part.
In this respect, there is nothing surprising in the found anchor. However, archaeologists say that they are surprised by the very high quality of the material and the image on it for a simple anchor.
It is highly doubtful that the ancient bricklayer decided to make a decorative anchor. This was probably an example of ancient recycling. Perhaps the slab was part of a bas-relief that adorned some temple in Ancient Egypt.
Judging by the marks on the edges, it was separated from the bas-relief with a chisel and then turned into an anchor. The richness of the decoration suggests that this slab could have been an element of decor and the royal palace.
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It depicts a woman in whom scientists have identified the goddess Seshat - the ancient Egyptian deity of writing. It is noteworthy that in Ancient Egypt there were no temples that were dedicated only to this goddess. However, her images adorned the walls of other large shrines.
Images of the goddess Seshat were widely used to perpetuate the pharaohs. In particular, with their help they recorded the years of the Pharaoh's reign and "documented" the booty brought from military campaigns. Images of Seshat were also used in the design of the temples of the pharaohs.
“She was a kind of divine scribe, librarian, record keeper and engineer,” says Shirley Ben-Dor Evian, curator of the Israel Museum. - The hieroglyphs that accompany her image also helped to identify the goddess. Only part of the inscription has survived, which translates as "lady of the house of books".
According to the style of hieroglyphs, scientists have established that the slab was made around the 15th century BC, that is, during the reign of the 18th dynasty of the pharaohs, which founded the New Kingdom. During this time, Ancient Egypt reached the peak of its power and led numerous successful military campaigns.
This suggests that the image of Seshat could at that time adorn one of the many royal bas-reliefs that were installed in temples throughout Egypt. But what exactly this temple was is still a mystery.
“All we can say now is that at some point the temple was renovated, abandoned or destroyed, and the bas-relief was deemed obsolete, which made it possible to reuse its elements,” says Ben-Dor Evian. “It must have happened in the late Bronze Age, that is, between the 15th and 12th centuries BC, because in later periods the anchors were made differently.”
Author: Denis Peredelsky