Gunga- Oh, Mighty Isis!

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When my kids were little they used to watch cartoon on Sat. mornings. I don’t know the title but I do know that one of the constants was a goddess ( heroine) who would stand with her arms crossed above her head and say the words, “ Oh, Mighty Isis” beseeching the Isis to bestow upon her powers to protect something or other. So, here I was in the Temple of Philae at the southernmost tip of Egypt standing in a temple begun by Ptolemy ll and completed by Roman Emperors. It was the last temple constructed to worship the ancient Egyptian religion. It was nearly lost under the water from the Aswan Dam but was rescued by the Egyptian government and UNESCO.

The main temple is dedicated to Isis. Then it gets a bit complicated as there is a pavilion dedicated to the goddess Hathor and another to the emperor Trajan. And, of course, Ptolemy like so many of the others, had to show scene after scene of himself being heroic and wise and doing some smiting. There was a LOT of smiting going on. Perhaps the most beautiful part of this temple is Trajan’s kiosk. It is a smaller enclosure where the sacred barge with the statue of Isis landed during its annual procession down the river.

We certainly owe a huge debt of gratitude to the Egyptian government and others who helped to rescue these masterpieces as without hem we would have no insight into the ways of this ancient civilization.

Our next stop was to see papyrus being made. It has been used since 3,100 BC. It is made from a reed which grew along the Nile. When harvested the core is sliced into strips. The strips are soaked in water, pounded, and placed side by side. A second set of strips is placed at right angles to the first ( think making pot holders at camp). They are pounded again and placed under a heavy weight to dry. Enough sugar remains in the strips to seal them. A little rubbing to make it smooth and voila! Paper. Really clever these Egyptians.

Next stop is Giza and the pyramids!!!!!! Catch your breath this will be the last blog for awhile.

Carolyn

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