A Civilization Born from the Blending of History and Myth

History and Politics Service of Iran’s Book News Agency (IBNA) – The book ‘Gods and Pharaohs in Egyptian Mythology’ by Geraldine Harris, translated by Rahele Fazeli, has been published by Charkh Publishing (a humanities publisher from Cheshmeh Cultural Family for mythology and rituals). The book’s illustrations are by David O’Connor.

Geraldine Harris (b. 1951) is an English author and Egyptologist. She is a member of the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Oxford. Her works include the ‘Seven Towers’ quartet and numerous textbooks on Egypt.

The Border Between Reality and Myth in Ancient Egypt

This book is a readable account of the glorious world of ancient Egypt; a civilization born from the blending of history and myth, which has always existed on the border between reality and legend. This book presents the fundamental myths of this civilization in the form of engaging stories. The book is a journey beyond towering pyramids and lost treasures, to a world where immortal gods, god-like pharaohs, and the secrets of creation form the cultural foundations of an unforgettable empire.

The book begins its narrative by describing the mythological geography of Egypt, namely the ‘Red Land’ (desert) and the ‘Black Land’ (fertile Nile Valley), and delves into the myth of creation and the ‘Secret Name of Ra’, the sun god, from the primordial darkness. Instead of providing a list of gods and their duties, Harris introduces them to the reader through their stories. In this context, the book’s main narrative is based on the mythical cycle of Isis and Osiris.

Chapters such as ‘The Murder of Osiris’ and the perilous journey of the soul in the realm of the dead with Osiris depict a story of love, betrayal, death, and resurrection that not only shapes the destiny of gods like Horus and Seth and their epic battles but also forms the cornerstone of the Egyptians’ belief in the afterlife. The tears of Isis, which caused the flooding of the Nile, are another example of the close link between myth and nature in this worldview. Geraldine Harris, avoiding academic jargon, revives these myths as simple and engaging stories. The unbreakable bond between pharaohs and gods, the role of sacred animals in divine symbolism, and humanity’s effort to understand death and resurrection are among the topics narrated in a coherent and readable context in this book.

The Position of Pharaoh and a Link Between the Divine and Mortal Worlds

This book also elucidates the position of the pharaoh as a link between the divine and mortal worlds. In sections such as ‘King Khufu and the Magicians’, this work clearly demonstrates that the pharaoh was not merely a political ruler but the earthly embodiment of the gods and responsible for maintaining ‘Ma’at’ or cosmic order. This connection has a strong presence in all aspects of Egyptian life, from temple architecture to religious rituals. Stories such as ‘The Princess of Bakhtan’, ‘The Seven-Year Famine’, and ‘The Book of Thoth’ also explore various aspects of this worldview and the complex and sometimes direct relationship between humans and gods.

The book’s illustrations are an inseparable part of the reading experience. These images, often inspired by Egyptian art and wall carvings, help recreate the mythological atmosphere and bring the narratives to life. Ultimately, ‘Gods and Pharaohs in Egyptian Mythology’, with sections such as ‘The Journey of Wenamun’ and ‘Egypt in Decline’, provides a complete picture of the rise and fall of this astonishing civilization and offers an excellent perspective for entering one of the world’s most unique mythological systems.

Hieroglyphs and Writing in Ancient Egypt

Writing in ancient Egypt was first used around three thousand years before Christ. From then on, the country was governed by people trained as scribes who could read and write in the Egyptian language. Reed brushes were used for writing, and each scribe had a color palette of red and black ink cakes, as well as a container for water and a tool to smooth the surface of the paper. Egyptian paper was made from the pounded pith of the papyrus root, which was a precious material. Difficult tasks or school exercises were written on limestone flakes or broken pottery shards.

Throughout Egyptian history, there were two scripts: hieroglyphic and hieratic (priestly). Beautiful hieroglyphs, with their detailed images of humans, objects, and animals, were carved or painted on columns, statues, tombs, and temples, but rarely written on papyrus. For daily use, a simpler or abbreviated form of hieroglyphs existed, which led to the development of the hieratic script. Both scripts were always written from right to left, without spaces between words or sentences, and punctuation also existed.

The Red Land and The Black Land

For centuries, Europeans have been fascinated by ancient Egypt. In 1798, when Emperor Napoleon invaded Egypt, he traveled with a group of scholars to the pyramids to examine and record monuments and other ancient structures. One of Napoleon’s soldiers found the Rosetta Stone (a very famous inscription from ancient Egypt), which had a similar royal inscription written on it; once in Greek and twice in Egyptian in two different scripts. In 1822, the young and clever French scholar Jean-François Champollion, with the help of the Rosetta Stone, was able to decipher the hieroglyphic script of ancient Egypt and make the voice of the past heard by all.

During the nineteenth century, scholars traveled throughout Egypt to map temples, tombs, and record inscriptions. Most of these early drawings are very valuable, as many structures and inscriptions have been damaged or completely destroyed over the last century. However, the early excavators were only slightly better than treasure hunters; their primary concern was finding dazzling artifacts or intact mummies to send to European museums. Gradually, the importance of methodical excavation became clear, and excavators realized that a piece of broken pottery or papyrus might be more important than a gold vase because it could provide information about ancient Egypt.