It Began in Egypt, Series B (AMORC)

SERIEN B

Fifteen minutes of reading enjoyment. Ai^usiüg, factual, informative— It Began In Egypt ties you to the past in almost every department of your life.

A R O S IC R U C IA N EGYPTIAN MUSEUM P R O D U C T IO N

Member: American Association o f Museums Egyptian Exploration Society Patrón of Smithsonian Inslitution F ondalion Egyptologique Reine Elisabetli The International Institute for the Conservation of M useum Objects

Consultante: D r. John Snyder, Assyriologist D r. M ax G uilm ot, Egyptologist (Collection arranged under Technical Direction of D r. Georg Steindorff and D r. Etienne D rioton )

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IIIEGVPT prepared by

James C. French, M. A. Former Curator, Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum

C o py rig ht, 1953 Uy the Suprem e C ra n d Lodge o f A M O R C , Inc. A ll R ights Reservcd

BARBERING I n ancient Egypt, the barber was called th e haq. Judging from “scenes of shaving” on the tomb walls, he led a busy life. The Egyptians were very particular about their appearance and had a deep love of cleanliness. This was not just characteristic among the higher class for even the servants were obliged to conform to the habits of their masters who were clean shaven of face and head. The priests conformed to a program of cleanliness which included shaving the entire body every three days and bathing twice a day and twice during the night. Even the heads of young children were shaved by the barber, leaving just a few locks G-20I-B

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of hair at the sides, front and back. The women always wore their own hair, but often it was cut short— much in the style of today. The razors used were of various sizes and shapes. The barber carried them in a bag as he went from place to place plying his trade. Some of the razors had small hatchetlike blades with a handle, while others had smaller and knifelike ones. The author of an ancient Egyptian hymn praises the hard work of the barber, describing him as going from Street to Street seeking customers from early morning till evening in order to eam his food. Although baldness was practically unheard of in ancient Egypt, several prescriptions for prevention of baldness and restoration of the original color of hair have been found in the Ebers Medical Papyrus, showing the beginnings of our modera barbering arts. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum has sev­ eral excellent razors used by the barbers of ancient Egypt thousands of years ago.

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INCENSE A u t h e n t i c traces of the first use of incense are found in the monuments of Ancient Egypt. From Meroe to Memphis the commonest subject carved or painted in the interiors of the Temples is of a Pharaoh worshipping the presiding deity, with oblations sucíi as sacri fices of animals, birds, cakes, fruits, flowers, wine, ointments, gems, and incense. Incense was presented alone sometimes, but more often with an offering of wine. Its in gredients varied in accordance with the recipient. In the instance of an offering to the sun (adapted to different times of the day), resin, myrrh, and kuphi were used. W hen incense was burned in the temples before the altar, it was made into small balls or pastilles, and then thrown by hand into the censer. The censer usually consisted of an open cup of bronze which held the fire. The cup was attached to a long handle, on the opposite end of which was omamented the head

of a hawk, surrounded by a disk representing the god fía, or the sun. ln the ceater of the handle was another cup from which the pastilles of incense were takcn, with the finger and thumb, and thrown upon the fire. Sometimes incense was burned in a cup without a handle; some of these had covers pierced with holes allowing the smoke to es­ cape, much like those now used or employed in the churches of Italy. In the Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental M u ­ seum hangs a large oil painting (the work of Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, first Imperator of the prescnt Rosicrucian cycle), depicting the Egyptian art of embalming. The scene shows one of the embalmers holding a censer from which the fragrance of incense rises and permeates the linen wrappings with which the body is being bound. Aromatic herbs were often placed with in the cavities of the body, created during the removal of the organs in the process of mummification. In ancient Egypt, incense was used as a means of establishing communion with the gods. The rising vapor and scent of the incense was believed to establish a bond which united man with the gods in the other world. ------- o-------

PAPYRUS PAPER papyrus plant, belonging to the sedge Family, once grew abundantly in the marshes of Lower Egypt; today, it flourishes only in the Sudan. The papyrus was used for many purposes by the Egyptians, such as baskets and ropes, but its principal valué was for making sheets of material for writing, and thus it became the forerunner of modern paper. Papyrus from the Sudan has been found to vary in length from 7 to 10 feet, excluding the T

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flowering top and root with the máximum diameter of nearly an inch and one-half. The stem has a triangular section consisting of two parts, a thin strong outer rind and an inner cellular pith which was used as the writing material. The method of making sheets from this ma­ terial suitable for writing has been described by Pliny. According to him, the stems or in ­ ner parts of the stalks of the plant were sliced into tliin strips and placed side by side upon a table, with similar slices placed across them at right angles. They were then moistened with Nile water, pressed together, and dricd in the sun. The Nile water, according to Pliny, when in a muddy state, had the peculiar qualities of glue. However, modera authorities believe Pliny to be wrong in his statements. They prefer the later mention of a paste made from the finest flour of wheat mixed with boiling water. The length of the slices depended on the widlh of the sheet desired, and the papyrus was extended to any desired length. The date when papyrus paper was fírst made is not known, but The Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental Museum has several small papyrus documents which date back to the earliest dynasties. ------- o-------

AMULETS A m u l e t s or objects to which were attributed powers of magical protection were worn by the living, or placed in and about the body of the dead, in the earliest Neolithic period of A n cient Egypt.

M any kinds of stone, various types of wood, ivory, bone, wax, copper, gold and silver, and a glazed pottery substance called faience, went into the composition of the amulets. M any of these materials from which the amulets were made were believed to have properties which could often be absorbed by the wearers. The amulets engraved with the ñames of gods, or words of power, were said to give supematural qualities to the owner. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum has a large collection of rare ancient Egyptian amu­ lets, many of which bear the ñames oí Egyp­ tian royalty. In the collection are to be found

various types of the Scarab amulets dating back to the lst and 2nd dynasties. The Scarab or Sacred Beetle was one of the most important amulets. Its sacred character was derived from the habit of the dung beetle, laying its eggs into a ball of dirt and burying it in the wnrm desert sand— the creature when hatched seemed to emerge alive out of the sand. To the ancient Egyptians it may have seemed that the beetle had the power of raising itself from the dead, and in this way it carne to be regarded as the emblem of resurrection and immortality. Among the amulets the “Ankh or Cru.x Ansata looped cross” was the Egyptian symbol of life, whereas the “Thet” amulet represented the girdle buckle of Isis. Made usually of a red material symbolic of the blood of Isis, it was believed to wash away the sins of the wearer. The “Dad” amulet was placed around the m um m y as an emblem of stability and protection, whereas the “A b” represented the heart— symbol of the fountain of life in the bodies of gods, of animals and men. Often too it typifíed the conscience, bringing the wearer the protection of Osiris and Ra.

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ANCIENT EGYPTIAN GLASS T h e oldest examples of glasswork, known to man, originated in Egypt; they were found in the tombs of the fourth m illennium B. C. The early form of the glass, however, was really a glazed siliceous ware generally of an opaque color, which was worked into beads, necklace pendants, rings, amulets, tiles, bowls, vases, animal figures, and many other objeets. The first use of a true glassy material by itself does not occur until the 18th dynasty (1500 B. C.).

A n interesting story of the discovery of glass is told by Pliny. A ship from Egypt, loaded

with natrón, anchored itself somewhere on the shore of Phoenicia. Its crew unable to find any stones at hand to support their cooking ware used some lumps of natrón, in order to prepare their meal. They were surprised when they noticed that the heat from the flre had fused the natrón and the sand into a substance which proved to be glass; and so through this accident carne the beginning of this ancient art. The ruins of a number of glassworks have been found in Egypt, the earliest at Thebes— used during the reign of Amenhotep I I I —and three or four others at Tell el-Amama, the city of the grent Akhenaton. The Rosicrucian Egyptian, Oriental Museum has many examples of the early Egyptian glassmaker’s art. The Museum’s collection contains a number of ancient receptacles used for holding perfumes and essences— also, on display are ornaments and amulets. ------- o-------

THE SISTRUM T

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S is t r u m

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sacred musical instrument in the Temples of Ancient Egypt in the adoration of the goddess Isis. By the Egyptians it was called seshesh. It was usually made of bronze but sometimes of gold or silver. A figure of Isis served as its top omament. W hen shaken, the Sistrum emitted a rattling sound and became a symbol of Cosmic motion, depicting a profound universal law. It was used principally by women during religious performances. It is still used in a similar manner by the priests of a Christian sect in Abyssinia, where it is called a sanasel. The present-day priests believe that the sound drives away evil spirits, even as the ancient Egyptians had believed. Plutarch refers to the Sistrum in the following manner: “The Sistrum, too, shows that things that are must be shaken and never cease

from m oíion, but be, as it were, aroused and stirred up when they slumber— showing that when corruption has tied fast and brought to a standstill, Generation again unlooses and re­ stores Nature by means of motion.” Plutarch also explained the symbology of the Sistrum as follows: “And as the Sistrum is circular in the upper part, the arch contains the four things that are shaken, because the part of the universe that is bom and perishes is surrounded by the lunar sphere, but all things are yet in motion and changed within it by means of the four elements, fire, earlh, water, and air." Modera natural and occult sciences continué to recognize these four elements as the basis for classification of planets, bodies, herbs. etc

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TOYS A n c i e n t E g y p t has left more of the materials dealing with entertainment of children than has any other civilization of the past. The walls of the tombs portray many children’s games and sports, and toys of every description have been found in the remains of homes as well as in tombs.

The little girls and boys of thousands of years ago liad comical toys in the form of dolls. By one’s pulling on a string, these wooden figures were made to knead dough, or to do a washing. A wooden monkey was made to drive

a chariot and a horrid crocodile could move its jaws up and down with a slow crunching sound. Some of the dolls had real hair and could move their hands and feet; whereas, some (evidently for very young babies) were made as many are today, with bodies having no legs but with a head and part of the arms. Some dolls are shown as nursing a baby dolí or carrying it. There are toys in the form of wooden birds, pigeons on wheels, a cat with inlaid eyes and a moveable jaw, a calf of painted wood; al] these show the young Egyp tian’s love of animals. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum has a rare dolí made of ivory— also, there are spinning tops, marbles, and balls— these toys were used to excite the merry laughter of the little folks of thousands of years ago.

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LEATHERMAKING T h e art of leathermaking began with Egyptians of the New Stone-Age. They undoubtedly discovered the method of tanning leather by accident, while trying to dye the skins of animals with vegetable matter. These prímitive people worked the tannin (taken from the bark, seeds, or leaves of various trees and shrubs) into the gelatin íibers of the skin, changing it into a material as soft as cloth

and yet very durable. This was the first form of chamois leather. The colors of these ancient leathers are very vivid. In the museums of the world, ancient granite carvings often depict the leather-workers of 4,000 years ago, taking skins from the tan-pits and tubs while others are working on skins lying on tables. Early Egyptians used leather for shoes and sandals, for writing material, for boots, seats of cliairs, sliields, and containers for carrying water, wine, and other liquids. Leather was also used in the ornamental trappings, hangings, the binding of the framework of chariots, and in bow cases, dyed in many attractive colors. In ancient Egypt, the station in Life of a person could be determined by observing the kind of footwear he wore. Shoes of the nobility were embroidered with and often studded with jewels. Each descending class indicated its social position by the materials of its footwear. The Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum has several fine representations of the Egyptian leather industry of oíd. ------- o-------

THE ALL-SEEING EYE E y e as a symbol of Divine Intelligence and the effluence of spiritual power has been common to almost every age. The ancient Egyptians made the first use of this symbol in the form of an amulet called an Utchat. In their ritualism, the Mysteries of the Egyptians, it was called the All-Seeing Eye, or the Eye of Horus. The ancient accounts relate ihat Horus, son oí the god Osiris and the mother goddess /sis, sent forth through his right eye a “terrible” radiation. To be able to pass through this eye, to endure its efficacy, one must be perfected in the Divine Consciousness, the Understanding of the All. T

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We may presume that the generally circular form of the eye symbolizes the universe— the all, and that the pupil or the point in the center depicts the solar deity Ra, the life-giving radiation of the sun. This Cosmic radiation is referred to in the Book of the DeadL as the Eye of Horus, or the Eye of Ra. The symbol also stands for: “I am Horus, He who liveth fur millions of years, whose fíame shineth upon you and bringeth your hearts to me.” The All-Seeing Eye, therefore, has come to represent the all-pervading consciousness of God, or the Universal mind, and different cul­ tures have used it as part of their religious or philosophical symbolism with similar meaning. If man is to be guided aright, he must let the light of this eye, the universal consciousness, ensconce him. An ancient contributor to the fíook of the Dead wrote, “Tliose who preside over their Altars are the similitude of the Eye of Ha, and the similitude of the Eye of Horus.” From these age-old words we deduce that those who attend holy rites and preside over their spiritual natures are emulating the light of wisdom that radiates from the All-Seeing Eye. Several of these Utchats, or amulets, are among the numerous exhibits in the Rosicru­ cian Egyptian Museum.

THE GAME OF DRAU GHTS T h e ancient Egyptians were by nature a happy race of people, full of humor and wit, fond of games and pleasure, and yet very capable of hard work.

The people of all classes loved to play various games of skill and chance, but no game was more popular than the game of Draughts. In playing this game, the players sat on the ground or on chairs, with a table or draughtboard between them. This board was divided into squares much as in our chess games— with pieces, or men, lined up on either end. Usually each player had six pieces, or men, and the set of each player was unlike that of the opposite player. These pieces were at first merely pebbles; later, they took the form of a cone and still later were mounted with animal heads. One set of pieces would be black and

the other red or vvhite, and each player raising it with finger and thumb advanced his piece toward that of his opponent, either in the direct or diagonal line of the squares but he could not take the piece backwards. The draughtboard seemed as necessary for the dead as for the living. The tombs contain many fine draughtboards and sets of pieces made of ebony and inlaid with ivory. M any of the squares of the boards were made of lightblue porcelain. That the game of Draughts is of great antiquity is proved by this statement in the Egyptian Book of the Dead-, “Here begin the praises and glorifyings of coming out from and of going into the glorious underworld which is in tho beautiful Amentet of coming out by day in all the forms of Draughts and sitting in the W all, and of com­ ing forth as a living soul.”

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The Rosicrucians (AM ORC) San José, California 95191, U. S. A.

SPLENDOU *~\Vl/ioucjfit in an d

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Full-sized reproduction of the fourth and inner sarcophagus (mummy case) of the famous King Tutankhamen. This is the only re­ production in the world of the costly original, which is to be seen in the Cairo Mu­ seum. The original, made of solid gold and inlaid with tare gems, has an intrinsic valué estímated in excess of $250,000.00. It is a masterpiece of the ancient goldsmith’s art, not to be excelled by the craftsmen of today. This sarcophagus was encased in three others, each in turn larger, the largest looking somewhat like a residence garage. R O S IC R U C IA N E G Y P T IA N MUSEUM E X H ID IT San José, C a lifo rn ia