Imagery of Early Christian Rituals in the Greek Physiologus

The paper focuses on the imagery of early Christian rituals (esp. of the eucharist and baptism) as they are found in allegorical interpretations of beasts in the Greek Physiologus and trace the way of selected motifs from the New Testament to this first Christian interpretation of nature in context of early Christian literature and theology. A special attention is given to the pelican, which is one of the most famous symbols of the eucharist, and to impressive baptismal imageries in the chapter on the eagle, on the snake and in some other chapters. The aim of the analysis is to explore the theological roots of the ritual imagery of Physiologus and to show that this work of early Egyptian Christianity is anything but 'unsakramental' as argued by E. Peterson (1959).

Morphologic-anthropological investigations in tomb K93.12 at Dra’ Abu el-Naga (Western Thebes, Egypt)

In this study we present the analysis of the human remains from tomb K93.12 in the Ancient Egyptian necropolis of Dra’ Abu el-Naga, located opposite the modern city of Luxor in Upper Egypt on the western bank of the Nile. Archaeological findings indicate that the rock tomb was originally built in the early 18th dynasty. Remains of two tomb-temples of the 20th dynasty and the looted burial of the High Priest of Amun Amenhotep have been identified. After the New Kingdom the tomb was reused as a burial place until the 26th dynasty. The skeletal and mummified material of the different tomb areas underwent a detailed anthropological and paleopathological analysis. The human remains were mostly damaged and scattered due to extensive grave robberies. In total, 79 individuals could be partly reconstructed and investigated. The age and sex distribution revealed a male predominance and a high percentage of young children (< 6 years) and adults in the range of 20 to 40 years. The paleopathological analysis showed a high prevalence of stress markers such as cribra orbitalia in the younger individuals, and other pathological conditions such as dental diseases, degenerative diseases and a possible case of ankylosing spondylitis. Additionally, 13 mummies of an intrusive waste pit could be attributed to three different groups belonging to earlier time periods based on their style of mummification and materials used. The study revealed important information on the age and sex distribution and diseases of the individuals buried in tomb K93.12.

Der Körper als Gefäß. Eine Studie zur visuellen Anthropologie des Alten Orients

The perception of the human body as container is widespread in cognitive linguistics, psychology and anthropology and is estimated to be universal. But what can we say about the specific context of the Hebrew Bible as well as Ancient-Near-Eastern texts and material culture, and more especially about anthropomorphic vessels in the Levant? Biblical, Egyptian and Mesopotamian texts compare the human body with pottery in order to emphasize its status of having been created (Geschöpflichkeit) on the one hand, and its fragility (Zerbrechlichkeit) on the other. Not in every case does the metaphor refer to an individual. Very often, however, it is used with relation to groups of people (nations) and requires particular caution when it comes to drawing a conclusion about the embodiment. The archaeological-iconographic record demonstrates that the human body, especially the female body, was imagined as a container. The fact that vessels in the shape of female bodies are the majority can partly be explained with the association between container and pregnancy. This essay aims at stimulating the discussion about embodiment in the Ancient Near East, concepts of emotion the body as a container in the Hebrew Bible, and its relation to the material culture.

Leaving Home: Philo of Alexandria on the Exodus.

For Jewish-Hellenistic authors writing in Egypt, the Exodus story posed unique challenges. After all, to them Egypt was, as Philo of Alexandria states, their fatherland. How do these authors come to terms with the biblical story of liberation from Egyptian slavery and the longing for the promised land? In this chapter I am taking a close look at Philo’s detailed discussion of the Exodus and locate it within the larger context of Jewish-Hellenistic literature (Wisdom of Solomon, Ezekiel’s Exagoge). In Philo’s rewriting of the Exodus the destination of the journey is barely mentioned. Contrary to the biblical narrative, in the scene of the burning bush, as retold by Philo, God does not tell Moses where to go. Philo’s main concern is what happens in Egypt: both in biblical times and in his own days. The Exodus is nevertheless important to Philo: He reads the story allegorically as a journey from the land of the body to the realms of the mind. Such a symbolic reading permitted him to control the meaning of the Exodus and to stay, literally and figuratively, in Egypt.

A STUDY OF ILLNESS AND RESERVOIRS ASSOCIATED WITH GIARDIA LAMBLIA IN RURAL EGYPT

A longitudinal investigation of the health effects and reservoirs of Giardia lamblia was undertaken in forty households located in a rural Nile Delta region of Egypt. Stool specimens obtained once weekly for six months from two to four year old children were cyst or trophozoite-positive in 42 percent of the 724 examined. The mean duration of excretion in all but one Giardia-negative child was seven and one-half weeks with a range of one to 17 weeks. Clinical symptoms of illness were frequently observed within a month before or after Giardia excretion in stool of children, but a statistical inference of association was not demonstrated.^ Seventeen percent of 697 specimens obtained from their mothers was Giardia-positive for a mean duration of four weeks and a range of one to 18 weeks. Mothers were observed to excrete Giardia in stool less frequently during pregnancy than during lactation.^ Nine hundred sixty-two specimens were collected from 13 species of household livestock. Giardia was detected in a total of 22 specimens from cows, goats, sheep and one duck. Giardia cysts were detected in three of 899 samples of household drinking water.^ An ELISA technique of Giardia detection in human and animal stool was field tested under variable environmental conditions. The overall sensitivity of the assay of human specimens was 74 percent and specificity was 97 percent. These values for assay of animal specimens were 82 percent and 98 percent, respectively.^ Surface antigen studies reported from the NIH Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases show that antigens of three Egyptian human isolates are different from each other and from most other isolates against which they were tested.^ The ubiquity of human and animal fecal contamination combined with estimates of ill days per child per year in this setting are substantial arguments for the introduction of a suggested mass parasite control program to intervene in the cyclical transmission of agents of enteric disease. ^

Zeus en Plutarco : el dios y sus mitos

Plutarco tiene gran interés por numerosos datos religiosos y míticos. Concretamente, Zeus está registrado 542 veces en su obra. Zeus se nos muestra como dios del cielo y de los fenómenos atmosféricos, dios supremo, sabio y protector de la justicia; se analizan sus relaciones con otros dioses y seres asimilados. Es interesante examinar los apelativos atribuidos al gran dios. Asimismo, sobresale la relación del dios con los mortales. Plutarco se ocupa, asimismo, del llamado Zeus de los filósofos y del Zeus egipcio. El escritor se muestra crítico en ocasiones con respecto a ciertas creencias o tradiciones referentes al gran dios.

La ciudad de Alejandría y los héroes que leen en las Vidas de Alejandro y César de Plutarco

Las Vidas de Alejandro y César de Plutarco contienen una comparación agonal entre ambos hegemónes a partir de los relatos heroicos que éstos consideran paradigmáticos y que justifican sus acciones: Alejandro lee las hazañas de Aquiles (Alex. 8; 26) y César lee las hazañas del propio Alejandro (Caes. 11). Esta cualidad lectora de los héroes toma un sesgo marcadamente libresco en dos pasajes de sus biografías, ligados a la ciudad de Alejandría. El primero es la fundación de la capital helenística por Alejandro (Alex. 26). El segundo es el sitio de César a esta ciudad, cuando ocurre el incendio que consume la Gran Biblioteca (Caes. 49). Este trabajo analiza cómo, en las Vidas, la ciudad egipcia concentra un legado del libro paideia, que conduce de Homero a Alejandro y de éste a César como un bastión de integración cultural, no exento de tensiones, en el sincrético y agonal mundo grecorromano

O agón esportivo na Grécia antiga

En este artículo, estudiaremos el combate en la esfera de las prácticas deportivas griegas y defenderemos que, en la pólis, el deporte es el elemento de civilización, que une a los ciudadanos. La documentación para tal estudio serán las imágenes áticas del Período Clásico (siglos V y IV a. C.)

La realeza sagrada : Un estudio comparativo sobre la construcción de legitimidad de los gobernantes en Egipto y Mesoamérica

El presente artículo se propone analizar comparativamente las formas de legitimación empleadas por las elites dominantes de los antiguos Estados mexica y egipcio, con el objetivo de rastrear el modo en que la ideología cumplía un rol como instrumento para construir consenso entre la sociedad, y cómo esta construcción estaba estrechamente relacionada con la religión, los mitos y las relaciones de parentesco

Estela de Tuiia, arquero del rey : Traducción de una estela egipcia de la dinastía XVIII al castellano

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo la presentación, transliteración y traducción de una estela egipcia de la Dinastía XVIII creada en honor a Tuiia, un arquero y sirviente personal del rey. La estela nos ofrece una puerta de acceso a los ritos funerarios y las relaciones familiares en el contexto del universo cultural del Reino Nuevo. El documento se encuentra preservado en el Museo Británico

Realeza y Literatura : Imágenes y tensiones en el cuento de Los Dos Hermanos

El objetivo de este trabajo consiste en explorar las bases de la realeza faraónica, analizando las características y funciones que asume el faraón y los modos establecidos de acceso al trono. Las imágenes proporcionadas por el discurso y las representaciones formalizadas del rey serán puestas en tensión con la experiencia provista por un relato literario: el cuento de Los Dos Hermanos, que constituye un caso interesante para reflexionar sobre las irregularidades y sus formas de legitimación y acomodación en los marcos preestablecidos. La relación entre realeza y literatura será otro de los aspectos a discutir en este trabajo

La realeza egipcia : Dios padre- hijo Rey : Algunas consideraciones míticas literarias sobre el faraón como Hijo de Ra

La relación filial entre el dios-padre y el hijo-rey en la monarquía egipcia expresó una de las principales condiciones que el faraón debía cumplir para asumir el trono en las Dos Tierras. Asimismo este vínculo dentro del Estado se simbolizó a partir del Reino Antiguo con el título real Hijo de Ra, pero también en diversas expresiones que lo relacionaban con el dios Ra y una realeza solarizada. Por ejemplo los dos últimos cuentos del papiro Westcar narran el origen divino de la dinastía V como hijos del dios Ra, texto literario que se vincula con los Mitos de Origen de un Rey. En el presente trabaja analizamos estas referencias que dan cuenta de uno de los rasgos esenciales de la realeza egipcia, su divinidad