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Swinburne University of Technology *

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10004

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Religion

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Dec 6, 2023

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Aaliyah Bakkar Independent Source Investigation (IA2) Chosen Topic: Ptolemaic Egypt (331-31BCE) Key Inquiry Question: To what extent does archaeological and written evidence show the changes that occurred to the beliefs, rituals, and funerary practices during the Ptolemaic period? Sub-Questions: What religious beliefs continued or were changed during the Ptolemaic period? What evidence indicates that religious and ritual changes occurred during this time? How did the Ptolemies use religion to maintain power and keep people under control? Thesis: To a large extent, archaeological and written evidence shows that the changes that occurred to the beliefs, rituals, and funerary practices during the Ptolemaic period were visible through the creation of a new god Serapis and the integration of Hellenistic styles into Egyptian artefacts, such as amulets and figurines. However, the Ptolemies did this purposefully to maintain power through religion and placate the people. Rational: The Ptolemaic dynasty (331-31 BCE) began once Alexander the Great defeated the Persians in Egypt. Ruled by a Macedonian Greek royal family, the Ptolemies operated for 275 years, being the last dynasty of Egypt. The Ptolemies used Greek and Egyptian Gods and religious practices, to combine together to establish a God ‘Serapis’ that upheld both cultures characteristics, to appeal to the Egyptian population so power could be maintained. This clever assimilation of beliefs and the evidence found from this period has been Very fascinating and interesting. Therefore, this led me to develop the hypothesis that the archaeological and written evidence does show that some changes occurred to the beliefs, rituals, and funerary practices during the Ptolemaic period, visible through the creation of a new god Serapis and the integration of Hellenistic styles with Egyptian artefacts. However, the Ptolemies did this on purpose to maintain power and control the people. Throughout the research process the original hypothesis and thesis was valid and no adjustments were made. A lack of primary written sources from the Ptolemaic period was a struggle to find. However, there was a high variety of primary, visual sources such as masks, statues, monuments, weapons, and jewellery, leading to much more visual sources rather than literary in the investigation and were valuable in showing. The beliefs, rituals, and funerary practices were continuous and the Ptolemies did implement somewhat changes according to their own advantage to maintain status and power. Sub-Question: What evidence is there to show Interrogation of Evidence:

religious changes occurred? Source 1: The Greek/Egyptian God Serapis. Ferragame, Joseph. “34 Serapis Ideas | Ancient, Egyptian, Gods and Goddesses.” Pinterest , 2016, www.pinterest.com.au/jferragame/serapis/. Accessed 18 May 2021. This primary source is a statue of Greco- Egyptian deity Serapis, from the 2 nd century CE, which is located in Palazzo Altemps, Rome. This statue of Serapis evidently displays how religious changes did occur once the Ptolemies were explicitly in power. This is evident through the characteristics of Serapis. The style of hair, beard, and choice of robe. The characteristics of Serapis prove how Greek features were implemented and this is clearly evident through his hair style, as this was a popular hair style within the Greeks. This statue explicitly signifies the importance of Serapis and this can be seen through his clothing, hat, and posture This source is relevant because it outlines the religious change that occurred during the Ptolemaic period, it shows how the Ptolemies created a new god by combing both elements of Greek and Egyptian religion, in order for the Ptolemies to gain acceptance from the people as rulers. This source is useful as it provides evidence that he was established to unify the two religions. This source is trustworthy because it is located in an authentic location, which is a museum that has a collection of Greek, Egyptian and Roman sculpture. This source is also implying to the key inquiry question that the Ptolemies created a new god to purposefully maintain their power, by using propaganda to uphold their rulings and show the people that they still can be polytheistic.

Sub-Question: What evidence is there to show religious changes occurred? Source 2: Post-Embalming Rituals in the Ptolemaic period. “Common among Ptolemaic and Roman funerary texts are both lamentations and glorifications performed after the embalming and mummification of the dead. Lamentations and glorifications were clearly intended for recitation leading up to and surrounding the burial. In lamentation texts, family members or the goddesses Isis and Nephthys mourn and praise the deceased, while glorification texts proclaim – and thus enable – the dead person’s successful transition to a transfigured state of being. The lamentations and glorifications also make references to a vigil being kept over the body of the deceased, like the guarding of Osiris’s body recorded in the Stundenwachen texts of Ptolemaic and Roman temples.” Egyptology, and Author Riggs. UCLA UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology Title Funerary Rituals (Ptolemaic and Roman Periods) Journal UCLA Encyclopedia Of . , 2010. Interrogation of Evidence: This secondary literary source of information is from the UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. This source is authentic because it comes from a reliable author, a professor and senior lecturer in Egyptology, Christina Riggs. This source explains how changes to funerary practices were implemented through post- embalming rituals; as shown in Ptolemaic texts. This source identifies how the Ptolemies in lamentation texts were praised by their family members or the goddesses Isis and Nephthys, and this would enable the dead person’s successful transition. This implicitly shows that the Ptolemaic gods played a significant role in the post embalming rituals. This text identifies the importance of the post- embalming period as it is a represents how the lamentations referred to a vigil being kept over the deceased’s body. This post-embalming practice reliably portrays a religious change that occurred during the Ptolemaic period, because before the Ptolemaic period individuals didn’t use the same text and temple practices.

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