The Role of Renenutet in New Kingdom Temples : A Reassessment of the Archaeological Evidence for a cult of this divinity in Economic Compounds
Résumé
There is abundant evidence to show that the divinity Renenutet played a significant role in production
and storage compounds of New Kingdom Temples. This article focuses on some archaeological artefacts
that were not understood before as evidence for a cult of this ophidian divinity. For instance, it will show
that the different arrangement of hieroglyphic signs in the writing of the name Ren(en)ut(et) can be used
to express the various aspects of her character based on the nature and location in which the artefact
was found. In temple service compounds, if the veneration of this goddess, represented zoomorphically
with a female face or anthropomorphically with a snake’s face, is known by the sources, it will be shown
that this veneration was combined with the cult of the local god in the sanctuary, often Amun or a local
form of Horus. Furthermore, a comparison of statues of this goddess and architectural artifacts bearing
her name, found in production and storage areas, with her depiction in a variety of contexts, shows
the connection between this ophidian divinity and the temple personnel, whose functions are related to
economic structures. It is well-known that this female divinity plays an important part in supplying food
(divine offerings), but until now, it was not explicitly through the image of African Maternity, that the
ophidian effigy is the guarantor for fecundity and fertility, and thus, for harvesting, but that it was also
a factor in perpetuating social links, whilst contributing to the accumulation of wealth.
Origine | Publication financée par une institution |
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