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Sacred Bark of Bastet

Research Department
Research Journal
Journal of the General Union of Arab Archaeologists
Research Publisher
General Union of Arab Archaeologists
Research Rank
1
Research Vol
12
Research Website
http://jguaa.journals.ekb.eg/article_2787.html
Research Year
2011
Research_Pages
1-18
Research Abstract

As the ancient Egyptians preferred to travel in a boat on the Nile, the most important highway and the principal means of communication, so too did their gods. Two types of gods bark one can distinguish: the sacred bark used to transport the (statue of a) god in Egypt. This type resembled an ordinary Nile boat, but was decorated with an aegis at the prow or at both ends, and instead of a cabin had a shrine enclosing the statue. In most cases these barks also had carrying poles which rested on the shoulders of the priests carrying the bark. They were stored in the back of the temple of the god in question, close to or even in the holy of holies. In addition to the portable barks, there was also the type that could sail on water and often took the form of a festival ship. The cat goddess Bastet, mistress of Bubastis, also had her own sacred bark or barks. This paper tries to shed light upon her bark(s) through the textual and iconographical archaeological sources, especially recorded at her main cult centre, Bubastis (Tell Basta)