Ancient Egyptian Monuments in Le Cap D'Agde
Naglaa Habib El Zahlawi
La Gloire D'Alexandrie, because of the success of that first exhibition held a year ago in Agde, Régis Passerieux, the mayor was enthusiastic to present another successful exhibition oriented to the roots of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization. The theme Egypt and Eternity required an approach and focus on the major concept of the Ancient Egyptian.
Why Agde? According to Régis Passerieux " Agde 25 century ago was Agaté Tyché which meant in the Ancient Greek the Good Fortune or the Good Luck". It is then for the humanity a solid liaison to tie up the main Mediterranean ports to one another through culture. The illumination of the Ancient Egyptian Civilization sparkled from Alexandria to Agde; this is reaffirmed by these words " Egypt is the real source of Truth, which reassembles us all around the roots and the common values we inherited from the city of the Nile".
The French honorary Committee involved in this great event cordially invited the Egyptian responsibles for the opening of the exhibition. Mr.Hubert Vedrine, Minister of Foreign Affairs together with Mr.Farouk Hosni were presiding this important cultural celebration held in Le Musée de l'Ephèbe from the 10th September 1999 to 8th January 2000. A very particular passion for the Ancient Egyptian Civilization possesses the French population, which guaranties a tremendous number of visitors. These visitors are attracted from all over France and Europe to admire not only the exhibited monuments for their artistic values, but to get also aware of the extent of a major concept that ruled the life and death of the Egyptian and extended its influence to the whole world.
Mr.Vedrine focused on the important initiatives of the territorial collectivity that renew the intra-Mediterranean relations while Dr.Gaballah, Secretary General to the SCA reaffirms that fact " the Ancient Egyptian discovered his raison d'être through his vision of Eternity incarnated through Isis and Osiris Myth. The choice of the Agde collection is reflecting the Ancient Egyptian attitude facing Death and Eternity". Aly Maher, Egypt Ambassador in France, describes these facts as part of the Ancient Egyptian Philosophy as the Egyptian aimed to surmount life, time and death and this was his supreme aspiration. This fact is actually reaffirmed by the growing international interest in this civilization; and the Egyptian is still having his Magic Power over human interest.
The Isis and Osiris Myth could be briefed as a symbolic tale that meant a lot. The basic symbolic concept is transmitted through the Myth to the collective memory. The primordial gods had lived in the space and rule the Eternity since one hundred thousand years prior to the creation of the world according to the Myth. Atum, the sun god was able to gender Noun and give birth to Chou, the air and Tefnout, the saliva or the humidity. This couple gave birth to Geb, the earth and Nout, the sky. Human couples were given birth from that union between the earth and the sky Osiris and Isis, Seth and Nephtys. The resurrection theme is the result of the meeting between Atum-Re and Osiris, Atum riding in his boat to meet Osiris at the Douat, get regenerated and reappears at dawn in the sky. Few statues of Osiris and Isis were displayed in the Museum to incarnate this fundamental theme of life and death. Isis, Osiris wife, is usually represented as a beautiful woman bearing the throne over the head. She gained through evolutions other characteristics such as the solar disc surrounded by the two corns of Hathor and thus she is the goddess of love and maternity with her original attributes as protecting deity. She is the incarnation of all feminine attributes. The seated statue of Isis displayed in the exhibition was discovered in Sakkara by Mariette in 1863. Osiris statue represents the deity in the mummyform position and holding the royal scepters, this statue discovered in Sakkara Serapeum refers to the 26th Dynasty. Osiris had taken his royal functions to the after life, as he is the incarnation of Resurrection. The dead during the trial held in front of Osiris would admit his sins and estate his good behaviour using the terms mentioned in the Book of the Dead.
The rituals related to death are also exhibited in Agde with the two papyri from the book of the dead meant to grant to the deceased a new nature. The deceased is not meant to live an after life similar to his life through a conserved body, he simply becomes a spirit akh after certain rituals. This makes him an element of the creator's substance and thus is source of life. The individual, according to the Ancient Egyptian definition is a constitution of six elements: Khet or the body, Ka or the duo, Ba or the soul, akh the spirit, chout the shadow and the personal name ren.
Mummification is still one of the Egyptian mysteries, the mummy used to be buried with amulets that meant essentially to protect the deceased against mysterious existing powers, amulets are religious elements to guaranty the body's preservation and its protection from after life possible dangers. These amulets were sometimes attached to the inner parts of the bandelettes wrapping the body and others to the outside of these bandelettes. They had multiple forms either representing some deities or the wadjet eye or the djed pillar, different positions and made of various substances either precious stones, faience, glass or others. A group of amulets was attracting many visitors in Le Musée de l'Ephèbe together with the funerary stele beautifully decorated.
The body was hermetically kept in sarcophagi after the mummification while the viceres were placed inside what is known as the canopi jars. Visitors in Ephèbe museum admired this visualized concept, their eyes were attracted by the displays while their hearts were touched by these words Pitousiris said" Individuals living on earth and those to be born heading towards this mountain, towards this tomb and pass by, come I'll lead you to the life path….as the path of loyalty is good and praised are those heading towards it… blessed are those who love god, they will reach their tombs without accidents."