Egypt unearths tools used in ancient rituals
The Egyptian Ministry of Antiquities says a cache of items found in the ancient city of Buto were used in religious rituals for the goddess Hathor.
CAIRO — The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities has announced the discovery of a cache of ancient tools used in religious rituals from the Temple of the Pharaohs (Buto) in Kafr el-Sheikh governorate north of Cairo.
In a press statement on Sept. 18, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mustafa al-Waziri stressed the importance of this discovery, saying some of the tools were used to perform daily religious rituals in honor of the goddess Hathor. He added that the tools seem to have been intentionally placed under stone blocks on top of a sand hill south of the temple of the goddess Wajit.
According to Waziri, among the tools are a limestone sculpture in the form of the goddess Hathor, a set of incense burners made of faience — one of them with the head of the god Horus — and a set of clay figurines once used in religious and ceremonial rituals in dedication to Hathor. The tools also include small statutes of the deities Taweret and Thoth, a large offering plate, a birthing chair, a pure gold eye of Ujat and the remains of materials used in gilding.
The head of the Egyptian archaeological mission that made the discovery and director of antiquities in Kafr el-Sheikh governorate, Hossam Ghoneim, told Al-Monitor, “This discovery is unique, because the tools used in religious rituals discovered in the temple are rare and it is difficult to find similar ones that were used by priests in the presence of kings. These tools were actually used and there is evidence to prove this, such as the residue of incense that was found and used in religious rituals.”
