ancient egyptian history and the use of sacred stones

To give an indication of the scale of the political and historical landscape of Ancient Egypt, Ancient Egyptian history (as is the case with various other civilizations) can be divided into multiple periods:

The pre-historical period [the time before written historical accounts], the Protodynastic Period [characterized by a period of political and social unification which culminated in the formation of a single state and the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period of Egypt], and eight subsequent periods of dynastic rule, with each dynastic period representing the timeframe in which a powerful political family (or dynasty) ruled over Egypt.

The dynastic system of political power in Egypt effectively ended with the death of Queen Cleopatra VII in 30 BC, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, the 33rd Ancient Egyptian dynasty. Upon her death, Egypt was incorporated into the Roman Republic in 30bc, and was followed by the Roman Egyptian and Byzantine Egyptian periods. In total, there were 28 native Egyptian dynasties and 6 dynasties originating outside of Egypt (Persia, Greece, Macedonia etc.), with two subsequent periods of foreign rule (Roman and Byzantine).

The period known as Ancient Egypt ended with the introduction of Islam and the Early Islamic Period, various Islamic dynasties and the Fatimid Caliphate and continued to evolve until the modern period with the establishment of the Republic of Egypt in 1953. Ancient Egyptian religious practices, which had already begun to decline due to the spread of Christianity, were further marginalized and eventually disappeared under Islamic rule.

Although perhaps not the case anymore, crystals and gems certainly played a significant role in Ancient Egyptian religious customs and traditions. Carnelian, lapiz lazuli and turquoise were all stones that were worn by Ancient Egyptian royalty. According to Raven (1991), the colour of gemstones was of particular importance, as different coloured stones were used to represent different aspects of the natural world i.e. red for human flesh, blue for water etc. Red stones in general appeared to serve as a contrast to green stones, with the red stone symb0lic of danger (but perhaps vitality or passion would be a more accurate estimate here given the energetic qualities of carnelian), and the green stones representing more pacifistic or peaceful qualities.

These stones/gems/crystals also carried deep spiritual significance and were often representative of different deities in the Ancient Egyptian polytheist pantheon, as well as being symbolic representations of universal emotions/experiences/archetypes, and were seen to offer a person a range of practical benefits, such as protection or healing.

According to Hussein (2010) turquoise and lapis lazuli were deeply connected to the divine, with turquoise associated with the goddess Hathor - the ancient Egyptian equivalent of the Greek Aphrodite, the Roman goddess Venus, the Hindu Goddess Tripura Sundari etc.. Lapis Lazuli was associated with many gods, most notably Horus, the god of the sun (and by extension the solar masculine) and the sky. Carnelian was also associated with Horus, who is described as being red-eyed (Carnelian) and blue-eyed (Lapis Lazuli). Carnelian was associated with Ra (also god of the sun) and was the stone most often used as a jewelry inlay for sun disks.

Falcon Pectoral of Tutankhamun

Hathor was known as one of the eyes of Ra, and thus Carnelian is further associated with Hathor because of this connection to the sun god. Carnelian was also associated with lions, which as well as being revered for their association with “lion/cat” deities Maahes, Bast and Sekhmet, served as metaphors for guardians of the horizon with the sun rising between them.

Several of these stones had associations with the afterlife and were used in funerary practices to serve a form of psychopomp role insofar as aiding the transition from the living world to the afterlife. For example, the Mask of Tutankhamun (a gold funerary mask of the 18th century aforementioned Pharoah) was adorned with lapiz lazuli, feldspar, obsidian and carnelian.

The inclusion of certain stones in a deceased person’s sarcophagus was intended to offer protection during the “weighing of the heart ceremony” in which the deceased’s heart was weighed against the feather of Ma’at (the goddess of truth, justice, and order) in the Hall of Judgment.

This ceremony determined whether the deceased had led a virtuous life and was deemed worthy of entering the afterlife. If the heart was lighter than the feather, the deceased was granted eternal life; if heavier, the heart was devoured by the demon Ammit, resulting in the deceased’s soul being denied the afterlife and the soul being completely annihilated; destroyed and erased from records of life and death.

Mask of Tutakhamun

Overall, crystals and gemstones formed an integral part of the spirituality of Ancient Egyptian civilizations, serving as physical representations of the energies and properties of higher dimensional gods and goddesses, universal life force energies, as well as serving as aides to help humans navigate the various aspects of human life and death.

Bibliography

1. A. Lucas and J.R. Harris, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries (London, 1962), p. 391; S. Aufrère, L’Univers mineral dans la pensée Egyptienne (Cairo, 1991), pp. 554–56.

2. Raven, M.J., 1991. Magic and symbolic aspects of certain materials in ancient Egypt. Van Siclen. Vancouver

3. Hussein, A.M., 2010. Beware of the Red-Eyed Horus: The Significance of Carnelian in Egyptian Royal Jewelry. Perspectives on Ancient Egypt--Studies in honor of Edward Brovarski (Hawass, Z., Der Manuelian, P. & Hussein, RB, Eds.), pp.185-190.

4. Pang, C.Y.J., 2020. Divine Culture Reflected by the Miniature Broad Collar.

5. Egypt Museum (2024) “Falcon Pectoral of Tutankhamun”, available: https://egypt-museum.com/falcon-pectoral-of-tutankhamun/ [accessed 31/07]