Bes was a commonly worshipped divine being in ancient Egypt. Image credits: Wikipedia Commons.
There were over 2,000 divine beings worshiped in ancient Egypt, but Bes genuinely stuck out from the pack. This god, illustrated as a bearded dwarf, was worshiped as the protector of females in labor, mothers and children. Hes the only Egyptian god who is portrayed face-on, never ever in profile, like others. Now, a new study checks out the habits of its fans.
The scientists found traces of an alcoholic liquid derived from fermented fruit, as well as honey. They likewise discovered “a high existence of human proteins” included for routine functions.
A team of researchers studied a 2,000-year-old vessel used by a sect worshiping Bes and discovered traces of chemical plant substances known to produce hallucinations. The researchers think that the Bes sect members would have taken in a really special mixed drink including the substances to provoke altered states of consciousness.
” The seeds of [Syrian rue] produce high quantities of the alkaloids harmine and harmaline, which cause dream-like visions,” the researchers composed in their preprint paper. “As the Bes figure was revered as a protective genius, it may be assumed that the liquid intoxicated from these mugs was thought about beneficent,” they added.
The vessel, in the shape of the head of Bes and currently showed at the Tampa Museum of Art in the state of Florida, consisted of numerous compounds, including fermented fruit, the plant Peganum harmala (also understood as Syrian rue) and Nymphaea caerulea (also referred to as blue water lily), Syrian rue is known to be hallucinogenic in nature.
The role of hallucinogenic compounds
Many research studies suggests that human beings from varied cultures across history have utilized hallucinogenic substances in shamanic rituals and spiritual ceremonies. This surpasses ancient Egypt and includes civilizations such as Inca, Maya and Aztec cultures. Individuals living in the Peruvian Amazon still use these compounds.
Thats most likely why Tanasi and his group highlighted that their findings might be limited in scope, using specifically to the evaluated vessel. To get a more detailed understanding of the significance of these interesting artifacts, conducting similar analyses on other instances of Bes vases would be crucial, they wrote in their paper.
In this latest research study, Davide Tanasi of the University of South Florida and his team believe the Bes vase was utilized for “some sort of routine of re-enactment of what occurred in a substantial event in Egyptian myth.” This could be the Myth of the Solar Eye, in which Bes gave the goddess Hathor a beverage blended with a plant-based drug.
“Expanding the sampling chemical study to other examples of coexisting and comparable Bes-vases becomes at this point vital to determine if the proof here talked about was an uncommon or single occasion, or an extensive practice a minimum of for the Ptolemaic period,” they concluded.
Numerous similar vessels and ceramic vases illustrating Bes have been found and now live in museums and personal collections worldwide. Scientists have proposed many possibilities for their content, including milk, wine and medical potions. Only a restricted number of vessels have really been evaluated so far.
The study was published in the preprint server Research Square.
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There were over 2,000 divine beings worshiped in ancient Egypt, however Bes really stood out from the pack. This god, portrayed as a bearded dwarf, was worshiped as the protector of women in labor, kids and moms. Hes the only Egyptian god who is depicted face-on, never ever in profile, like others. Many studies recommends that human beings from varied cultures throughout history have actually used hallucinogenic compounds in shamanic routines and religious ceremonies. Various ceramic vases and similar vessels depicting Bes have actually been discovered and now live in museums and private collections worldwide.