The Goddess Aperet-Isis “aprt-st” in ancient Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 The Higher Institute for Specific Studies

2 Tourism Guidance at the Higher Institute for Qualitative Studies, Heliopolis, Egypt

Abstract

The current paper is concerned with the ancient Egyptian goddess aprt-jst.
The cult of this goddess was widely spread at Akhmim where she is usually depicted together with the god Min. The earliest evidence of her name dates back to the New Kingdom and her cult became widely spread during the Graeco-Roman period. She was usually depicted in a complete human form crowned with the Hathoric emblem -sometimes over a vulture headdress- adorning her head and sometimes surmounted by two feathers. She was rarely shown in a zoomorphic form with a head of a lioness with the sun disc and uraeus over her head. There are several representations of aprt-jst on temple walls and funerary stelae. Moreover, her name was also mentioned in the Htp dj nsw formula during the Graeco-Roman era which reflects her funerary role. The current paper aims to study the role of aprt-jst in ancient Egyptian theology. It will discuss the several ways of writing her name, her titles, her cult center, her representation on temple walls or funerary stelae, and the gods who accompanied her.

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