Editing Seshat

{{short description|Ancient Egyptian deity}}
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{{about||Seshat: Digital History Databank|Seshat (project)}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Egyptian
| name = Seshat
| image = Seshat edit2.svg
| caption = Seshat, depicted in a leopard skin with her emblem above her head, inscribing the [[regnal year|years of reign]] for the king on a [[palm branch|palm-leaf rib]] ([[List_of_Egyptian_hieroglyphs#M|hieroglyph]] for "year").<ref name="Wilkinson">{{cite book |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Richard H. |author-link=Richard H. Wilkinson |title= The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt |year=2003 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=London |isbn=0-500-05120-8 |pages= 166–167 |url=https://archive.org/details/TheCompleteGodsAndGoddessesOfAncientEgypt/The%20Complete%20Gods%20and%20Goddesses%20of%20Ancient%20Egypt/page/n165/mode/2up |access-date=8 July 2022|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>
| hiero = <hiero>R20-t-B1</hiero>
| symbol = leopard skin, tablet, star, stylus
| parents = [[Thoth]] and [[Ma'at]]
| consort = Thoth
}}
{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}

'''Seshat''' ({{langx|egy|𓋇𓏏𓁐|[[:wikt:sšꜣ|sšꜣ]]t|Female Scribe}},<ref name="Wilkinson">{{cite book |last1=Wilkinson |first1=Richard H. |author-link=Richard H. Wilkinson |title= The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt |year=2003 |publisher=Thames & Hudson |location=London |isbn=0-500-05120-8 |pages= 166–167 |url=https://archive.org/details/TheCompleteGodsAndGoddessesOfAncientEgypt/The%20Complete%20Gods%20and%20Goddesses%20of%20Ancient%20Egypt/page/n165/mode/2up |access-date=8 July 2022|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> under various spellings<ref group="Note" name="Note01" />) was the [[ancient Egyptian]] [[Ancient Egyptian religion|goddess]] of [[writing]], [[wisdom]], and [[knowledge]]. She was seen as a [[scribe]] and record keeper. She was also credited with inventing [[writing]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}} She became identified as the goddess of [[measurement]], [[accounting]], [[architecture]], [[science]], [[astronomy]], [[mathematics]], [[geometry]], [[history]] and [[surveying]]. She was variously depicted as the consort, daughter, or female counterpart of [[Thoth]], who was also associated with knowledge, astronomy, measurement, and writing.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopedia-of-african-religion_202301/page/293/mode/2up |title=Encyclopedia of African Religion |date=2009 |publisher=Sage |isbn=978-1-4129-3636-1 |editor-last=Asante |editor-first=Molefi Kete |location=Los Angeles |publication-date=2008-11-26 |pages=294 |access-date=27 February 2025 |editor-last2=Cérol |editor-first2=Marie-José |via=Internet Archive}}</ref>'''<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Gregory |first=Steven R.W. |url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv2b07tzx |title=Tutankhamun Knew the Names of the Two Great Gods: Dt and nHH as Fundamental Concepts of Pharaonic Ideology |date=2022-02-04 |publisher=Archaeopress Publishing Ltd |isbn=978-1-78969-986-9 |pages=36 |doi=10.2307/j.ctv2b07tzx |access-date=27 February 2025 |jstor=j.ctv2b07tzx }}</ref>'''

==History==
Seshat is attested from at least the [[First Dynasty of Egypt|First Dynasty]]. Her priests and image are referenced in the [[Palermo Stone|Royal Annals of the Old Kingdom]], during the reign of [[Den (pharaoh)|Den]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite book |last=Wilkinson |first=Toby A. H. |author-link=Toby Wilkinson |url=https://archive.org/details/royalannalsofancientegyptroutledgetobya.h.wilkinson2000/page/n111/mode/2up |title=Royal Annals Of Ancient Egypt: The Palermo Stone and its Associated Fragments |date=2000 |publisher=Kegan Paul International |isbn=0-7103-0667-9 |location=London |pages=112–118 |access-date=17 March 2025 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> She was depicted in image as early as the [[second Dynasty of Egypt|Second Dynasty]], where she was shown conducting the "[[Rope stretcher|stretching the cord]]" ritual with [[Khasekhemwy]].<ref name="Wilkinson"/> The antiquity of her symbols, such as the notched [[Palm branch|palm stick]] that predated writing, suggests that she may have originated earlier than the First Dynasty.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=Wainwright |first=G. A. |author-link=Gerald Avery Wainwright |date=1940 |title=Seshat and the Pharaoh |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.533328/page/n57/mode/1up |journal=Journal of Egyptian Archaeology |publisher=The Egypt Exploration Fund |publication-place=London |volume=26 |pages=30–33 |doi=10.1177/030751334002600105 |access-date=27 February 2025 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> In addition, examples of her [[#Emblem|emblem]], or symbols that appear related, have been found dating from the 3rd millennium BC [[Protodynastic Period]].<ref name=":62">{{Cite journal |last=Magdolen |first=Dušan |date=2006 |title=The Development of the Sign of the Ancient Egyptian Goddess Seshat Down to the End of the Old Kingdom: Analysis and Interpretation – Part Three |url=https://www.sav.sk/journals/uploads/021015485_Magdolen.pdf |journal=Asian and African Studies |publisher=Institute of Oriental Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences |publication-place=Bratislava |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=55–58 |access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref>

Starting in the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]], Seshat was alternatively represented by the name '''Sefkhet-Abwy'''.<ref name="Note02" group="Note" /> Seshat and Sefkhet-Abwy continued to be depicted until at least the Ptolemaic Dynasty.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal |last=Magdolen |first=Dušan |date=2005 |title=The Development of the Sign of the Ancient Egyptian Goddess Seshat Down to the End of the Old Kingdom: Analysis and Interpretation – Part One |url=https://www.sav.sk/journals/uploads/031212234_Magdolen.pdf |journal=Asian and African Studies |publisher=Institute of Oriental Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences |publication-place=Bratislava |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=46–47 |access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref>

==Iconography==
In [[art of ancient Egypt|ancient Egyptian art]], she was depicted as a woman with a seven-pointed [[#Emblem|emblem]] above her head or extending from a headband.<ref name="Hart 2005">{{cite book |last1=Hart |first1=George |url=https://archive.org/details/RoutledgeDictionaryOfEgyptianGodsAndGoddesses/page/n155/mode/2up |title=The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses |publisher=Routledge |year=2005 |edition= |location=New York |pages=142–143 |access-date=8 July 2022 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> This emblem was the origin of an alternate name for Seshat, '''Sefkhet-Abwy''',<ref name="Note02" group="Note" /> which may be translated as "seven-horned".<ref name="Wilkinson" /><ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Bunson |first=Margaret R. |url=https://archive.org/details/TheCompleteGodsAndGoddessesOfAncientEgypt/Encyclopedia%20of%20Ancient%20Egypt/page/n383/mode/2up |title=Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt |date=2002 |publisher=Facts on File Inc. |isbn=978-0-8160-4563-1 |edition=Revised |series= |location=New York |pages=366 |access-date=27 February 2025 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> She was frequently shown in a [[Leopard skin (clothing in Ancient Egypt)|leopard-skin]] or dress, sometimes with a robe layered under a skin.<ref name=":3" /> The leopard-skin was a symbol of funerary [[priest]]s, with the pattern on the natural hide thought to represent the [[star]]s, being a symbol of [[eternity]], and to be associated with the night sky.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Usually, Seshat is shown holding a notched [[Palm branch|palm rib]], the symbol for "year" in [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|Egyptian hieroglyphics]]. The stem was often depicted ending in a [[tadpole]] above a [[shen ring]], representing 100,000 and infinity, respectively.<ref name="Hart 2005" /><ref>Wainwright, "Seshat and the Pharaoh," p. 35.</ref> Seshat's notching of the stem indicated the [[chronology|recording]] of the passage of time, especially that of the king's lifespan.<ref name=":6">Magdolen, "Sign of Seshat - Part Three," p. 67.</ref> Hieroglyphs representing festivals were shown as suspended from the palm stem when Seshat recorded these events. She was also depicted holding other tools, often the [[knotted cord]]s that were [[Rope stretcher|stretched]] to survey land and structures.<ref name="Wilkinson" />

==Roles==
Seshat was the divine measurer and scribe, and thus assisted the [[pharaoh]] in both of these practises. Her skills were necessary for surveying the land, to re-establish boundary-lines after the [[flooding of the Nile|annual floods]]. The priestess who officiated at these functions in her name also oversaw the staff of others who performed similar duties and were trained in mathematics and the related store of knowledge. She also was responsible for recording the speeches the pharaoh made during the [[coronation of the pharaoh|crowning-ceremony]].{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

As early as the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt|Old Kingdom]], Seshat was depicted recording the goods, loot, and captives brought to Egypt, especially those gained in military campaigns.<ref name="Hart 2005" /> She was also shown conducting cattle [[Census|censuses]].<ref>Asante, ''Encyclopedia of African Religion'', p. 609.</ref> From the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] onwards, she was depicted recording foreign tribute given to Egypt.<ref name="Wilkinson" />

Seshat was closely associated with [[Thoth]] ([[Egyptian language|Ancient Egyptian]]: ''Ḏḥwtj''), the reckoner of time and god of writing, who was also venerated as a god of wisdom. The two shared some overlapping functions and she was variously considered to be his sister, wife, or daughter. Seshat invented writing and Thoth taught writing to man.{{fact|date=February 2022}} Seshat also appeared in funerary contexts, where, along with [[Nephthys]], she restored the limbs of the deceased.<ref name="Wilkinson" />
[[File:Hatshepsut_and_Seshat.jpg|left|thumb|[[Hatshepsut]] (c. 1479–1458 BC) and Seshat in a sunken relief at the [[Red Chapel]], depicted performing the "stretching the cord" ritual for the temple's founding.]]

=== "Stretching the Cord" Ritual ===
Seshat held titles related to construction, including "Lady of Builders",<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last=Magdolen |first=Dušan |date=2009 |title=A New Investigation of the Symbol of Ancient Egyptian Goddess Seshat |url=https://www.sav.sk/journals/uploads/092611572_Magdolen.pdf |journal=Asian and African Studies |publisher=Institute of Oriental Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences |publication-place=Bratislava |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=169–189 |access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref> as she was involved in planning the building and expansion of sacred sites, such as temples. 

The "stretching the cord" ritual, or ''pedj-sesh(r)'' ceremony, is one such example.<ref name="Belmonte Seshat2">{{cite book |last1=Belmonte |first1=Juan Antonio |title=In Search of Cosmic Order: Selected Essays on Egyptian Archaeoastronomy |last2=Miguel Angel |first2=Molinero Polo |last3=Miranda |first3=Noemi |date=2009 |publisher=Supreme Council of Antiquities Press |editor1-last=Belmonte |editor1-first=Juan Antonio |location=Cairo |pages=197 |chapter=Unveiling Seshat: New Insights Into The Stretching Of The Cord Ceremony |bibcode=2009iscc.book.....B |access-date=3 July 2022 |editor2-last=Shaltout |editor2-first=Mosalam |chapter-url=http://research.iac.es/proyecto/arqueoastronomia//media/Belmonte_Shaltout_Chapter_7.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202002609/http://research.iac.es/proyecto/arqueoastronomia//media/Belmonte_Shaltout_Chapter_7.pdf |archive-date=2020-12-02 |url-status=live}}</ref> This ritual related to laying out the foundations of temples and other important structures. It would have helped plan dimensions and align structures to astronomic or geographic features,<ref name=":7">Belmonte, "Unveiling Seshat," pp. 203-210.</ref> while fixing the ground plan and determining its corners.<ref name=":2" /> It involved the use of rope/cord, poles/stakes, and clubs/mallets. Depictions of the ritual typically showed Seshat and the king, across from another, holding these tools and "stretching" the cord between them. The god [[Horus]] is sometimes depicted alongside them.<ref name="Belmonte Seshat2" />

Text from the [[Palermo Stone]] indicates that this festival was performed at least as early as the [[First Dynasty of Egypt|First Dynasty]], where it involved her priests.<ref name=":9">Magdolen, "Sign of Seshat - Part Three," p. 72.</ref><ref name=":8" /> The oldest iconographic depiction dates from the [[Second Dynasty of Egypt|Second Dynasty]], where Seshat and [[Khasekhemwy]] carry out the ritual.<ref>Belmonte, "Unveiling Seshat," pp. 200-201.</ref>
[[File:SFEC-RAMASSEUM-2009-11-14-0011.JPG|left|thumb|Depiction of Seshat, [[Thoth]], and [[Atum]] (not pictured) writing on the fruit of the sacred persea or ''ished'' tree. Sunken relief from the [[Ramesseum]], mortuary temple of [[Ramesses II]] (c. 1303–1213 BC).]]

=== Sed Festival ===
By the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]], she was involved in the [[Sed festival]], a ceremony attested since the [[Early Dynastic Period (Egypt)|Early Dynastic Period]]. Also called the Heb Sed, the festival celebrated the continuing reign of a king, typically after thirty years of rule.<ref>Asante, ''Encyclopedia of African Religion'', p. 660.</ref> Seshat, sometimes alongside [[Thoth]], recorded the king's jubilees and [[Regnal year|regnal years]] on a notched palm rib or the leaves of the sacred ''ished'' (or persea) tree.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":6" /> Seshat and Thoth would have also recorded the names and histories of kings on the sacred ''ished'' tree.<ref>Bunson, ''Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt'', p. 152.</ref>

== Worship ==
Seshat was strongly associated with the king's reign and official ceremonies. She was not worshipped by the general populace and did not have a dedicated cult or temple of her own. However, her role in the "stretching the cord" ritual would have involved her in the founding of every temple.<ref name="Wilkinson" /> Likewise, her association with writing and architecture would have made her a patroness of scribes and builders.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":9" />

Seshat held various titles related to writing and [[Library|libraries]], including "Mistress of Scribes"<ref name=":4" /> and "Lady of Books,"<ref name=":5" /> as her priests oversaw the places in which scrolls of knowledge were assembled and spells were preserved. This responsibility would have involved her in the [[House of life in Ancient Egypt|House of Life]], a place where scribes were trained.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Gardiner |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Gardiner |date=1938 |title=The House of Life |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.70998/page/n201/mode/2up |journal=Journal of Egyptian Archaeology |location=London |publisher=The Egypt Exploration Fund |volume=24 |pages=174 |doi=10.1177/030751333802400131 |access-date=27 February 2025 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> [[Heliopolis (ancient Egypt)|Heliopolis]] was the location of her principal sanctuary.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

A prince of the [[Fourth Dynasty of Egypt|Fourth Dynasty]], [[Wepemnofret|Wep-em-nefret]], is noted as a priest of Seshat (among other deities) on a [[slab stela]] from his tomb.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Smith |first=William Stevenson |date=March 1963 |title=The Stela of Wepemnofret |url=https://gizamedia.rc.fas.harvard.edu/images/MFA-images/Giza/GizaImage/full/library/smith_arch_16_1963.pdf |journal=Archaeology Magazine |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=13 |access-date=16 March 2025 |via=Digital Giza, Harvard University}}</ref>

== Emblem ==
The '''Seshat emblem''' is a [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|hieroglyph]] representing the goddess Seshat in [[ancient Egypt]].<ref name="Gardiner2">{{cite book |last1=Gardiner |first1=Alan |author-link=Alan Gardiner |url=https://archive.org/details/gardiner.-egyptian-grammar/page/503/mode/2up |title=Egyptian Grammar: Being An Introduction to the Study of Hieroglyphs |date=1927 |publisher=Griffith Institute |isbn=978-0900416354 |edition=Third |location=Oxford |page=503 |language=English |access-date=3 July 2022 |via=Internet Archive}}</ref> In art, it was shown above her head or as part of her headpiece.

It is unclear what the emblem symbolises. It is variably described as a flower, star, or rosette below a crescent or arc.<ref name="Wilkinson" /> Alternatively, the emblem may represent a device similar to the Roman [[groma (surveying)|groma]]<ref name=":7" /> or a method of identifying directions through the use of [[Gnomon|gnomons]].<ref name=":2" /> It is typically shown with seven points and one "stem" of variable length extending from the bottom.<ref name=":1" /> The points of the emblem may be depicted with varying shapes and levels of detail, but remain symmetrical.<ref name=":2" /> It may also be depicted with a disc or ring in its centre.<ref>Magdolen, "Sign of Seshat - Part Three," pp. 62–63.</ref>

The emblem has two main variations. During the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt|Old Kingdom]], the upper arc was depicted as whole with two upright feathers on top (Gardiner R21).<ref>Magdolen, "Sign of Seshat - Part Three," pp. 64–65.</ref> By the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]], the arc was split into two "horns" with upright points replacing the feathers (Gardiner R20).<ref name="Gardiner2" /> Both variations remained in use throughout the New Kingdom and onwards.<ref name=":3" />
[[File:Abhandlungen_der_Königlich_Preussischen_Akademie_der_Wissenschaften_aus_dem_Jahre_(1902)_(16765759871).jpg|thumb|Print of the recto side of the [[Palermo Stone]] (c. [[Fifth Dynasty of Egypt|Fifth Dynasty]], 2392–2283 BCE), edited for readability. Seshat's emblem appears twice in the third row down, in the sections 7th and 13th from the right.]]
{{Hiero|The variations of Seshat's emblem|<hiero>R21-.- -.- -.- -.- -.- -.-R20</hiero>|align=center|gardiner=R21 and R20}}The famous 24th century BC [[Palermo Stone]], a piece of the Royal Annals of the Old Kingdom [[stele]], has multiple uses of Seshat's emblem. It occurs twice on the "front" (or recto) side, in years 34 and 40 under [[Den (pharaoh)|Den]]. One of these examples is arranged below, reading approximately: ''"(Year:) [[Three fox skins (hieroglyph)|Creating]] (images of) Seshat and [[Mafdet]]."'' This refers to the creation of the goddesses' [[Cult image#Ancient Near East and Egypt|cult images]], such as statues, as a defining event for the year.<ref name=":8" /><ref name="Note03" group="Note" />

The Seshat emblem is also used on the Palermo Stone to represent Seshu, the male counterpart of Seshat.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Budge |first=E. A. Wallis |author-link=E. A. Wallis Budge |url=https://archive.org/details/BudgeEAWEgyptianHieroglyphicDictionaryVol21920/page/n107/mode/2up |title=An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary |date=1920 |publisher=John Murray |volume=2 |location=London |page=698a |access-date=27 February 2025}}</ref><ref name=":3" />

<hiero>F31:X1.R21 ! U1-S39-Z9:Z9 ! I9:D47:X1-S39-Z9:Z9 !!</hiero>
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:SFEC EGYPT KARNAK 2006-014.JPG|Seshat (third from the left) shown performing the "stretching the cord" ritual with [[Ramesses II]] (second from the left). Sunken relief at the [[Karnak|Karnak Temple Complex]].
File:Temple of Edfu 15.jpg|[[Ptolemy III Euergetes|Ptolemy III]] and Seshat, with [[Horus]] alongside, depicted conducting the "stretching of the cord". Bas-relief in the [[Temple of Edfu]] (c. 237–57 BC), [[Ptolemaic dynasty]].
File:Kom Ombo 23.jpg|Seshat shown holding the mallet, pole, and rope used in the "stretching the cord" ritual, alongside [[Horus]]. Bas-relief at the [[Temple of Kom Ombo]] (c. 180–47 BC), [[Ptolemaic dynasty]].
File:Goddess Seshat, ca. 1919-1875 B.C.E., 52.129.jpg|Depiction of Seshat writing. Sunken relief in limestone from the [[Pyramid of Senusret I|Pyramid Temple]] of [[Senusret I]] ([[Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt|Dynasty 12]], c. 1919–1875 BC); copy of a relief made for [[Pepi II Neferkare|Pepi II]] ([[Sixth Dynasty of Egypt|Dynasty 6]], c. 2284–2214 BC).
File:Luxor temple 16.jpg|alt=Bust depiction of Seshat recording the king's life on the palm rib. Thoth (not pictured) is doing likewise across from her. Sunken relief in granite from the back of the throne of the statue of Ramesses II, in the Amun temple at Luxor (c. 1250 BCE).|Depiction of Seshat recording the king's life on the palm rib. [[Thoth]] (not pictured) is doing likewise across from her. Sunken relief in granite from the back of the throne of the statue of [[Ramesses II]], in the [[Precinct of Amun-Re|Amun temple]] at [[Luxor]] (c. 1250 BCE).
File:Seshat in Luxor.jpg|Full length of Seshat from the previous image.
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Gardiner's sign list#R. Temple furniture and sacred emblems|Gardiner's Sign List#R. Temple Furniture and Sacred Emblems]]
* [[Scribe equipment (hieroglyph)]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note|refs=<ref name=Note01>Including '''Safkhet''', '''Sesat''', '''Seshet''', '''Sesheta''', and '''Seshata'''.</ref><ref name=Note02> Also spelled '''Sefkhet-Abut''', '''Sefkhet-Abwi''', and '''Sefekhet-Abuy'''.</ref><ref name=Note03> The [[Egyptian Hieroglyphs (Unicode block)|Unicode]] font reads left-to-right; the Palermo Stone was written right-to-left. On the stone, a large [[renpet]] (or palm rib), the hieroglyph for year, precedes this selection.</ref>}}

==References==
{{Commons category}}
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [[E. A. Wallis Budge|Budge, E. A. Wallis]], 1920, (1978). ''An Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary,'' (Dover Publications), c 1978, (c 1920), Dover edition, 1978. (In two volumes, 1314 pp. and cliv-(154) pp.) (softcover, {{ISBN|0-486-23615-3}})
* Magdolen, Dušan (2005). "[https://www.sav.sk/journals/uploads/021810337_Magdolen.pdf The Development of the Sign of the Ancient Egyptian Goddess Seshat Down to the End of the Old Kingdom: Analysis and Interpretation – Part Two]" (PDF). ''Asian and African Studies''. 14 (2). Bratislava: Institute of Oriental Studies, Slovak Academy of Sciences: 196–227

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[[Category:Egyptian goddesses]]
[[Category:Wisdom goddesses]]
[[Category:Knowledge goddesses]]
[[Category:Scribes]]
[[Category:Writing]]
[[Category:Thoth]]