This past week at the Vanderbilt Divinity Library I came across the Encyclopedia of African Religion edited by Molefi Kete Asante and Ama Mazama. In Volume 2 page 610-611 information on the number 7mentions Seshat. On page 608 there is information on her as a non-worshiped deity.
This book describes her as the goddess of writing and measurement and the ruler of books. It states that Djuhuty and Seshat were divine sesh (scribes). It mentions Seshat's name being inscribed on the obverse side of the upper register of narmer's palette. As you know from my previous blogs, I believe there were several divinely inspired scribes (or alternately those who were rewriting from ancient early books) throughout the history of writing, with Seshat (or the women who were scribes) being the first and referenced by those who came after her.
The encyclopedia states, "In pre- or protodynastic times, the people of Kemet used canons, a system of proportions resenting and anthropometric description of the body based on the standardization of its natural proportions expressed in the ratios of Egyptian measures of length for metrological purposes. They knew that the various parts of the human body are constant and immutable in all individuals irrespective of any differences in size and dimensions." The book continues with more information on Seshat stating, "Seshat's inspirations for counting and measurements are demonstrated in city planning, architecture, seagoing vessels, recitations in spells and rituals, writing, medicine, music, and placement of figures in reliefs, bas reliefs, and reliefs en crux" (p609).
Moreover, the book provides insight into Seshat and the number 7 in Africa when it states, "The association of the number 7 with wisdom comes with Seshat's title "Foremost of Libraries"(p610). In addition, "Among the Bambara and Dogon, 7 is the number of harmony. It signifies the harmony of the male or masculine, represented by the number 3, whith the female or feminine, represented by the number 4. It has been suggested that the pyramid also embodies the harmony of 7 because it is a 4, square base) topped with a 3 (triangle). Among the Akan, the queens mother's number is 3 and the king's is 4, a different configuration, but still totaling 7. Also amnog the Akan, the number 7 is significant in divination because it is an odd number. The practice of attributing gender to numbers is found throughout Africa." The grouping of 4 +3 is also seen among the Sumerians where the determinative used for deity or god/goddess was a seven pointed star later represented with 4 points and 3 lines, this symbol also doubles as the ideogram for sky. There are 7 gods who decree, 4 primary (Anu, Enlil, Ki, and Enki) and 3 sky gods (Ishtar, Sin, and Sama). This is just one of the many ways that ties other cultures in Africa with the knowledge that was taught in Kemet/Egypt nearly 7,000 years ago with the introduction of writing. One of the main differences in the transfer of knowledge from generation to generation among the people of the Nile Valley and the rest of Africa is through writing, which the Egyptians prized as timeless having writen on papyrus which has not biodegraded in thousands of years. The Nile Valley is very unique in that its inhabitants are in a dry arid area that is also lush within proximity of the Nile River. This enables them to use materials that do not biodegrade for building and burial. In other areas of Africa where people live was not conducive to materials that support building that last thousands of years or papyrus. The dominant means of transfer of knowledge was through the oral tradition. However, the cultural similarities of the early Egyptians are found in other African cultures from hairstyles that still are worn today that were adorned by pharoahs to festivals and manner of speech.
The encyclopedia also provides examples of how the mathematics and sacredness of the number 7 in ancient Kemet is also found to be sacred among other cultures in Africa. It states, "The number 7 is also central to egyptian mathmatics, the fundamental equation 1+2+4=7 reflects the egyptian method of calculating based on continued doubling. Further, when 7 is multiplied by doubling, the first three multipliers are always 1, 2, and 4, which equals 7. These equations factor into the Egyptian table of length used to calculate pyramid measurements. Egyptian fractions are calucalted by muliplying them by the number 7." although 7 is a conspicuous number in many cultures, it is also taboo. The Kolokuma Ijo associate the number 7 with great divinities, so it is to be avoided. Among the Mandak and Ga, the avoidance of the number 7 is found in speech where 7 is referred to as 6+1..Malinke, Mbundu, Kikuyu..use a non number name for 7, mug-wanja, and people do not divide things in portions of seven nor do children travel in groups of seen. Seven curses can ve evoked, each represented by seven sticks aimed at the victim....Kamba circumcision festivities span 7 days, and cracking a whip 7 times brings good fortune to elephant hunters. ..There are 7 elemental powers: darkness, light, air earth, water, fire and blood. In the mythology there are seven hathors, seven souls or ra, seven nomes of egypt, seven stages of the solar bark, seven glorious ones, seven servants of horus, seven with anup at the popel, seven molders with ptah, seven souls of atum ra, seven assistants to maat, seven wise masters of arts and sciences who assist ptah in his measurements of the earth, seven who assist ausar in amenta, and seven states of ptah's creation. Seven also factors into egyptian funerary culture. In royal tombs as early at 3100 BC seven sacred oils were used to anoint the body during funerary rituals. The specific oils are not known, although it is speculated that lotus and cedar are among them. The step pyramid at saqqara, part of an ancient burial complex has seven steps."
The book further gives insight into the Dogon mythology which relates to the word, knowledge, writing, and the scribal art signified by Seshat in predynastic Egypt, as represented on Narmers palate, where her iconography was central to the word or "script", particularly those words or instructions connected with the heavens or were considered divine. It was this scribal art of the early times that led to the development of papyrus which later held the science of astronomy and mathematics used in architecture. Through the centuries this became ritualized in the stretching of the cord ceremony. But originally the word, papyrus, he heavens, and creation stories were written and represented with Seshat then later Dhwty/Thoth, known as "lord of the holy words", who was again later identified with the Greek Hermes Trismegistus. "Words to be spoken" on papyrus were translated as "Spells". I think that these concepts taught can also be found in other parts of Africa as the encyclopedia explains, "Among the Dogon the spirit of the seventh ancestor is responsible for world order. This spirit also wove a cloth that is a manifestation of the Word and imparted it to humanity. The word for the cloth is soy meaning "it is the spoken word." Soy is also the word for seven. In addition, during the creation process, the Dogon supreme deity, Amma, spun seven worlds above and seven worlds below. Inside the first seed of creation the po, there were seven vibrations. Each vibration represents a stage in the development of life. The image of the po seed with seven lines of various lenghts extending from its center symbolically preresents Amma as twins, or masucline and feminine. Two lines are for the head, two for the arms, two for the legs, and one for the sex organ. Here again we see seven as the unity of male and female. This is also the case among the Bambara, a group related to the Dogon. The Bambara hold seven to be a unity of male and female, as well as intelligence and earth. Among the Zulu, there are seven judges for eternity, the abakulu. In the diaspora, the spiritual significance of seven manifests in the Seven Powers of Africa, which are a selection of seven orisha from the Yoruba tradition. These are found in Spanish speaking areas of the diaspora as well as in the African American conjure and folk traditions....The 7th child of a seventh child was believed to be spiritually powerful....seven is the number that denotes God, which according to their teachings is man." Denise Martin Ancient Egypt, Light of the world and African Counts: Number and Pattern in African Cultures.
This book describes her as the goddess of writing and measurement and the ruler of books. It states that Djuhuty and Seshat were divine sesh (scribes). It mentions Seshat's name being inscribed on the obverse side of the upper register of narmer's palette. As you know from my previous blogs, I believe there were several divinely inspired scribes (or alternately those who were rewriting from ancient early books) throughout the history of writing, with Seshat (or the women who were scribes) being the first and referenced by those who came after her.
The encyclopedia states, "In pre- or protodynastic times, the people of Kemet used canons, a system of proportions resenting and anthropometric description of the body based on the standardization of its natural proportions expressed in the ratios of Egyptian measures of length for metrological purposes. They knew that the various parts of the human body are constant and immutable in all individuals irrespective of any differences in size and dimensions." The book continues with more information on Seshat stating, "Seshat's inspirations for counting and measurements are demonstrated in city planning, architecture, seagoing vessels, recitations in spells and rituals, writing, medicine, music, and placement of figures in reliefs, bas reliefs, and reliefs en crux" (p609).
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| Dinger: "god/goddess" or "sky" Ur III Sumerian cuneiform for An |
The encyclopedia also provides examples of how the mathematics and sacredness of the number 7 in ancient Kemet is also found to be sacred among other cultures in Africa. It states, "The number 7 is also central to egyptian mathmatics, the fundamental equation 1+2+4=7 reflects the egyptian method of calculating based on continued doubling. Further, when 7 is multiplied by doubling, the first three multipliers are always 1, 2, and 4, which equals 7. These equations factor into the Egyptian table of length used to calculate pyramid measurements. Egyptian fractions are calucalted by muliplying them by the number 7." although 7 is a conspicuous number in many cultures, it is also taboo. The Kolokuma Ijo associate the number 7 with great divinities, so it is to be avoided. Among the Mandak and Ga, the avoidance of the number 7 is found in speech where 7 is referred to as 6+1..Malinke, Mbundu, Kikuyu..use a non number name for 7, mug-wanja, and people do not divide things in portions of seven nor do children travel in groups of seen. Seven curses can ve evoked, each represented by seven sticks aimed at the victim....Kamba circumcision festivities span 7 days, and cracking a whip 7 times brings good fortune to elephant hunters. ..There are 7 elemental powers: darkness, light, air earth, water, fire and blood. In the mythology there are seven hathors, seven souls or ra, seven nomes of egypt, seven stages of the solar bark, seven glorious ones, seven servants of horus, seven with anup at the popel, seven molders with ptah, seven souls of atum ra, seven assistants to maat, seven wise masters of arts and sciences who assist ptah in his measurements of the earth, seven who assist ausar in amenta, and seven states of ptah's creation. Seven also factors into egyptian funerary culture. In royal tombs as early at 3100 BC seven sacred oils were used to anoint the body during funerary rituals. The specific oils are not known, although it is speculated that lotus and cedar are among them. The step pyramid at saqqara, part of an ancient burial complex has seven steps."
The book further gives insight into the Dogon mythology which relates to the word, knowledge, writing, and the scribal art signified by Seshat in predynastic Egypt, as represented on Narmers palate, where her iconography was central to the word or "script", particularly those words or instructions connected with the heavens or were considered divine. It was this scribal art of the early times that led to the development of papyrus which later held the science of astronomy and mathematics used in architecture. Through the centuries this became ritualized in the stretching of the cord ceremony. But originally the word, papyrus, he heavens, and creation stories were written and represented with Seshat then later Dhwty/Thoth, known as "lord of the holy words", who was again later identified with the Greek Hermes Trismegistus. "Words to be spoken" on papyrus were translated as "Spells". I think that these concepts taught can also be found in other parts of Africa as the encyclopedia explains, "Among the Dogon the spirit of the seventh ancestor is responsible for world order. This spirit also wove a cloth that is a manifestation of the Word and imparted it to humanity. The word for the cloth is soy meaning "it is the spoken word." Soy is also the word for seven. In addition, during the creation process, the Dogon supreme deity, Amma, spun seven worlds above and seven worlds below. Inside the first seed of creation the po, there were seven vibrations. Each vibration represents a stage in the development of life. The image of the po seed with seven lines of various lenghts extending from its center symbolically preresents Amma as twins, or masucline and feminine. Two lines are for the head, two for the arms, two for the legs, and one for the sex organ. Here again we see seven as the unity of male and female. This is also the case among the Bambara, a group related to the Dogon. The Bambara hold seven to be a unity of male and female, as well as intelligence and earth. Among the Zulu, there are seven judges for eternity, the abakulu. In the diaspora, the spiritual significance of seven manifests in the Seven Powers of Africa, which are a selection of seven orisha from the Yoruba tradition. These are found in Spanish speaking areas of the diaspora as well as in the African American conjure and folk traditions....The 7th child of a seventh child was believed to be spiritually powerful....seven is the number that denotes God, which according to their teachings is man." Denise Martin Ancient Egypt, Light of the world and African Counts: Number and Pattern in African Cultures.
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