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Elegant BASTET
Adorned with Scarabs, Nose- and Ear-rings
British Museum, London 1200 B.C.
ID-Code:ate27
Price:$
169.99
BASTET was the most popular goddess in the eastern part of the Delta in Bubastis, the
capital of Lower Egypt. The form in which the goddess was worshipped in the earliest
times was that of a cat. According to one legend, Bast was the personification of the soul
of Isis. She represented the gentle, life-giving rays of the sun which helped the crops. Like
a cat, she was admired for her agility and strength.
Bast is first and foremost a
protectress, she later was deified as being the life-preserving goddess of joy and protector
of women. To please her, her devotees consecrated statues of the cat in large numbers.
When a cat died it was considered to be an act of great merit to provide for its funeral.
The chief festivals of the goddess Bast were celebrated in the months of April and May.
This hydrostone statue of Bastet measures 15" high, is adorned with a scarab on its head, a winged scarab around its neck, an Udjat eye medallion around its neck, a red broadcollar, an earring and a nosering. It stands on a hieroglyphic engraved base.
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