CALL FOR PAPERS: Rethinking Osiris

Studies on the Ancient Near East and the Mediterranean (SANEM 5), Arbor Sapientiae Editore, Rome , 2021

The figure of the god Osiris is paradigmatic of the ancient Egyptian culture, connected with both kingship and religion, whose analysis also today shed light on interesting aspects of the Egyptian world. This volume collects contributions presented during the two days International Conference “Rethinking Osiris” took place in Florence, Italy, from the 26 to 27 March 2019. Any article reflects the variety and complexity of the Osiriac topics discussed during the conference, providing a foundation for deeper research and questions, introducing new perspectives from which to reconsider Osiris pivotal and multifaceted function, which attracted so much interest during the millennia and rethinking Osiris at the dawn of the Third Millennium.

Franci, M. – Ikram, S. – Morfini, I. (eds.), Re-Thinking Osiris. Proceedings of the International Conference Florence, Italy, 26-27 March 2019, Rome: Arbor Sapientiae 2021, pp. 111-146

International Journal of Heritage, Tourism and Hospitality

ACTA ARCHAEOLOGICA PULTUSKIENSIA, Vol. VI -Thinking Symbols. Interdisciplinary Studies, 2017

Osiris is one of the most popular and important deities in the Egyptian pantheon. At first glance, one might associate the god’s popularity with its role as god and king of the dead, due to the importance of the Afterlife in the ancient Egyptian imaginary. However, he is also associated with ideas of regeneration and rebirth, and ultimately, with the cosmos and the cycle of life. This deity was also linked with vegetation and the waters of the Nile – the vehicle through which his rebirth was made possible – and also with the monarchical system, and with Order (Maat), working as the opposite of his brother, Seth. Osiris is not only a deity which has symbols connected to him, he is also at the same time a symbol – better yet, various symbols – himself. Using Plutarch’s account of the Osirian mythic cycle as our source, we intend to identify and analyse the symbols associated with this god. Likewise we intend to try to understand why it is that more than a god with powers and attributes, Osiris was a god of symbols, incorporating a multitude of meanings and attributes in himself.

In this paper, I wish to focus on the main religious developments that took place at the end of the 5th Dynasty, when solar temples were no longer built, the religious center at Heliopolis made its hesitant first steps and Pyramid Texts were inscribed on pyramid walls. I shall argue that all three phenomena were related. The rising cult of Osiris, and the identification of the dead king with him, brought an end to the construction of sun temples. Subsequently, the solar cult was established in Heliopolis and the Ennead was invented as a means to accommodate the newly introduced Osiris. The first part of my paper discusses sun-temples, the reason for their construction and, especially, the religious difference between the sun-temples and the pyramids. The second part is dedicated to Osiris and his role in the religious history of the time.

Religion, 2017

Variability in the Earlier Egyptian Mortuary Texts, 2024

This study collects all the evidence on the different spellings for Osiris found in the Pyramid Texts and Coffin Texts to discuss their implications. Two main engramma- tions, with several minor variants, occur that are based on a different ideogram each: the seat ( Gardiner Sign List Q1) and the flesh ( Gardiner Sign List F51). Two par- ticular cases which tell about the polyfunctional and context-responsive nature of the Egyptian script, especially of its semagrams are also discussed: One case englobes both main engrammations while the other was used to make the Osirian-solar connection explicit. This study also gathers evidence about the kind and hierarchy of the graph- emic variants found, which may be of relevance to retrieve the processes involved in the reading-writing and conceptual processes of the ancient Egyptian script.

Cahiers Égypte Nilotique et Méditérranéenne / Access Archaeology, 2023

The excavations carried out in front of the 1st pylon of Karnak Temple revealed a great embankment of sandstone blocks, public and private Ptolemaic baths, as well as a large bath complex that has been dated to the Roman era. Many mud-brick structures were found north and south of the Ptolemaic bath. This excavation (2011-2013) brought to light a large number of objects which were preserved in the local temple storeroom at Karnak, including a reused limestone funerary stela which discovered inside one of the rooms north of the Roman bath; one of the registers on this shows the owner burning incense in front of the god Osiris, Lord of Eternity. Other finds included bronze statues and faience amulets of Osiris, representing the god in his standard iconography with a mummified form, standing or seated, wearing a false beard and the atef-crown. These were found in domestic contexts assigned to the Greco-Roman Period and may have been used for votive practices inside these houses by their owners. These finds can be considered as important evidence confirming the continuation of the existence of popular cults of Osiris at this period. This contribution seeks to present valuable insights into the cult of Osiris and to investigate the everyday religious beliefs and practices of ordinary people associated with his cult in Greco-Roman Period in this area.

The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the union of Re and Osiris as it appears in two related, but still distinct discourses: the mythological and the cosmographical. The different approaches to this phenomenon have exemplary value of general relevance for methodologies for reconstructing patterns of belief and ritual in the study of ancient Egyptian religion.