Currently, we know many names of Egyptian gods, but did you know that it is believed that while this civilization existed, it worshiped more than 1,400 characters? Of course, like in other ancient religions, in Egypt there were main deities, one of them was Seth. It is believed that more than three millennia ago the ancient Egyptians found the “black bones” of Set.
Set was a brute strength deity, his body was part human and part animal, his appearance is confusing. Among the titles he has received are “Lord of Chaos” and “God of Drought”. Did the Egyptians recover the bones of this deity 3,000 years ago?
What are Set’s black bones?
One of Egypt’s sandstorms unearthed bones buried millions of years ago. The Egyptians dug them up, some of the bones they found they are now known as “The Black Bones of Set”.
The bones on which we focus are distinguished by their hardness and blackness, it is believed that they belonged to a gigantic monster that existed millions of years ago.
Ancient Egyptian fossil remains.
Although we don’t know what the Egyptians thought when they found these bones, we do know that they didn’t take them lightly. After finding them, they buried them againbut not anywhere, but in a tomb located in the city of Qau el-Kebir.
The Importance the Ancient Egyptians Placed on Bones
the tombs of Qua el-Kebir They are very much destroyed today, but what we found there shows that they were of the highest quality in ancient times. There were sarcophagi, statues and reliefs.
The characteristics of the graves in which the Black Bones of Set were found show how important they were to those who found them. In addition, bones are wrapped in thin leaves and they were buried with ivory tools for the purpose of helping them in the afterlife.
The conditions in which the bones were buried show that they received a royal burial, because the type of tomb they used was not simple or improvised, they were tombs over 1,500 years old of great significance. Important Egyptian lords were buried there, a place of veneration for the ancient dead.
What did the ancient Egyptians believe about the bones they found?
Although there is no record that tells us what the Egyptians believed when they found the bones of a prehistoric creature. However, we can get an idea given their beliefs and the conditions in which these bones were found in the tombs of Qua el-Kebir.
The first thing to consider is that Qua el-Kebir was the center of the cult of Set, the god of the black earth, a deity as powerful as it is evil. Second, the bones have been buried for a very long time and have been polished by sand. Thanks to this, they acquired the color that characterizes the god Seth: shiny black.
Set was considered the Egyptian god of chaos.
In addition to black, the bones were hard, which with their bright color certainly reminded the Egyptians of the bones of the gods. The religion of this civilization taught that the deities they worshiped had bones of iron.
Everything seems to indicate that those who found these bones 3,000 years ago believed to be the remains of the Chaos Lord. This would explain why they were buried in conditions worthy of Egyptian royalty.
Hidden for thousands of years
Wall illustrating the fight between Seth and Horus helped by Isis.
Set’s bones were discovered in 1922 by Flinders Petrie and Guy Bruno, they had no idea what was wrapped in the linen they found. The bones were sent to a museum in boxes that were unopened for nearly 90 years. But why have they been forgotten for so long?
The reason is that they understood that it was not just any object, because they were buried in the best conditions. Therefore, they were surely afraid that by removing the linen cloth that wrapped it, they would destroy what was inside.
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Finally, in 2007, technology was used to find out what Petrie and Brunton discovered. When an x-ray scanner was used, the mystery was revealed, there were the black bones of Set. In addition, bones of other extinct animals were found in the grave, such as giant wildebeest, there were even human bones.
What will always remain a mystery is what exactly those who found these bones believed 3,000 years ago. This will join other puzzles that the great Egyptian civilization has left us.
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