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Egyptian Artifacts

The Memphis Triad

While Harry, Ron, and Hermione are most definitely my favorite trio of all time, the Memphis Triad comes pretty close!! In ancient Egypt 𓆎𓅓𓏏𓊖, groups of three 𓏼 gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 are referred to as “triads” by Egyptologists! Triads were groups of gods 𓊹𓊹𓊹 that usually had some type of familial significance to each other. Father 𓇋𓏏𓀀-Mother 𓄿𓏏𓁐-Child 𓐍𓇌𓀕 triads and family 𓅕𓉔𓅱𓏏𓀀𓁐𓏦 units were extremely important to Egyptian culture!

The Memphis Triad
Ptah (left), Sekhmet (middle) and Imhotep (right) make up the Memphis Triad

The triads were usually made into a single statue 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾, however, at the MET they have displayed these three 𓏼 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 together to form a triad which I think is so cool! This triad is known as the Memphis Triad, which consisted of Ptah 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓀭 (left), Sekhmet 𓌂𓐍𓅓𓏏𓁐 (middle) and Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 (right). 

The Memphis Triad could also be Ptah 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱, Sekhmet 𓌂𓐍𓅓𓏏𓁐, and Nefertem 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓍃𓀯. Nefertem 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓍃𓀯 was the son 𓅭 of Ptah 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱 and Sekhmet 𓌂𓐍𓅓𓏏𓁐 in mythology. However, during the Ptolemaic times (which is when these bronze 𓈔𓏤𓈒𓏦 statues 𓏏𓅱𓏏𓀾𓏪 are dated to), Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 was widely worshipped 𓇼𓄿𓀢 as a god 𓊹, and he kind of replaced Nefertem 𓄤𓆑𓂋𓏏𓍃𓀯 in the triad! Since Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 was regarded by the Greeks as the Son 𓅭 of Ptah 𓊪𓏏𓎛𓁱, this unofficially made Sekhmet 𓌂𓐍𓅓𓏏𓁐 his mother 𓅐𓏏𓁐! 

Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪, meaning “He who comes in peace,” was a non-royal man who became deified.  Imhotep 𓇍𓅓𓊵𓏏𓊪 was not deified in his lifetime – it was 2,000 𓆼𓆼 years after his death that he began to be worshipped 𓇼𓄿𓀢 as a god 𓊹 by the Greeks. 

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