Interesting Cockerel Figurine

I saw this story earlier, didn't have a chance to post it until today (inbetween bouts of cleaning the bedrooms upstairs...)

From BBC News
December 2011 Last updated at 19:47 ET

Cockerel figurine found in Cirencester Roman dig

A checkered cockerel

A Roman cockerel figurine thought to have been made to accompany a child's grave has been unearthed in Gloucestershire.

The 1,800-year-old enamelled object was found during an archaeological dig at one of Britain's earliest-known burial sites in Cirencester.

It is thought the bronze cockerel, which is 12.5cm high, could have been a message to the gods.  Archaeologist Neil Holbrook said it was a "most spectacular" find.

The elaborately-decorated cockerel is believed to be Roman, probably dating back to the 2nd Century AD.  According to experts, religious significance was given to the cockerel by the Romans and the artistic subject is known to be connected with Mercury, the messenger to the gods.  They said it was Mercury who was also responsible for conducting newly-deceased souls to the afterlife.

'Made in Britain'

Mr Holbrook, chief executive at Cotswold Archaeology, said the cockerel had been excavated from the grave of a young child and had been placed close to his or her head.

"Interestingly a very similar item was found in Cologne in Germany and it looks like they both could have come from the same workshop based in Britain," he added.

The object was discovered in early November and held back to allow the dig to continue uninterrupted.

It will now be cleaned, conserved, and possibly then displayed at the Corinium Museum in Cirencester.

Other finds from this grave include a small pottery tettine or feeding bottle, which was unfortunately highly fragmented. This will also undergo conservation work.

****************************************************

Is there a connection between the "checkerboard" pattern on the Hermes cockerel to Toth (Jehuty), and the black and white checkered floor in the Hall of Judgment (also called the Hall of Justice)???  The Greeks equated their god, Hermes, to the ancient Egyptian god, Toth (Jehuty - spelled phonetically in an approximation of how scholars think the name may have been pronounced) and, in later times (beginning in the first century CE of the Roman era), the god Hermes Trismegistus was accepted by at least some Greeks and Romans as a form of Hermes.  It is supposed that out of the teachings of the followers of Hermes Trismegistus arose the esoteric tradition known as "hermeticism," roughly paralleling the development of other lines of though such as Gnosticism. 

This is not an area in which I'm much read!  Please feel free to add your comments.  I am confident about the black and white checkered floor being associated with the Hall of Judgment (Hall of Justice) and Toth because this was told to me years ago by someone whose scholarship and credentials I trust.  If any of you are familiar with depictions within older Masonic halls, the black and white checkerboard floor is often depicted in murals, paintings, and may sometimes also be reflected in flooring of the the ceremonial room (not necessarily in black and white, but the checkerboard pattern of light and dark will be there).  My guess is that this reflects Toth's role as mediator between the gods, in which he had to make sure that neither "good" nor "evil" ever achieved supremacy over the other - that there was always maintained an equilibrium between the two opposing forces. 

Giant Thoth Statue Uncovered

I can't quite wrap my head around this photograph - just what part of the gigantic Thoth is this supposed to be?  It doesn't look like much of anything to me, to tell you the truth.  Blame it on my bad eyesight :)

From The Telegraph.co.uk
Colossal statue of Thoth discovered at temple of Amenhotep III in Luxor
By Ann Wuyts
Monday, 17 May 2010

A colossal statue of the ancient Egyptian god Thoth, the deity of wisdom, is the latest artefact to be discovered near the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III during archaeological works aimed at controlling the subterranean water level on Luxor's west bank.

The 3.5 metre tall red granite statue is one of several artefacts discovered in the area since excavations began. The head of a 2.5 metre high statue depicting Pharaoh Amenhotep III in a standing position – possibly the best preserved depiction of the pharaoh’s face found to date - was unearthed at the King's funeral temple at Kom El-Hettan only months ago. A statue of the god Thoth in the shape of a baboon was also discovered. Last year two black granite statues of Amenhotep III were found at the temple, as well as a 5 metre high statue similar to the Thoth statue just found.

Amenhotep III ruled Egypt between 1390 BC and 1352 BC, and recent DNA and forensic research suggests that he was probably the grandfather of Tutankhamun. His temple was built closer to the river than any other temple at Thebes - right on the edge of the floodplain – and within 200 years it had collapsed. Many of its stones were subsequently removed for the building projects of later pharaohs.

The famous Colossi of Memnon, two 18-metre-high stone statues of Amenhotep III, are all that remains of the pharaoh's mortuary temple, once the largest religious complex in ancient Egypt.

In a statement, Secretary General of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) Dr Zahi Hawass said that evidence found during the excavation suggests that more colossi could yet be found at the site. Afifi Rohayem, assistant director of the excavations, suggests that an avenue of Thoth statues could be found on the original path leading to Amenhotep III's funerary temple.

Since 1998, the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III has been on the World Monument Fund's list of the planet's 100 most endangered monuments. Extensive excavation and restoration works at the temple site are taking place.

“I believe that in less than 20 years we will have achieved our objectives here,” Dr Hourig Sourouzian, head of the conservation project, said in a video interview with Heritage Key. The final stage of the works at Amenhotep III's mortuary temple will be the creation of an open-air museum.

Huge 'Monkey' Statue of Thoth Uncovered in Egypt

This story was reported by The Singapore Straits Times...

Mar 16, 2010
Huge monkey god statue found
CAIRO - EGYPTIAN archaeologists have discovered a colossal ancient statue of the pharaonic deity of wisdom, Thoth, in the shape of a baboon, the council of antiquities said in a statement on Tuesday.

The four-metre tall statue was discovered in four pieces along with two statues while workers were lowering ground waters beneath Luxor to help preserve the city's pharaonic temples, the statement said. It dates back to the 18th Dynasty, which ruled Egypt until 1292 BC.

'It is the first time that a statue of Thoth, depicting him as a monkey, of this magnitude has been discovered,' Mansur Boraik, head of pharaonic antiquities in Luxor, told AFP.

The statues were discovered near the temple of Amenhotep III, who ruled until 1372 BC.

Another statue, of which only the upper half was found, depicted the king and the sky god Horus, represented as a falcon, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass said in the statement.

'The team also discovered an alabaster statue base that is expected to have been the base of one of Amenhotep III's statues,' he said.

A granite statue of the pharaoh Ramses III, who ruled about 3,000 years ago, was also found. -- AFP

Largest Statue of Thoth Yet Discovered

There has been a LOT of press out of Egypt and about discoveries in Egypt the last six weeks or so - just amazing.  Zahi is on a real blitzkrieg.  Wonder why.  It couldn't have anything to do with those anti-Jewish comments he made -- well, whatever.  He's doing a good job for Egypt, and I will not discount that.

I honestly cannot tell if this news release is a rehash of recent news or if it is news of totally new discoveries.  The information about the red granite statue of Thoth, though, is news to me!

Statue of King Tut's grandfather unearthed
Posted 4 hours 7 minutes ago

Egyptian archaeologists have discovered two red granite statues in Luxor, including one of Tutankhamun's grandfather Amenhotep III, who reigned about 3,350 years ago, Egypt's antiquities chief said.

The second statue was of the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom Thoth, Zahi Hawass said. At four metres high, it is one of the biggest statues of the deity yet discovered.

The statues, both more than 3,000 years old, were found at the funerary temple of Amenhotep III in Kom el-Hetan on Luxor's west bank.

Last month scientists said DNA tests and CT scans on a number of mummies indicated teenage King Tutankhamun was born of an incestuous marriage between Akhenaten and his sister, both the offspring of Amenhotep III.

Some of ancient Egypt's biggest monuments were constructed during the reign of Amenhotep III during the 18th Dynasty.

The pharaoh's funerary temple, the largest religious complex in ancient Egypt, was destroyed by floods.

The Colossi of Memnon, two stone statues of the pharaoh reaching 18 metres high, are all that remain of the complex.

-Reuters