Overview

In Thoth: The History of the Ancient Egyptian God of Wisdom, author and researcher Lesley Jackson presents a comprehensive and wide-ranging study of this unique god spanning six millennia. Drawing on the latest archaeological and textual research, from magical papyri and stelae to statues and wall carvings, the author investigates Thoth's diverse functions. These include Thoth's well-known roles as a god of writing, magic and wisdom, as well as his status as a creator god, judge, healer, psychopomp, reckoner of time and lunar god. Developing from pre-dynastic origins, the worship of Thoth is explored through the different Egyptian social classes from peasant to Pharaoh, and placed in the context of ancient Egyptian rituals and festivals; as is the later syncretisation of Thoth with the Greco-Egyptian figure of Hermes Trismegistus. In so doing the author demonstrates the pivotal role that the ibis-headed god fulfilled in many of the Egyptian myths and his functions within the three main Egyptian theologies - i.e. Heliopolitan, Hermopolitan and Memphite. The names, animals and symbols of Thoth, lord of ritual and of words, are all considered, and further reveal his complex nature, which is also viewed through the web of connections between Thoth and the numerous other Egyptian gods. Particular attention is given to his consorts, the goddesses Maat, Seshat and Nehmataway, and the implications of their relationships. This extensive and detailed work is supplemented with ancient hymns to Thoth and a survey of temples associated with him. Long overdue, Thoth: The History of the Ancient Egyptian God of Wisdom is an unmissable work on this most enduring of gods.

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9781910191231

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In this volume author Lesley Jackson presents a comprehensive study of Thoth or Dhwty [Djehuty], the ancient Egyptian god of wisdom, one of the better known of Egypt's pantheon of deities. Separate chapters discuss Thoth's symbolism and iconography, his lunar aspects, and the god's role as judge, magician and healer, his association with wisdom, creation and the afterlife and his relationships with other gods. The book concludes with the relevance today of the values associated with Thoth: literacy, justice, peacemaking, tolerance and harmony. - Ancient Egypt Magazine

Author Information

Lesley Jackson has a lifelong interest in archaeology, ancient history and sacred myth and a fascination with the mysterious geographical be they lost worlds, otherworlds or the sacred places of this world. She is a devotee of the Egyptian deities and since being blessed with early retirement has devoted much of her time to researching and writing about them. Despite the strong call of Egypt she is a Northerner at heart, preferring cooler climes and wooded landscapes. She lives in the East Riding of Yorkshire, close to the lost world of Doggerland.

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