Recent from talks
Homosexuality in ancient Egypt
Knowledge base stats:
Talk channels stats:
Members stats:
Homosexuality in ancient Egypt
Homosexuality in ancient Egypt is a disputed subject within Egyptology. Historians and egyptologists alike debate what kinds of views the ancient Egyptians' society fostered about homosexuality. Only a handful of direct clues survive, and many possible indications are vague and subject to speculation.
The best known case of possible homosexuality in ancient Egypt is that of the two high officials Nyankh-Khnum and Khnum-hotep. Both men lived and served under pharaoh Niuserre during the 5th Dynasty (c. 2494–2345 BC). Nyankh-Khnum and Khnum-hotep each had families of their own with children and wives, but when they died their families apparently decided to bury them together in the same mastaba tomb. In this mastaba, several paintings depict both men embracing each other and touching their faces nose-on-nose. These depictions leave plenty of room for speculation, because in ancient Egypt the nose-on-nose touching normally represented a kiss.
Egyptologists and historians disagree about how to interpret the paintings of Nyankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep. Some scholars believe that the paintings reflect an example of homosexuality between two married men and prove that the ancient Egyptians accepted same-sex relationships. Other scholars disagree and interpret the scenes as an evidence that Nyankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep were twins, or even possibly conjoined twins[citation needed]. No matter what interpretation is correct, the paintings show at the very least that Nyankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep must have been very close to each other in life as in death.
A well known story, dating back to the Middle Kingdom, tells about an anonymous citizen, who comes to the audience hall of king Pepi II (here named by his birth name, Neferkarê). The citizen wants to lament about an unnamed circumstance, but the king does not want to listen to the laments, so he orders his royal musicians to drown the stranger's speech with noise. Disappointed, the stranger leaves the palace. When this happens several times, he orders his friend, the high official Tjeti, to follow the king. The king in turn is frequently leaving the palace during the night. Tjeti finds out that king Pepi II keeps visiting his loyal general officer Sasenet for several hours, then returning home.
The chapter in which king Pepi II visits his loyal general officer is subject of passionate discussions. Especially one certain phrase stays in the centre of investigations: the text says, that "his majesty went into Sasenet's house and did to him what his majesty desired". The phrase "doing what one desires" is a common flowery phrase to describe sex. For this reason, some scholars are convinced that the papyrus reveals king Pepi's homosexual interests and his same-sex relationship with his general officer. But other scholars are instead convinced that the passage is merely an allegoric pun to religious texts, in which the sun god Râ visits the underworld god Osiris during the middle four hours of the night. Thus, king Pepi II would be taking the role of Râ and Sasenet would take the role of Osiris. The phrase "doing what one desires" would therefore be overrated and misinterpreted.[citation needed]
A prominent story in Egyptian mythology is a sexual assault on a younger god by an older rival god, Horus and Set. Allusions to this story first appear in the Pyramid Texts, from the Egyptian Old Kingdom, and continue to appear throughout Egyptian history. The two most complete versions of the story appear in the Kahun Papyri (from the Middle Kingdom period) and the Contendings of Horus and Set (New Kingdom period). The story indicates that the Egyptians viewed sexual penetration by another man as humiliating.
The Contendings of Horus and Set contains a nearly completely preserved story of the trial between Horus and Set to decide which one should hold the throne of Egypt. In one episode of the story, Set invites Horus to his house and plied him with alcohol. Later Set suggested they lay down in the bed. When lying together in one bed, Set attempts to penetrate Horus. Horus catches Set's semen with his hands and hides it. The next morning, Horus runs to his Mother, Isis, to tell her what happened. Isis chops off Horus's hands, and throws them in the river, then replaces them. She causes Horus to masturbate and use his semen to lubricate Set’s favorite food (Egyptian lettuce). Oblivious, Set eats the manipulated lettuce, and "ar[ises] pregnant with the seed of Horus." When Horus and Set return to the divine court, Set declares that he has performed the "work of a male" upon Horus. The divine court cries out and spits before Horus, but does not react negatively to Set, until it is revealed that Set's semen is in the river, where Isis threw the severed hands, while Horus's semen is inside of Set. Horus is then declared to be the victor of this encounter.
The passive role in this story is stigmatized, but the active role is not. There is no indication that Set's actions are motivated by desire. This is in contrast to the version preserved in the Kahun Papyri, where homosexual desire is indicated.
Hub AI
Homosexuality in ancient Egypt AI simulator
(@Homosexuality in ancient Egypt_simulator)
Homosexuality in ancient Egypt
Homosexuality in ancient Egypt is a disputed subject within Egyptology. Historians and egyptologists alike debate what kinds of views the ancient Egyptians' society fostered about homosexuality. Only a handful of direct clues survive, and many possible indications are vague and subject to speculation.
The best known case of possible homosexuality in ancient Egypt is that of the two high officials Nyankh-Khnum and Khnum-hotep. Both men lived and served under pharaoh Niuserre during the 5th Dynasty (c. 2494–2345 BC). Nyankh-Khnum and Khnum-hotep each had families of their own with children and wives, but when they died their families apparently decided to bury them together in the same mastaba tomb. In this mastaba, several paintings depict both men embracing each other and touching their faces nose-on-nose. These depictions leave plenty of room for speculation, because in ancient Egypt the nose-on-nose touching normally represented a kiss.
Egyptologists and historians disagree about how to interpret the paintings of Nyankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep. Some scholars believe that the paintings reflect an example of homosexuality between two married men and prove that the ancient Egyptians accepted same-sex relationships. Other scholars disagree and interpret the scenes as an evidence that Nyankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep were twins, or even possibly conjoined twins[citation needed]. No matter what interpretation is correct, the paintings show at the very least that Nyankh-khnum and Khnum-hotep must have been very close to each other in life as in death.
A well known story, dating back to the Middle Kingdom, tells about an anonymous citizen, who comes to the audience hall of king Pepi II (here named by his birth name, Neferkarê). The citizen wants to lament about an unnamed circumstance, but the king does not want to listen to the laments, so he orders his royal musicians to drown the stranger's speech with noise. Disappointed, the stranger leaves the palace. When this happens several times, he orders his friend, the high official Tjeti, to follow the king. The king in turn is frequently leaving the palace during the night. Tjeti finds out that king Pepi II keeps visiting his loyal general officer Sasenet for several hours, then returning home.
The chapter in which king Pepi II visits his loyal general officer is subject of passionate discussions. Especially one certain phrase stays in the centre of investigations: the text says, that "his majesty went into Sasenet's house and did to him what his majesty desired". The phrase "doing what one desires" is a common flowery phrase to describe sex. For this reason, some scholars are convinced that the papyrus reveals king Pepi's homosexual interests and his same-sex relationship with his general officer. But other scholars are instead convinced that the passage is merely an allegoric pun to religious texts, in which the sun god Râ visits the underworld god Osiris during the middle four hours of the night. Thus, king Pepi II would be taking the role of Râ and Sasenet would take the role of Osiris. The phrase "doing what one desires" would therefore be overrated and misinterpreted.[citation needed]
A prominent story in Egyptian mythology is a sexual assault on a younger god by an older rival god, Horus and Set. Allusions to this story first appear in the Pyramid Texts, from the Egyptian Old Kingdom, and continue to appear throughout Egyptian history. The two most complete versions of the story appear in the Kahun Papyri (from the Middle Kingdom period) and the Contendings of Horus and Set (New Kingdom period). The story indicates that the Egyptians viewed sexual penetration by another man as humiliating.
The Contendings of Horus and Set contains a nearly completely preserved story of the trial between Horus and Set to decide which one should hold the throne of Egypt. In one episode of the story, Set invites Horus to his house and plied him with alcohol. Later Set suggested they lay down in the bed. When lying together in one bed, Set attempts to penetrate Horus. Horus catches Set's semen with his hands and hides it. The next morning, Horus runs to his Mother, Isis, to tell her what happened. Isis chops off Horus's hands, and throws them in the river, then replaces them. She causes Horus to masturbate and use his semen to lubricate Set’s favorite food (Egyptian lettuce). Oblivious, Set eats the manipulated lettuce, and "ar[ises] pregnant with the seed of Horus." When Horus and Set return to the divine court, Set declares that he has performed the "work of a male" upon Horus. The divine court cries out and spits before Horus, but does not react negatively to Set, until it is revealed that Set's semen is in the river, where Isis threw the severed hands, while Horus's semen is inside of Set. Horus is then declared to be the victor of this encounter.
The passive role in this story is stigmatized, but the active role is not. There is no indication that Set's actions are motivated by desire. This is in contrast to the version preserved in the Kahun Papyri, where homosexual desire is indicated.
Recent media