Wednesday, November 6, 2024

SearchResearch Challenge (11/6/24): How long did they last?

Traditions die hard. 

P/C David McEachan, from Pexels.com


P/C Bera Yannick, from Pexels.com

But it's clear that some traditions can last a long, long, long time.  But how long?

I remember reading that ancient Egyptians would bring offerings of food, drink, clothing, and ointments to their departed leaders (as seen above). This ritual would happen daily when priests would attend to the tomb and make sure that those who have passed on would have sufficient food and goods to make it through the afterlife. 

Since pyramids (and smaller mastabas) were intended to last forever, one has to wonder, how long did people keep bringing offerings to the tombs?  

As we know, the "forever" thing didn't quite work out.  The Great Pyramid of Giza was built as the tomb of pharaoh Khufu, who ruled during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom. Built around 2600 BCE over a period of about 26 years, it was apparently plundered by 1570 BCE.  That leaves the obvious question--were priests and family members STILL making offerings? 

Wondering about this leads to today's Challenge: 

1. After the Pharaoh's death, how many years did people keep bringing offerings to the pyramids?  Was it just a few years and then they gave up?  How long did the offerings keep coming?

2. A related question: How were the people who were the bringers-of-offerings organized?  Was there a central church organization or division of the government that handled such long-lasting affairs?  What were these organizations called?

I'll show you my work next week, but in the meantime, do let us know how you did your research!  We all want to learn the methods you used to get to the answer.  


Keep searching!  




8 comments:

  1. "Search Labs | AI Overview" gives a good answer right away for cut-and-paste of 1, and slight rewording of 2.

    ReplyDelete
  2. https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Ol0vcWgAAAAJ&hl=en

    ReplyDelete
  3. in the realm of Unanticipated Consequences?…
    https://luxurylaunches.com/transport/andy-warhol-sculpture-discarded-on-superyacht-1102024.php
    https://philamuseum.org/collection/object/89204
    https://luxurylaunches.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/jean-michel-basquiats-untitled-skull-painting-5-770x433.jpg
    ?
    https://sugoimart.com/cdn/shop/products/0061_cornflake.jpg?v=1636439134&width=720
    or
    https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71C5N09dTJL._SL1500_.jpg

    ReplyDelete
  4. apparently the offering practices continue to current times:
    (fwiw, I would have thought the pharaohs were double patty people… ;^P )
    https://i0.wp.com/farm5.static.flickr.com/4018/5151639702_c4716b2855.jpg
    see "Role of food in preparation for the afterlife"
    https://journalofethnicfoods.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42779-023-00177-4

    ReplyDelete
  5. traditions morph…
    [kosha in Tewa]
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pueblo_clown
    https://www.denverartmuseum.org/en/edu/object/things-i-have-do-maintain-myself
    https://www.roxanneswentzell.net/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. a stub of sorts —
      "Traditions are often presumed to be ancient, unalterable, and deeply important, though they may sometimes be much less "natural" than is presumed. It is presumed that at least two transmissions over three generations are required for a practice, belief or object to be seen as traditional."
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tradition
      https://medium.com/write-a-catalyst/when-we-say-goodbye-to-traditions-what-do-we-lose-0db02eb4377c
      https://www.iowapbs.org/iowapathways/mypath/2509/traditions-change-over-time
      https://wander-lush.org/food-culture-unesco/
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_history
      https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/161357400/foodways
      https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/posts/how-a-culture-dies-4f85223b-3d9c-4ad5-bb30-fdd11878efec
      https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/last-of-their-kind/

      Delete
  6. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C6&q=ancient+egyptian++food+bearers+afterlife&btnG=

    Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt - John H. Taylor :
    https://books.google.com/books?id=f4eRywSWJzAC&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PA7&dq=ancient+egyptian++food+bearers+afterlife&hl=en#v=onepage&q=ancient%20egyptian%20%20food%20bearers%20afterlife&f=false

    from:
    https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C6&q=ancient+egyptian++food+bearers+afterlife&btnG=

    "grave goods"
    https://journalofethnicfoods.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42779-023-00177-4
    from:
    https://www.google.com/search?q=are+the+ancient+egyptian+roality+dead+still+being+served+food+and+drink+nowdays&rlz=1CAACAC_enUS1032&oq=are+the+ancient+egyptian+roality+dead+still+being+served+food+and+drink+nowdays&aqs=chrome..69i57.49109j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

    anecdotal -
    could be a recent example of food bearing @ Giza (burial chamber access was limited)
    https://i.imgur.com/2phQemS.jpeg

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Egyptian_deities

    Thoth - god of search & patron of scribes like Dr. Dan…? the dynasties collapsed due to a shortage of charging stations &
    lack of mobile devices
    "Thoth was the ancient Egyptian Keeper of the Mysteries. He was the god of the moon, sacred texts, mathematics, the sciences, magic, messenger and recorder of the deities, master of knowledge, and patron of scribes."
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thoth
    "It's also important to note that the materials used in the construction of the pyramids, such as granite and limestone, are not conductive enough to transmit energy. While the pyramids may have been used for spiritual and religious purposes, there is no evidence to support the claim that they were energy generators."
    https://medium.com/@yeasinarifin/nikola-teslas-research-on-pyramids-separating-fact-from-fiction-ec3e546bb33
    http://www.impacttectonics.org/Archeology/Giza/
    https://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/ben-carson-among-the-pyramids

    ReplyDelete
  7. looks current day…
    https://i.imgur.com/XPqAB1z.jpeg

    ReplyDelete