A photo from open sources
In the religious worldview of the ancient Egyptians played a huge role benben. This is a conical stone, scientists suggest extraterrestrial origin.
A photo from open sources
Benben stone was discovered in the Phoenix Temple. He was a symbol this bird, which was capable of resurrection and rebirth, and also personified the cyclical seasons. Scientists suggest that he once stood on a sacred column.
Usually in ancient Egyptian art the phoenix was depicted as gray heron. This was probably due to the fact that every year carries out flights. once there was such a belief: if phoenix appeared in Heliopolis, then a new cycle begins, or a new era. The Benben stone cult arose after the first appearance of the phoenix. The stone was probably regarded by the Egyptians as the “seed” of the cosmic birds, because the root “bin” means fertilization.
A photo from open sources
Modern Egyptologists adhere to the version that the stone had conical shape. In the earliest images of Benben stone, where on Phoenix sits there, it’s clear that the stone is not at all pyramidal form. The edges of the stone were rounded, so it looked more like cone. And later, the cone was replaced by a pyramidion.
Some of the iron meteorites at the entrance to the Earth’s atmosphere do not rotate, but retain their position. Their front part after the fall melts and shifts back. Because of this meteorite takes a conical shape. Examples include meteorites Morito and Willamette. In the Middle East, the cult of meteorites was very common. Take at least the holy Muslim Kaaba stone. The sanctuary of the god Al-Gabala existed in Emessa.
A photo from open sources
The sacred relic of this sanctuary was the black conical a rock. According to one of the chroniclers, the inhabitants of Emessa confirm that the stone literally fell from the sky. In the temple of Zeus-Hadad that near Emessa, there were several black conical stones. And in ancient Phrygia (now Turkey) a black stone in the temple the great goddess Cybele was introduced – the mother of all gods. And here it was believed that the stone again fell from the sky.
According to legend, there was a sacred hill in Heliopolis, with whose first sun rose. It was here that the ancient Egyptians sacred column. These were the times preceding the era pyramids, at the beginning of which the column was replaced by an even more sacred a relic – a stone of conical shape Benben. It was he who was the main subject in the ancient Egyptian cult, which in turn led in the construction of the pyramids.
A photo from open sources
It still remains a mystery what was at the very top Djoser pyramids. Scientists can only assume that it was replica of Benben stone. And it fits well with the symbolism of the era the pyramids. With complete confidence, Egyptologists can only say that on tops of real, stepless pyramids was pyramid-shaped stone – a pyramidion, which was called Benben.
In the Cairo Museum you can see several of these pyramidions. They are may testify to the theory that the pyramids played the role of not only burials.
Bird Pyramid Stones
