She was the most important woman in Egypt: the wife of a ruling king, and mother of the next one, the crown prince.
Neferefre (named Raneferef while crown prince) was Pharaoh during the Fifth Dynasty. While Neferefre was given a reign of some twenty years in Manetho's Epitome, this number is believed to be an overestimation of his true reign length, based on the completely unfinished state of his intended pyramid.
Its construction is believed to have been interrupted by the unexpected early death of the king.
Queen Khentakawess was honored even after her death. For a long while her tomb chapel was a focus for offerings and prayers to sustain her soul in the afterlife.
However this was also a time of change and eventually her tomb became neglected and disappeared under the sand.
Khentakawess was forgotten. Until now.
Czech experts have found her tomb at Abusir, and were amazed to see she is a queen we hadn't heard of before.
Khentakawess III was part of Egypt's 5th Dynasty during a time when religious devotion was turning away from the sun god Re (the previous five kings all had 'Re' in their names) and towards Osiris.
Although her tomb had been robbed in antiquity, the remaining inscriptions, as well as a clay seal found in the tomb, place her as the wife of King Neferefre, who began a pyramid at Abusir, and the mother of the little- known pharaoh Menkauhor.
This is a patchy time in the historic records, so this discovery helps fill in some gaps in the pharaonic family tree.
ON January 6th we celebrate the Minor Bacchanalia.
The lesser Festival of Dionysus is celebrated when the wine has reached fermentation. Traditionally a secret ceremony limited to women, but opened to men during Roman times.
It is the season in which Dionysus rules at Delphi and at Eleusis, though the full ceremonies of the Minor Bacchanalia were only performed once every two years.
Mythologically this is the occasion when the Titans lure and capture the child Dionysus, charming him with a mirror and toys. The Titans murder him, rend his limbs from his body and eat his flesh.
This is the first Wine festival and triumphal procession of the entourage of Dionysus whose arrival signals the Victory of Antinous over the forces of life and death as represented by the Archons.
TWO PRIESTSof Antinous at the Temple of the Blessed Boy in Rome had devoted their lives to the Good God and were getting on in years. As young men they had become priests together. Their love for each other was symbolized and enhanced by their love for Antinous. They had lived out their lives together at the great Temple of Rome under the most exalted Priest Nikias. Nikias of Rome was the author of a famous inscription in Greek which addresses Antinous as NEOS HERMES the "New Hermes" who conveys the deceased through the portals of death into transcendent light. A great Antinoo-Hermeticist, Nikias had taught them much about the triumph of Antinous over death. And now, as toothless old men, they were approaching the final stage of their earthly priesthood. Both men were frail and ill. They knew death was imminent. But they were unafraid, for they were confident that they would be re-united in death through the grace and love of the Most Great and Good God whom they had served so faithfully all their lives. But how exactly would that re-union occur? The ancient texts spoke of the Barque of Millions of Years sailing across the heavens towards the Star of Antinous. But that was the Egyptian imagery, and these priests were both Romans and had only ever served in the Antinous Temple of Rome.
The Rome Temple would of course place their death masks in niches in a special area of the temple dedicated to former priests. Incense and prayers would be offered to them. Would their shades inhabit those niches? Would Antinous welcome them in Hades, despite the fact that Antinous the Boy God had come from Bithynia in Asia Minor? Would their souls be reincarnated as some Eastern mystics believed? Would they hover between heaven and Earth or perhaps be consigned to spending part of the year in the underworld and part of it as lemurs roaming the Earth? They weren't afraid. But they were exceedingly curious to find out. Confidentially, they believed amongst themselves that they would sail with Antinous aboard the Boat of Millions of Years — a perpetual journey which would never end. But they weren't sure .... They had spent years perfecting their meditation skills and, without false modesty, they could claim to be masters at the art of trance vision travel. They both knew that the Egyptian hieroglyphs had told the truth in promising that Antinous speaks through dreams and visions. They also knew how to send psychic messages to each other, and had done so on many occasions.
So they made a deal. He who was the first to die would appear to the other in a dream and reveal what the afterlife was like. As accomplished as they were, they nonetheless knew that such astral communication must be as succinct and simple as possible. So they agreed that, if the afterlife was as they had envisioned it, the deceased would appear to his friend and utter the word TALITER meaning "exactly so" as they had expected it to be. And if it was not as they had imagined, the deceased would say ALITER meaning "different" from what they had expected. The fateful day came not long afterward, and the surviving priest lit incense and recited prayers before the niche mask of his beloved friend and fellow priest. That night, almost immediately after his head touched his pillow, his deceased friend appeared to him. He was no longer old and sick and frail. He was as young and handsome as the day they had entered the temple. And he was smiling and clearly very excited and seemed to have forgotten the agreed-upon words. "Taliter or aliter, which is it?" the sleeping priest asked his departed friend. The friend smiled bigger than ever and said:TOTALITER ALITER—"totally different"—and still beaming with joy, he turned and vanished into golden light.
AN Ancient Egyptian official designed his tomb in Western Thebes to be a magical replica of the legendary Tomb of Osiris where Isis raised Osiris from the dead, according to archaeologists. The long-forgotten tomb, discovered in 1887 but only recently documented and published by a team of Spanish and Italian experts, is unique in the Luxor/Thebes area for its remarkable design and a built-in statue of Osiris (visible a in niche on the far wall of the tomb in the photo above). It is located in the village of Sheikh al-Qurna ... site of many tombs of high-ranking officials and even one famous cache of royal mummies ... is radically different from most ordinary tombs. Most tombs in that area consist of a simple, long corridor with one or two chambers for funerary texts and a shaft down to a pit just large enough to accommodate a sarcophagus. Even the fabled Tomb of King Tutankhamun followed this basic design: long corridor, a couple of chambers and a sealed-off sarcophagus chamber.
But this extraordinary tomb has multiple levels and shafts and the layout conjures up visions of the resurrection deity Osiris. It is only the second such Osiris-design religious site known to exist in Egypt. It reminds archaeologists of the mysterious OSIREION in Abydos, not far from the city of ANTINOOPOLIS. The Abydos Osireion is thought to have been the symbolic resting place for the god Osiris and is known to have attracted multitudes of pilgrims in ancient times. This Theban tomb is centered around a statue of the god of the afterlife, Osiris. The emerald skinned deity is sitting in a central vaulted chapel facing a staircase with a 29.5-foot shaft in it.
The shaft (in the center of the diagram) connects to another chamber with a second shaft that goes down for 19.6 into two more chambers. The funerary chamber with the reliefs of demons holding knives is located west of the central chapel (on the left in the graphic rendering).
It's connected to a 23-foot shaft right in front to another empty room. At the bottom of the same shaft there are two rooms full of debris.
"It's unique because it embodies all the features of the mythical Tomb of Osiris," she said.
The tomb was initially catalogued by Philippe Virey in 1887. Later in the 20th century there were some attempts to draw a plan of the main structure. Tomb Kampp-327 however was never described and published.
Álvarez told EFE that her team will start revealing the chambers during the next archaeological campaign, in the autumn of 2015.
THE newly ordained priests of Antinous were busily overseeing the mummification of his body in the 72 days between his death in late October of the year 130 and early January of 131, many experts believe. Hadrian founded the city of Antinoopolis on the banks of the Nile where Antinous died and proclaimed the new religion. While the Emperor continued his tour of Egypt, the priests scurried to carry out his imperial commission. We do not know for certain what transpired with the remains of Antinous ... or whether they were ever retrieved from the Nile. Perhaps they were cremated. But perhaps the body was mummified. Using an Antinous Action Figure, we can demonstrate how it may have been done:
We prepared the body by cleansing it with wine. Then we removed the Intestines, Liver, Lungs and Stomach (placing them in Canopic Jars).
There is a incision mark down his left side to represents where he would have been cut open for the removal of these organs.
Next we removed the Brains with a hook through the nose (hence the black dot on his nostril).
The brains were thrown away because the Egyptians felt the heart was the seat of intelligence, not the brain.
We used a basting brush to cleanse him although a hair-dye or cosmetics brush is also applicable.
The red heart represents the fact that they left the heart in tact, later it will be used in the Weighing-of-the-heart ceremony.
In the back corner you see Anubis (the God of Embalming) present during this embalming.
We put him in Sea Salt which represents the Natron Salt that the priests would have used. (Himalayan Salt works just as well).
Then we let him sit in the salt for 40 minutes ... 1 minute for each day the priests would have left the body in the Natron Salt.
Next we wiped him down with spices of Cinnamon, Nutmeg and Allspice with olive oil.
Then the priests would have replaced the eyes with onions stuffed into the sockets.
Because the salt desiccated the body, then they stuffed the body with mud, sawdust, rags and chaff to make it appear nicely contoured.
Next we began the wrapping process. We used muslin and a mixture of flour and water (1 part to 3 parts) for the paste.
In ancient times, it took about 15 days to wrap the body and about 20 layers of linen bandages.
We put Amulets between the layers of Linen … a tiny scarab beetle and a miniature protective eye of Horus.
We allowed him to do a little drying before the final wrapping.
In ancient times the process took 72 days.
In the case of Antinous, this meant his mummy would have been ready for the final ceremonies on January 11th of 131 AD.
By that time Hadrian would have completed his tour of Egypt and would have returned to Antinoopolis for the "Opening of the Mouth Ceremony."
Afterwards, his tomb would have been sealed and the first priests of Antinous would have begun their sacred watch … and the establishment of the new religion.
No one knows the location of the Lost Tomb of Antinous.
MALE belly-dancing is making a comeback in Turkey, the birthplace of Antinous, where the neo-conservative policies of the nation's new President Tayyip Erdogan are encouraging a return to traditional values and customs ... such as male belly dancing. Traditionally, belly dancing was performed by boys and men in the old Ottoman Empire, since females were sequestered behind harem walls. But the tradition fell by the wayside as Turkey embraced Western values under Atatürk in the 20th Century. Now male belly-dancing is back in the "New Turkey." However, male belly dancers now dance with more masculine moves than in the Ottoman Empire, when they were expected to be effeminate.
These days, it is increasingly popular to go to a nightclub to see male belly dancers (in Turkish referred to as zennes, rakkas or koceks).
Ironically, the conservative, neo-Ottoman government has brought about the gradual yet steady increase in the popularity and availability of zennes across Turkey.
Now zennes are invited to dance at private gatherings — birthday parties, weddings, circumcision ceremonies, traditional henna nights (bridal showers) and even at get-togethers on the occasion of divorce.
There are those who celebrate their divorce with a bang, according to one bold male dancer called Tarik.
"I have performed in several homes with only females at bridal showers," Tarik said in an interview with Al Monitor newspaper.
"Even conservative families who may not allow go-go dancers or male strippers are comfortable with a zenne when grandma can also dance along," Tarik said.
"One young female told me, ‘I feel like I'm in the Ottoman palace when you dance.’ Belly dancing is our tradition, even the most prudish and stuck-up customers loosen up after 10 minutes with the music,” said Tarik.
Tarik has been dancing since he was 15 in big cities and towns of the Mediterranean, such as Kas, Fethiye and Bodrum.
He said, "Foreign tourists enjoy the nights the zennes perform, but I will be honest with you, it is the Turkish and Middle Eastern customers who sustain our art. They are the majority of our customers."
Traditionally, zennes used to be young.
In the days of the Ottoman Empire, boys at the age of 7 (mostly from non-Muslim families) started training and they performed until they could no longer hide their beards.
That is no longer an issue, Tarik said. "I can dance with a beard, as long as it is stylish. However, body hair is still a no-no."
Another male dancer, Ali Murat Sahiner, in his mid-30s, is open about his identity.
Sahiner, stage name Diva (left), has been dancing since 2000.
He has danced at the most prestigious nightclubs in Turkey, such as Al Jamal, Cahide and Zarifi. Diva is passionate about his art, and he is known to have inspired many young dancers.
"Initially, it was a secret but once I appeared on television, we could no longer hide it," Diva said. "My family was concerned, but now they understand this is my profession."
Diva, like many other dancers, has a website since he does not hide his identity or wear a veil during performances for fear of cameras.
Yet, belly dancing reaches far beyond the borders of Turkey. Indeed, the most famous belly dancer in Germany is a Turkish male dancer, Mehmet Sasmaz, who is better known by his stage name Zadiel.
Zadiel told Al-Monitor, "My family initially did not know. I took belly dancing classes on my own. Then once I went on stage, they found out."
Zadiel, who lives in Germany, added, "I earn about 500 euros (over $600) for 20 minutes on stage in Berlin. However, that is not all. I also travel to dance and teach."
Zadiel travels extensively as an instructor and was invited to take the stage at the renowned Sultans of Raqs show as well.
"The Internet has helped our profession," Zadiel said. "People who are curious get to watch it online and then they can contact our managers to book us for a party or attend one of our shows. It has made male dancers acceptable," he noted.
"As a male dancer, I believe I'm privileged because the supply of male dancers is low. It makes me all the more exotic and raises my marketability."
ONJanuary 1 theReligion of Antinousmarks the moment the Egyptians calledSEP TEPY, the moment of endings and origins, the moment that is not a moment and is every moment, the place that is no place and is every place. The God Janus, doubled-faced, observes the passage of the common year. Hadrian mourns the tragic death of his Beloved Antinous, who died in October of the year which has now passed.
The Prince of Flowers is dead, and the New God Antinous is rising, just as the STAR OF ANTINOUS will rise in the heavens during the year to come.
Hadrian's Beloved Antinous resides in SEP TEPY, the inner-most celestial sphere, where he is filled with the Semen of the First God which infuses him with godhood.
ANTINOUS THE GAY GOD emerges from that moment which is no/all moments and from that place which is no/all places, and he strides forth as one of the Imperishables of heaven.
The Religion of Antinous recognizes the common calendar and uses the date as a reckoning that pertains only to our place in time and a space within the earthly sphere.
We know that, though our bodies are of Earth, our spirit is of the Heavens, and through the conquest of Antinous over the 72 Archons our spirit is set free.
Father Janus opens the way for the passage of Antinous through the outer limit of the celestial sphere. Janus is the mouth of the serpent that bites its tail, and we observe that as the common year is born, so the liberation of Antinous from our cosmos nears completion, with only eleven heavenly spirits standing before him.
This is the Holy Day of The Gate, the tool of the priesthood of Religion of Antinous. We wash our sacred stones and seek new auguries for the year.
SHE was queen of Egypt in an age when the pyramids were new and gleaming bright in the sun.
