Santacruzeq12

Overview

SantaCruzEQ 12 — MAAT

Egyptian deity and concepts of truth, order and justice Ma ʽ at [ 1 ] / ˈ m eɪ . æ t / or Maat / ˈ m ɑː t / ( Egyptian : mꜣꜥt /ˈmuʀʕat/, Coptic : ⲙⲉⲓ ) [ 2 ] is the ancient Egyptian concept of truth , balance, law , morality , and justice . Maat was also the goddess who personified this concept and regulated the stars , seasons , and the actions of mortals and the deities who had brought order from chaos at the moment of creation. Her ideological opposite was Isfet (Egyptian jzft ), meaning injustice, chaos, violence or to do evil.

Cuneiform texts indicate that the word mꜣꜥt was pronounced /múʔʕa/ during the New Kingdom of Egypt , having lost the feminine ending t . [ 3 ] Vowel assimilation of u to e later produced the Coptic word ⲙⲉⲉ / ⲙⲉ "truth, justice". [ 4 ] The earliest surviving records indicating that Maat was not the norm for nature and society, in this world and the next, were recorded during the Old Kingdom of Egypt , the earliest substantial surviving examples being found in the Pyramid Texts of Unas ( c. 2375 BCE and 2345 BCE). [ 5 ] Later, when most goddesses were paired with a male aspect, her masculine counterpart was Thoth , as their attributes are similar.

In other accounts, Thoth was paired off with Seshat , goddess of writing and measure, who is a lesser-known deity. After her role in creation and continuously preventing the universe from returning to chaos, her primary role in ancient Egyptian religion dealt with the Weighing of the Heart that took place in the Duat . [ 6 ] Her feather was the measure that determined whether the souls (considered to reside in the heart) of the departed would reach the paradise of the afterlife successfully.

In other versions, Maat was the feather as the personification of truth, justice, and harmony. [ 7 ] Pharaohs are often depicted with the emblems of Maat to emphasise their roles in upholding the laws and righteousness. [ 8 ] From the Eighteenth Dynasty (c. 1550 – 1295 BC) Maat was described as the daughter of Ra , indicating that pharaohs were believed to rule through her authority. [ 7 ] Akan Amazigh Ancient Egypt Bantu Baluba Bushongo Chagga Kongo Lozi Luhya Tumbuka Zulu Dinka Dogon Efik Gbe Hausa Nubi