The research team of the Sikait project recently published the results in the American Journal of Archaeology
They identified a small traditional Egyptian temple that the Blemmies adapted to their own belief system after the 4th century.Scientists have named it the Temple of the Falcon and have found harpoons, cube-shaped statues , and a stele with indications related to religious activities.
The Blemmii are a nomadic Nubian tribe who spokeCushitic language, described by Roman historians. They lived around the 3rd century. BC e. - VI century. n. e. between the Nile and the Red Sea. In the 40s of the VI century. n. e. The Blemmian settlements near the southern borders of Egypt were conquered by the Nubian king Silko.
Although falcon burials for religious purposes have already been observed in the Nile Valley, as well as the worship of individual birds of this species, this is the first time researchers have discovered birds buried in the temple.Buried falcon eggs were also called unprecedented.
The Stele of the Falcon God and the Head; scale = 30 cm (K.Braulinskaya; picture O.Credit : American Journal of Archaeology (2022). DOI: 10.1086/720806
Elsewhere , researchers have found mummified decapitated falcons, but always only individuals, not groups.On the stele there is a curious inscription: "It is indecent to boil one's head here."This is not at all a dedication or a sign of gratitude, but a message that forbidsall visitors to boil the heads of animals inside the temple, which is considered a blasphemous activity.
The study authors note that “all theseelements indicate intense ritual activities combining Egyptian traditions and the rituals of the Blemmiya people. The discoveries expand archaeologists' knowledge of the semi-nomadic people who lived in the eastern desert during the decline of the Roman Empire.
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