Aa Nefer (Onouphis) was a devoted bull revered in divine rites taken in Erment (Hermonthis), south of Thebes. The animal was affiliated with the god Montu and with the BuchisUCHIS copper in cultic ceremonies and was sometimes addressed Onouphis. The Aa Nefer bull was chosen by priests for purity of breed, typical coloring, effectiveness, and mystical marks. The name Aa Neferis read as Beautiful in Appearance. In rituals, the bull was attired in a big cape, with a necklace and a peak. During the Assyrian and Persian periods of occupation (c. 671 and 525-404/343-332 B.C.E.), the devoted bulls of Egypt were sometimes destroyed by foreign rulers or reputable as religious symbols. Alexander III the Great, arriving in Egypt in 332 B.C.E., fixed the blessed bulls to the body politic temples after the Persian line of work. The Ptolemaic rulers (304-30 B.C.E.) pleased the show of the bulls as Theophanies of the Nile deities, following Alexanders exercise. The Romans, already familiar with such animals in the Mithraic cult, did not curb them when Egypt became a province of the empire in 30 B.C.E.
Recent Posts:
· Aahset
· Jackal in Ancient Egypt
· Al-Maadi
· Nagada (Naqada)
· Judgment Halls of Osiris
· Aakh
· Maat Hornefrure
· Judicial Papyrus of Turin
· Nakhsebasteru
· Aametju
· Joppa
· Maatkare I
· Nakht I
· The Capture of Joppa
· Aamu
· Maatkare II
· Julius Caesar
· Nakht II
· Jewelry in Ancient Egypt
Recent Posts:
· Aahset
· Jackal in Ancient Egypt
· Al-Maadi
· Nagada (Naqada)
· Judgment Halls of Osiris
· Aakh
· Maat Hornefrure
· Judicial Papyrus of Turin
· Nakhsebasteru
· Aametju
· Joppa
· Maatkare I
· Nakht I
· The Capture of Joppa
· Aamu
· Maatkare II
· Julius Caesar
· Nakht II
· Jewelry in Ancient Egypt