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The metamorphosis of Bastet: a study of the changing iconography of the Feline Goddess Bastet
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2023
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| _version_ | 1867614138104020992 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Brand, Ilsebeth |
| author2 | Cornelius, Izak |
| author_browse | Brand, Ilsebeth Cornelius, Izak |
| author_facet | Cornelius, Izak Brand, Ilsebeth |
| author_sort | Brand, Ilsebeth |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/128655 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:47:16.314Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publishDateRange | 2023 |
| publishDateSort | 2023 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/128655 The metamorphosis of Bastet: a study of the changing iconography of the Feline Goddess Bastet Brand, Ilsebeth Cornelius, Izak Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Ancient Studies. Art, Egyptian Ancient Egypt Egypt -- Antiquities Bastet the Cat. (Mummified cat) Mummified cat UCTD Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2023. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The feline deity Bastet is best known for her depiction as a cat, or a woman with the head of a cat. In early depictions, Bastet, however, did not appear with the head of a cat, but rather with the head of a lioness. In Bastet’s earliest depictions, she is represented as a woman with the head of a lioness, and an uraeus on her forehead, while holding a sceptre in one hand and an ankh in the other hand. This depiction of Bastet is similar to the depiction of another feline deity, Sekhmet. Around 1000 B.C.E. Bastet’s iconography changed from a lioness-headed deity to a cat-headed deity. This study aims to investigate why there was a change in the iconography of Bastet. The similarities in the iconography of Bastet in her leonine form and Sekhmet will be investigated to determine whether it is possible to identify Bastet or Sekhmet in a depiction without an accompanying inscription, and thus distinguish the two goddesses from each other. Throughout this study, Panofsky’s iconographic method as revised by Bonfiglio (2016) will be applied to all statues and amulets. The corpus of this study will consist of forty-seven statues of varying size, material, and origin, and twenty-one amulets of varying size, material, and origin, depicting either Bastet or Sekhmet. The study concludes that Bastet’s iconography changed due to her pairing with Sekhmet, and a shift in power in Dynasty 22 to Libyan pharaohs who favoured the cult of Bastet. Although her iconography changed, she did not completely lose her lioness iconography, but rather could manifest as both a lioness and a cat after her transformation. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die kat-godin, Bastet, is veral bekend vir haar uitbeelding as ’n kat, of ’n vrou met die kop van ’n kat. In vroeë uitbeeldings was Bastet egter nie met die kop van ’n kat uitgebeeld nie, maar eerder met die kop van ’n leeuwyfie. In Bastet se vroegste uitbeeldings word sy uitgebeeld as ’n vrou met die kop van ’n leeuwyfie, ’n uraeus op haar voorkop, terwyl sy ’n septer in die een hand hou en ’n ankh in die ander hand hou. Hierdie uitbeelding van Bastet is baie soortgelyk aan die uitbeelding van ’n ander leeuwyfie godin, Sekhmet. Omstreeks 1000 v.C. het Bastet se ikonografie van ’n leeuwyfie-koppige godin na ’n kat-koppige godin verander. Hierdie studie het ten doel om te ondersoek hoekom daar ’n verandering in die ikonografie van Bastet was. Die ooreenkomste in die ikonografie van Bastet in haar leeuwyfie-vorm en Sekhmet sal ondersoek word om te bepaal of dit moontlik is om Bastet of Sekhmet in ’n uitbeelding te identifiseer sonder ’n gepaardgaande inskripsie, en sodoende die twee godinne van mekaar te onderskei. In hierdie studie sal Panofsky se ikonografiese metode soos hersien deur Bonfiglio (2016) op alle standbeelde en amulette toegepas word. Die korpus van hierdie studie sal bestaan uit 47 standbeelde van verskillende grootte, materiaal en oorsprong, en 21 amulette van verskillende grootte, materiaal en oorsprong, wat óf Bastet óf Sekhmet uitbeeld. Die studie kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat Bastet se ikonografie ’n verandering ondergaan het as gevolg van Bastet en Sekhmet wat verenig was, en ’n magsverskuiwing in Dinastie 22 na Libiese farao's wat die kultus van Bastet verkies het. Alhoewel haar ikonografie verander het, het sy nie haar leeuwyfie-ikonografie heeltemal verloor nie, maar kon haar eerder na haar transformasie as beide ’n leeuwyfie en ’n kat ten toon gestel het. Masters 2023-02-15T11:09:12Z 2023-10-26T13:38:16Z 2023-02-15T11:09:12Z 2023-10-26T13:38:16Z 2023-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/128655 en Stellenbosch University xlvi, 150 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Art, Egyptian Ancient Egypt Egypt -- Antiquities Bastet the Cat. (Mummified cat) Mummified cat UCTD Brand, Ilsebeth The metamorphosis of Bastet: a study of the changing iconography of the Feline Goddess Bastet |
| title | The metamorphosis of Bastet: a study of the changing iconography of the Feline Goddess Bastet |
| title_full | The metamorphosis of Bastet: a study of the changing iconography of the Feline Goddess Bastet |
| title_fullStr | The metamorphosis of Bastet: a study of the changing iconography of the Feline Goddess Bastet |
| title_full_unstemmed | The metamorphosis of Bastet: a study of the changing iconography of the Feline Goddess Bastet |
| title_short | The metamorphosis of Bastet: a study of the changing iconography of the Feline Goddess Bastet |
| title_sort | metamorphosis of bastet a study of the changing iconography of the feline goddess bastet |
| topic | Art, Egyptian Ancient Egypt Egypt -- Antiquities Bastet the Cat. (Mummified cat) Mummified cat UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/128655 |
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