Pandora, the Goddess who Unleashed both Hell and Hope upon Humanity

Ancient Origins

Most people are familiar with the creation of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis. But the story of mankind’s creation in Greek mythology is probably less well-known, and is arguably darker in tone when compared to Genesis. For a start, men and women were not created at the same time. Men existed before the coming of women, and degenerated over the ages. Moreover, the creation of the first woman, Pandora, was not a gift by the gods to man, but a punishment.

 In the Greek myth of creation, as recorded in the Greek poet Hesiod’s Works and Days (8th century BC), there were five ages. The first of these was the Golden Age, where men were immortals and dwelled on Olympus. They were made of gold, and lived like gods. When this age ended, the men became good spirits that watched over mortals. The next age was the Silver Age, where men were made of silver, and still dwelled on Olympus. They were, however, no longer immortal. The following two ages were the Bronze Age and Heroic Age. In the former, men were made of bronze, whilst in the latter, the Earth was populated by the heroes of Greek mythology. Both ages were brought to an end by constant wars. The last age, which is the present one, is the Iron Age, where men toil and suffer all their lives.

The Greek Gods of Olympus. ‘The Induction of Ganymede in Olympus’ by Charles Amédée Philippe van Loo (Wikimedia Commons)

As the myths in Hesiod’s works are not arranged entirely in chronological order, it is difficult to pin down in which age of mankind Pandora was created. The story of Pandora, however, is intricately linked with that of the titan Prometheus, whose tale begins at Mekone, and may perhaps be placed sometime after the Silver Age. It was at this place that Prometheus cut up an ox and divided it into two portions. The smaller portion contained the meat of the animal wrapped up in the ox’s stomach, whilst the larger one had the animal’s bones covered by a layer of glistening fat. Prometheus succeeded in tricking the gods, as they chose the bigger portion, whilst mankind was left with the edible meat.

Enraged by Prometheus’ trickery, Zeus withheld fire from man, so that they could not cook the meat. This prompted Prometheus to steal fire from the gods, resulting in his punishment by being bound in chains, and having an eagle eat his liver, which would grow back in the night. Prometheus was eventually freed by the hero Heracles. Zeus was not contented with punishing Prometheus alone, but decided to punish mankind as well.

‘Prometheus Carrying Fire’ by Jan Cossiers (Wikimedia Commons)

The Gift of Pandora
Zeus fashioned a maiden out of earth and water, and gave her a human voice and strength. Then the gods showered her with gifts. Athena taught her the crafts, Aphrodite bestowed on her “charm about her head” as well as “painful yearning and consuming obsession”, whereas Hermes gave her “a bitch’s mind and a knavish nature”. The maiden was then dressed and adorned by the gods. As the maiden was laden with numerous gifts from the gods, she was called Pandora, literally meaning “All gift”.

Pandora was indeed a sight to behold, though a dangerous one:

 Both immortal gods and mortal men were seized with wonder then they saw that precipitous trap, more than mankind can manage. For from her is descended the female sex, a great affliction to mortals as they dwell with their husbands – no fit partners for accursed Poverty, but only for Plenty.


Pandora was then sent by Hermes to Epimetheus, the brother of Prometheus, as a gift. Although Prometheus had warned his brother not to accept any gift from Zeus, Epimetheus had forgotten about the warning, and took Pandora as his wife.

Pandora was a beauty to behold and when he saw her, Epimetheus forgot all the warnings about accepting a gift from Zeus (Wikimedia Commons)

Pandora and the Forbidden Box
Zeus, pleased that his trap was working, gave Pandora a wedding gift of a beautiful box. (In Hesiod’s original version, the gift was actually a ‘pithos’ or jar. It was not until the 16th century, that the word was mistranslated to mean ‘box’.) There was just one very important condition. Pandora was forbidden from opening the jar/box.

Pandora was gifted with curiosity as much as the other attributes given to her by the gods, and her mind became consumed with thoughts about what was kept inside. She could not understand why Zeus would give her a wedding gift but not allow her to see it. Eventually, she could think of nothing else but opening the box and unlocking its secrets, just what Zeus had planned.

Pandora is overcome by temptation and curiosity. ‘Pandora and The Forbidden Box’ by Walter Crane. (Wikimedia Commons)

Pandora Opens the Box
Pandora could stand it no longer. When Epimetheus left the room, Pandora finally opened the box. Out poured a stream of ghostly creatures that consisted of disease, poverty, misery, sadness, death, and all the evils of the world. Pandora slammed the lid shut, but it was too late, the whole contents had escaped except for one small thing that lay at the bottom – Hope.

‘Pandora Opens the Box’ by Walter Crane (Wikimedia Commons)

Pandora released Hope and it fluttered from the box, touching the wounds created by the evil she had unleashed. Even today, hope still remains in humanity in the darkest of times. As the British poet Alexander Pope once famously wrote, “Hope springs eternal in the human breast”.

Featured image: ‘Pandora’ by John William Waterhouse, 1896. (Wikimedia Commons)

References
Atsma, A. J., 2011. Pandora. [Online] Available at: http://www.theoi.com/Heroine/Pandora.html

Gill, N. S., 2015. Pandora's Box. [Online] Available here. Hesiod, Theogony [West, M. L. (trans.), 1988. Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, Oxford: Oxford University Press.]

Hesiod, Works and Days [West, M. L. (trans.), 1988.

Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days, Oxford: Oxford University Press.]

www.greek-gods.info, 2014. Pandora, the first woman ever created. [Online] Available at: http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-heroes/pandora/ www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com, 2015.

 The myth of Pandora’s box. [Online] Available at: http://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/pandoras-box-myth/

By Ḏḥwty

Eight More Statues of the Ancient Egyptian Goddess Sekhmet Found in Luxor

Ancient Origins

Eight statues of the goddess Sekhmet have been discovered in the temple of Amenhotep III at Kôm El-Hettan on the west bank of the Nile. The black granite statues were found during excavations which are a part of the Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project led by Armenian Egyptologist Hourig Sourouzian.

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According to Ahram Online, the statues show Sekhmet with a with a tripartite wig and a long, tight-fitting dress. The tallest of the newly-discovered statues is 1.9 meters (6.2 ft.) tall. They are 0.5 meters (1.6 ft.) wide and about 1 meter (3.3 ft.) deep.

A statue of Sekhmet in situ. (Egypt Antiquities Ministry)

In ancient Egypt, Sekhmet was a solar deity and a warrior goddess who was very popular, especially during the New Kingdom Period. She was also a goddess of healing for Upper Egypt.
Egypt's Antiquities Ministry says that the statues are grouped in two main categories. The first group contains six statues which show the lion-headed goddess seated on a throne and holding a symbol of life in her right hand. Three of them are almost complete, one is just the upper part, and two others are lower parts.

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The second group contains two middle parts of statues which present the goddess standing – these are headless and without the lower parts. Nonetheless, it is still possible to recognize that the goddess is depicted holding a papyrus scepter in her left hand and a life symbol in her right.

A head and torso of one of the statues. (Egypt Antiquities Ministry)

Near the statues of Sekhmet, the team discovered the middle part of a statue of Amenhotep III wearing a jubilee cloak. It was carved of the same black granite.
The discovered statues are not that unique. During the previous seasons of works by the Colossi of Memnon and Amenhotep III Temple Conservation Project and other groups, many similar statues were discovered. Due to the orders by Amenhotep III, seven hundred statues of Sekhmet were placed on the west bank of the Nile.

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All the statues were surrounding the large peristyle court and the hypostyle hall of the vast temple, and each statue is a typical example of art from the times of the New Kingdom Period. The ones discovered recently will be cleaned, desalinated and documented, then put on display in the temple.
The Temple on Luxor’s west bank was the largest of the mortuary temples in the Theban area at the time of its construction. It covered the area of around 350,000 square meters (376,7369 sq. ft.) and could be the most expensive palace in the history of Egypt.
Amenhotep III is known as sort of the Louis XIV of Ancient Egypt. He was an important builder and founder of many impressive palaces and temples. He ruled in the 13th century BC and was one of the most important kings of the 18th dynasty. He was also the father of Akhenaten and grandfather of Tutankhamun. His reign was a time of prosperity for all the Kingdom.

Colossal granite head of Amenhotep III at the British Museum. (Public Domain)

The German-Armenian team led by Hourig Sourouzian made several important discoveries during the last few excavation seasons. In 2014, archaeologists unearthed two colossal statues of Amenhotep III - another two examples of the so-called Colossi of Memnon. The statues are similar to two other 3,400-year-old colossi twin statues of Amenhotep III, both of which present the pharaoh seated.
“The world until now knew two Memnon colossi, but from today it will know four colossi of Amenhotep III,” Hourig Sourouzian commented on her success to AFP.

Pharaoh Amenhotep III's Sitting Colossi of Memnon statues at Luxor, Egypt. (Than217/ CC BY 3.0)

The restored statues are 11.5 meters tall (37.7 ft.), 3.6 meters (11.8 ft.) wide, and weigh 250 tons. The archeologists told AFP that the original statues would have reached a height of 13.5 meters (44.3 ft.), but they are missing a double crown, which would have decorated the top of the pharaoh’s head in the past. The statues depict Amenhotep III wearing a royal pleated kilt that is held at the waist by a large belt.
Excavations in the Temple will continue.
Featured Image: Two of the statues of the goddess Sekhmet. Source: Egypt Antiquities Ministry
By Natalia Klimczak

Gem Engraved with Goddess' Image Found Near King Herod's Mausoleum

Owen Jarus
Live Science

This image shows the carnelian gem within the cavity of an iron ring that was found close to it. The gem has an engraving of the goddess Diana (or her Greek equivalent Artemis). Credit: Tal Rogovski View full size image

A translucent orange gem engraved with an image of a goddess of hunting has been found near a mausoleum built by Herod the Great, the king of Judea who ruled not long before the time of Jesus.
The carnelian gem shows the goddess Diana (or her Greek equivalent, Artemis) with a sumptuously detailed hairstyle and wearing a sleeveless dress, with a quiver behind her left shoulder and the end of a bow protruding from her right shoulder. Both Diana and Artemis were goddesses of hunting and childbirth.
An iron ring that may have held the gem was found nearby. Researchers say the ring and gem were likely worn by a Roman soldier who was stationed at the site long after Herod's death. The soldier could have used the gem to create seals, pressing it into soft material like clay or beeswax to create images of the goddess, the researchers said. [In Photos: The Controversial 'Tomb of Herod']
Herod, who lived from 73 B.C. to 4 B.C., ruled as king of Judea, with support from the Roman Empire. He constructed a palace complex known as the Herodium about 7.5 miles (12 kilometers) south of Jerusalem. In 2007, archaeologists discovered a hillside mausoleum at the Herodium that may have been the place where Herod was buried. (There is an ongoing debate about whether Herod was actually buried there.)
The ring was found in a garbage dump located above the mausoleum. The dump was used in a cleaning operation by Roman soldiers, who occupied the Herodium after crushing a rebellion in A.D. 71, said Shua Amorai-Stark, a professor at Kaye Academic College of Education in Beersheba, Israel, and Malka Hershkovitz, keeper of antiquities at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem.
Researchers cannot be certain that the ring and gem were worn by a Roman soldier, but the idea is bolstered by the fact that the goddess Diana was popular among Roman troops, and the ring itself is fairly large and would have fit an adult male's finger, the researchers said.
Diana "was one of the goddesses appreciated and favored by soldiers, whose power and protection was revered and sought by them," Amorai-Stark and Hershkovitz told Live Science in an email.

The gem within the ring cavity is shown at right. The gem itself is shown at bottom left, while the imprint of the gem is shown at top left.
Credit: Tal Rogovski

View full size image

The fact that the ring is made of iron also supports the idea that the gem belonged to a soldier, because at the time, most Roman troops could not wear gold rings.
"In the early Roman Empire, ownership of gold rings was restricted to the senatorial and equestrian orders," Amorai-Stark and Hershkovitz wrote, adding that iron rings have been found at other known Roman army sites. [Photos: Gladiators of the Roman Empire]
A goddess's power
The gem likely would have been attached to the iron ring. When the gem was pressed into a soft material, such as clay or beeswax, it left an engraving of the goddess Diana behind.
Gems like this were used throughout the Roman Empire, the researchers said. They could have been used for "sealing correspondence, or confirming wills and contracts of all kinds, as well as for the practical purpose of sealing parcels, purses and so forth," Amorai-Stark and Hershkovitz wrote in the email.
The image may also have had a special significance to its owner, especially if he was a soldier.
"Diana was also believed to protect one from evils of combat," wrote Amorai-Stark and Hershkovitz. "The owner of the gem/ring might have believed in its power to protect him from the evils of war, and war-affiliated hardships and wounds."

In this image, the engraved gem ring is shown at right, while its imprint is shown at left.
Credit: Tal Rogovski

View full size image

Making the gem
A carnelian gem like this one would have been expensive — an item that only people from a wealthy or middle-income background could afford, Amorai-Stark and Hershkovitz said.
Engraving the image of the goddess would have been a challenging job. The "majority of scholars (today) think that the Roman artisans of gems used [a] 'magnifying' glass to engrave the detailed gems with the help of drills," Amorai-Stark and Hershkovitz wrote in the email.
A lubricating powder made from a crushed hard stone would have been applied to the gem before the engraving was done. This powder allowed "fine engraving lines and details" to be added to the gem, while ensuring "that the drilling and the heat produced while engraving does not result in [the gem breaking]" Amorai-Stark and Hershkovitz wrote.
The discovery of the gem and iron ring was published recently in the first volume of the book "Herodium: Final Reports of the 1972-2010 Excavations Directed by Ehud Netzer" (Israel Exploration Society, 2015). Volume 1 focuses on the mausoleum.