The Making of 'ntjw-myrrh Ointment in Ancient Egyptian Temples : A (Not So) Practical Guide

Vadas, Réka (2022) The Making of 'ntjw-myrrh Ointment in Ancient Egyptian Temples : A (Not So) Practical Guide. In: Aegyptus et Pannonia VIII. : Acta Symposii anno 2021. Magyar-Egyiptomi Baráti Társaság, Ókori Egyiptomi Bizottság, Budapest, pp. 247-254. ISBN 978-615-6571-02-1

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Abstract

’ntjw-myrrh was one of the most common aromatic substances used in ancient Egypt. In temple rituals, it was used in different consistencies, as an incense for purification and as an oil or ointment for anointing the statue of the deity. Before and after rituals, the substances were stored in the temple laboratories which were one of the several types of sacristies characteristic of the Graeco-Roman Period. The inscriptions on the walls of these chambers include several recipes, and the most complex of them all concerns the making of ’ntjw-ointment. Was this recipe a practical guide? Is there a clear structure hiding underneath the lengthy and complicated text? Could one make this ointment following the prescribed steps and methods? This article tries to answer some of these basic questions that must arise from the difficulties of understanding the hieroglyphic inscriptions, which were intended for only a small group of priests to ever see.

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