What was ptah the god of

The coronation of the Egyptian king typically took place in the temple of Ptah. In the Egyptian royal family, rituals and festivals were often held under the guidance and protection of Ptah. The Phoenicians spread his popularity in Carthage, where archaeologists have discovered several idols and images of Ptah. Ptah was a creator deity, but he was most famously acknowledged as the god of craftsmanship. By absorbing the traits and characteristics of other gods, Ptah was able to continue his worship and legacy.

Ptah was also thought to be a deity of the people and a god who listens to prayers. Tags: Egyptian Symbols. Affiliate Disclosures. Ptah was a creator deity and the god of craftsmen and architects. Ptah was identified with Hephaestus in Greek mythology. Save Saved Removed 0. Next Nekhbet - Egyptian Goddess of Childbirth.

Related Articles. He also acted as a god of craftsmen and skilled laborers. In fact, many kings were crowned in his Memphite temple. Allen, James, San Antonio: Yale Egyptological Studies.

Velde, Herman te, A closer look at his many epithets reveals a more intriguing picture. Unlike most Egyptian creator gods, Ptah himself is uncreated, having existed before anyone or anything. He willed the world into existence with the power of his mind, like a great conjuror of celestial proportions. In Memphite texts, the present tense is used, indicating the ongoing act of sustaining life. Outside of his home city of Memphis, creation was attributed to other gods.

Yet Ptah was seen as the ultimate source of the world — and the gods — in Heliopolis. Here Atum, after being thought into being by Ptah, used other components left by his creator to fashion the world and everything in it. Thus, much of Lower Egypt recognized Ptah as the great origin of all things.

Extending from his creative powers, the god Ptah was seen as a patron of all forms of craftsmen , including carpenters, shipbuilders, potters, metalworkers, and the impressive Egyptian sculptors. The head of Ptah in the image above, dating to roughly the 8 th century BC, is barely over half an inch tall, beard included. It is certainly not lacking in detail, however! The ancient Egyptians were highly skilled in art and architecture and were masters of stone-working. Projects big or small were conducted with great care and were believed to be under the guidance of the great god Ptah.

The Giza Plateau, which houses the great pyramids , is located just outside the ancient city of Memphis and well within the influence of Ptah. Additionally, the earlier step pyramid of Djoser was constructed under direction from the famed architect Imhotep, who is said to have been the son of the ancient god. Not only was this ancient Egyptian god depicted as a mummified man with green skin, but he also was the only god to be consistently portrayed with a straight beard , as opposed to a curved one.

His unnatural skin tone was typically associated with growth and rebirth among the Egyptian pantheon, due to the color of vegetation. It is for this reason he is also known as a god of the earth. In Ancient Egypt the cosmic order consisted of the natural order and the political order. The first five deities, Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, and Nut, were the divine forces that created the elements of nature.

Osiris, Isis, Seth, and Nephthys are correlated with political order, which was considered equally important at the time. Similarly to cities of today, each city of Ancient Egypt had its own theories and own way of doing things. People took incredible pride in their deities.

In Memphis, they claimed Ptah was married to Sekhmet, a local goddess, but elsewhere he was known as the husband of Wadjet.

He was the father of Nefertum and Maahes, and Sekhmet was their mother. He also adopted Imhotep, the first known architect, engineer and physician in history, who was a human. Imhotep was given divine status after his death. Ptah had no parents; since he was the creator, he came first. Sekhmet is also one of the oldest and most powerful deities. She is a lioness, the daughter of the sun dod Ra, and is known as the goddess of the sun and war. She also represents destruction, plagues and healing.

She was a protector of the pharaoh of Upper Egypt during war, and the patron goddess of healers. The son of the lioness and the creator, Nefertum, was born from a blue lotus bud that was floating in the water at the very beginning of creation.

He represents the sunrise, and it is said he created mankind from his tears.