#mysteries of osiris
The Mysteries of Osiris was the most important religious event of the year in ancient Egypt. It was celebrated in all major cities, including Thonis-HeracleionandCanopus, where even the Greeks who lived in those cities took part.
It reenacted the murder and revival of Osiris, Egyptian god of the underworld. Osiris was one of the most important and popular gods in ancient Egypt. All pharaohs were believed to descend from him, as living incarnations of Osiris’ son, Horus. Osiris presided over the tribunal of the underworld, offering the promise of life after death for the deceased who were ‘justified’ in the eyes of the gods. He was also associated with fertility and the annual regeneration of nature.
Osiris, his sister-wife Isis, and their son Horus formed a sacred family, worshipped across Egypt and beyond. They became increasingly popular during the first millennium BC. Annually, in every temple-city in Egypt, the god was celebrated in this most important religious festival.
The Mysteries of Osiris took place between the 12th and 30th of the month of Khoiak(mid-October to mid-November), when the Nile retreated, depositing fertile soil ready to be sown. Every year, two figures of Osiris were prepared by priests in the secrecy of the temple. One was made of soil and barley grains, and the other was made of expensive ingredients including ground semi-precious stones. These sacred figures were carried in procession to their final resting place at the end of the ritual celebrations.
For a long time, the Mysteries were known only from depictions in temples and ancient texts. However, recent astonishing underwater finds allow us to see ritual equipment and offerings associated with the Mysteries for the first time.
Discovered behind the shrine of Amun-Gereb in his temple at Thonis-Heracleion, this vat was used during the Mysteries of Osiris. On the first day of the Mysteries, the mummy-shaped figure of Osiris – made with a gold mould of two halves using soil, barley grains and water from the Nile – was deposited in a garden tank where it was carefully watered for eight days in a row, until it germinated.
This image shows a priest watering the germinating Osiris figure, in a depiction from the Temple of Philae.
Find out more about the Mysteries of Osiris in the BP exhibition Sunken cities: Egypt’s lost worlds (until 27 Nov 2016).
Experience the Festival of Osiris in our free late event on Friday 28 October. Enjoy themed food and drink, workshops and performances!
A statuette of Osiris and a model of a processional barge for the god, shown in their place of excavation at Thonis-Heracleion. Photo: Christoph Gerigk. © Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation.
Standing statue of Osiris. Medinet Habu (modern Luxor), 664–610 BC. On loan from Egyptian Museum, Cairo. Photo: Christoph Gerigk. © Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation.
Pink granite garden vat. Thonis-Heracleion, Egypt, Ptolemaic Period, 4th–2nd century BC. Maritime Museum of Alexandria. Photo: Christoph Gerigk. © Franck Goddio/Hilti Foundation.
