Medja
| Medja in hieroglyphics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Medja Mḏ3 |
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Medja (also Matoi, Madoi, Madai ) is an ancient Egyptian name for a region between the third and fourth Nile cataracts . The name Medja is derived from the naming of the inhabitants as "hunters".
The old tribal area included the places Kawa , Kerma , Tabo , Berg Barkal and Nuri . In Egyptian mythology , the land of Medja was considered a transit country for the ancient Egyptian deity Min of Koptos .
In a hymn from the time of the New Kingdom it is reported how Min descends over the mountains of Medja on his way back from Punt to bring fragrant incense with him.
Under Thutmose I , the Egyptian army moved south in several campaigns, which led to the annexation of Medja. The tribal name Medja later developed into a synonym for the ancient Egyptian name soldier or for the title of the Medjau units (Medjai).
literature
- Carsten Priebe: Gold and incense. Egyptian expeditions to Punt. Books on Demand, Norderstedt 2002, ISBN 3-8311-3903-2 , p. 37.
- Adolf Erman : The religion of the Egyptians. Becoming and passing away in four millennia. de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 1934, p. 73 (photomechanical reprint with an afterword by Eberhard Otto . de Gruyter, Berlin 1968).