Semasia
Semasia ( Festival of the Sign ) is a festival of the Nile that was introduced in Roman times and has been documented since the second century. The festival name Semasia is derived from the ancient Greek σημεῖον semeion "sign" and refers to the reaching of a certain level of the Nilometer during the flood of the Nile .
The festival was mostly celebrated at the beginning or the middle of August when the mythological semeion “22 cubits ” was reached , two to three weeks before the actual flood peak was reached. In view of the Nile flood summit, which was reached a short time later, exceeding the 22 ells mark usually meant a good harvest, although in rare cases too high a flood also caused destruction.
The motif of the Semasiafest was struck on coins, represented by a woman who sits on a galloping horse and in her role as a messenger rider announces the arrival of a good flood height. The mythological origin of the Samasia festival is probably based on the Sothis festival , which in ancient Egypt was also closely linked to the incoming Nile flood.
See also
literature
- Stephan Seidlmayer : Historic and modern Nile stands. Investigations into the level readings of the Nile from the early days to the present. Achet, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-9803-7308-8 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Wilhelm Gemoll , Karl Vretska, Heinz Kronasser: Greek-German school and hand dictionary. 9th edition, G. Freytag / Hölder-Pichler-Tempsky, Munich / Vienna 1965.