Representations and hypostasis Like many deities of ancient Egypt it takes various forms, whether it be one of its aspects it has absorbed either by syncretism of ancient deities of the Memphis region. So - in the form of Ptah Patque - he is depicted as a dwarf, naked and deformed, whose popularity will continue to grow during the Late Period. Frequently associated with the god Bes , his worship would exceed the boundaries of the country and is exported all over the eastern Mediterranean. Thanks to the Phoenicians, we find figures of Ptah-Patque to Carthage.
Ptah is generally represented in the guise of a man with green skin, contained in a shroud him sticking to the skin, a beard and holding a scepter divine combining three powerful symbols of Egyptian mythology:
These three symbols indicate the three combined creative powers of the god power (wah), life (ankh) and stability (djed).
From the Old Kingdom , it absorbs quickly appearances of Seker and Tatenen ancient deities of the Memphis region. In the form of Sokar figured we find contained in its white shroud is hiracocphale or human-headed, wearing the crown Atef , an attribute of Osiris. As such, it embodies the god of the necropolis of Saqqara and other famous sites where the royal pyramids were built. Gradually he will train and with Osiris, a new deity that we will then appoint Ptah-Sokar-Osiris. Statues representing the human form or half-man half-falcon or just as it falcon will then systematically placed in tombs to accompany and protect the deceased in their journey to the West .
In the form of Tatenen , it is represented in young and vigorous man, wearing a crown with two tall feathers that frame the solar disk. It thus embodies the underground fire that Thunders and raises the earth. In this capacity, he is particularly revered by the metalworkers and blacksmiths, but it is also feared because he causes earthquakes and tremors of the earth's crust. Also in this form, Ptah is the master of the jubilee or Heb Sed , ceremony traditionally awarded on the first thirty years of the reign of Pharaoh.
If the god Ptah has been opposed to the sun god Ra or Aton at Amarna period, however, it embodies the divine essence which has fed the sun god to come into existence, that is to say to be born, according to the mythological texts Memphis. In the holy of holies of the temple of Memphis and its great sacred boat, he drove in procession to regularly traverse the area during major holidays, the god was also symbolized by two birds with human heads topped with solar disks, symbols of the souls of the god Ra : The Bau. They also identified the twin gods Shu and Tefnut and are associated with pillar djed Memphis .
Finally, Ptah is embodied in the sacred bull Apis. Often described as the herald of Ra, the sacred animal is the link with the god Ra from the New Kingdom. He received worship Memphis itself, probably at the heart of the great temple of Ptah , and his death was buried with full honors of a living god in the Serapeum Saqqara.
Ptah is also assimilated to the god Hephaestus by the Greeks and then to Vulcan by the Romans.
Development of religion
As the god of artisans, the cult of the god Ptah quickly spread throughout the Egypt. With the great royal projects of the Old Empire , its high priests were particularly in demand and work together with the vizier , filling in a sense the role of chief architect and master craftsmen responsible for the decoration of the royal funerary complexes.
At the New Empire the cult of the god will develop in different ways especially in Memphis , which is his homeland, but also to Thebes , where the royal tomb workers honored him because of his capacity as patron of craftsmen. For this reason, an oratory to Ptah who hears the prayers was built near the site of Deir el-Medina , the village where the workmen were stationed craftsmen. In Memphis this role of mediator with men was remarkably visible in the appearance of the enclosure that protected the shrines of the god. Large ears were carved on the walls and symbolized his role as God listens to men.
With the nineteenth dynasty , his cult is growing and it is one of four great gods of the empire of Ramses. It will therefore worship Pi-Ramses as master of jubilees and coronations.
With the Third Intermediate Period , the god returns to the center of the monarchy, the coronation of Pharaoh who again held in his temple. The Ptolemies maintain this tradition and the high priests of Ptah were now increasingly associated with the royal family. Some of them even marry princesses of blood, clearly indicating the prominent role they played in the Ptolemaic court.
Main places of worship of the god Ptah
Photos
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Notes
- This stele is preserved since its discovery in the British Museum
- That is to say for the Egyptian kingdom of the dead
- Cf J. Berlandini , Contribution to the study of the post-djed Memphis, p. 23-33, and pl. 1 A & pl. 2 A
Bibliography
See also
Origin and symbolic 
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