Ancient Egyptian Circumcision
& Modern Day Practices in Males
Little is known about the daily life of the Ancient Egyptians, but proof of circumcision abounds in temple reliefs. Early Egyptologists assumed that all Egyptian males were circumcised, but more recently both circumcised and uncircumcised penises have been found on the unwrapped mummies of pharaohs. Modern Egyptologists have pondered about just whom among the Egyptians were circumcised and why. An early Masonic historian, Godfrey Higgins ("Anacalypsis", London 1836), writes, "Priests only of the Egyptians were circumcised." Candidates for priesthood, and for circumcision, were usually chosen from among puberty-age, virgin boys. Quoting modern Masonic historian, Manly P. Hall ("Freemasonry of the Ancient Egyptians", Los Angeles 1936), "In ancient Egypt learning was regarded as a high privilege and education was under the direction of a small number of individuals who were organized into bonds, pledges and vows of secrecy....(a candidate) having applied at Heliopolis, was referred to the Learned of the Institution at Memphis, and these sent him to Thebes (where) he was circumcised."
Some historians have contended that the priests of Egypt were circumcised as a sacrifice, a forsaking of "sinful pleasures". However, the concept of sex as sin is not known to have been a part of the Egyptian religion. What is known is that the circumcised penis was a symbol of fertility, as can be seen in temple reliefs throughout Egypt. According to Egyptologist, E. A. Budge ('The Gods of the Egyptians'. Dover Publications), there was a very early God of Circumcision whose job was to maintain the fertility of the Nile banks. Another early Egyptian myth contended that God circumcised himself and the blood from his penis fell and created the universe. This myth is thought by some to be the progenitor of the blood cults, in which animals were sacrificed and the blood covenants in the modern Semitic religions. Another theory, quite unorthodox, holds that the Great Pyramid (Cheops) was not a tomb at all (it contained no artifacts, no mummies, etc.) but was a temple of initiation. The young initiates to the priesthood were, supposedly, led single file through the narrow passages receiving one initiatory degree after another and, reaching what is now called the "Queen's Chamber", they were circumcised and then proceeded up the Grand Gallery towards the "King's Chamber" and their final degree. The circumcised priests were the guardians of immortality; symbols of fertility and life everlasting.
Another interesting night on A&E. Tonight we visited the great temple at Karnak
which was built to honor the God, Ahmen, creator of the universe. It is said that he found
himself alone in the universe, so he masturbated himself and out spewed mankind. This was
covered in detail as were the daily rituals in which the statue of the God was masturbated
by the wife of God. Hand and female are apparently synonymous in Egyptian because of this.
Another God masturbated himself with his mouth (shown on many temple walls) and the
creator God, Ahmen, masturbated himself into his mothers mouth each night (representing
nightfall) and then was re-born of his own making each morning (sunrise).
Masturbation, pederism, public sex, complete body shaving, and ritual circumcision were
derigger for the Egyptians of the day.
The first evidence of more sophisticated surgical instruments comes from Egypt,
regarded by the later Greeks and Romans as the cradle of medicine. By the time of the
pyramid builders (around 2600 BC), the Egyptians were making copper surgical blades sharp
enough for simple operations, such as circumcision. Ancient Egyptian men were normally
circumcised sometime during later childhood; this custom being prevalent in Africa,
seems to have spread to the Jews, Arabs, and other Near Eastern people from the skilled
and talented Egyptians. More elaborate circumcision rituals were performed on the holy men
and royalty, as well as forced upon many slaves taken from conquered nations.
Their religion lasted longer than Christianity has even been in existence thus far. Of
course, eventually Egypt was overthrown and the Christians launched a bloody holy war to
stamp out the pagan worshipers. The thought all of this sex/kink, and the worship of such
was very bad in the Christians eyes. The Egyptians had no guilt for such things.
There is (in present day) an Egyptian pagan group called the Merrtiu-n-Amen who
circumcise all uncircumcised male members. The penises of circumcised men are pricked
during their initiation rites and the blood offered to Thesbu, the Egyptian god of
circumcision, who despises foreskins."
Herewith, as promised are two
more papers on circumcision in ancient Egypt. My conclusions, based on
practical observations, as well as these papers, is that circumcision was
universal in ancient Egypt. It was done routinely on boys aged 11/12
without any sanctions from their many gods. It was just the accepted
thing, and thy did not make any fuss about it.
Frank Elsby
Extracts from
LIFE IN ANCIENT EGYPT
By ADOLF
ERMAN
Director of the Egyptian Museum, Berlin.
First published in 1886. English Edition
edited by Helen Mary Tirard, 1894.
Published by Dover Publications Inc., 1971.
Chapter
II. The People of Egypt.
Circumcision
was also practised from early times by the Egyptians, yet probably they did not
attach so much importance to this curious custom as the Jews and Mohammedans.
It first became a religious token amongst the Jews, who zealously tried
to distinguish themselves in all ways from the surrounding heathen; had the
Egyptians also regarded it as a divine institution they would have mentioned it
more frequently.
Chapter
XX. War.
Description
of war with the Libyans. Reign of
Merenptah, 14th son of Ramses II, 1236 BC.
In fact, after a fight of six hours,
his troops succeeded in gaining a splendid victory, a victory so glorious that
Mar’eayu, the Libyan prince, did not await the issue, but fled from the field,
leaving behind his sandals and his quiver.
The whole camp, with all the treasure as well as all the family of the
prince, fell into the hands of the Egyptians.
The camp was burnt after being plundered by the soldiers; in it there
were found of metal vessels alone 3174, while 9376 captives completed the sum of
the spoil. In order to prove to the
people at home the number of the dead, they cut off certain portions of the
fallen, e.g. the hands in the case of the Aqayuasha, who practised circumcision,
they then laded the donkeys with this booty.
(Footnote: This is the only passage from which we gather that the
Egyptians attached any importance to their custom of circumcision.)
--------------------
Extract from
ANCIENT EGYPT: A SOCIAL HISTORY
Cambridge University Press,
1983.
Chapter 4. The Late Period, 664 – 323 BC.
By Alan B. Lloyd, Department of
Classics, University College of Swansea.
Thanks to Herodotus we are well
informed on the priests’ mode of life during the mid fifth century BC, and we
need not doubt that his comments held true for the entire period under
discussion. Not surprisingly, he
lays great stress on their obligation to maintain a high level of ritual purity:
they shaved their bodies every other day, had to be circumcised, wore
only linen garments and sandals of papyrus, and washed twice a day and twice a
night.
FE’s
comments.
This gives
the impression that it was only the priests who were circumcised.
Engravings, in the tombs, depicting everyday life show that ordinary men,
e.g. fishermen and agricultural workers, were circumcised as well.
This picture
of a carpenters’ shop making beds and headrests, dating from the old Kingdom
(c. 2686 – 2181 BC) is from Rosalie David’s book “The Egyptian
Kingdoms”, published in 1975 by
Elsevier Publishing Projects SA, Lausanne. I
have seen lots of pictures like this in the tombs and other publications.
Most of these tombs are off the usual tourist route, and photography is
not allowed anyway.
Statuettes of boys in the Egyptian Museum show
them as uncircumcised.
CIRCUMCISION PRACTICES BY THE NUBIANS OF UPPER EGYPT
"The Nubians of Upper Egypt are one of the most handsome people on Earth. Living in the same location long before the coming of the ancient Egyptians, repeatedly mentioned in the Bible, this extraordinary black race has lived in a state of timelessness, and gentleness, throughout the history of Egypt. Now converted Islam, they, never the less, live to themselves in their mud-hut villages much the way they did during the days of the Pharaohs. They are, according to some anthropologists, among the world's oldest circumcisers; practicing puberty age circumcision rites long before Moses and even before the circumcised priests of Egypt. "Meroe is the ancient Nubian capital, and my favorite guide there is Abdhul Akkabar, an exquisitely handsome Nubian whom I have known since he was 16. He is now 21. He sails his felucca ~Nile sailboat ~ off the steps of our hotel and his uncle, one of the chieftains of the nearby Nubian village, is the leader of the felucca fleet. His uncle's name is Boatman Mary and he has the biggest cock on the Nile, according to Abdhul's proud exclamation. Abdhul, like many felucca drivers, loves to sodomize male tourists on the floor of their boats. While being fucked is definitely not my bag, I learned to avoid the uncle's boat. Abdhul's penis, however is a wonder to behold; elegantly long and slender with the masterful Islamic circumcision that leaves just enough foreskin to keep the glans moist Abdul is the natural leader of his generation in his village; most of the boys are shy and unapproachable for conversation. Abdhul's handsome face, tall stature, and outgoing personality attract the attention of even the most jaded tourist. He invited me to his little mud hut, which he built himself once he was of a marriageable age (after his circumcision), and I found it to be cluttered with unused TV sets, radio transmitters, jewelry etc. which were gifts from 'appreciative' tour guides from all over Europe and America His boat was always busy "Abdhul had organized the boys of his village into a Nubian dance group and, whenever possible, I arranged for my tour groups to spend an evening watching the dances on one of Aswan's sand islands (called 'cataracts') in the Nile, under a sky so clear and dry that it can only be experienced the Sahara Desert. Once in 1974, during one of these spellbinding evenings, while my tourists sat on the sand around a huge bonfire watching intently as the boys danced and sang their ancient and haunting songs, the voice of a boy soprano suddenly split into the air like a thunderbolt. We watched with fascination as a tiny lad of about six sang his guttural, Arabic songs in one of the clearest voices we had ever heard. My tourists were staggered and talked about the boy on the boat journey back to the hotel "At breakfast the next morning I collected money from my tourists in payment of the evening's entertainment, and headed for Abdhul's village. I was supposed to pay the village elders. I found my way through the village and, with the help of a following of curious children, I found the elder's meeting hut. Abdhul was there waiting with a magnificent smile and into the hut I went. The elders were seated on the floor as I handed them the money. The boys were beginning to crowd around outside the door of the hut I congratulated them on their performance and then asked about the tiny guy with the huge voice. After much laughter and gracious thank yous' for my appreciation, suddenly with great confusion and chatter, the youngster with the great voice was ushered into the hut . . . with a smile and personality as big as his voice. I told him what a marvelous voice he had and, with that, he suddenly pushed down his pajamalike pants and displayed his penis (a sign of salutation for the welcome visitor) and it was, of course, uncircumcised. Seizing up an opportunity to play my favorite role of amateur anthropologist, I asked the elders at which age they circumcised their village boys. I was shocked when one elder grabbed the boy's penis and placed his other palm about an inch or two in front of it and said 'When it get this big!' After some discussion I determined that the little fellow had another three or four years before his puberty rites. Then I asked about the village's circumcision rites . . . and all hell broke out - confusion and chattering and everyone began to crowd into the tiny hut talking at once. Another a couple of minutes the way was cleared for a man to enter carrying what was obviously their circumcision tools. They held them up for me to scrutinize and were trying to explain how they were used.
The tools were a small stone ring which was worn with age and a filthy knife. I asked if that one set of tools was used to circumcise every male in the village ... before I got an answer, I was stunned by what I was observing. Every man in that hut, from the elders on down, was pulling at his erection under his gelaba (Egyptian caftan). I had long learned that men in that part of the world are uninhibited when they 'pull' at their penises in public; they seem to have no cultural taboo about it. Such 'pulling' is a sign of sexual excitation, consciously or unconsciously and is a convenient warning to the educated traveler. But this was something else ... pumping on full erections under the cloth, while discussing the circumcision rites of their tribe? And, such behavior coming from a tribe which has been performing circumcisions forever?
That night in my hotel room, gazing out at the brilliant starlight over the desert, I
thought about those village elders and their erections. I also thought about little
Ali-Baba and his pending circumcision. That night, while entering the day's events into my
journal, I couldn't stop thinking about those people in the hut probably among the most
natural people in the world, uncomplicated by the painful phobias of Western society but,
certainly with their own set of taboos. Did they really get off on circumcising their
boys?
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