Bastet Goddess at The Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Paris

myminifactory

Bastet was a powerful goddess in ancient Egyptian religion, worshipped as far back as the Second Dynasty (2890 BC). As Bast, she was the fierce warrior goddess of Lower Egypt, the Nile River delta region, before the unification of ancient Egypt's cultures. Her name is also spelled Baast, Ubaste, and Baset. In Upper Egypt, Sekhmet was a parallel warrior lioness deity to Bast. Often similar deities merged into one with unification, but that didn't happen with these strong-rooted goddesses. Instead, they began to diverge. During the Twenty-Second Dynasty (c. 945–715 BC), Bast transformed from a fierce lioness warrior deity into a major protector deity represented as a cat. Bastet is the name associated with this later identity and is commonly used by scholars today to refer to this powerful deity. During later dynasties, Bast was assigned a lesser role in the pantheon bearing the name Bastet, but she still retained her importance. Thebes became the capital of Ancient Egypt during the 18th Dynasty, and as they rose to great power, the priests of the temple of Amun advanced the stature of their titular deity and shifted the relative stature of others in the Egyptian pantheon. The priests began referring to Bast with the added suffix "et," becoming very familiar to researchers. By the 22nd dynasty, this transition had occurred across all regions. She was a fierce protector against contagious diseases and evil spirits. She is also known as The Eye of Ra. This object is part of "Scan The World." Scan the World is a non-profit initiative launched by MyMiniFactory to create a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks, and landmarks from around the world for free public access. Scan the World is an open-source community effort where interesting items can be contributed. If you have unique objects around you and want to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to learn how to help.