The ENTIRE Story of Anubis Mummification God Explained History Podcast

His image, a jackal-headed, dark and mysterious figure, stimulates the imagination. Anubis is one of the symbols of Pharaonic Egypt. We will follow the history of his cult, which lasted for almost three thousand years, from the enigmatic beginnings of Egyptian civilization to late antiquity. During this entire time, this one of the oldest deities has never lost its popularity. Hello everyone, my name's Irena and welcome to my channel Ancient Scythe's Girl. I invite you to a podcast about the history of Ancient Egypt. Today I want to introduce you to one of the most famous Egyptian gods, Anubis. We will learn more about the cult of the dead and funerary rituals As with most commonly known Egyptian gods, we use his Greek name today. The Egyptians called him Inpu or Inpu or Anpu. Some scholars suggest that the verb Inp simply means the crouching one, which would be consistent with the earliest representations of the deity. Naturally, he was given many titles, such as Lord of the Sacred Land, he who is upon his sacred mountain, Master of Secrets, and finally Chief of the Westerners, Kenti Amentiu, God of the Dead. The all-powerful Anubis, son of Ra, the practical aspect of the salutary might of the sun god. Such roles were attributed to him by the theologians of the Pyramid Age. Everything changed with the fall of the Old Kingdom, when the great new religion of Osiris took over Egypt. Anubis had to give way to Osiris, the new god of the dead, and was simply thrown into the Osirian midst as his illegitimate son. But he remained the god of funeral rites and mummification, a silent performer, a reliable guardian and defender of Maat, the cosmic order, rarely showing initiative of his own. And this image of Anubis from the sacred funerary books of the Middle and New Kingdom has been imprinted in our consciousness. Anubis, the true friend of mankind, a god beloved by the Egyptians, who did not succumb to passions, did not punish cruelly, and served only as their protector in the greatest need, on the way of the dead through the afterlife, on their way to salvation, the pursuit of eternal life, the ultimate goal of ancient Egyptians, whose beliefs, unlike most other religions, did not stop at the faith in the immortality of the soul, but in their investigation they tried to follow the fate of the soul from the moment of death until salvation. He, Anubis, was always present on this complicated and long journey. Although revered by the early dynastic rulers residing in Abydos, Anubis was initially worshipped as the patron deity of Input, the 17th gnome of Upper Egypt, with its main center in Saka, known by the Greek name Kenopolis, the city of the dog, about 200 km south of present-day Cairo. Gnomes are a natural administrative division of ancient Egypt. Before unification, during the pre-dynastic period, they were independent city-states. The earliest possible representations of Anubis laying down include an ivory label bearing Serek, a predecessor of Kartush, belonging to King Aha, the second ruler of the first dynasty. Actually, originally, Anubis was the only deity that could be depicted at the entrances to the Mostabas. Other representations of early dynastic jackals, especially those standing, not lying on the sanctuary like Anubis, can equally well be attributed to other jackal gods such as Kentiamantu or Kentiamanti, chief of the Westerners, identified with Anubis or Osiris, a dog-headed deity worshipped in southern Egypt and Abydos. Wepwawet or Sed, early dynastic deity of war and funeral rites, most often shown as a white or greyish-haired wolf or jackal. Due to his similarity to Anubis, he is identified with him, considered his brother. In Abydos worshipped as the manifestation of Horus fighting with Sed to avenge the death of his father Osiris. Other canine god, Duamutef, guardian of the dead, one of the four sons of Horus, especially associated with the four canopic jars, containing internal organs removed from the body during mummification. Duamutef was most often depicted as a mummified figure with a jackal's head. His canopic jar protected the stomach of the deceased. Also the mysterious goddess Hereret, mentioned in the Book of Gates and the Book of the Dead, was depicted with the head of a wolf or a jackal. The difficulty in accurately distinguishing these deities from Anubis is the fact that all of them were associated with funeral ceremonies and their images are mostly found in tombs. It is highly probable that the predecessor of Anubis was the jackal as a spiritual being, totemically worshipped by the prehistoric pastoral peoples of Egypt. He was most likely associated with the cult of the dead. For more than three thousand years, despite the constant emergence of new religious, social and cultural changes, it was this primordial early dynastic image of the jackal-headed god that invariably accompanied the Egyptians. Anubis stood guard not only for their dead, but also for the national identity. In Egyptian iconographies' flexible and varied system of portraying their gods, the depictions of Anubis seem surprisingly consistent. A dog-headed man, walking or sitting on a throne, dressed like most gods in the typical clothing of the kings of the Old Kingdom, with a bull's tail hanging down the back of his kilt. He often holds ankh, key of life, and sometimes vasepter, straight staff with a forked end. Seated Anubis He is presented in animal form, lying down with head raised and alert, and with hanging tail. This classic image of Anubis vigilantly guarding is found in almost every tomb of the New Kingdom. It guards important burial chambers, passages and corridors in tombs. In my opinion, the most beautiful example of this popular motif is the statue from the tomb of Tutankhamun, the portable shrine of Anubis, life-sized, placed in a ceremonial chapel. The purpose of the figure is easy to guess by its location. Facing the burial chamber and backwards to the chapel were the canopic jars with Tutankhamun's mummified internal organs were placed. Perfectly preserved to our times, it's a masterpiece from the 14th century BC, carved from wood and subsequently layered in plaster, paint and black resin. The eyes are made of calcite, some details are gilded and silvered. The figure rests on the lid of a chest, covering a wooden portable shrine, that is embellished with gold leaf. This is one of the most famous treasures found in Tutankhamun's tomb. Anubis was very rarely shown in his non-dog form. Completely unique in pharaonic art, the image of the god as a man is in one of the chapels of the mortuary temple of Ramesses the Great in Abydos. Somewhat more often, Anubis was depicted with a falcon or a ram's head, for example, in the 19th dynasty tomb of Naktamon at Terelmedina. For years, many controversies have been raised about the identity of the divine animal, with its particular morphological features such as a slim body, pointed large ears and a fluffy tail. The golden jackal was considered, although most researchers are now leaning towards the Egyptian wolf, also known as the Egyptian jackal. The mummified animals sacrificed to Anubis are a variety of dogs, often domestic, so examining the remains is inconclusive. Perhaps the ancients didn't distinguish among species and all canids were sacrificed to Anubis? One thing is for sure. Packs of wild dogs still live in Egypt's desert areas, not far from homes and farms, on the margins of cultivation, often in ancient necropolises. The Egyptians buried their dead in their nearby parts of the desert and perhaps, just as we see today, they also noticed the connection between wild dogs and necropolises. As for the desert wolves, I experienced their presence during my few days stay in Luxor Habu. Every evening, at a certain time, the wolves from the nearby caves in the hills called with a loud howl to form a herd and hunt together the goats and donkeys of Habu village. This ritual has been As for the color of Anubis, most researchers agree. Black in Egyptian iconography is associated with funeral rituals and belief in the resurrection. Over time, all gnomes recognized Anubis as the most important deity of funeral rites and necropolises. His cult gained a national character. Although, for example, in Memphis, there was still a strong cult of the local deity Sokar, the falcon-headed guardian of the necropolis of the Egyptian capital, Saqqara. As it happens with the ancient gods of Egypt, it is difficult to determine the origins of Anubis, whom we know today mainly from the Osirian myths of the New Kingdom. The pyramid texts point to the cart-headed bastard or cow goddess Hesat as the mother of Anubis. According to the Old Kingdom tradition, his father was the god Ra himself. Even as late as in the Middle Kingdom, we read in the coffin text. Anubis, him who was in the middle of the mid heaven, fourth of the sons of Ra. Anubis was considered to be the consort of Anput, who was his female counterpart. She was shown with a jackal lying above her head. Their daughter was Kebehet, the serpent goddess who refreshes and purifies the pharaoh during mummification. She personified the embalming liquid. Anubis was believed to be responsible for the transformation of the soul of the deceased. With powerful spells, he turned the deceased into Akh, an effective soul form that could freely move through the afterlife as well as revisit the earth in any form. The ultimate goal of every believing Egyptian. The pyramid texts of the late Old Kingdom are, as we know, the oldest Egyptian religious texts. The earliest ones come from the 5th dynasty, Unas pyramid, 24th century BC, and the last ones from the first intermediate period. In these texts, Anubis appears 67 times. In the tombs of the Old Kingdom we find the texts of the offering formula, a prayer which asked the gods to provide offerings to the deceased. Recorded on false doors, they mainly referred to Anubis. He was asked to provide Ka of the deceased with commodities such as food, drink, clothing, the most important items that can be used in the afterlife. The offering formula from the pyramid of Titi, the first ruler of the 6th dynasty, reads The offering that Anubis, foremost of Westerners, will give you is thousands of bread, thousands of beer, thousands of ointment, thousands of linen, thousands of clothing, thousands of cattle. An older example of a formula from the 4th dynasty was found in the Mastaba in Giza. Offering, which the king gives, and the Anubis presiding over the divine booth, and buried in the western desert as a possessor of reverence before the great god, As you can see, the god of the dead Anubis was addressed directly as a link between the dead and the mourners. Anubis was entirely responsible for the realm of the dead. He not only decided who was allowed in, but also provided the dead with the necessary supplies. The Egyptians knew one thing, Anubis' favor was their only chance. So it became an element of their lives, which they considered a short episode on the way to eternity. In the pyramid texts, we learn about Anubis' powerful magic. He can make the deceased pharaoh a star and a morning god, so that the deceased can live day and night. In Pepi's first pyramid, the 6th dynasty pharaoh, we read, Anubis, foremost of the god's booth, has commanded that you descend as a star, as the morning god. The divine booth, quoted in the pyramid texts, may, according to some researchers, refer to prehistoric funeral rites, when the corpses of rulers were displayed in shepherds' tents before burial. Such rituals may be related to the original cult of the jackal, the proto-god of the dead. It is highly probable that the pyramid texts refer to the oldest Egyptian religious traditions. Anubis as a warrior in the fight against demons, through special spells and offerings, can be summoned by the king in times of danger, while traveling through the Duat. Already at the beginning of the 6th dynasty, there were great changes in Egyptian beliefs. The expansion of the cult of Osiris is, so to speak, the democratization of the sacred funerary texts. The pyramid texts were intended only for the pharaohs, while the coffin texts, as well as the book of the dead, enriched with new formulas, spells and richly illustrated, were available to every Egyptian, who obviously could afford such a decorated sarcophagus. Anubis appears 127 times in the coffin texts. Though he had lost the title of Kenti Amentiu, god of the dead, to Osiris, he was still addressed as a powerful guardian deity, lord of the coffin and the great embalmer. Anubis, he who is upon his mountain, who is in bandages, lord of the cemetery, assures a proper burial. In pre-dynastic times, the Egyptians buried their dead in the desert, in shallow pit graves, without coffins. The dead were covered with sand, which, on contact with the body, dried it and acted as a surprisingly effective preservative. Observation of this natural mummification process may have influenced their later beliefs in life after death, the condition of which was the survival of mortal remains. The early dynastic Egyptians began to bury their dead in coffins and graves covered with mud bricks, of course the richer ones, which resulted in faster decomposition of the bodies, because the desert sand no longer had direct contact with the corpses. Religiously motivated Egyptians therefore began experimenting with methods of artificial mummification. Already in the old kingdom, mummification was a common practice and perfection was achieved in the new kingdom. While mummification was not a necessary condition for salvation, the bodies of the dead could be irretrievably lost or, as for most people, mummification was simply too expensive, it was unquestionably desirable. A fine mummy, beautifully and solemnly adorned, convincingly symbolized the new life, deliberately stylized into a divine image. The poorest Egyptians, which was actually the majority, were thrown into the sacred Nile after death. They were also looked after by Anubis. In the books of the underworld they are described as human remains drifting in darkness, in Nun, the endless ancient cosmic waters. Ra, during his nocturnal journey in his sunbark, has his servants pull them out so that they can also cherish the afterlife. Throughout the history of ancient Egypt, Anubis was considered the god of mummification. He is the one who is in charge of the divine booth, the pavilion where part of the embalming process was carried out by his priests, the wet Indpu. In the pyramid of Pepi I we read. His entrails have been washed by Anubis, and Horus's service in Abydos, Osiris's purification, has been performed. It is at the end of the Old Kingdom that Osiris becomes the central figure, becoming the Kentiamentu, chief of the westerners, a title previously attributed to Anubis. The whole process of mummification lasted several days, of course the richer that could count on more attention devoted to their bodies. A text from a stelae dating back to the late period, 26th dynasty, describes the mummification of a priest named Santik. He was introduced into the good house and he spent 42 days under the hand of Anubis, lord of Tazosir. He was conducted in peace to the beautiful west, and his life in the necropolis is forever and ever. In the book of the dead we read. Anubis speaks, the embalmer, lord of divine hall, when he has placed his hands on the coffin and equipped him with what he needs. Hail, O beautiful of face, lord of vision, whom Ptah-Sokar has gathered together and whom Anubis has appraised! O beautiful of the face among the gods! Your right eye is the night-bark, your left eye is the day-bark, your eyebrows are ineart, the crown of your head is Anubis. Mummification is just the beginning of contact between the deceased and Anubis. Already in the pyramid texts Anubis is called the official of the judgment hall. He led the deceased into the hall of judgment, also called the hall of the two truths, before Osiris and 43 other gods. Earlier, during the old kingdom, it was Ra and the nine gods. According to the book of the dead, before entering into the hall of truth, Anubis requires the secret words from the deceased, so as to open the door to the hall. And the majesty of Anubis shall say unto me, Do you know the name of this door and can you say it? Khersek-shu is the name of this door. And the majesty Anubis shall say unto me, Do you know the name of the upper leaf and the name of the lower leaf? The deceased replies, Nep-mat-heri-ret-yuv is the name of the upper leaf and Nep-pehtit-kesu-men-met is the name of the lower leaf. To which Anubis responds, Pass on, because you have the knowledge. In the judgment hall there was a two-pan weighing scale on which the heart of the deceased was placed, the seed of his identity and memory. On the other pan was the feather of Mat, a symbol of truth, order and justice. The divine tribunal interrogated the deceased. Anubis, his current guardian, became a judge, personally verifying the results of weighing the heart. As the weight of sins tipped the scales, Anubis brought the scale in balance again, before each subsequent question of the tribunal. His presence at the judgment of Osiris soothed the mummified dead. It was widely believed that during mummification Anubis gained an intimate knowledge of the deceased and favored him during the trial. If the heart is heavier than the feather it will be eaten by Amid, a terrifying goddess with the body of a half-hippopotamus, half a lion and the head of a crocodile. It was a combination of the most dangerous animals in Egypt for people. In the pyramid texts of the old kingdom these functions were attributed to the moon god Khonsu, a devourer of the dead and hearts. The soul would go to the place of no existence, everlasting death, and the deceased was considered an enemy of Osiris. Interestingly, compared to the coffin texts or the pyramid texts, Anubis is rarely mentioned in the book of the dead. The surviving copies, however, give us many beautiful images of the god, such as Anubis kneeling by the scales from the papyrus of Ani, from the 13th century BC. But he appears a little more often in the so-called Osirian myths, the stories about an epic battle of Osiris with his brother Seth, his death, resurrection, and his son Horus' struggle for the father's throne is all well known. The book of the Greek historian and philosopher of the 1st century AD Plutarch, called Moralia, describes studied by him the Osirian myths. This is a unique source of knowledge about the birth of Anubis according to this religious tradition. They relate also that Isis, learning that Osiris in his love had consorted with her sister through ignorance in the belief that she was Isis, seeing the proof of this in the garland of Meliloth, which he had left with Nephthys, sought to find the child for the mother immediately after its birth had exposed it because of her fear of Typhon. Here Plutarch means Seth. And when the child had been found after great toll and trouble with the help of dogs which led Isis to it, it was brought up and became her guardian and attendant, receiving the name of Anubis. And it is said to protect the gods just as dogs protect men. Plutarch further writes, when Nephthys gave birth to Anubis, Isis treated the child as if it were her own. For Nephthys is that which is beneath the earth and invisible, Isis that which is above the earth and visible. And the circle which touches these, called the horizon, being common to both, has received the name Anubis, and is represented in form like a dog, for the dog can see with his eyes both by night and by day alike. And among Egyptians Anubis is thought to possess this faculty, which is similar to that which Hecata is thought to possess among the Greeks, for Anubis is a deity of the lower world, as well as a god of Olympus. Some are of the opinion that Anubis is Kronos. For this reason, inasmuch as he generates all things out of himself, and conceives all things within himself, he has gained the appellation of dog. There is therefore a certain mystery observed by those who revere Anubis. In ancient times the dog obtained the highest honors in Egypt, but when Cambyses had slain the Apis and cast him forth, nothing came near the body or ate it, only the dog, and thereby the dog lost his primacy and his place of honor above that of all the other animals. The most important role of Anubis is the mummification of the dismembered by Seth body of his father Osiris, who was to be the first mummy, and Anubis the first embalmer. Isis, who then revived Osiris, will be present in the yard in the scenes of the mummification of the dead as an assistant to Anubis. Among the Egyptians it was the eldest son of the deceased who was responsible for providing the funeral. Anubis assumed this duty by acting for Horus, although the latter was the legitimate son of Osiris, and Anubis, born of Osiris's adultery with Nephtys, Seth's wife, had no right to the throne. It is possible that he was considered the first son of Osiris. Canid masks were worn by priests during ceremonies dedicated to Anubis. A few of them have survived to our times, such as the one from the New Kingdom, the 19th dynasty. A wooden mask painted black. It has openings at the neck for the straps to adjust on the head, large eye holes, and an open mouth with visible teeth. We can admire it in the Paris Louvre. Another New Kingdom mask has glass eyes incorporated into it. There have also been preserved masks from the late and the Ptolemaic period, made from clay or cartonnage, layers of linen and papyrus. Besides mummification, priests wore such masks during the opening of the mouth ritual at a funeral, which was to provide the deceased with an access to their senses and basic life functions, such as breathing, speaking, seeing, eating, and drinking. Besides incantations, tools were needed to perform this ritual. The most characteristic arm-shaped axe, adze. It was touched to the eyes and mouth carved on the sarcophagus. During Hatshepsut's opening of the mouth ritual, Thutmose III recited the spells. I have opened your mouth, I have opened your two eyes, I have opened your mouth with the instrument of Anubis. In the Book of the Dead we read, Your mouth was ever closed, but I have restored thy mouth, also your teeth, O statue of the Osiris. I have separated your lips, O statue of Osiris. I have opened your mouth with the adze of Anubis, the thigh of iron, which opened the mouth of the gods. Even though Osiris replaced Anubis as the god of the dead, the latter was still irreplaceable as the god of funeral ceremonies, without whom Osiris would never have been resurrected and none of the dead had attained eternal life. The death of Akhenaten and the end of the Omana heresy is a partial return of the pharaohs to the roots, values and religious traditions of the old kingdom, hence the Ramassidic renaissance of the solar cult, but also Anubis himself is shown much more often. Ramesses the Great decorated his mortuary temple, known today as Ramassium, with monumental sphinxes in the shape of Anubis lying on a shrine, and in the tombs of the 19th and 20th dynasties Anubis is depicted everywhere. From the texts of the mortuary temple of Ramesses III in Medinet Habu, 20th dynasty, we learn that two days from the temple calendar were dedicated to Anubis. The festival of the navigation of Anubis, second month of winter, Thursday, was associated with the sacred practice of embalming the dead and funeral processions. During the festival of clothing Anubis, first month of summer, 10th day, the cult statue of the god was solemnly decorated. Anubis was a national deity, beloved and worshipped by all Egyptians, but the buildings dedicated to his cult have not survived our times. We know for sure that the temple of Anubis already existed in the Middle Kingdom in Assiut, called Lycopolis. We still don't know its exact location, it was probably near the local necropolis. Another temple of Anubis was at Lahoun in Fayoum, near the pyramid of Senusret II from the 12th dynasty. To our times have survived two shrines of Anubis in the mortuary temple of in western Thebes. In Saqqara, next to the pyramid of Titi, are the remains of the great temple of Anubis from the late period. Anubiion dates from the time of Ahmos II, 26th dynasty. It is amazing how few temples were erected to this popular god, but his cult flourished rather privately among the people beyond the temples, as well as in the graveyards of animals dedicated to him. Although animal cults existed in Egypt since pre-dynastic times, in the times of the 30th dynasty they grew to a previously unknown scale, when large necropolises with millions of mummified animals were created. With the decline and fall of the last native dynasty, the Egyptians sought to strengthen their Egyptian-ness and return to their roots and traditional values. Two canine catacombs dedicated to Anubis have been found in Saqqara. The northern catacombs are larger, with a 170-meter-long corridor, leading to as many as 49 30-meter-long individual tomb galleries. This underground labyrinth intersects several older necropolis tombs and dates back to the 5th or 4th century BC. Originally, the catacombs were supposed to contain as much as 8 million mummified dogs. Thousands of animals were sacrificed to Anubis every year. There were many canals around Memphis to supply the pilgrims. The dogs were sacrificed, hastily mummified and deposited in underground tunnels to act on behalf of the pilgrim in the afterlife and transmit prayers to Anubis. Of course, prophets went to the temple, and they were huge. The amounts of natrine, resins and oils needed to mummify animals on a massive scale had a significant impact on Egypt's economy. It is from these times, the late period, that the Jumiliac papyrus comes from. It includes the legends and religious traditions of the 17th and 18th gnomes. According to the authors, Priests is a copy of a much older document from the Old Kingdom. They describe the heroic adventures of Anubis and Horus in the neighboring gnomes of Upper Egypt dedicated to them. One of the legends explains the origin of the same priest's characteristic clothing. We learn from it that it was Anubis, not Horus, who killed Set, whose blood fell on the panther and changed its skin. To commemorate this momentous event, the priests started to wear leopard skins. Another of these legends tells how Anubis took from Set the boxes, which contained the two eyes of Horus, which Set had previously stolen. Anubis retrieved them in the form of a winged serpent armed with knives. Interestingly, in the legends written on papyrus, Anubis is sometimes called Horus Anubis. Their distinctions between their gods are blurring. Attempts to perpetuate a new cult based on ancient tales are clearly visible. Even during the Ptolemaic period, the cult of Anubis flourished. An unusually large number of small wooden or clay figures of Anubis from the Ptolemaic period have been found throughout Egypt. This is probably a reflection of the Greek custom of placing figurines of gods near household fires for protection and preventive purposes. Although foreign influences affected Ptolemaic Egypt, this does not negate their funerary functions. After death, such a figurine was placed in the graves of the owners. Also at that time, the cult of Anubis was enriched with a new role. The dog-headed deity was worshipped as a shepherd god, protector of herds, cows, and butchers. And then they returned to the tradition of the old kingdom, calling him the On the walls of the sanctuary of Horus Inetful, we read As you can see, another religious tradition, but the same, unchanging, Anubis. Priests wearing masks led processions of Isis, Navigum Isidis, during her spring festival. Isis in Greco-Roman Egypt grew as we know into the universal deity of creation, protector and mother goddess, and the image of Anubis accompanied this most popular cult in Egypt. During the Ptolemaic and Roman periods, Anubis developed unique characteristics. He was also revered outside Egypt as a mediator between the living and the dead. His worshippers were practicing secret magical rites. On sacred to the ancient Greeks, the island of Delos, was found the oldest confirmed example, from the 2nd century BC, of syncretism between Anubis and the Greek god Hermes, the herald of the gods, the god of travelers, merchants, and thieves. Above all, however, a guide of souls in the afterlife. Anubis Hermes, or as the Greeks called him Hermonubis, had his chapel in the famous Serapium of Alexandria, already in the time of the famous Cleopatra VII. Hermonubis was depicted as a man with a dog's head. He lost his appearance with an elongated, pointed snout, and became a doggie. He was dressed in a red Roman torga, or armor. In his hands he held a palm leaf symbolizing victory over death, and a caduceus, the traditional attribute of Hermes. Sometimes he was accompanied by serpents. He was also depicted with a human head, with the modius crown, a cylindrical headdress resembling a cup, making him easily confused with Serapis. Despite the religious persecution of Egyptian cults in Italy in the 1st century BC, Anubis achieved immense popularity in Rome as a figure inseparable from Isis, the most popular non-Roman goddess, whose temples were built in the remotest corners of the empire. Anubiati, or Anubis-bearers, priests wearing their gods' masks during their rites in honor of Isis, aroused great interest of the Romans, attracted by Egyptian mysticism. The cult of Anubis in the city of Rome was centered around a small double temple on Campus Martius, near the Pantheon, the Iseum Serapium, Temple of Isis and Serapis, of which no trace remains except for a few small obelisks standing today in various parts of the city. The Temple of Isis is famous for a story dating back to the 1st century AD, according to which a certain Decius Mondus, overcome with the lust for the patrician Paulina, wife of Saturninus, resorted to an act that caused a scandal in Rome. By bribing the priests, he made the lady believe that god Anubis had fallen in love with her and wished to meet her in the temple. Disguised as a god, Decius took advantage of her. However, this deception was discovered, word of it reached the imperial palace. Decius Mondus was exiled, the temple razed to the ground and the priests executed. However, the next emperor, Caligula, rebuilt the temple, which functioned until the 4th century, when the Christian emperors outlawed pagan cults. I hope you learned something new about Anubis today. Thank you for listening. Please let me know in the comments if you are interested in the history of ancient Egypt in the form of podcasts. Don't forget to like my video and subscribe to my channel. Goodbye and see you on the next one!