mound was associated with Egypt’s creation traditions.
Biga was also revered as a site of OSIRIS’s tomb. A temple
was erected on the island.
Bint-Anath (Batau’anth)(fl. 13th century B.C.E.) Ro-
yal woman of the Nineteenth Dynasty
She was the daughter of RAMESSES II (r. 1290–1224
B.C.E.) and Queen ISETNOFRET(1). Bint-Anath became
Ramesses II’s consort when Queen NEFERTARIand Iset-
nofret died or retired. She is depicted in ABU SIMBELon a
pillar in the main hall, offering a SISTRUMand flowers to
the goddess ANUKIS. Also called Bent-Anta, she was hon-
ored with a colossal statue in a temple at Ipu, near
Akhmin.
bird symbols The representation of divine powers
used by the ancient Egyptians in religious reliefs and cer-
emonies concerning certain deities. Bird THEOPHANIES
were honored throughout Egypt’s history. In some eras
the birds were mummified and revered in temples. The
ability of birds to fly gave them special significance for
the Egyptians because in that activity they reflected the
spiritual aspirations of the people and engendered many
funerary beliefs. The BA,the soul, was always depicted as
a winged being.
The hawk was the insignia for HORUSand RÉ, the fal-
con identified as Ré-Harakhte, Horus,MONTUand KHONS
(1). The IBISrepresented the god THOTH, and the GOOSE
symbolized GEB, known as the Great Cackler and in some
later eras was associated with AMUN. The swallow repre-
sented ISISand the owl was a hieroglyphic character. The
sparrow was an omen of bad tidings in some periods of
Egyptian history, and the sight of a dead bird, called a
zent,was considered a particularly ominous sign of disas-
ter by various groups.
Biridiya(fl. 14th centuryB.C.E.)Prince of Ar-Megiddo,
the Canaanite site on Mount Carmel
Biridiya was in power during the reign of AKHENATEN
(1353–1335 B.C.E.) and wrote to complain about the
withdrawal of Egyptian forces from his area. Ar-
Megiddo, which had been in Egyptian control since the
reign of TUTHMOSIS III, was apparently under siege as
Biridiya made his complaint. The prince’s communica-
tion, which was included in the ’AMARNA LETTERS,
demonstrates the chaos resulting from Akhenaten’s poli-
cies in the empire.
Bir Tarfawi This is a site in the LIBYAN DESERT, along
with Bir Sahara, where evidence was found concerning
the Prehistoric Period called Saharan Mousterian. This
dated to 80,000–150,000 years ago in the Egyptian Pale-
olithic Period. Side scrapers, points, and denticules were
discovered at Bir Tarfawi.
Biryawaza(fl. 14th century B.C.E.) Prince of Damascus
Biryawaza was on the throne of Damascus in the reign of
AKHENATEN (r. 1353–1335 B.C.E.), and his correspon-
dence is included in the ’AMARNA LETTERS. He wrote to
complain that the withdrawal of Egyptian troops would
leave him defenseless. The prince singles out an officer
named SHUTA, considered by some to be the father of
RAMESSES I(r. 1307–1306 B.C.E.).Bitter Lakes A region stretching from the Nile to the
WADI TIMULATin the Egyptian Delta, the lakes became
popular in the Late Period (712–332 B.C.E.) and in
the Ptolemaic Period (304–30 B.C.E.), when the CANAL
OF NECHO IIwas developed to connect the lakes to the
Red Sea.Biya This was the Egyptian word for the ancient Bee
Kings of the Delta region and Lower Egypt. The Bee King
was called “the honey man” in some eras. He was
depicted wearing a red basket crown called the deshret,
which was combined with the hedjet,or white war helmet
of Upper Egypt, when the two kingdoms were united, c.
3000 B.C.E.
See also CROWNS.Blemmyes ANubian (modern Sudanese) group that
served as mercenary warriors for Egypt, the Blemmyes
were associated with the famous MEDJAY troops. A
nomadic people, the Blemmyes served in military cam-
paigns and as capital police. During the Roman Period,
following the suicide of CLEOPATRA VII in 30 B.C.E.,
the Blemmyes took over KOPTOSand had to be removed
by Roman forces. The city was almost destroyed as
a result.board games These were a recreation popular in all
historical periods of ancient Egypt. The people of the
Nile Valley were delighted by all types of amusements or
diversions, and a variety of table games were played in
the palace and in humbler abodes. Mortuary reliefs in the
tombs of royalty and nobles depict personages engaged in
such games. FAIENCE and ivory inland boxes were
designed for the game of senetand were discovered in
tombs. These boxes were fashioned with 30 squares and
had places for position games, much like the modern
Parcheesi.
Senetand the game called tjauwere possibly of Asi-
atic origin. “Robbers,” another game, was played with
five or more pieces. The moves were determined by the
toss of knucklebones or by wooden or ivory wands. The
game boxes had drawers held in place by ivory pieces,
which were shaped like cones or spools. Another game,
“Serpent,” was played on a circular board with small
balls inscribed with the names of the early Egyptianboard games 71