Ana(fl. 18th century B.C.E.) Royal woman of the Thir-
teenth Dynasty
She was a consort of SOBEKHOTEP III(r. c. 1745 B.C.E.).
Ana is listed in some records as the mother of Princesses
Ankhetitat and Fent-Ankhnet. The rulers and the con-
sorts of this dynasty remain obscure.
Anastasi Papyri This is a collection of Egyptian docu-
ments collected from various sources by the Swedish con-
sul to Egypt. This diplomat was on the Nile during the
time when extensive exploration was beginning in the
ruins of the ancient civilized areas. Some of the papyri
date to the Ramessid Period (1307–1070 B.C.E.) and con-
tain hymns to the god AMUNand accounts from that era
of Egyptian history.
Anath (Anat) A goddess of the Canaanites, patroness
of both love and war, Anath, always depicted as a beauti-
ful young woman and called “the Virgin,” was the sister
of the Semitic god Baal. Anath was honored as a goddess
of war and military campaigns and was adopted by
RAMESSES II(r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.) as one of his patrons. In
Egypt, Anath was portrayed nude, standing on a lion and
carrying flowers. In the Ptolemaic Period (304–30 B.C.E.)
Anath was merged with ASTARTE, assuming the name
Astargatis. In other eras she was given RESHEFand Baal as
consorts in rituals.
Anather(d. c. 1600 B.C.E.)Ruler of the Sixteenth Dynasty,
a lesser Hyksos line
His dynasty was contemporarywith the Great HYKSOSof
the Fifteenth Dynasty at AVARIS (c. 1640–1532 B.C.E.).
Anather was called “the Ruler of the Desert Lands.”
SCARABSbearing his name were found in the Delta region
and in southern Palestine.
Anatolians A people living in the lands now called
Turkey, the Anatolians built many ancient cities, including
Hacilar, which dates to 5400 B.C.E. By 2600 B.C.E., the
Anatolians were trading their metal wares across many
lands, probably going as far south as Egypt on trade tours.
ancestor cult letters Messages written on clay ves-
sels, strips of linen, or stelae and left in or near tombs,
these letters were of two types: friendly, or designed to
placate the dead to avoid hauntings. The first type of
letters inquired about life “in the West,” the land be-
yond the grave. They also asked for intercessions from
the deceased, who were requested to act as patrons
in legel procedures on earth or in the judgment
courts of the dead. The second asked the dead to rest in
peace.
Some ancestors addressed by the ancestor cult letters
were called the akh-iker-en-Ré, “the excellent spirit
(departed) of Ré.” Shrines were erected in households in
the New Kingdom Period (1550–1070 B.C.E.), and offer-
ings were made to the akh-iker-en-Ré.Some clay figures
of these spirits were used in later eras, and an industry
emerged for their manufacture. A cache of 17,000 such
figures was found in KARNAK.
See also ANCESTOR WORSHIP.ancestor worship A cultic tradition of Egypt, associ-
ated with the gods OSIRISand Ré, the dead ancestors were
called the akh-iker-en-Ré,“the excellent spirit (departed)
of Ré” and were the deceased parents of a nonroyal
family. In the New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.) such
worship ceremonies employed busts and stelae com-
memorating the akh-iker-en-Ré. Some 150 red effigies
made out of stone were found in DEIR EL-MEDINA, the arti-
san enclave near the VALLEY OF THE KINGS at Thebes.
Some 55 stelae were also recovered there. The akh-
iker-en-Rétraveled endlessly in the bark of Ré and were
sometimes portrayed as the rays of the sun in commemo-
ratives. Offerings and prayers were provided for these
ancestors at their tombs.Andjeti He was a very ancient deity of Egypt who was
absorbed into the cult of OSIRIS. A shepherd god origi-
nally, Andjeti’s symbol was the CROOK, called the AWET,
and used as a royal insignia of the pharaohs, along with
the flail.Andreas(fl. 3rd century B.C.E.)Medical official of the
Ptolemaic Period
He served as court physician to PTOLEMY IV PHILOMETOR
(r. 221–205 B.C.E.). Andreas was skilled in pharmaceuti-
cals and tried to direct the physicians of his era to divorce
themselves from the magical or superstitious traditions of
the past. He wrote books on the pharmaceuticals avail-
able and the effect of serpent bites, but these survive only
in fragmented forms.
See also MEDICINE.Anedjib See ’ADJIB.Anen(fl. 14th century B.C.E.)Priestly official of the
Eighteenth Dynasty
He served in the reign of AMENHOTEP III(r. 1391–1353
B.C.E.). Anen was the high priest of the temple of
HELIOPOLIS, now a suburb of modern Cairo, and the
brother of Queen TIYE(1). YUYAand TUYAwere his par-
ents. A statue of him in his priestly attire is in the Turin
Museum.Anfushi A necropolis on the Island of Pharos in
ALEXANDRIA, Egypt, the burials there date to the PtolemaicAnfushi 37