Earliest Semitic Text Revealed In Egyptian Pyramid Inscription

Here is the link from sciencedaily.com: Earliest Semitic Text Revealed In Egyptian Pyramid Inscription.

The spell from the Egyptian pyramid text states in a Semitic language, but written in hieroglyphics: "Mother snake, mother snake says mucus-mucus." It dates from the third millenium BCE, say 3000-2500 BCE. It was "inscribed on the subterranean walls of the pyramid of King Unas at Saqqara in Egypt. The pyramid dates from the 24th century B.C.E." (This pyramid contains many old sacred texts.)

Very interesting, not only because this is the oldest inscription, but the content is facinating: "Egyptians viewed their culture as far superior to that of their neighbors, their morbid fear of snakes made them open to the borrowing of Semitic magic."

What I find facinating to think about is that the snake itself is a key player in the first chapter of Genesis. There the snake lets Adam and Eve fall into sin. You should know this, as the beginning of Genesis is one of the greatest stories ever written. So snakes are important in semetic magic/lore, and they stand for evil. In it's symbolic usage, the term Serpent (wikipedia link) is used.

I'm just speculating wildly here (while drinking beer, so you have been warned;), but when when a spell, at that time, was written in the divine hieroglyps, but the actual language was some inferior proto-semetic language, it says something. I don't know exactly what, it could simply be that proto-semetic at that time had not developed an alphabet.

I did not realise the importance of the snake in semitic magic, but it might well have been their most distinctive power animal in that age. That the serpent is female should also give some food for thought. The serpent is linked with herbal magic and wisdom, which in turn, is usually attributed to female magic (minoan snake-goddess, and witches in mideval times).

Going back much further, it's that same old male/female split that has been going on for as long as humans walk this earth. Male/Hunter magic can be described as aminal magic, and female/gatherer magic as plant magic. It's basically awareness magic vs. knowledge magic. Obviously the awareness/hunter aspect is the dominant power in groups, for example the natural importance of men in leadership of groups in times of crises. Combined with the unhealty aspect of bravery, it is easy to see why wisdom falls into the female hands.

Let's not forget that the hunter-gatherer ways where probably already lost for some 3000 years, in egypt at least, to agriculture. The hard labor on the field was for the physically strong men, but farming is very boring for a hunter spirit. Awareness lost its common base, and declined into the hands of centralized priests only. Their power increased dramatically.

Power, up-scaling civilizations, centralization, war and trade became much more important. It surprises me that polytheism lasted as long as it did.