Honey
The sweet, sticky substance of honey was long adored by the ancient Egyptians, both as a sweetener for their foods, but as a medicine as well. It’s importance is obvious from the first dynasty onward. It was in the first dynasty that the title of “Sealer of the Honey” was bestowed upon a favorite of the pharaoh’s. A title of the pharaoh was also Bee King. The bee was further honored by the sanctuary in which Osiris was worshipped being named Hwt bjt, Mansion of the Bee. Furthermore, honey, honeycombs and bees were prominent throughout ancient Egyptian art (www.reshafim.org).
Hives were constructed, mostly out of unbaked clay or something similar. Representations of hives include cylindrical hives stacked one atop the other up to eight high. Horizontal hives were also depicted on tomb walls. While the hives and the bees themselves were often depicted, very little is known about how the honey was harvested (www.reshafim.org).
Honey was an expensive commodity, used only by the well-to-do and royalty. While often used as a simple sweetener, it was also used in important temple rituals. According to Herodotus, sacrificial animals were consecrated with honey, along with other incenses and spices (www.reshafim.org).
As a medicine, it was used as an antibiotic. It would be applied to open wounds and was often accompanied with other healing unguents (www.crystalinks.com). The healing properties of honey are even today being studied. Due to the antibacterial properties of honey, it has a hydrogen peroxide effect on wounds, cleaning them and stemming even drug-resistant infections. This effect also reduces scarring (wikipedia.org).
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