Colocynth

The Colocynth in Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

Snwtt

The seeds of the Colocynth were used to make oil, and the entire plant was used as a garland. The plant's eradication is difficult, as its roots are long and have to be uprooted completely to prevent regrowth. The ancient Egyptians noticed this and associated the colocynth with hardiness and rebirth. It was also used in medicine - the Chester Betty IV Medical Papyrus mentions a recipe made from colocynth seeds.

The plant was represented frequently in the New Kingdom - its leaves and flowers were often part of wreaths and garlands, and were offered to the gods. In a scene of mourning for Princess Meketaten, a colocynth is twined around a papyrus column holding up a canopy above the statue of the princess.

At times, the leaves of the colocynth had strong erotic connotations. In the tomb of Nebamun a female musician is depicted playing a double flute. She is naked, and surrounded by colocynth leaves. In the tomb of Neferhotop a woman is pictured drinking beer and holding a sistrum and a menat, the symbols of the Egyptian goddess of love, Hathor. Behind her a girl holds a colocynth. The plant is also depicted in the Turin Erotic Papyrus, which shows men and woman having sex in a variety of positions.

The Fiber and Oil Plants of Ancient Egypt

The Flowers of Ancient Egypt