Pomegranate

The Pomegranate in Ancient Egypt


 * Egyptian Name:**

//Jnhmn// or //N////ehem//

The pomegranate was brought to Egypt during the reign of the Hyksos, and was reserved for the wealthy. King Tuthmosis III brought a tree back from his exploits into Asia, and depicted it in his botanical garden of exotics. The red seeds were a delicacy, and the juice of the pomegranate was fermented into wine. The rind of the pomegranate was used medically to treat internal parasites, and for dying leather yellow. The scarlet flowers were appreciated by gardeners and bound into bouquets for offerings, as were the leaves. Its form inspired artisans to decorate implements with it, such as jewelry, cups, bowls, cosmetic containers, and hairpins.

The fruit was offered to the gods and the dead, and in the tomb of Ani it is written that pomegranate trees were among those planted in his funerary park. Ramses III allotted to the Temple of Amun-Ra many pomegranates. Models of pomegranates, made from faience, glass, ivory, and calcite, were buried in tombs. One of the treasures of King Tutankhamen was a silver and ivory vessel shaped like a pomegranate, used for holding pomegranate wine.

The Israelite exiles longed for pomegranates: ". . . and wherefore have ye made us come up out of Egypt, to bring us unto this evil place? There is no grain, no figs, no grapes, no pomegranates, and no water to drink!" (Numbers 20, 5)

The fruit was also associated with sexuality. A love poem contains the following lines: "The pomegranate opens its mouth to say: My seeds are like her teeth, my fruits are like her breasts. I am the foremost in the orchard, for I endure through every season. The maiden spends the day with her lover under my branches, drunk with grape and pomegranate wine . . ." In the //Flower Song// a young man describes the effect his love's voice has on him: "To hear your voice is pomegranate wine to me, I draw life from hearing it."

. The Fruit of Ancient Egypt