Interesting tidbit, and not just for the bird. Ibises were central to Ancient Egyptian religion, crucially in the person of the god Thoth. There's even a species called the African sacred ibis. And while it would be reductive to put this all down to one purpose the bird serves, the fact that they do seem to have improved the health of the Egyptian people does add context.
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Deep Thoths
Interesting tidbit, and not just for the bird. Ibises were central to Ancient Egyptian religion, crucially in the person of the god Thoth. There's even a species called the African sacred ibis. And while it would be reductive to put this all down to one purpose the bird serves, the fact that they do seem to have improved the health of the Egyptian people does add context.
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That was instructive and they are beautiful to see as well.
There are a lot of food prohibitions among various religious groups and cultures. Hindus who won't eat beef living next to Muslims who won't eat pork has caused some serious problems in India just recently. Overall, I wonder how many of those kinds of restrictions were beneficial to people at particular periods? No matter how things go in this era I am not ever going to eat insects.
They are serene and lovely.
Talking about the pragmatic aspects of religious restrictions can be controversial. Still it's an interesting topic. I wonder if Islam's prohibition of alcohol has anything to do with much of Arabia being very arid and alcohol tending to dehydrate the person who drinks it. (Although observances of this one are more varied than some Westerners think). Also the Hebrew ban on some kinds of seafood that can be hosts for parasites if they're not fresh.
Maybe insects will seem more appetizing in a few generations' time, but it's hard to imagine.
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