Why Do Many Ancient Egyptian Statues Have Broken Noses?

Ancient Egyptian civilization is a civilization that once stood in the northeastern region of the African continent, which was centered in the lower reaches of the Nile or which is now the territory of the state of Egypt.

Ancient Egyptian civilization was a very advanced civilization in its time. In 3000 BC, the Ancient Egyptians were able to master many fields of science, know how to read and write, implement a system of government, urban planning and were also able to build large buildings, such as the one we know is the Pyramids of Giza.

The majesty of ancient Egyptian civilization in the past can be seen from the findings of its relics, such as buildings, tombs, statues, reliefs and others. One of the ancient Egyptian relics that will be discussed this time are Ancient Egyptian statues which are often found in incomplete statues.

If you pay attention, most of the statues of Ancient Egypt suffered damage to the nose. If it's just one or two statues, maybe this could be called an accident or something. But uniquely, many Ancient Egyptian statues were found in no-nosed condition, as if this was a coincidence.

After further investigation, it turned out that the damage to the nose of the Ancient Egyptian statue was not only due to natural processes but also acts of vandalism or destruction. Although some of them have been damaged naturally.

According to the beliefs of the Ancient Egyptians, statues are sacred objects that are said to contain supernatural powers. This statue is like a portal that connects the real world and the unseen world. A special ritual is needed to activate the statue so that it can be possessed by certain spirits.

Statues are also said to be deactivated by destroying them. The damaged body part is no longer able to do its job. The spirit in the statue without ears is believed to be unable to hear prayers, statues without hands cannot accept offerings and statues without noses cannot breathe.

Generally, statues are kept in tombs or temples. Statues functioned as a medium for the Egyptians to worship gods or people who had died. Usually, the Egyptians will bring offerings in the form of food or jewelry to be presented to gods or people who have died.

The Ancient Egyptians believed that the statues they worshiped had extraordinary supernatural powers. Therefore, there are elements who try to take this power through acts of vandalism. The tomb robbers might also deliberately destroy the statue on the tomb to prevent the spirit from taking revenge on him.

Although the motive for the vandalism is not known with certainty, but at least we know that this damage was not an accident, but was intentional.