THE PYRAMIDS of the COLD • Chapter 06 The check valve with counterweight Part 1 Gentle cat Bastet is the inactive body of the valve holding together all the other parts

In summary: in chapters 06 and 07 of The Pyramids of the Cold, we’ll see that Bastet and Sekhmet goddesses are all about the exact same piece of equipment: a check valve with counterweight that was set at the exit of the inclined well, just before the fog nozzle that produced the fog of microdroplets necessary for the creation of magical cold. This check valve was mandatory because of the huge variations of pressure that occurred periodically on very short periods of time, because of the instantaneous pressurization of the waters of the well by the composite impactor.

Just try to shut close your water tap at home very fast, and you'll experience the water hammer effect; so of course Egyptians had to implement a piece of equipment designed to eliminate that water hammer, and it turns out that they've used the exact same thing we are using ourselves today to deal with that same problem: they've used a check valve, probably what we would call today a butterfly check valve, but most importantly, they've coupled the disc of the valve with a counterweight, because it is that counterweight that is suppressing the water hammer effect.

We'll see that Egyptians first glorified the inactive and imobile part of the valve, that is the body of the valve, into gentle cat goddess Bastet, and the active and mobile part of the valve, that is the disc with its coupled counterweight, into ferocious goddess Sekhmet. And because of their association in the Great Pyramid to control pressurized water coming from the inclined well, these two goddesses have become the goddesses invoked when fire was threatening homes and cities: both Bastet and Sekhmet were known as the patron of firefighters.

Operating diagram of the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza, designed for flash-evaporative cold production, hypothetically to cool down chemical manufacturing of sodium carbonate 'natron', the salt used by Egyptians during the mummification of pharaohs. The Bastet and Sekhmet check valve with counterweight was at the heart of the Pyramid, but also functioned just like a real beating heart, with one single valve, and this is the origin of the myth of the transformation of water into blood: if the valve functioned like a heart, then the water passing through that valve was just like blood.

06.01  If Bastet was known as the 'Devouring Lady' it only is because of the cat door metaphor: the door used by cats is nothing but some kind of check valve

With a flap, the cat door metaphor becomes even better; and then we have what the cat is all about: a valve. In short, the “Devouring Lady” metaphor about Bastet is based on the way a cat is mysteriously disappearing through the cat door, because again: a cat door is nothing less that some kind of valve.

“Her name [Bastet] could be translated as “Devouring Lady”. However, the phonetic elements “bas” are written with an oil jar (the “t” is the feminine ending) which is not used when writing the word “devour”. The oil jar gives an association with perfume which is strengthened by the fact that she was thought to be the mother of Nefertum (who was a god of perfume). Thus her name implies that she is sweet and precious, but that under the surface lay the heart of a predator. Bast was depicted as a cat, or as a woman with the head of a cat, a sand cat or a lion. She is often shown holding the ankh (representing the breath of life) or the papyrus wand (representing Lower Egypt). She occasionally bears a was-scepter (signifying strength) and is often accompanied by a litter of kittens. During the Old Kingdom she was considered to be the daughter of Atum in Heliopolis (because of her association with Tefnut), however, she was generally thought to be the daughter of Ra (or later Amun). She (like Sekhmet) was also the wife of Ptah and mother of Nefertum and the lion-god Maahes (Mihos) (who may have been an aspect of Nefertum). Not only did both goddesses take the form of a lioness, they were both considered to be the spouse of Ptah and the mother of Nefertum” https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/bast/

Pet Door for the Outdoor Cats, chiot’s run [right]: https://chiotsrun.com/2010/07/31/pet-door-for-the-outdoor-cats/

06.02  The cat door metaphor illustrated: the cut out cat heads

If you make a research on the internet on ‘Bastet head’, you’ll have dozens of results showing magnificent heads of cats from ancient Egypt, and there are a lot of these heads at the MET, just like the one on the left of the above image. Egyptologists are very puzzled about these heads because they don’t know what to do with them: they’ve found probably hundreds of them, maybe thousands and none of them have been found with the rest of the body of the cat.

I know I’m repeating myself a lot, but if you really want to understand ancient Egyptians, think playful; here, think of a cat door, and what you see when your cat has just started to enter the cat door: what you see is just the head of your cat, and the rest of its body looks like it had simply disappeared.

This is why there are so many heads of cats without the rest of the body in museums today: ancient Egyptians simply illustrated the cat door metaphor with these heads.

Head of a cat at the MET [left]. “The function of these large cat heads is ambiguous. They have been found in offering contexts, and it is commonly assumed that they formed part of a composite statuette; the full statuette, when intact, probably would have had a hollow wooden body and held a cat mummy inside, much as similar large hollow copper alloy statuettes did. However, these figures are almost never found with the composite bodies, even at sites where wood is relatively well preserved. It is possible that in some cases these cat heads were dedicated on their own, or were purposefully disassembled from their bodies, which were then discarded or used in another way.” https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/572107

“Cats vs Narrowing Tube”. Video by Kittisaurus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My2puqWOVqw

06.03  Tube-like cat mummies are about the pipe system that comes with a valve

Egyptians mastered the art of using metaphors like no others; here, this is again the cat we’re gonna talk about. Cats not only love to pass though holes and in particular cat doors: they also love to pass though all kind of tubes and pipes; just like it was their favorite game; and Egyptians used this behavior as well in the glorifying process of how was operated not only the valve and pipes in the Great Pyramid, but most probably also any kind of valve and pipe in their day to day life.

And that is what all these mummies of cats that resemble to some kind of tube is all about. Look at the second mummy from the left on the above image from the British Museum. Do you see how small is the head of the cat compared to the tube-like rest of the body?

Remember: cat goddess Bastet is only about the glorification of the body of the check valve, and it includes like we’ve already seen, the strained basket of the valve; well, probably it also includes the pipe system that comes with the valve. “Mummy of cat; linen wrappings arranged in geometric pattern.” British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA37348

“Why Is My Cat Holding Their Paw Up When Sitting”. Photograph by Ed Malaker, published on Pangovet.com

06.04 The seated cat that opens his mouth and holds his paw up at the same time when sticking his tongue out... do you see the cat's tongue in the valve's mouth?

What’s absolutely crazy is how far the ancient Egyptians used their environment to play with words and metaphors. Here, this is about this recurrent behavior of a seated and gentle cat when all at the same time he is lifting his arm up in the air, and opening his mouth and let water out of the mouth. And when you think about it, that is a so perfect illustration of the Bastet check valve that lifted its weighed arm and lifted up the disc at the same time to let the water pass though.

What is also funny, is that I’m pretty sure there still are many other metaphors that Egyptians had used with the cat to represent the operation or design of the check valve of the Great Pyramid; probably I only found the easiest ones.

Snap-tite Hose Inc Rep Discusses Fire Hose Management Using the N-Dura Fire Hose. Video by Fire Spotlight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0Dfxv_4-94

06.05  Firefighters Bastet and Sekhmet: do you see the fire hose?

Among all the metaphors discussed in this Section, probably the most illustrative is the one seeing both Bastet and Sekhmet as the patron goddesses of firefighters. This very metaphor is all based on what really were Bastet and Sekhmet all about: the check valve of the Great Pyramid through which was passing pressurized water.

So, this is why we have this very cute story about why ancient Egyptians believed a cat was able to draw the flames out of a burning building.

“Those with links to the fire service might be interested to know that Bastet is also the patron goddess of firefighters. In Ancient Egypt it was believed that if a cat ran through a burning building, it would draw the flames out. Worshipping her is a powerful way to keep a firefighter safe as they work.” https://www.celebratepaganholidays.com/general/signs-bastet-is-calling-you

Figurine of Sekhet [Sekhmet] [left]. “Sekhmet ('The Powerful One') is the Egyptian goddess associated with warfare and fire as well as healing and medical treatment. She symbolises the pharaoh's unvanquishable heroism in battle and she could both bring and ward off pestilence and destruction.” Royal Collection Trust: https://www.rct.uk/collection/84099/bastet-amulet

The check valve with counterweight that was supplying the fog nozzle with pressurized water could have had a design pretty similar to the above blue  tilting check valve from SMS company. The immobile body of the valve has been glorified into seated and gentle cat goddess Bastet, while the mobile and active parts had been glorified into lioness goddess Sekhmet, the ‘Powerful One’

06.06  Operating diagram of the operating Great Pyramid

Of course, at the time of operation, the Great Pyramid wasn't finished and looked exactly like what Egyptians have built before the great pyramids: the unfinished operating Great Pyramid was only a simple mastaba. Last updated : March 16, 2025. Addition of the Bastet and Sekhmet check valve supplying the fog nozzle of the Great Pyramid with pressurized air and pressurized water from the inclined well.

The Egyptian way of glorifying the water hammer effect. Figurine N 1575 at the Louvre from Deir el-Medina, Egypt. Man with the ears pierced holding standard with the head of a ram and the aegis of Sekhmet: https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010006304

06.07  How to protect pipe systems from damages caused by water hammer: that is the main purpose of the counterweight in check valves

In French, “water hammer” is called “coup de belier”, literally “ram hit”. So when you know that the first goal of the counterweight of a check valve is precisely to avoid any water hammer and that you see the above figure from the Louvre, showing a ram, the aegis of Sekhmet and something that really looks like a pipe, a broken pipe, everything makes sense.

The Louvre isn’t explicit about the ‘fracture’ at the bottom of the so-called ‘standard’ of the figure, but it really looks intentional. The cut is perfectly clear. So, I may be wrong here, but I think that the whole figure is about the glorification of the water hammer effect: they are showing a broken pipe resulting of the water hammer effect resulting of the Sekhmet valve in action

Illustration: “Damage caused by water hammer. It's a familiar sound nearly everyone has heard in their own home when someone slams a faucet closed. You have probably also heard it coming from radiators during the winter heating season. In industrial situations, though, water hammer is more than just a noisy annoyance. Water hammer that results from localized abrupt pressure drops may never be heard. Yet water hammer can acquire great force, damaging equipment, ruining product, and potentially putting personnel at risk.” https://blog.meadobrien.com/2016/09/guidelines-for-prevention-of-water.html

06.08  Lever and weight check valves are ideal to prevent water hammer

“A swing check valve is a self-activating valve designed to prevent backflow or allow flow in only one direction. It features a disc that pivots on a hinge away from the valve seat to permit forward flow. When the flow ceases, the disc swings back into position to block reverse flow. The disc must be heavy enough to resist the impact of the return flow. Swing check valves are known for minimizing turbulence and having a low pressure drop. Lever and weight swing check valves are ideal for situations where water hammer might occur, while those with lever and spring mechanisms are suited for high-pressure and high-flow velocity applications. Regardless of the type, it is essential to regularly inspect and clean the disc of swing check valves.” https://www.iqsdirectory.com/articles/check-valve.html

[illustration] "Tilting check valve with adjustable lever and counterweight" from SMS: https://www.environmental-expert.com/products/model-tilting-type-check-valve-447004

Basket Strainer Valve: https://flowvalve.en.made-in-china.com/product/cxZUGKFdQSVC/China-DN400-Pn16-Ductile-Cast-Iron-Flange-End-T-Type-Basket-Strainer-Valve.html

06.09  The basket of Bastet isn't because she is going to the farmers market: it is a strainer basket

If you guys need another example of the absolute necessity of looking at the Egyptian religion or art in general, in a playful manner, probably this one is the best; because if anyone thinks a second that cat goddess Bastet is going to the farmers market to get fresh organic eggs, I’m pretty sure it will be a big mistake.

Of course, now we know Bastet is about the check valve that was set at the exit of the inclined well, and that the valve was vulnerable to at least one major risk: the deterioration of the two central hauling ropes that would have released loose fibers in the central wooden Djed caisson and then in the waters of the inclined well itself. So, just like any other industrial valve in the world today, the inactive and imobile body of the check valve Bastet had to be coupled with an appropriate strainer; and even today most strainers coupled with such valves are strainer baskets.

[Illustration of Bastet holding the strainer basket]: here, Bastet (the inactive and immobile 'seated' body of the check valve) is both literally holding the disc with counterweight (that is the aegis of Sekhmet: the active and mobile part of the check valve) and the strainer basket of the valve. This is the description made by Barakat Gallery: "Egyptian Bronze Sculpture of Bastet with Gold Earrings, 600 BCE - 300 BCE. Depicted as a cat-headed female figure, this uninscribed statuette is doubtless to be identified as Bastet because of her attributes. She is wearing a form-fitting, ankle-length dress with short, flared sleeves and a V-neck. Linear adjuncts decorate the dress with decorative ornamentation which represents the patterned textile from which the dress was tailored. Patterned textiles are rarely represented in ancient Egyptian art, and its depiction on our Bastet is noteworthy. This depiction of a deluxe and costly garment is complemented by the pair of original boat-shaped earrings of gold which grace our goddess’s pierced ears. Her right arm is bent at the elbow and its elevated hand shakes a naos-shaped sistrum, or sacred rattle. Her left arm, likewise bent at the elbow, is placed on her abdomen with its hand holding an aegis, or ceremonial implement, here consisting of a head of a lioness rising majestically from a broad collar. A basket, crafted from wicker as its reticulated pattern suggests, is suspend by its handle on that arm.” https://barakatgallery.eu/artworks/71016-egyptian-bronze-sculpture-of-bastet-with-gold-earrings-600-bce-300-bce/

Top right illustration: "Cast iron check valve with spring and stainless steel strainer basket for drinking water": https://airo-pneumatics.ro/en/check-valves-y-strainers-and-accessories/check-valves/cast-iron-check-valve-with-spring-pn16-and-stainless-steel-strainer-basket-for-drinking-water/

The cute little kittens of Bastet always arranged in pairs are only about the little pieces of the check valve: they are the rivets; and if Bastet is sometimes covered with black dots, it only is because rivets need pre-drilled holes. [left illustration] Cat with kittens amulet from the MET: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545955

[right] Here, there is another use of the key hole shape on the base of the figure: a key is meant to lock and maintain in place; and that precisely is the meaning of the little kitten rivets on that key hole-shaped base. “Bronze figure of the cat-headed goddess Bastet" from the British Museum. https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA25565

06.10  The cute little kittens of Bastet, always arranged in pairs, side by side, are about the last tiny pieces of the valve: the rivets that locked in place all the pieces together through pre-drilled holes

Well, good luck to anybody who had or will try to understand why the little kittens on the above figures of a cat or cat goddess Bastet herself are arranged in pairs. I know I’ve said that a million times now, but this may be the cutest of all metaphors ancient Egyptians had given us: the little kittens only are rivets!

Until now, I’ve only discussed about the big pieces of the Bastet and Sekhmet check valve: the body, the disc, the strainer basket, the lifting arm and its counterweight. But how do you assemble all these pieces together? And how do you secure all the connections with the incoming and out coming pipes and fittings? Well, they probably didn’t have any bolt or screws, but they certainly had rivets.

[left] cat sarcophagus E87 from the Louvre: https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010015091 and [right]: cat sarcophagus E2416 with Bastet, also from the Louvre: https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010009559

“Solid rivets are one of the oldest and most reliable types of fasteners, having been found in archaeological findings dating back to the Bronze Age. Rivet holes have been found in Egyptian spearheads dating back to the Naqada culture of between 4400 and 3000 B.C. Archeologists have also uncovered many Bronze Age swords and daggers with rivet holes where the handles would have been. The rivets themselves were essentially short rods of metal, which metalworkers hammered into a pre-drilled hole on one side and deformed on the other to hold them in place.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rivet

This is why the cute little kittens are arranged in pairs. And this is also why the left figure has black dots all over the body of the Bastet cat: they are the rivet holes. In short, if big cat goddess Bastet is about the whole body of the check valve, her cute little kittens can only be about the tiny little pieces left: the rivets.

[Above] Check valve with lever and weight plus hydraulic adjustable damper: https://www.technimex.com/en/products/non-return-valves/check-valve-hydraulic-lever-counterweight/

"The great cat of Heliopolis [Mau] killing the enemy of the sun, Apophis under the persea tree of Heliopolis". Tomb of Inherkau TT359, Second chamber, South wall. Photograph by kairoinfo4u: https://www.flickr.com/photos/manna4u/18390398199/in/photostream/

06.11  The Great Cat Mau is only the Bastet check valve seen as the One who removed a small amount of pressurized water of the inclined well at every cycle

We’ll see in next chapter that aggressive lioness Sekhmet is the glorification of the active and mobile parts of the check valve (the disc and its coupled counterweight), now we’ll see that gentle cat Bastet, the inactive part of the check valve also had her own ‘aggressive’ side, and that is because of her involvement in the endless ‘cutting’ of Apep. Remember that Apep is the glorification of the pressurized water of the inclined well, and that he is actually endlessly cut down into multiple pieces upon each new cycle. All these many pieces of Apep are the small amount of pressurized water that are ejected out of the well toward the check valve; and that is what is represented on the above image with the Great Cat Mau, holding the knife in front of Apep.

What’s very important to understand is that Egyptians used new deities each time they wanted to add a new perspective to what they’ve already glorified. So, of course they’ve used another and specific deity when they wanted to talk about the interaction of the check valve with the pressurized waters of the well and its involvement in the endless quantity of water that was ejected from the well through the valve. And this is what we have here: the Great Cat Mau with a knife is the specific representation of the cat goddess Bastet check valve regarding this very part of the cycle where pressurized water was finally ejected from the well; and it is Mau who is indeed represented cutting the Great Serpent Apep into pieces.

“An Egyptian Bronze Cat of the goddess Bastet”. Late Period to Ptolemaic Period, 664-30 B.C.E. Property from the Collection of Dr. Hernan D. Ruf, Pompano Beach, Florida. From Freeman's & Hindman Auctions, Chicago: https://hindmanauctions.com/auctions/910-antiquities/lot/56

06.12  The magnificent earrings of Bastet are only about weight and counterweight

What is really extraordinary with the work done be Egyptians in the writing of all these beautiful metaphors, is how many of these metaphors they were able to add into one single painting or figure, just like here with cat statues with the ears pieced.

I have no idea if ancient Egyptians really pierced the ears of their living cats, or if it was only done for mummies of cats, but the sure thing is the reason why they’ve done that: the earrings are nothing less than the perfect illustration of counterweights; and even today, some are really calling earrings ‘weights’ or ‘counterweights’.

Illustration of ‘counterweight earrings’: “Antique 19th century Peking glass Mandarin court counterweight bead earrings". Earthly Adornments:    https://www.earthlyadornments.com/products/antique-19th-century-peking-glass-mandarin-court-counterweight-bead-earrings-eror506

06.13  Because of Hathor, Sekhmet also is 'Mitress of the counterweight' 

Remember the part of the myth where Hathor ‘transforms herself’ and becomes Sekhmet, well if Hathor was known as ‘Mistress of the counterweight’, no wonder Sekhmet turns out to be another ‘Mistress of the counterweight’ as well.

06.14  Actually, both the earrings and the tail of the cat are about a counterweight: the earrings are simple counterweights but the tail of the cat is a magnificent tool used as a perfect balancing counterweight

Very often I’ve read egyptologists talking about the fact Egyptians were “really very observing of their environment”, and of course, it was said with some pretty clear condescending tone, suggesting they pretty much couldn’t do anything else than looking at what Nature has given them, because imagining them as accomplished scientists and engineers was obviously completely not expected of them.

Of course, now we know better, but still, they were certainly the best observers of their environment anyway!

Let’s say you want to illustrate, again, the perfect use of a counterweight, and using some metaphor that everybody will be able to understand; and preferably by using another animal to the demonstration; what animal would you use? Well, we already know the answer: again, this is the cat. Simply because everybody knows that cats are using their tails as balancing counterweights. So, when you look at all the many figures representing cats that Egyptians had made, I suggest you look closely to the tails

“Fluffy tails, thin tails, long tails, stripy tails. Cats have all sorts of different tails. As well as looking magnificent, they are also important tools that help cats in their daily life. A cat’s tail has many functions. It helps them balance, sense objects around them, and communicate with humans and other cats. It also helps keep them warm. Cats use their tail as a counterweight, giving them excellent balance. When they are walking along a narrow ledge, jumping or climbing, they adjust the position of their tail to reduce the risk of falling. It’s a bit like how we spread our arms to keep our balance when walking along a tightrope.” https://www.cats.org.uk/cats-blog/why-do-cats-have-tails

“Cats use their tails as a counterweight.” By catzoniaipoh: https://www.instagram.com/catzoniaipoh/p/C7Ly5b6pW5Z/

The Sistrum instrument is nothing else than an artistic glorification of the metal riveting process where two pieces of metal are bound together through pre-drilled holes, by traversing pieces of metal with two stopping ends. The sistrum has also been used to recreate the noise that occurs when one of these rivets fails, breaks and gets loose inside a check valve. Bronze sistrum from the MET [right]: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/246680

06.15  Damn! What happens when a rivet fails and is stuck inside the check valve: noise, a lot of noise, just like the noise made by the sistrum

We’ve just seen that the little kittens associated wit Bastet were about the rivets, but what happens when a rivet fails and breaks inside the check valve? Well, the valve will make a lot of noise; and the sistrum is all about that noise.

Actually, when you look at the sistrum, this bent metal sheet with opposite holes and metal rods bent of both sides, wouldn’t it be the perfect illustration of the metal riveting process itself?

Well, I think it is. When you are looking at a sistrum, this is the riveting process that is demonstrated right in front of you eyes: it is about you assemble two pieces of metal, by forcing rivets through their opposite holes.

And if sometimes, a cat is represented inside the sistrum (left figure), or on top of it (right figure), it is because that is that little kitten that is making all the noise of the sistrum itself: that horrible noise you are hearing, is the noise made by the broken rivet inside the check valve.

“Valves emit warning symptoms when something isn’t right. For example, check valves that are starting to fail will vibrate or make a noise indicating that the valve has broken.” https://visserssales.com/the-most-common-causes-and-symptoms-of-check-valve-failure/

Illustration [top left]: “Bronze figure of Bastet: this solid cast figure of the goddess Bastet represents her as a woman with cat's head wearing a heavily patterned long garment. Her eyes have gold inlays and her ears are pierced for earrings. Of all the maned lion goddesses who were revered for their ferocity, Bastet alone was later transformed into the less terrible cat. The female cat was particularly noted for her fecundity, and so Bastet was adored as goddess of fertility and, with less obvious logic, of festivity and intoxication. As evidence of her fecundity no less than four kittens sit at her feet. Another perches inside the sistrum or Egyptian rattle, which she carries in her hand to symbolize the other facet of her personality, for it is a musical instrument connected with merrymaking. Originally there were two horizontal rods inside the hoop bearing metal discs intended to make a clashing sound when the instrument was shaken. The face of the goddess Hathor, who was also connected with music, appears on the sistrum's handle. Across her chest Bastet carries an aegis or broad collar, surmounted by a lion goddess' head wearing a sun disc, perhaps representing Bastet herself in her original fierce manifestation. The 'aegis' is probably to be interpreted as the top of the counterpoise to a 'menyet' collar of loosely strung beads, another musical instrument connected with merrymaking; when shaken the beads would clack together. There is a hieroglyphic text around the edges of the plinth, largely eroded or erased.” British Museum: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA25565

06.16  Hathor was known as the 'Great Mistress of the Counterweight'

Like everything done by ancient Egyptians, everything is extremely complex and sophisticated, with many different angles of comprehension possible. What do we know now about the sistrum:

• its upper part is about the riveting process that allows to attached together two adjacent pieces of metal

• its middle part with the little kitten is about when a rivet breaks and makes awful noises when it happens inside a valve (probably it is always about the check valve of the Great Pyramid)

• its lower part that often represents the face of Hathor “Mistress of the Counterweight” is actually also about the kitten: the meaning of the sistrum is about the noise made by a little piece of metal (a weight, just like Hathor) when stuck inside a valve through which pressurized water is running.

This is why Hathor is often represented on the sistrum: that is actually her, the counterweight, that you are really shaking; the little kittens only explains that this Hathor weight is a broken rivet.

Lionness-headed Menat. “This amulet represents a "menat," a counterweight often made of metal worn on the back to keep large necklaces in place. "Menats" were regarded not only as jewelry but also as ritual objects sacred to the goddess Hathor, who was called, among many other titles, "Mistress of the Counterweight." This small-scale "menat" amulet shows the lion-headed goddess Sakhmet [Sekhmet] - closely associated with Hathor - wearing the sun disk and a broad collar. Below appears an "udjat," the eye of Horus, between two rearing cobras. The disk at the bottom depicts another pair of snakes spreading large protective wings around a seated deity in the middle.” The Walters Art Museum: https://art.thewalters.org/object/48.1626/

Egyptian sistrum with the head of Hathor “Mistress of the Counterweight”. Pierre Bergé et Associés [left]: https://www.pba-auctions.com/en/lot/96361/9828908

Menat necklace from Malqata. “A menat necklace consists of a heavy, keyhole-shaped counterpoise (menat) and many strands of beads. Although the necklace is sometimes shown being worn, it was more often carried by females participating in religious ceremonies. It functioned as a percussion instrument that was shaken to create a soothing noise that was thought to appease a god or goddess”. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544509

06.17  The story behind the menat necklace is about the Great Cat Master of the Counterweight: why there are so many strings on the collar and two cats right on the counterweight, and why you really do need again to think about this in a playful spirit

Like I said before, it is only now, after about 7,500 hours of work on The Pyramids of the Cold, that things are really starting to get together and that a lot of crosschecking can be made. I’ve already tried to decipher the famous menat necklace that is now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but it is only now that I can explain it, I hope entirely. The key was to find the origin of the counterweight glorification, but now we know it is about the butterfly check valve, and we also know that it is about cat goddess Bastet.

Remember, when I said in previous Section 53, that if you cannot place yourself in a playful mood, you won’t understand anything about ancient Egypt; well, here is the perfect example of this little thought.

We’ve seen that many times now that ancient Egyptians used their most known symbols as simple tools whenever it was convenient for themselves; we’ve seen that for example with the Eye of Horus and the magnifying glass (a magnifying glass is meant for an eye so they simply reused the Eye of Horus on the glass, even if it hasn't nothing to do with Horus, Section 45); and here they did the same thing: everybody knew about probably the most impressive piece of equipment of the Great Pyramid that was the butterfly check valve with counterweight supplying pressurized water to the fog nozzle, so they simply reused the counterweight, over and over again, each time they wanted to represent the idea of a counterweight. And this is what we have here: basically, the menat necklace is just a necklace, but to represent the weight of a regular necklace, they’ve chosen to use the counterweight of the valve (lifting arm and weight); and instead of a regular string they’ve simply used many strings because don’t forget that the counterweight is so to speak Bastet’s, and Bastet is nothing but a cat, and like every cat Bastet loves to play with strings.

So, what they wanted to do, is actually to invoke Bastet, the Great Cat Master of the Counterweight; this is why there are so many strings: it simply is a cat toy. So, when the menat necklace was carried, the goal was to invoke Bastet and attract cats, because it was just a cat toy. And if you look closely to the second image of the same necklace, you’ll even see that the menat necklace was really about cats (later in this Section, I will talk about their real meaning, and why there are facing each other).

Detail of the same menat necklace, but trying to show the two little kittens facing each other. Photograph by Wsrmatre Stpnre: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wsrmatre/40919418864

DIY Cat Toy Ribbon Wand Tutorial: https://popshopamerica.com/blog/diy-cat-toy-ribbon-wand-tutorial/

The Gayer-Anderson Cat, representing gentle goddess Bastet, with a magnificent Eye of Ra on the chest. Collection of the British Museum, figure EA6439: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA64391

06.18  Cat goddess Bastet was known as the Eye of Ra because she is all about a valve, and a valve with its endless opening and closing disk looks just like an eye

The trick about the so-called “Eye of Ra”, which had been glorified into many different goddesses like Bastet and Sekhmet, is that it actually is every time about complete different things; things that only, and more or less, look like an eye. The fact that Sun god Ra is mentioned isn’t legit at all: the only point was to compare something that looked like an eye, to something that everybody in ancient Egypt knew, whether it is the Eye of Horus or the Eye of Ra.

It didn’t matter which one was invoked, because like we’ve already seen many times,  both the Eye of Horus and the Eye of Ra are about the same things: the female parts of the hauling plug (the eye of a rope metaphor), connecting with the male parts that were the two bollards set on the impactor (Horus and Ra, depending on what you want to focus on regarding the impactor: its power with Horus, or its wooden structure with Ra).

So, when cat goddess Bastet is described as one of the goddess known as “the Eye of Ra”, it is only because what Bastet is the glorification of, simply looked like an eye. And indeed, a valve with its endless opening and closing disk, really looks like an eye.

“As the daughter of Ra she [Bastet] was one of the goddesses known as the “Eye of Ra”, a fierce protector who almost destroyed mankind but was tricked with blood-coloured beer which put her to sleep and gave her a hangover, stopping the carnage. As a result, she is linked to the other goddesses who were known as the “eye of Ra”, most notably Sekhmet, Hathor, Tefnut, Nut, Wadjet and Mut. Her link with Sekhmet was the closest.” https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/bast/

Illustration of a valve: Titan CV 34-SS Stainless Steel Single Disc Wafer Type Swing Check Valve, PTFE Seat, at https://www.bricebarclay.com/product/titan-cv-34-ss-stainless-steel-single-disc-wafer-type-swing-check-valve-ptfe-seat-asme-class-300/

For the specialists, the above valve isn’t a butterfly but a swing valve (the main difference, if I got it right, is that the hinge instead of being in the middle, or more or less in the middle of the valve is on top of the valve). But of course, the opening and closing eye metaphor is better illustrated with a swing valve rather than with a butterfly valve.

“Butterfly valve are a type of quarter-turn valve used to regulate the flow of fluids. They consist of a circular disc that is mounted on a rotating shaft within a valve body. When the disc is turned perpendicular to the pipe, it blocks the flow of fluid. When the disc is turned parallel to the pipe, it allows the fluid to flow through. Butterfly valves are often used in large-diameter piping systems where cost and weight are a concern, as they are typically more cost-effective and lightweight than other valve types.” https://valve-automatic.com/butterfly-valves-and-check-valves/

06.19  The keyhole metaphor: the endless symbol of something that is locked down and immobilized

What pointed me to the right direction is the many figures of cat goddess Bastet represented as a complete cat, seated on a very curious shape. Nobody wants to say that this curious shape strangely looks like our modern keyhole, but it does; and I really think that it is a keyhole. The idea was to suggest the cat door metaphor, because a keyhole is just a hole in a door, just like the cat door. And what a better metaphor for describing the operation of a valve, than with a cat door? A cat door is nothing but a very specific type of valve.

Figurine of Egyptian cat goddess Bastet E 2533 from the Louvre, perfectly showing the keyhole-shaped base:   https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010006514

06.20  Bastet "She of the ointment jar": a valve is nothing less than a recipient with a very hermetic lid

When you think about it, what’s a valve? Well, it is nothing else than some kind of recipient with a lid on top; just like the heart and its valve. So, Egyptians used the ointment jar metaphor to describe Bastet, “She of the ointment jar”.

 “What the name of the goddess [Bastet] means remains uncertain. Names of ancient Egyptian deities often were represented as references to associations or with euphemisms, being cult secrets. One recent suggestion by Stephen Quirke (Ancient Egyptian Religion) explains Bastet as meaning, "She of the ointment jar". This ties in with the observation that her name was written with the hieroglyph for ointment jar (bꜣs) and that she was associated with protective ointments, among other things. The name of the material known as alabaster might, through Greek, come from the name of the goddess.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bastet

“Her name could be translated as “Devouring Lady”. However, the phonetic elements “bas” are written with an oil jar (the “t” is the feminine ending) which is not used when writing the word “devour”. The oil jar gives an association with perfume which is strengthened by the fact that she was thought to be the mother of Nefertum [Nefertem] (who was a god of perfume).” https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/bast/

Illustration: “Cosmetic Jar of Tutankhamun with lion on lid”. Photograph by Kenneth Garrett: https://egypt-museum.com/cosmetic-jar-of-tutankhamun-with-lion-on-lid/

06.21  Probably Bastet was a 'beetle' check valve!

From what I understood, the main difference there is between the three major check valves with counterweight available today, is the position of the hinge on which is fixed the opening and closing disc.

If the hinge is in the middle of the flow, that is a butterfly valve, if the disc is completely out of the flow it is a swing valve, and if it is somewhere in the middle, so still in the flow, then it is a tilted valve (although many examples show that even if the hinge isn't right in the middle of the flow, it can still be called a butterfly valve). I think it’s about right, but if I’m not please don’t hesitate to correct me.

Anyway, I think there might be a winner here, and that would be the butterfly valve. Why? Because in the butterfly valve, the hinge is right in the middle of the flow and separates the disc in two symmetric parts; and it made people compare the whole thing with a butterfly. It’s a pretty metaphor, but not very accurate; ancient Egyptians wouldn’t have compared that valve with an extremely fragile animal like a butterfly; they would have used something with more ‘strength’ or something. And the thing is that when you look at many representations of Bastet, there is no butterfly represented on Bastet’s body, but there are beetle scarabs.

So, what I think is that they’ve used what we call today ‘butterfly’ valve, but that they’ve called this valve a ‘beetle’ valve. If you look at the above picture of Bastet, you’ll even note that there are two different beetles, one on the chest with the wings deployed, and one on the head with the wings retracted. I’m pretty sure that by doing so, they wanted to illustrate the two different positions of the disc, and the fact that at some point, the disc of their beetle valve just flew away in the air.

“Along with many other animals, the ancient Egyptians looked on cats as personifications of deities. This object is a hollow wooden sculpture of a cat, associated with the goddess Bastet.” https://multilingualmuseum.manchester.ac.uk/object/wooden-cat-coffin/

06.22  Egyptians used the fact that the Bastet inactive body of the valve was probably just a hollow metal box in two parts to make cat wooden coffins also in two parts

Cat coffin: “Along with many other animals, the ancient Egyptians looked on cats as personifications of deities. This object is a hollow wooden sculpture of a cat, associated with the goddess Bastet. X-rays confirmed the suspected function of this sculpture as a coffin for a mummified cat, whose complete skeleton can be seen inside the wrappings.” https://multilingualmuseum.manchester.ac.uk/object/wooden-cat-coffin/

Cat sarcophagus E2416 from the Louvre: https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010009559

X-ray photograph of the Egyptian Cat Sarcophagus with cat mummy inside: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/ray-photograph-of-the-Egyptian-Cat-Sarcophagus-with-cat-mummy-inside_fig2_310448711

06.23  If Bastet was known as The Lady of Slaughter and hundreds of thousands of mummified cats have been killed in her name, it probably is because the poor little kittens were certainly drowned inside some kind of flooded buckets with solid lids

If it is easy to understand why Sekhmet, the active part of the valve has been associated with ferocious ideas, it is most delicate to understand why the inactive body of the valve, always literally seated on the floor was also called Lady of the Dread and associated with slaughter.

I’ve said many times that to understand ancient Egyptians, you had to think playful, but here this is most certainly the total opposite: if you want to understand Bastet ‘Lady of the Slaughter’, you have to think cruel.

What is certain is that hundreds of thousands of cats, mostly little kittens if I’m not mistaken had been sacrificed in the name of Bastet; and it is also believed that this kittens weren’t domestic ones: kittens were specially bred for the only purpose of sacrifice.

But, how do you think they killed the poor things? Well, of course they drowned them. They took the poor little kittens, put them inside some kind of big buckets with solid lids, put a heavy stone or some kind of weight onto the lids and then filled the buckets with water. And that is precisely what Bastet was all about: a big bucket, filled with water and with a solid weighed lid.

“Although she was greatly venerated, she was equally feared as two of her titles demonstrate: The Lady of Dread and The Lady of Slaughter. She is sometimes rendered in art with a litter of kittens at her feet but her most popular depiction is of a sitting cat gazing ahead. […] One of the most important aspects of Bastet's festival was the delivery of mummified cats to her temple. When the temple was excavated in 1887 and 1889 CE over 300,000 mummified cats were found.” https://www.worldhistory.org/Bastet/

“Cats are Liquid”, by r/aww: https://www.reddit.com/r/aww/comments/pcpk6y/boxes_are_out_buckets_are_in/

Preface

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Table of contents

Operating diagrams of the Great Pyramid

Timelines

Index