THE PYRAMIDS of the COLD • Chapter 36 Why is Ptah-Patek a dwarf just like Bes and Beset and why is he truly about glorifying the sand molds used for casting metal

If Ptah is the god who has been created by ancient Egyptians to glorify the simple wooden frame that was used as a mold to create mud bricks, explaining why Ptah was known to have invented masonry, Ptah-Patek is the glorification of the tiny little piece that transforms this simple wooden frame into a sand casting mold used to create metal objects. This very special tiny little piece is the locating guide pin of the mold, and that pin is what dwarf god Ptah-Patek is all about, precisely because it was a very tiny little piece. This is why Ptah was also the patron of metal workers and dwarfs were seen as experts in metallurgy. [illustration] “Casting metal moulding boxes, Part 7: Fitting the fixed pins”. Video by Olfoundryman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX97scX79AA

THE PYRAMIDS of the COLD • Study written by Bruno COURSOL (January 2021 to September 2025)

Section F • The central wooden Djed caisson of the Great Pyramid

In between each operating cycle, fresh new and dry air had to be injected to replace moist air generated by the evaporative cooling process and for that the impactor had to be confined into a close and airtight caisson: that is the central wooden Djed caisson, glorified into the trunk of the Djed pillar and Ptah.

Chapter 36 • Ptah-Patek: how the glorification of the wooden frame Ptah has been used to deify sand casting molds

In summary: if Ptah-Patek isn't really about the operation of the Great Pyramid, he is nevertheless the perfect illustration of the dual reality of Egyptian gods and goddesses who can be divided into two different groups, whether they are glorifying deifications of how was operated the Pyramid, or deifications of very different scientific or technological accomplishments which predated the Pyramid.

We’ve just seen in previous chapter that god Ptah wasn’t at all a pure abstract metaphysical god, but the glorification of a very real piece of equipment that transformed the everyday life of every single people of this ancient Egyptian civilization. Ptah was the way Egyptians deified the very simple wooden frame that allowed them to manufacture mud bricks; this is why Ptah was seen as the One to invent masonry and this is why when engineers designed the Great Pyramid and the central wooden caisson of the Grand Gallery, they also worshiped Ptah because the caisson was only made of many of these wooden cases stacked on top of each other and sewn together.

But there is another use of the wooden frame that revolutionized the ancient World during the Bronze age, and that is the sand casting mold that is made of two of these frames; and a mold cannot work without guide pins, a very tiny little piece which holds together the two parts. Tiny dwarf god Ptah-Patek is the glorification of that pin.

“The name "Pateque" comes from Herodotus who, in his Histories, refers by this name to the figureheads of Phoenician ships in the form of a protective dwarf. Her connection with Ptah comes from the dwarves who, in Egyptian Antiquity, were generally associated with experts in metallurgy”: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptah-Patek_(Ancient_Egyptian_deity)

Amulet of the God Pataikos [Ptah-Patek] Dynasty 26. Object Number: 40.2.10 at the Metropolitan museum in New-York: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/548397

The sand metal casting mold is just an evolution of the very simple wooden frame used to make mud bricks: it is made of two individual frames which have to be secured once coupled by a tiny locating guide pin which ancient Egyptians have deified into dwarf god Ptah-Patek. These tiny pieces are the ones holding the two wooden frames of the mold together. “Casting an Aluminum Sign, Sand Molding and Finishing”. Video by Brian Oltrogge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBK0P4ASZ0o

36.01  If Ptah is the glorification of the very simple wooden frame used to make mud bricks (or the central wooden Djed caisson of the Great Pyramid), Ptah-Patek is about the same wooden frame, but used as sand metal casting mold

Unfortunately, very little is known of Ptah-Patek even if many amulets representing the god were found in Egypt and in all the Mediterranean region; but what is certain is that Ptah-Patek was of course directly linked with both Ptah, metallurgy and the metal workers just like Ptah himself. But only Ptah was seen as the One who invented masonry and we’ve already seen that Ptah was the glorification of the wooden frame, the tool used in masonry to create mud bricks.

Remember, Egyptians only used what we call today ‘religion’ to glorify every single piece of knowledge they had, and in particular they wanted all their technological prowess to be worshiped; so you have to ask yourself what looks like a very simple wooden frame used to make mud bricks, but that can be used in metallurgy. And of course the answer is the sand metal casting mold.

“Unlike Ptah, he possesses neither the Djed pillar, nor the Was scepter, nor the ankh, nor the false beard symbol of royalty. Their only similarity lies in the wearing of the skullcap atop their heads. He was represented exclusively in the form of a faience amulet that protected its wearer from evil forces and chaos.” https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptah-Patek_(Ancient_Egyptian_deity)

“The name "Pateque" comes from Herodotus who, in his Histories, refers by this name to the figureheads of Phoenician ships in the form of a protective dwarf. His connection with Ptah comes from the dwarves who, in Egyptian Antiquity, were generally associated with experts in metallurgy”: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptah-Patek_(Ancient_Egyptian_deity)

“He was the patron of sculptors, painters, builders, carpenters, and other craftsmen, and was thought to have invented masonry.” https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/ptah/

“The name "Pateque" comes from Herodotus who, in his Histories, refers by this name to the figureheads of Phoenician ships in the form of a protective dwarf. His connection with Ptah comes from the dwarves who, in Egyptian Antiquity, were generally associated with experts in metallurgy”: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptah-Patek_(Ancient_Egyptian_deity)

Operating diagram of the Great Pyramid, showing the partly flooded inclined well and the tiny little granite block which had been responsible for anchoring the Taweret plug during the entire operating period of the Pyramid. This tiny little block has been deified into Bes and Beset; Bes being the fragile mechanical breakable fuse, and Beset the glorification of the part of the block embedded into the floor of the well. This is this Beset block that is still in place today.

This is how ancient Egyptians have represented the special relationship there was between Bes and Taweret in the lower end of the inclined well in the Great Pyramid of Khufu. [Hatshepsut’s birth scene] from Édouard Naville "The Temple of Deir el Bahari" (London, 1896). Image courtesy of the University Library Heidelberg: The Ebony shrine, northern half of the middle platform: https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/naville1896bd2/0050

Operating diagram of the inclined well of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, showing the huge difference of size between the huge Taweret plug and the tiny little granite block that was the Bes and Beset anchor block. It is that difference in size that is at the origin of the representations of Bes and Beset as dwarfs.

36.02  Why ancient Egyptians really used dwarf gods in their glorifying process: because they are all about very tiny little blocks or pieces of equipment

Bes and Ptah-Patek (also named Pataikos) are the two most famous Egyptian gods who were represented as dwarfs, and of course one must wonder why they used dwarfs in the first place, and the answer to that question seems to be actually very straight forward. Let’s take Bes for example, one of my favorite gods: we’ve seen that Bes only is the tiny little piece of granite that anchored the Taweret plug of the inclined in the Great Pyramid, and you can see Bes in two ways:

• a functional way: Bes was a breakable mechanical fuse granite anchor block, sensitive to pressure

• but Bes was also just a very tiny little piece of granite which controlled the big massive Taweret plug

And I think this second way of looking at Bes is the explanation of why Bes is represented as a dwarf: he really was simply a very little part in a much more bigger part. This is true for dwarf Bes, and it is also true for dwarf Ptah-Patek, which is a very tiny little piece of the sand casting mold. Probably though, there is another reason why these two gods are represented as dwarfs, but I think size itself really is part of the solution.

Egyptian dwarf gods Bes and Beset. Look how Bes is much bigger than Beset and how Beset is both under Bes and almost sustaining Bes from underneath. You will note that Egyptians used a very particular trick here when representing both Bes and Beset on the same plane when they really weren't: because they couldn’t represent Beset underneath Bes, they completely changed their relative sizes so that Beset could still be represented ‘underneath’ Bes even if both are on the same plane. Probably what Beset is having above the head is the representation of the breaking off of Bes himself. [Original artifact E11138: Stele at the Louvre museum] This photograph: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fb/Bes_and_Beset-E_11138-IMG_8039-gradient.jpg

36.03  The estimation of the weights of Bes and Beset

Roughly, we can estimate the Taweret granite plug about 1 m³, that is 2,600 kg. To estimate the weight of the Bes and Beset anchor block it is of course much more complicated:

• Beset (the part of the anchor block that is still in the floor of the ascending passage today): if we consider Beset hypothetically as a cube with 30-cm sides, this block would be 0.3³x2,600= about 70 kg (but keep in mind that this block can be completely uprooted and precisely weighed)

• Bes is much more difficult to estimate its original weight, but if Beset is about 70 kg, it is fair to say that Bes wouldn’t be heavier; probably we can hypothetically estimate Bes’ weight under 50 kg (and of course, this thin and fragile part of the anchor block had most certainly been completely or partially destroyed after it had be broken off and separated from the Beset part)

“The Late Period is the period when its popularity grew among the Egyptian people, who, associating it with the god Bes from the 22nd Dynasty of Egypt onwards, exports it throughout the Eastern Mediterranean in the Hellenistic period.” https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptah-Patek_(Ancient_Egyptian_deity)

The 'sliding metaphor': like we’ve already seen many times, Egyptians could use the same animal to illustrate not only one, but many things if the animal was good glorification material or not; snakes for examples could be used to represent river beds that look like snakes from a distance, they could be used to represent ropes and they could be used to glorify the projection of a fog of microdroplets of liquid water with spitting snakes as well. Probably crocodiles have been used for many reasons as well; and one of them is because of the way the animal is sometimes sliding into water. If, at least in some occasions Egyptians used the crocodile to represent the idea of sliding, we can be sure of this particular sliding metaphor when two crocodiles are used and when someone is standing on their backs. [illustration] “Crocodile Enjoys The Slip n Slide Ride”. From a video on Fur Family: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AhgjVPfwDk

36.04  Ptah-Patek isn't the glorification of the sand casting mold, that is still Ptah (the glorification of the wooden frame and also the patron of metal workers); the dwarf Ptah-Patek is only about the tiny little piece that comes with the frames: that is the locating guide pin which is the one to secure the two parts which would otherwise slide over each other

Because we know that Ptah is the glorification of the wooden frame, like the wooden frame used to make mud bricks as Ptah was the One to invent masonry, we have to find the wooden frame or the wooden frames in the famous extremely sophisticated figures showing Ptah-Patek [also: Pataikos] standing onto the heads of two crocodiles. I don’t remember having already seen so complex figures from ancient Egypt than these ones.

Because we know that Ptah is the glorification of the wooden frame, like the wooden frame used to make mud bricks as Ptah was the One to invent masonry, we have to find the wooden frame or the wooden frames in the famous extremely sophisticated figures showing Ptah-Patek [also: Pataikos] standing onto the heads of two crocodiles. I don’t remember having already seen so complex figures from ancient Egypt than these ones.

The first thing to understand is that the two crocodiles are the representation of the two parts of the sand casting mold, this is why they are facing each other. But in practice, if you don’t secure these two frames together so that they won’t move, you will inevitably end with one sliding over the other. This probably is the main reason why Egyptians have represented the frames of the mold with the crocodile; here Egyptians used the way the crocodile is sliding into the water.

Now, look at the back of the above figure of Ptah-Patek and how the tails of the crocodiles are represented one on top of the other: there is the two parts of the mold. In another image, you can even see from the top that theses crocodiles actually are forming a perfect square with their entire bodies. So, this is the whole mold you have here with the crocodiles, but if these animals are about the two frames of the mold, what really is Ptah-Patek? Is Ptah-Patek another representation of the mold? I don’t think so, simply because Ptah-Patek is a dwarf, just like Bes. It means that what ever Ptah-Patek is, it has to be a very tiny little piece of the whole thing.

And now, look back at the figure from the front and to what is really doing Ptah-Patek, considering the crocodiles are the frames of the mold. Do you see it? Do you see that Ptah-Patek is simply holding together these two crocodiles, hence holding together the two frames? And of course, if Ptah-Patek is only a tiny little piece of a sand casting mold that is the piece that holds the parts together, it only is because Ptah-Patek is the guide pin.

Amulet of Pataikos 37.949E, flanked by goddesses, 664–30 B.C.E.: https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/fr-FR/objects/4115

36.05  Ptah-Patek is simply keeping the crocodiles' heads close to each other, and that is because he really is the locating guide pin of a sand metal casting mold

In other words, Isis was going up and Nephthys was going down the central wooden Djed caisson; but because the Djed caisson was made of individual wooden cases sewn together, they were already linked with Ptah (the glorification of the wooden frame). So, when most of the time Ptah-Patek is represented in this kind of representation flanked by Isis and Nephthys, the reason probably is because a sand casting mold always is made with a lower part (the drag), and an upper part (the cope). In short, the drag goes at the bottom and the cope goes at the top; so Egyptians simply put the representation of Nephthys on the crocodile representing the lower drag part of the mold, and they put the representation of Isis on the crocodile representing the upper cope part of the mold.

“The name "Pateque" comes from Herodotus who, in his Histories, refers by this name to the figureheads of Phoenician ships in the form of a protective dwarf. Her connection with Ptah comes from the dwarves who, in Egyptian Antiquity, were generally associated with experts in metallurgy”: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptah-Patek_(Ancient_Egyptian_deity)

“Like many deities of ancient Egypt he takes many forms, through one of his particular aspects or through syncretism of ancient deities of the Memphite region. Sometimes represented as a dwarf, naked and deformed [Ptah was then called Ptah-Patek], his popularity would continue to grow during the Late Period. Frequently associated with the god Bes, his worship then moved beyond the borders of Egypt and was exported throughout the Eastern Mediterranean.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptah

[How to Cast Metal: Building & Filling a Custom Mold] Alvaro Mendoza, PhD: https://www.wikihow.com/Cast-Metal

The perfect illustration of the Ptah-Patek pin by playfull Egyptians themselves: insect pinning. Edited from an original photograph by Morgan Jackson: http://www.biodiversityinfocus.com/blog/tag/coleoptera/

36.06  Because Ptah-Patek is about a pin, Egyptians illustrated what a pin could have been used for by putting a beetle scarab on the head of the god (that is called insect pinning)

This huge beetle scarab that is very often represented onto the head of Ptah-Patek (Pataikos) is somehow hilarious and puzzling. But remember that everything here is only a very complex and sophisticated assembly of metaphors and the beetle is simply beautifully demonstrating how Egyptians could have used the pin. Remember also that Egyptians had most certainly reached the same level of knowledge, in many fields, as the one reached in the Western world in the 1800s: they were scientists, physicians and engineers. But they were also biologists and entomologists, so they did the exact same thing entomologists of all ages had done: they pined insects to classify them. So when you look at Ptah-Patek with a very bizarre beetle on the head, you are just looking at a beetle that has been pinned for classification.

36.07  Ptah-Patek flanked by ascending Isis and descending Nephthys

Some figures representing Ptah-Patek, certainly are some of the most complex Egyptian figures you can find: why is Ptah-Patek a naked dwarf, standing onto crocodiles with Isis and Nephthys one each side, a hawk on each shoulder and a beetle scarab on the head? And it’s not like some ancient artist became crazy: there are many representations of this kind. But now that we know what all this is about, every single part of the figure can be deciphered. Because yes, you have to ‘decipher’ the figure, it’s not just a god who wants to show to everybody he is so strong he can walk onto crocodiles.

We’ve just seen that the two crocodiles associated with Ptah-Patek are about the two halves of a sand casting mold, and later we’ll see that both Isis and Nephthys were deifications of the two central hauling ropes which were operated inside the central wooden Djed caisson (it was known by ancient Egyptians that the deceased had to ‘ascend with Isis’ and ‘descend with Nephthys’; Section G).

The composite impactor of the Great Pyramid of Khufu was made of two wooden parts assembled together which were hiding the weight that gave all its force and ramming power to the impactor.

36.08  Egyptians only took advantage of and played with the troubling similarities in the design of the piston-like impactor of the Great Pyramid and the sand casting mold (the star of the Bronze age)

The similarities of this impactor with a metal sand casting mold are troubling, and I really encourage you to watch at least one video of sand casting to understand why ramming (sand) is so important in the process. I also want to emphasize the extreme importance of the sand casting mold in the technological adventure embraced by Egyptians: the pharaonic era coindides with the start of the Bronze age itself.

“Metal Casting at Home Part 21 Core & Mould Making Casting & Machining”. Video by myfordboy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXSCx50LlNo

The sand metal casting mold, showing the tiny guide pin which ancient Egyptians have deified into dwarf god Ptah-Patek. These tiny pieces are the ones holding the two wooden frames of the mold together. “Casting an Aluminum Sign, Sand Molding and Finishing”. Video by Brian Oltrogge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBK0P4ASZ0o

36.09  This is why dwarves were associated with experts in metallurgy

The little pin added to the 'original' and basic wooden frame that has been glorified into Ptah and allowed the invention of masonry because these frames were mandatory to make simple mud bricks, may seem futile, but in reality it does change everything and instead of making mud bricks, you can now make metal objects. In short, Ptah was a very important god for ancient Egyptians, but it is Ptah-Patek who made all the difference, in particular considering they were living the Bronze age: they really did need the sand casting molds and the tiny little piece that changed everything, and that is the locating pin.

“The name "Pateque" comes from Herodotus who, in his Histories, refers by this name to the figureheads of Phoenician ships in the form of a protective dwarf. Her connection with Ptah comes from the dwarves who, in Egyptian Antiquity, were generally associated with experts in metallurgy”: https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptah-Patek_(Ancient_Egyptian_deity)

Pectoral with Pataikos as a cippus 690–623 B.C.E. at MFA Boston: https://collections.mfa.org/objects/145537/pectoral-withpataikos-as-a-cippus

Extremely rare Egyptian faience janiform amulet depicting both Ptah-Patek (Pataikos) and falcon-headed Ra-Horakhty, the fusion of Ra and Horus. Circa 664–30 BCE. Ptolemaic Period. The Gallery, London: https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/ancient-jewellery/amulets/egyptian-faience-janiform-amulet-of-ra-horakhty-pataikos/

36.10  Because a sand casting mold is very close to the design of the impactor, and the Ptah-Patek pin of the mold is so resembling to a bollard of the impactor, Egyptians made this extraordinary figure depicting both Ra-Horakhty (the wooden impactor) and Ptah-Patek (the protruding pin of a sand casting mold)

There is another illustration of the complexity and sophistication that Egyptians used in their glorifying process. Here, everything is about the fact that both the impactor (the impactor of the Great Pyramid, or all the other similar piston-like structures Egyptians had used to generate both pressurized air and water) and the sand casting mold are actually very close in their design which results in the association of two wooden frames, stacked on each other with protruding vertical pin-like parts and of course both are made only because of what is hidden inside the mold, or inside the impactor.

The description from the Gallery tends to suggest that the most important part of the pendant is the side showing Ra-Horakhty and that the Egyptians wanted to hide the suspension hole, but I believe the opposite is true: the purpose of the figurine is to show the importance and strength of the dwarf Ptah-Patek, and that the aim is precisely to show the suspension hole because it is through this hole that the suspension cord passes. Look closely at where the hole is located: exactly above Ptah-Patek's head, just like the ropes that wrapped around the impactor's mooring pin.

In short, the purpose of the figurine is to glorify the strength of this type of pin, whether it be the positioning pin of a sand casting mold or the impactor's mooring pin.

“An unusual Egyptian janiform amulet made of turquoise faience, depicting the two gods Pataikos and Ra-Horakhty. To one side, Pataikos’ squat form is depicted, with short legs and arms at his waist. He is displayed frontally and nude, his large male member visible between his legs. A large suspension loop rests upon his bald head. To the other side, the god Ra-Horakhty has been depicted as a falcon-headed figure, wearing a sun disk. His tripartite wig covers his head. Similarly displayed as Pataikos, Ra appears frontally and nude, hands resting at his waist. One would assume this is the front portion of the amulet, with the suspension loop at the reverse and hidden by the large sun-disk. The whole amulet rests on a small rectangular platform, with four zoomorphic protrusions, possibly representing crocodiles.” https://www.antiquities.co.uk/shop/ancient-jewellery/amulets/egyptian-faience-janiform-amulet-of-ra-horakhty-pataikos/

“Pataikos Amulet with seal on base” 26.7.56 at the MET: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/553696

36.11  The sliding-metaphor about crocodiles

We’ve already seen that one of the reason why Egyptians used crocodiles is because of the way the animal is sliding on his paws to get into the water; maybe the sliding-metaphor is the one that has been used the most about the crocodile, but they also certainly have used the incredible power of the crocodile bite in other circumstances.

But what I want to point out here, is that that sliding-metaphor can actually be used in many ways:

• it can be used just like with Ptah-Patek demonstrating he is the one avoiding the sliding motion of the two parts of the sand casting mold, by having a foot resting on the head of each of the two crocodiles facing each other

• but the same Ptah-Patek can also demonstrate that he was sliding himself through the part in which the pin is moving, and that is probably the meaning of Ptah-Patek having his feet resting on two crocodiles which are not facing each other, but appear in a perfect parallel position just like they were skates

On the above figure of Ptah-Patek and Ra-Horakhty, they have both their two feet on the heads of crocodiles.

The sand metal casting mold, showing the tiny guide pin which ancient Egyptians have deified into dwarf god Ptah-Patek. These tiny pieces are the ones holding the two wooden frames of the mold together. “Casting an Aluminum Sign, Sand Molding and Finishing”. Video by Brian Oltrogge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBK0P4ASZ0o

36.12  Ptah was the Opener of the mouth, indeed

What a curious figure than this one at the Metropolitan in New-York, right? What the hell is the gag-thing on Ptah-Patek’s mouth? Again, I strongly recommend that anyone would watch videos of the sand casting process and you will see how much manipulation there is of the two wooden frames of the mold. Of course, each one of these wooden frames look just like a mouth by itself, but it probably is the constant moving of these frames that made Egyptians truly compare the frames with a mouth, but maybe I’m wrong. What is certain is that Ptah was known to be the One to perform the Opening of the mouth ceremony, but it was certainly more because of Ptah-Patek: remember that the whole point of the Ptah-Patek pin was to keep close the mold and keep the two wooden frames together.

So, in some ways Ptah-Patek was a lock, the lock that kept the mouth close. In the above figure, this is what it is all about: keeping the mouth of Ptah-Patek close.

“God of the residence city Memphis. Originally, Ptah was probably the divine craftsman. This is confirmed by his role as the patron of the workmen in workshops and tomb builders, including at Deir el-Medinah, and by the title of the High Priest of Memphis, who is called the leader of the craftsmen. It is assumed that Ptah acquired his role as creator god through this function. Various sources, for example the Coffin Texts and the Shabaka stone, contain a version of creation by the god using his heart and tongue - thoughts that were spoken came into being. Ptah is also supposed to be the one who designed the Opening of the Mouth ritual.” https://www.globalegyptianmuseum.org/glossary.aspx?id=300

Pataikos amulet Object Number: 44.4.34 at the Metropolitan museum in New-York: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/546241

“Casting metal moulding boxes: fitting the fixed pins”. By Olfoundryman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX97scX79AA

36.12  Because Ptah-Patek is the glorification of the guide pin and because the wooden frame kind of looks like a floating boat, Ptah-Patek has probably later been reinterpreted into the figureheads of sailing ships

The figurehead is a perfect illustration of how things evolved over time; probably boats always had mooring bollards on board and it also looks like the locating guide pin of the sand casting mold, or the mooring pin of the impactor, so this is why the very name of Patek comes from the figurehead. In other words, the locating guide pin of the sand casting mold looked just like a figure head protruding from the wooden structure of the mold.

Figurehead. Photograph by orzowaypa: https://www.flickr.com/photos/37481233@N08/3861247935/

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Table of contents

Operating diagrams of the Great Pyramid

Timelines

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