Recent study: Women in ancient Egypt were adept at interpreting dreams

CAIRO – 2 December 2021: Women in ancient Egypt were able to be scribes, priests and interpreters of dreams.

”Dreams were outlets to another life and a means through which the gods and the dead could communicate with the living; however, it was not that easy (to interpret dreams). It required a full understanding of the symbols of dreams and their meanings to become skilled interpreters,” said Egyptologist Rosalie David.

In the Deir el-Medina texts there are references to “wise women” and the role they played in predicting future events and their causes.

There are beliefs that such witches may have played a prominent role in the religion practiced during the New Kingdom, according to a study published by the World History website.

These wise women were adept at interpreting dreams and predicting the future. Most of the existing reports on dreams and their interpretations come from men such as Hor of Sbennoth (present-day Samannud) and Ptolemy (about 200 BC), but inscriptions and extracts show that women were primarily consulted on these matters.

Some temples are known as dream nurseries where the interpreter, spends the night in a designated place and communicates with the gods or the deceased to gain insight into the future. The most famous of these places is the Temple of Hathor in Dendera, where the majority of those in charge of the religion were women.