This ancient Egyptian message has us scratching our heads...
Archaeologists in Egypt have discovered a 1,700-year-old"falcon shrine," complete with the remains of 15 headless falcons on a pedestal, as well as a stone monument depicting two unknown gods.
In another room of the shrine, archaeologists found a stela, or pillar, with a Greek inscription that translates to"It is improper to boil a head in here." It remains a mystery why the falcons were decapitated, why a stela was placed in a room prohibiting the boiling of heads and why a harpoon was placed near the falcons. The stela depicts three deities: Harpokrates [also spelled Harpocrates] of Koptos, who is a"child god," and two enigmatic deities whose names are not clear.
The shrine also contained the remains of fish, mammals and bird eggshells. Some of these may have been offerings as well, and feasting may have happened at the shrine, the team noted. The shrine shows that old religious practices persisted even after Christianity arose, Frankfurter told Live Science. At the time the shrine was in use, Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire.
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