The Benben stone is an object mentioned in ancient Egyptian mythology. According to legend, this mythological stone once resided in a sanctuary within the Heliopolis temple dedicated to the god Atum. Benben stone is also an architectural designation for the apex of an obelisk or the pinnacle atop a pyramid. This architectural element is also referred to as a pyramidion (or pyramidia in its plural form).
In ancient Egyptian mythology, there are multiple accounts of the creation of the universe. One of these revolves around the deity Atum and began in the city of Heliopolis. According to this iteration of the creation myth, Atum brought the universe into existence. There was nothing but darkness and pandemonium in the beginning. Out of the murky waters arose the primordial hill known as the Benben stone, upon which Atum stood. As the Benben stone rose from the primordial waters, it has been proposed that this term is associated with the Egyptian hieroglyph for the verb ‘to rise’, ‘weben’.
The god Atum, First book of respirations of Usirur ( public domain )
According to another interpretation, the Benben stone was the primeval hill on which Atum first landed. The god looked around, and realised that there was nothing around him but darkness and chaos, and that he was all alone. Desiring companionship, Atum began the work of creation. In some versions of the myth, Atum masturbated, and through this act, created Shu (the god of air) and Tefnut (the goddess of moisture). In other versions of the story, these deities were created by Atum’s copulation with his own shadow. Shu and Tefnut left Atum on the Benben stone, and went away to create the rest of the world. After some time, Atum is said to have grown worried about his children. Removing his eye, he sent it in search of them. Shu and Tefnut returned with their father’s eye, and the deity, seeing his children return, shed tears of joy. These teardrops, which fell on the Benben stone that Atum was standing on, transformed into human beings.
Pyramidion of Hori, New Kingdom 18th Dynasty 1350 BC, Limestone ( Mary Harrsch / Flickr )
It is also recorded that the Benben stone was once a sacrosanct object kept in the special shrine known as ‘hwt benben’, which translates to ‘House of the Benben’. This sacred relic was the innermost sanctuary of the temple in Heliopolis, where Atum was once the temple’s principal god. It is believed that the original cult object was lost at some point in history. On the other hand, based on pictorial evidence, it has been suggested that this was a tall, rounded stone. Additionally, it has been suggested that in the future, other solar temples will have their own Benben stones. The temple of Aten in El-Amarna / Akhetaten, which was constructed by the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Akhenaten in the 14th century B.C., is known to have had its own Benben stone.
Pyramidion of king’s writer Pauty, Saqqara ( Rob Koopman / Flickr )
Apart from being the name of a cult object, the Benben stone is also used to describe a type of ancient Egyptian architectural element. To the ancient Egyptians, this was known as a ‘benbenet’ (the feminine form of ‘benben’), whereas for people today, the stone is known also as a pyramidion. This term is used to describe the capstone that was placed either on the top of a pyramid or on the top of an obelisk. It has been said that in the case of the former, the pyramidion is often covered with electrum or gold. Examples of pyramidions have survived, and may be found in museums. One, for instance, is the pyramidion that once topped the 12 th Dynasty Pyramid of Amenemhat III, which is today displayed in the Egyptian museum in Cairo.
Featured image: The Benben stone (pyramidion) from the Pyramid of Amenemhat III, Egyptian museum, Cairo. Photo source: Wikimedia.
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