Role of the first plague epidemic in the formation of the Ancient Egyptian state
The paper continues to study the influence of epidemics on social processes j in Ancient Egypt. In a previous paper, the connection between plague and Bastet was shown. It is noteworthy that in the Late Period (664-332 BC), simultaneously with her cult the one of divine Imhotep, by a famous architect of King Djoser, became widespread. His cult was localized in northern Saqqara, in immediate vicinity of a pyramid, creation of which is attributed to historical Imhotep. From a message of the Roman writer Claudius Aelianus, it follows that in the folk tradition, Imhotep became famous not only as a great builder, but also as the first fighter with epidemics. Therefore, the author of the paper assumes that the appearance of the late cult of Imhotep in Saqqara directly pointed to the struggle of Egyptians with the plague infection. This struggle resulted in making unusual burials of animals - bulls, cats, dogs, ibises, baboons, falcons - next to the pyramid complex of Djoser. These sacred animals, according to Plutarch, could be sacrifices in periods of natural disasters and pestilence. At the same time, both Djoser and Imhotep had been at the origins of the formation of the Ancient Egyptian state, and their joint cult, as O.D. Berlev convincingly proved, was also relevant in the most ancient periods of the country's history. In particular, the names of Djoser and Imhotep were associated with the introduction of the first solar calendar and final transfer of the capital from the south to the north - to Memphis, where a new Memphite dynasty was founded. As archaeological research by Waseda University (2001-2002) showed, the oldest sanctuary of a lion goddess, who can be identified with Bastet, was located near northern Saqqara, in the area of Wadi Abusir. This wadi was a center of Ankhtaui, a territory known under this name since the 2<sup>nd</sup> Dynasty and believed to be patronized by this goddess. Due to its location, the Bastet sanctuary was associated with the oldest buildings of the necropolis, in particular with the step pyramid of King Djoser and, probably, with the tomb of Imhotep. Consequently, it was the cult of Bastet that could play a major role at the time of formation of the new capital - Memphis. In Egyptology, it has been established that migrations of population in the Nile Valley led to the formation of the first Egyptian state. A probable cause of these migrations, as it was shown in the previous study, could be epidemics. Given that Egyptians could have faced the first plague pandemic at the dawn of their history, it can be assumed that the epidemic factor could play an important role in the genesis of their state.