Theoria: Art, Time, and Creation

A call to contemplate the wisdom of Ancient Egypt

This book opens with the image on its cover, which embodies the ritual of Un-Heru—“Opening the Face”—one of the most ancient solar rites in Egypt. This ritual adorned the walls of both great and lesser pyramids throughout the ages.

Atop the pyramid of King Amenemhat III of the Twelfth Dynasty, the scene transcends the engraved inscription: it is surrounded by powerful symbols—the Eye, the tripartite Nefer sign, and the sign of Ra—forming the phrase “Per Ra Neferu”, meaning “Beholding the Perfection of Ra,” or rather, “Contemplating the Beauty of Ra.” A visual constellation that evokes a face gazing from an eternal horizon—as if inviting the beholder to move beyond surface perception into a deeper realm.

This visual and intellectual resonance, born in ancient Egypt, was far more than symbolic—it became the root of a profound philosophical tradition. From this understanding, in which contemplation is a path to knowledge, the Greek term theōría would later emerge, meaning “visionary insight” or “philosophical contemplation.”

Yet long before the term was coined, Egyptian temples served as centers of learning, where celestial phenomena were recorded, geometry studied, and the harmony of the cosmos was understood. Through this lens, the book offers a renewed reading of the Egyptian legacy, unveiling the deep roots of philosophical and scientific thought that shaped human inquiry.

theōría

“Visionary insight” and “Philosophical contemplation.”

This work is the fruit of many years of research and reflection—a journey traversing time, exploring astronomy, philosophy, the arts, and architecture within the wisdom systems of Ancient Egypt. In 2019, this took the form of the blog Meditations on Kemetic Knowledge, a philosophical project aimed at reviving ancestral wisdom through a new lens.

Theoria: Art, Time, and Creation marks a new step in that journey—a call to contemplate the wisdom of Ancient Egypt, where thought and creativity converge in the eternal quest to understand the essence of existence.