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Cool water of Osiris, possibly held in ‘Osiris-Canopus’ vases like this one carried by a priest from what would have been the hyper decorated Isis Temple in Benevento, Italy 🏺 #AncientBluesky #egyptology

I love how the priest doesn't touch the vase with their hands, Simon? Instead having their clothing wrapped around. This is an interesting artistic point, and is so pointed I'd think it reflects real practice to keep the vessel pure? Looks like there was an attachment point for the vessel's head?

Oh this is fascinating! Thanks, Simon. That then raises questions as to when and where this practice kicks in, as no such thing is going on in the older Egyptian reliefs. Very interesting stuff!

These vases may have contained ‘Nile water’, which is intriguing when you consider how prosaic river water is. There was a shrine to Hydreios in Delos (late second century BCE) but I suspect the hand covering is Roman, when we see another flowering of the Egyptian cults across the Empire.

I'm guessing the idea likely goes back to wab-priests, but that the original connotations had been lost along the way. Unless it was a sneaky getaround to avoid the strictures of a wab-priest's life during their time of service. And 'Nile water'! That's an idea! Could ordinary water be transformed?