Similar to other temple sites in egypt, the presently standing complex at dendera marks the location of a very old holy place. Besides, the zodiac was wrongly placed in dendera temple. As far as the third sanctuary is concerned the temple is more or less intact and the numerous other ruins are sufficient to allow us to reconstruct the whole layout of this sacred place. Dendera this is a very ancient religious site and the seat of the worship of egyptian hathor goddess, the cowgoddess. Pdf evidence suggesting the existence of a previous temple at. The whole complex covers some 40,000 square meters and is surrounded by a hefty mudbrick enclosed wall. Pdf evidence is presented suggesting the possible existence of a previous temple dedicated to hathor at dendera. During the new kingdom, thutmose ii, ramses ii and ramses iii pharaohs all contributed to the building of the temple of hathor. During ancient egypt hathor was the cow goddess symbolizing love, kindness, motherhood, music and maternity. Dendera temple explore egypts best preserved temple. The dendera light is a depiction on a stone relief at the hathor temple, located at the upper egyptian temple complex of dendera.
However, prior to the temple proper is the roman period birth house of dendera on the west, perhaps built by nero, though more probably by trajan. A fantastic place and highly recommended even if it is out the way or difficult to get to. Click download or read online button to get the theology of hathor of dendera book now. The dendera temple complex, which contains the temple of hathor, is one of the bestpreserved temples, if not the bestpreserved one, in all of upper egypt. Temple festivals of the ptolemaic and roman periods escholarship. Dendera temple complex is one of the bestpreserved temple complexes in egypt. Although the dedication inscriptions refer to trajan, nero is depicted in the main hypostyle hall of the of the hathor temple, offering the model of a birth house. Temple of hathor dendera temple complex dendera temple egypt.
The temple of dendera is 60km 37miles north of luxor city and was the centre of the goddess hathors cult. In front of the actual temple lies the rectangular basin of the sacred lake, from the bottom of which rises a grove of palms. Dendera 17 ceiling light, temple of hathor, dendera. A relief in the hathor temple at dendera shows horus of edfu, sitting on a throne and wearing the combined crowns of upper and lower egypt. The dendera zodiac a key to the past conscious reminder. Under dendera temple, with mohamed ibrahim youtube. A temple dating to king mentuhotep nebhepetre of dynasty xi, which came from the west side of the temple enclosure, has now been removed to cairo museum. Feb 11, 2009 the site of dendera temple has a long history and there are many remains of old kingdom tombs scattered in the desert behind the mudbrick enclosure.
Hathor is associated with the image of a crocodile, and the original city had a crocodile as its official symbol. It is possible to climb down into the crypt and climb the stairs onto the roof of the temple where there is a copy of an ancient zodiac the original is in the louvre in paris on the back outer wall of the temple you can see a relief of the. It is believed that the egyptians likely borrowed the signs of the zodiac from the greeks, possibly in the ptolomaic period. The temple standing today was begun during the ptolemaic period ca. An indication of the antiquity of the temple site is given by the astronomical alignment of the main temple to gamma draconis before 5000bc. Commonly known as the zodiac of dendera, this series is based on the symbols found on the temple roof at dendera. Dendera is located 60km north of luxor on the west bank of the nile opposite the provincial town of qena, there visitors will find the temple of hathor, never finished, but well preserved.
It includes astronomical representations of the constellations, the zodiac symbols and several interesting hieroglyphs. For further location reference, the source of the nag hammadi. An ornate decorate shaft provides illumination into the chamber. Dendera temple complex temple in egypt thousand wonders. The dendera light images comprise three stone reliefs one single and a double representation in the hathor temple at the dendera temple complex located in egypt. It is one of the bestpreserved temple complexes in egypt.
The dendera zodiac precisely shows the chevron rectangles below geminitaurus on one side, and below sagittariusscorpio on the other side. The dendera zodiac is the only worldwide documentary confirmation of the existence of phaeton. The temple of dendera, built by ptolemy ix soterii, stands in the middle of a huge area bounded by a wall of airdried bricks, almost entirely ruined, whose sides are between 925 and 990 feet long. Interior of the temple of hathor, dendera martin gray is a cultural anthropologist, writer and photographer specializing in the study and documentation of pilgrimage places around the world. General research division, the new york public library. Report errors or wrong information regular contributors may earn money from their contributions. The theology of hathor of dendera download ebook pdf. The present building dates back to the times of the ptolemaic dynasty and was completed by the roman emperor tiberius, but it rests on the. A sanctuary on the top floor has a fabulous ceiling of mut stretched out over the world. Dendera temple is for the most part a grecoroman temple complex which many historians believe was built to honor hathor, goddess of the sky and fertility but this has never yet been proven. Egypt 29504 dendera temple seen from its enclosure wall.
It was known as the castle of the sistrum or pr hathor house of hathor. According to the russian philosopher, writer and theosophist helena blavatsky entire area occupied today by egypt and the desert was once covered by seas. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. Temple offers adobe creative cloud for current students, faculty and staff at no charge. A new interpretation of the dendera zodiac solariapublications. Dendera was a site for chapels or shrines from the beginning of ancient egypt. These crypts are thought to have served as warehouses or treasuries for ritual furnishings, sacred and ceremonial equipment, and divine images used in celebrating various feasts and holidays. The wabet in the hathor temple at dendera is a kiosk located to the west of its central shrine. Dendera temple complex temple of hathor jon atkinson. Creative cloud includes the latest versions of photoshop, acrobat pro, dreamweaver, indesign, illustrator and more. The ancient scribes exploited this complexity when composing the reliefs used in temple. The software is available for windowsmac computers and mobile devices, and includes access to adobe online storage. An early winter sun rises above the grounds of the hathor temple at dendera, here seen from its enclosure wall. If your contribution is significant, you may also register for an account to make the changes yourself to this page.
Khufu, builder of the giza pyramid, also built hathors dendera temple between 262494 bce. The greeks identified the goddess hathor as aphrodite. Over 283 dendera temple pictures to choose from, with no signup needed. Two lands writing is begun for her by her mother, tefnut, and her elder. The whole complex covers some 40,000 square meters and is surrounded by a hefty mud brick enclosed wall. The topographical bibliography of ancient egyptian hieroglyphic. Deniart systems dendera ancient egyptian zodiac hieroglyphs. The ptolemaic period witnessed an enormous increase in the number of hieroglyphic signs and iconographic elements composite crowns, scepters, and cult objects.
It has become known thanks to herodotus, strabo, pliny. The dendera zodiacs as narratives of the myth of osiris, isis. The temple of hathor at dendera around 1 hour drive from luxor is also very much worth a visit. The temple of hathor at dendera contains a number of small crypts along the eastern, southern, and western sides. See a photo of a relief of cleopatra on a temple wall in egypt by george steinmetz, from national geographic. The ascription of the bristol block to the dendera temple means that its date. This is the full length film of my visit to dander temple in egypt. During the new years festival the golden statue of the ba soul of hathor was brought here from a crypt below the south wall of the temple, where it was stored during the rest of the year. Its history, however, goes much further back some foundations remain that date to the time of khufu he of the pyramid in the. It indicates the place where the creator god settled to start creation e vi 11, 3. Dendera also commonly spelled denderah is an archaeological locality in egypt just outside the town of qena 62 km north of luxor in the region of middle egypt.
The zodiac here is a copy the original was stolen and is in the louvre in paris. It should be noted that heavenholder was a term applied to atlas, the greatest of the astronomers of all scientific history, who made his observations in morocco, the birthplace of the gods according to. The view of egyptologists is that the relief is a mythological depiction of a djed pillar and a lotus flower, spawning a snake within, representing aspects of egyptian mythology. Dendara temple cult temple dedicated to the goddess hathor dating from 380 bc. Jul 01, 2015 this is the full length film of my visit to dander temple in egypt. Sep, 2014 roof of hypostyle hall dendera temple, egypt. The temple of hathor at dendera was found originally buried in sand. Oriented towards the nile the temple of hathor follows the fairly typical plan of other temples from the grecoroman period.
Understand edit dendera is the site of the remarkably wellpreserved ptolemaic temple of hathor, the sole practicable reason for visiting the town. The block comes from dendera, from the second chapel of the eastern series on the. Apr 09, 2011 a new interpretation of the dendera zodiac the following extract is taken from babylonian starlore, an illustrated guide to the starlore and constellations of ancient babylonia by gavin white after the death of alexander the great in 323 bce, the throne of egypt passed to one of his generals, ptolemy, who became the eponymous founder. Dendera temple was completed by the hands of the roman emperor tiberius 1437 ad on a fountain built by pharaoh pepi i of the 6 th dynasty of the old kingdom. The pathway that we have been following, ill defined as it is in the grassy fields, leads us at length under a large ruinous portico which still rises here, quite isolated, altogether strange and unexpected, in the midst of the green expanse of pasture and tillage. You are supporting writers and allowing them to continue to publish books for every reader. All the sanctuaries were destroyed and rebuilt various times through history but the current temple dated back to the romangreco period the complex holds a mixture of different constructions such as a coptic church, mammisi a birth.
Dendera today the first two have almost totally disappeared, all that remains of ihys sanctuary being a monumental door. Dendera temple complex dendera zodiac temple of hathor. The temple of dendara is one of the bestpreserved temples in egypt. During a 38 year period he has visited more than 1500 sacred sites in 165 countries. The whole complex covers some 40,000 square meters and is surrounded by a hefty mud brick wall.