[EGYPT 29564] 'Goddesses supporting the sky at Dendera.' The four goddesses of the cardinal points carry the star filled sky on the astronomical ceiling in the outer hypostyle hall of the Hathor Temple at Dendera. The astronomical ceiling consists of seven separate strips but here we are looking at a detail of the FIRST STRIP WEST from centre. The deities in this picture form part of a panel that deals with the full moon and which is located at the southern end of the strip. At the top of the picture we can see the lower part of the boat which carries Osiris as personification of the full moon across the sky (see also photo 29563). The four goddesses who support the sky are associated with the compass points west, north, south and east (from left to right). This part of the Dendera Temple was built during the Roman period (first century AD). Photo Mick Palarczyk.
(Banebdjed, Ba-neb-Djedet) Banebdjedet’s name means ‘the Ba who is Lord of Djedet’, a city in the Delta known to the Greeks as Mendes. Banebdjedet is depicted as either a long-hor…
Since it is low water season of the Nile, we could not sail from Luxor to Qena and instead had to drive about 60km north in order to visit the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor in Dendera. Hathor was one…
[EGYPT 29550] 'Good wind from the South at Dendera.' Representing the south wind, a ram-headed creature with double outstretched wings, holding a little sail and the 'ankh' sign of life, can be found on the astronomical ceiling in the outer hypostyle hall of the Hathor Temple at Dendera. The ceiling consists of seven separate strips but here we are looking at the southern end of the upper register of the SECOND STRIP EAST from centre. A caption near the head of the wind figure proclaims him to be "the good wind from the south". Wind creatures such as these only appear in Egyptian monuments of the Greek-Roman period. The lion-headed goddess and the snake are decans. Decans were essentially 36 stars or star groups near the ecliptic whose rise or transit could be used to tell the time during the night. Eventually they were also used by astronomers as place-markers in the sky to divide up the Ecliptic in equal portions. Decans first appear during the Middle Kingdom on the inside of coffin lids, providing the deceased with his own private start clock. Unfortunately, during the subsequent centuries many different lists of decanal stars were developed and very few of these stars can be identified on a modern star map. The decans in this register were listed by Neugebauer and Parker as belonging to the Seti I B decan family. A peculiarity of these decans is that each is associated with a certain mineral, metal or type of wood. It is mentioned in a little caption near each figure. Thus the seated lion-headed goddess (decan no. 22) is associated with carnelian and gold, while the erect white serpent (no. 21) is coupled with dark flint and gold. For an overview of this ceiling strip see picture 29539. This part of the Dendera Temple was built during theRoman period (first century AD). Photo Paul Smit.
Private day tour from Luxor to see the Temple of Hathor at Dendera . You will be guided by a licensed Egyptologist tour guide and transported to the sites by a private air-conditioned vehicle.
The Dendera Zodiac is proof of how well the ancient Egyptians could map the skies. Read on for a handy guide to the Dendera temple complex.
The temple of Hathor was built in the Ptolemaic period and for the Egyptians it represented the east, although in reality the monument is oriented to the north. It is located in the old Dendera, more precisely 70 km north of Luxor. The temple of Hathor was erected in 125 BC during the reign of …
Walk up to see the Dendera Zodiac and descend into a secret passage to see the Dendera light bulb.
[EGYPT 29613] 'Standard bearing priests at Dendera.' A relief on the wall of the western staircase of the Hathor Temple at Dendera shows standard bearing priests. They are part of a stair climbing procession which is accompanying a shrine (not in this picture) containing a statue of the soul of Hathor. On the temple roof the statue will be revitalized by the sun rays of the first day of the Egyptian year. This part of the temple dates from the first century AD. Photo Paul Smit.
The Dendera Zodiac is proof of how well the ancient Egyptians could map the skies. Read on for a handy guide to the Dendera temple complex.
Since it is low water season of the Nile, we could not sail from Luxor to Qena and instead had to drive about 60km north in order to visit the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor in Dendera. Hathor was one…
[EGYPT 29533] 'Zodiac sign Pisces at Dendera.' A fish on either side of a pond makes up the zodiac sign Pisces on the astronomical ceiling in the outer hypostyle hall of the Hathor Temple at Dendera. The ceiling consists of seven separate strips but here we are looking at a detail of the upper register of the EASTERNMOST STRIP. There are six zodiac signs depicted in the entire easternmost strip and the other six can be found on the westernmost ceiling strip of the hall. These signs are of Babylonic-Greek origin and are not found in Egypt before it was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. The standing women to the left and the right of the fish are the goddesses of the 5th and 4th hour of the night. The disk with a god holding a small pig by a hind foot is interpreted by some scholars as the sun being eclipsed, but this can't be proven. The falcon-headed god on the right is the planet Mars (called 'Horus-the-Red). Other Egyptian astronomical texts mention that the god "travels backwards', which is undoubtedly an allusion to the retrograde movement of Mars. Of course other planets display this movement also, but maybe the Egyptians found it particularly striking in Mars. For an overview of this ceiling strip see picture 29526. This part of the Dendera Temple was built during the Roman period (first century AD). Photo Mick Palarczyk.
Day trip to Abydos and Dendera – Part I, where we explore the Temple of Seti I in Abydos, one of the most beautiful Egypt temples.
Dendera zodiac from the Temple of HathorThe Temple of Hathor in Dendera, Egypt, was built during the reigns of the last Ptolemies and the Emperor Augustus (first century BC) on the site of an earlier...
Since it is low water season of the Nile, we could not sail from Luxor to Qena and instead had to drive about 60km north in order to visit the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor in Dendera. Hathor was one…
Trysts were only one aspect of this powerful female ruler's life.
[EGYPT 29583] 'Hours of the night on astronomical ceiling at Dendera.' Three goddesses of the nightly hours can be seen on this picture of the astronomical ceiling in the outer hypostyle hall of the Hathor Temple at Dendera. The ceiling consists of seven separate strips but here we are looking at a detail of the lower register of the SECOND STRIP WEST from centre. The register is inhabited by standing goddesses who have a star above their head. They are the personifications of the twelve hours of the night. The actual hour can be discerned from the number of stars which is depicted above the small shrine that is placed behind the goddess. Furthermore each hour-goddess is accompanied by an associated deity which stands behind her. In this picture we see (from left to right) the hour-goddesses of the fifth, sixth and seventh hour. Other nightly hour-goddesses from this register can be seen in picture 29573. This part of the Dendera Temple was built during the Roman period (first century AD). Photo Paul Smit.
[EGYPT 29511] 'Isis Temple at Dendera.' A temple guard is resting against the porch of the Isis Temple at Dendera. The Isis Temple (built in the 1st century AD) is a separate building located south of the main temple, which is dedicated to Hathor. The southern exterior wall of the Hathor Temple can be seen on the right, with reliefs of the famous Queen Cleopatra VII and her son pharaoh Ptolemy XV (Caesarion). On the left we see the grove of palms which rises from the bottom of the sacred lake. Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[EGYPT 29541] 'Architrave of astronomical ceiling in Hathor Temple at Dendera.' An architrave supporting the astronomical ceiling in the outer hypostyle hall of the Hathor Temple at Dendera is decorated with superbly crafted hieroglyphs. The falcon within a square is the hieroglyphic sign for the patron goddess of the temple: Hathor. In the central column the group of five signs below her name mention that she is the master of Junet (the Egyptian name for Dendera). The falcon placed above three vertical signs in the upper left corner spells the name of Harsomptus, the child-god who was parented by Hathor of Dendera and Horus of Edfu. The name 'Horus of Behdet' (Edfu) is spelled lower down in the same column by a falcon and the four signs to the left of it. He also appears in the right upper corner, but in this case 'Behdet' is written below the falcon. The astronomical ceiling consists in total of seven separate strips which are supported by six rows of columns with architraves (for an overview see pictures 29525 and 29539). The architrave in this picture is located between the first and second strip east from the central ceiling strip (see picture 29540). This part of the Dendera Temple was built during the Roman period (first century AD). Photo Mick Palarczyk.
[EGYPT 29562] 'South wind on astronomical ceiling in Hathor Temple at Dendera.' A winged ram with four heads personifies the south wind on the astronomical ceiling in the outer hypostyle hall of the Hathor Temple at Dendera. Wind figures such as these only appear in Egyptian monuments of the Greek-Roman period. On the right we see the frog-headed god Heh and the snake-headed goddess Hehet, who are personifications of infinity. They belong to the eight gods (Ogdoad) who ruled the cosmos before the creation of the world, according to the cosmology which was developed in the city Hermopolis. There were four pairs of frog- and snake-headed male/female gods symbolizing the primeval waters, darkness, invisibility and infinity. The astronomical ceiling consists of seven separate strips but here we are looking at a detail of the FIRST STRIP WEST from centre. The deities in this picture form part of a panel that deals with the full moon and which is located at the southern end of the strip. For an overview of the entire strip see picture 29561. Elsewhere on the ceiling there is another representation of the south wind, for this see picture 29550. This part of the Dendera Temple was built during the Roman period (first century AD). Photo Paul Smit.
FEATURE (Category: Africa | Egypt | all seasons | cultural-historical | history | religion)..................REGISTER for LIGHTBOXEgypt: Dendera, the cosmos of HathorEnclosed within its rugged mud brick walls the temple precincts at Dendera seem to be an island left untouched by time. Particularly in the early hours of the morning, when foxes roam around the ruins of the birth house or venture down the steep stairs leading to the Sacred Lake. Stepping into the actual temple is like entering an ancient time machine, especially if you look up to the recently cleaned astronomical ceiling. This is a vast cosmos filled with stars, hour-goddesses and zodiac signs, many of which are personified by weird creatures like snakes walking on long legs and birds with human arms and jackal heads. On the columns just below the ceiling you encounter the mysterious gaze of the patron deity of the temple: Hathor. Deeper into the building (which dates from around 0 AD) is the crypt with the famous "light-bulb" reliefs where the golden statue of Hathor's soul was kept. From there you can follow the route of a New Year procession to the roof of the temple where Hathor's golden soul was rejuvenated by the rays of the sun on the first day of the Egyptian year.
[EGYPT 29533] 'Zodiac sign Pisces at Dendera.' A fish on either side of a pond makes up the zodiac sign Pisces on the astronomical ceiling in the outer hypostyle hall of the Hathor Temple at Dendera. The ceiling consists of seven separate strips but here we are looking at a detail of the upper register of the EASTERNMOST STRIP. There are six zodiac signs depicted in the entire easternmost strip and the other six can be found on the westernmost ceiling strip of the hall. These signs are of Babylonic-Greek origin and are not found in Egypt before it was conquered by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. The standing women to the left and the right of the fish are the goddesses of the 5th and 4th hour of the night. The disk with a god holding a small pig by a hind foot is interpreted by some scholars as the sun being eclipsed, but this can't be proven. The falcon-headed god on the right is the planet Mars (called 'Horus-the-Red). Other Egyptian astronomical texts mention that the god "travels backwards', which is undoubtedly an allusion to the retrograde movement of Mars. Of course other planets display this movement also, but maybe the Egyptians found it particularly striking in Mars. For an overview of this ceiling strip see picture 29526. This part of the Dendera Temple was built during the Roman period (first century AD). Photo Mick Palarczyk.
