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in Association with Q.E.A
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The Temple Complex of Dendera
By
Dr John R Ward KT & PH Ma Maria Nilsson
The Sirius Project
&
The Historical Preservation Society
Located just after the natural bend in the Nile (Qena) and lying North of Thebes sits the temple complex of Dendera. Known to the Greeks as Tentyra and during the Pharaonic period it was the Capital of the 6 th Nome of Upper Egypt. Its ancient name deriving from the Hathorian religious practice carried out there; Enet-te-ntore or shortened to just Enet. Arguably one of Egypt's finer crowns in her collection of archaeological sites. The temple complex of Dendera offers a wealth of information and knowledge to the Egyptologist and Ancient Historian alike with its diverse range of symbolic architecture and its history of continued growth and evolvement architecturally, culturally and not to mention religiously. It is truly a window into the history of mankind.
The site has been used as a place of worship, pilgrimage, learning, habitation and agricultural development for well over 5000 years, possibly longer; although it has witnessed so many changes in the approach towards its primary purpose as a place of dedication for Hathor the Mother Goddess. It has seen the rise and fall of the great Egyptian Kingdom, it saw the Roman Empire come and go, with all their embellishments, yet today, it still holds its attraction as a place for spirituality. The Christians and the subsequent Coptic's also saw within it, its value as a sacred place, in fact the entire area is riddled with religious history and cultural diversity. The Nagi Hammadi Gnostic scrolls are a true testament to that statement.
Dendera temple complex commands a strategic location on the Qena Bend as this was the weak spot in the 6 th Nome's line of defense from its neighbors. The Nile provided a shield from any army wishing to take control of the 6 th Nome from a Northern direction, but the Western desert corridor was open and vulnerable to attack, and it is more than likely, that the site originally was designed to act as a fortress to rebound any enemy taking advantage of the open desert surroundings. The elevated land on which the temple sits may be the result of prolonged silt build up due to the inundation of the Nile over the years prior to the site existence. Thus creating an urban myth, which led credence to the cult, which was to ensue the area later. The island could have been viewed upon as the possible mound of creation itself, thus creating a tie with the Ogdoad and the legend surrounding the primordial mound of creation. This island of cause would only last as long as the inundation continued to surround it.
One architectural detail to support this theory would be the Eastern gate, today it provides access to only agricultural land, but during the period when the temple was in high use, it may have provided a means of access to a connecting canal with the Eastern compound. It does in fact sit elevated from the main site, thus providing a type of dyke effect during the inundation months. This theory needs further investigation with particular reference to the geographical lie of the land and its elevation. A deep core sample from the outskirts of the perimeter wall (East Gate) may well provide us with the necessary data required to ascertain this. It is worth noting that during the Napoleonic expedition (1798) and the copper plate engravings which were undertaken, the topographical plan of the site of Dendera does indeed show that the temple complex lays at the far Western end of an island with a further walled structure laying to the Eastern end. The island seems from the engraving to of been subject to considerable weathering as the Eastern end is narrow in its appearance while the Western end is better defined. One could conclude from this, that the current of the Nile during its inundation would have formed such an island with its characteristics mentioned herewith. And that the exterior perimeter walls were in fact built as protection against any invader during the seasons when the Nile was at its lowest levels. To conclude this island theory, if the island was annually surrounded by water and that the island was always sat elevated from the flood waters ,then it would be sensible to assume that the exterior wall may well of been built to encompass the entire island. But this is not the case. Therefore we must conclude that the island was subject to various levels in the flood waters and that the perimeter wall acted as a last line of defense during the inundation period. Lastly, on investigating the Google satellite image one can clearly see that the 1798 engraving is quite accurate with the outlines of the island still visible and the natural embankment to the South of the temple perimeter wall with the mastabas and other associated tombs/graves lying beyond.
Located on the North facing wall to the right (West) of the North Gate (Gate of Domitian and Trajan AD 81-117) , sits a partial dressed sandstone wall, protruding from the wall a mooring block can be identified, as usually seen on quays and landing stations. A fine example of these mooring blocks can be seen at the temple of El Tod, South of Thebes (Luxor). The mooring blocks sit in the upper part of the quay wall usually in the corners and provide a stable mooring anchor for the processional barges that visited the temples. This would suggest that the Nile inundation waters did in fact reach as far as the temple wall itself and that the use of a boat or barge was necessary to gain access to the temple complex during the months of inundation.
Returning to the site itself and the main temple, having been built towards the later part of the Ptolemaic period (attributed to Ptolemy XII 54BC) having superseded a previous structure which in itself was also built upon much older structures. We will probably never know the origin of the original structure at this site, but the surrounding structures date from various periods throughout the Egyptian history providing us with a time line which can be used to establish a sequence of events and building programme that was undertaken at this site.
The site is littered with the cartouches of pharaohs who wished to be associated with the Mother Goddess herself, birth houses (mammisis) etc. We are aware of the following Pharaohs and Emperors who have contributed to this amazing site; Mentuhotep I, Tuthmosis III, Amenophis III, Ramesses II & III, Nectanebo I and possibly II, Ptolemy VI, X, XI, XII, Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV,Empr Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Domitian, Trajan and Hadrian.
The whole complex was geared towards the ceremonial worship of Hathor and her associates and in some respects not just for the royal house hold. It is here at Dendera that we have the only surviving example of a sanatorium; it is however questionable whether other temple complexes throughout Egypt also benefitted from such a structure.
The sanatorium in its own capacity provides us with a looking glass into the everyday Egyptian and their strong belief in the Religious system that held the Egyptian empire together for so long. The sanatorium as it is generally accepted was in fact an early form of natural health farm/cottage hospital where the participants would undergo a cleansing so to speak of not just the body and mind but spiritually as well. The pilgrim would have travelled a great distance to receive the cleansing touch of the Hathorian priests who would have been on hand to administer the healing powers of the Mother Goddess. Daily ablutions, prayer, healing together with the daily routine of ceremonies would have all come together to fulfill the total healing process. We will never know the true extent of the entire practice surrounding this centre of healing. One of the agreed forms of healing which we have an interest in, is the dream state, where the pilgrim would sleep under the watchful eye of the nursing priests and upon waking would have their dreams explained to them in a manner that would full fill the desire to be healed by Hathor or one of her associates. The dream state may well have been induced under a hypnotic trance or influenced by the use of drugs (natural). The use or ingestion of a fluid based concoction/potion would have been the more sensible conclusion, as with many ceremonies the use of the sacred altars would have been at the centre of the healing process. The pilgrims may well of brought several offerings to the mother goddess him/herself and these would most probably been used in the offering, placed upon the altar alongside the usual gifts made during the healing ceremony. The juices or run off from such a ceremony was most likely then ingested by the pilgrim/s to induce a placebo effect, where the pilgrim actually believed 100% that he/she was partaking in the same offering that Hathor herself had also partaken. This placebo would have had a dramatic effect upon the pilgrim, not to mention the problems that may well have occurred due to the mixture of various food types and other ingredients added to the altar. Thus the healing process was underway, any reaction to the potion would be deemed as an act of Hathor herself whether that is a stomach problem or gastroenteritis. The whole process was to provoke the patient into believing that they were in fact receiving the healing process from Hathor herself. This also provides yet more evidence for the acts of so called vandalism that has been inflicted upon the relief scene of Hathor herself on the south exterior wall of the temple, where visiting pilgrims would chisel and break off parts of the stone relief in the belief that it held magical healing powers within and were used in potions and utilized in the production of magical amulets and other votives. All deriving from the healing that so many had received at the temple complex over the years.
There are many theories attached to the sanatoriums and the idea of the main temples having them is in fact a plausible and logical idea. It would have made sense for the larger temples to have such a place of healing given that the priesthood were in fact the learned individuals and in some cases the only learned individuals in that specific location and the notion of a cottage hospital within the grounds of a temple complex looks likely in our opinion, if not a sensible conclusion. Just to lead on from that a little if we may, we know and acknowledge the use of Egyptian Magic as we call it within the Religious spectrum of healing, the sanatoriums are merely an extension of that process where the Egyptian priesthood was in fact capable of minor if not in some cases major medical procedures. This knowledge of the human anatomy coupled with the use of traditional medicinal methods and magic would have provided the priesthood with an acknowledgement by the General populace that they were in fact more than capable to perform healing on most cases of illness and in some dire cases perform what would be perceived as a miracle.
Excavation reports from many archaeological sites prove that small townships built up around the temple complex providing the much needed infrastructure to support the facility. Such townships would have also supported the growing need for accommodation for the pilgrims and their requirements for nourishment etc. around this a trade would of most certainly grew and the sale of amulets, votive offerings and statuettes of the Mother Goddess & associates would have been on offer. There have been many such items retrieved at the temple complex during excavations over the years as have at other major religious sites across Egypt.
Back to the temple complex of Dendera, one can start to picture the complex in its heyday as a place of pilgrimage. The processional way leading from the quay located outside the main enclosure wall would have been lined with the hustle and bustle of pilgrims arriving and departing from the temple complex, the connecting canal to the River Nile would have been congested by various sailing boats from the four corners of the Kingdom not only delivering pilgrims but also the provisions much needed to keep the temple complex functioning, fresh food, sacred offerings including livestock and on occasions this would all be halted to allow the Pharaoh himself to arrive and receive the blessings of Hathor. As much like today the security surrounding a dignitary would have been a strategically nightmare given the popularity of the temple complex. But we're sure as with most sacred sites today the priests would have taken all in their stride and performed their duties to the highest standards without fault.
By land there would be an ongoing train of people coming and going, the noise, smells and sights would have been quite magnificent and yet at the same time sorrowful as pilgrims with life threatening ailments and those afflicted by disfiguring illness made their way towards the temple complex in search of miracles from Hathor the Mother Goddess.
The almost intact sacred lake, one of the finest to be found today in Egypt, with its corner staircases which today lead to a barren and dry base with the odd palm tree providing the much needed shade, one can easily imagine the priests walking the same staircases and descending into the purifying waters that awaited them, cleansing their bodies and minds simultaneously in the preparation to perform the daily routine of ceremonies in any one of the sacred structures of the complex. The sacred lake does however retain two interesting architectural details, those being the points of entry for the water to enter the sacred lake, both having an internal staircases leading down to the natural water table, therefore their use as nileometers may have been utilized as well. But the main point is that, the lake itself must only have been filled during the inundation of the Nile. This may have a role to play in the actual celebration of the New Year festival of Hathor and that of Osiris and his annual festival of Khoiak, if not a precursor to the actual events; after the celebrations had been concluded the lake will have retained it risen water level until it had been exhausted by use and evaporation. There is a third inlet/outlet which leads in the direction of the sanatorium, this point of entry is however crudely cut and looks from the damage inflicted to the surrounding block work to be an added feature to this lake at an later date.
The site itself is confined by a mud brick enclosure wall which to the Western side measures approximately 10M meters thick in places with two gated entrances, one to the North and the other to the East. The thickness of the western wall is probably attributed to the inundation of the Nile, if one looks at the geographical layout of the land the West wall would protect the temple complex from the flood water arriving from the natural bend in the river. The bend would as in most cases cause the river to swell at that particular point and break its bank and therefore flood the low lying land directly beyond the Western wall. Thus the wall would need to be of a certain thickness to protect the temple complex from the rising water and currents which would ensue. Following on from this and with reference to our previous observations regarding the island theory, the ongoing development of the 6 th Nome would of most probably included the land surrounding the Temple complex and very much as it is today, the land immediately outside the perimeter wall would have been cultivated to provide the much needed crop for the 6 th Nome. Thus the land levels would have changed considerable, the Nile would still of submerged the low lying land but not to the extent that it had done in previous years due to the agricultural development of the land.
Directly outside the southern perimeter wall lies thousands of shallow graves and ruined mud- brick structures. The land has thankfully been left and not used for agriculture and we're sure that one day a full investigation will be carried out in this area. Until such time, a few excavations have been carried out in the area and substantial amount of information has already been gathered with regards to the burials, especially associated with the burial of mummified cats, as in the same that can be found at Saqqara. There are however a few mastabas that have been excavated and documented by Petrie during the earlier part of the last century and these are well worth noting. Especially as they lay to the South of the island beyond the natural embankment and not positioned on the actual island it. A possible explanation concerning their present location could lie in the actual foundations of the main temple itself; the presence of an early Old Kingdom structure upon the island would therefore shed further light on this matter.
The Theban foothills lie only a few kilometers to the Southeast of the complex and would most probably been used as a point of reference by the pilgrims coming from Abydos to Dendera. Or for that matter any pilgrim crossing the Theban foothills themselves. The foothills were in fact an established trade route between the nomes of that era and the caravans carrying their wares from one Nome to the other would have been substantial, therefore a pilgrim's journey would not have been a lonely affair, far from it in fact. As the watering holes can be clearly seen to this day out in the hills along the dusty worn paths. It was not until the re-unification of the Egyptian Kingdom during the 11 th dynasty, under Pharaoh Mentuhotep I in his 39 th year of reign that stability between the Upper Egyptian Nomes was established. Up until that point there were regular confrontations between the Theban and Coptite Nomes and the ownership of the Theban foothills was always in dispute. It was during these skirmishes that the main routes were forged, as the foothills gave access to both armies to one another's territory. It was imperative then, that the watering holes were maintained and the routes kept open. As it was then as it is today, the ancient pathways became main trade routes providing the much needed commerce to stabilize a countries economic growth.
One of the main attractions of the Dendera temple complex are the depictions used within the main temple for astrological observance introduced mainly by the Romans and late Ptolemies, the ceiling of the main hall which has been the recipient of a Egyptian led restoration project to reveal the beautiful and intact colours hidden from the eyes of so many for so many years with the buildup of soot and other air born pollutants. The captivating scene of Nut the sky goddess as she swallows the sun disc in the evening and then gives re-birth to it in the morning is a simple perception of the sun rising and setting but at the same time gives us a lesson in the Egyptians need for balance and harmony where chaos has no part to play and is kept at bay by the use of symbols and iconography. The famous astronomical ceiling which is located in the North Eastern chapel on the roof of the main temple shows us in detail the fusion between the great philosophy's of that era, where Egyptian philosophy meets Greek philosophy and combined they have provided us with the astronomical zodiac that we still use and practice with today. The original zodiac ceiling relief was unfortunately removed during the Napoleonic expedition in 1823 and is now housed in the Louvre in France, hopefully one day it will be returned to its rightful place.
The roof top is however an interesting place to be at Dendera, it has upon its floors many etchings depicting a game board , which no doubt would have been used extensively by the pilgrims/priests who attended the astronomical ceremonies that would of taken place here, the games would of allowed them to pass the time as they awaited the rising of the Sirius star and also for the time telling priests who also awaited the re-birth of the sun disc by Nut the sky Goddess in the morning , so he could announce to the entire temple complex that a new day had been born.
The chapels on the roof are beautifully adorned, with the reliefs depicting the death and subsequent resurrection of Osiris. With the pomp and ceremony that accompanied the coming together of his unified body parts after his dismembered body had been scattered across the land of Egypt by his brother Seth. The scenes depict the life being given back to Osiris briefly to allow Isis his wife/sister to become impregnated with his seed and give birth to his vengeful son Horus, the new Pharaoh of Egypt. Again we witness the resurrection and re-birth, a renewal of life itself on a continuing journey through the stars and heavens. Osiris played a major role in the inundation of Nile and again we see a connection with the specific location of the temple complex and its natural elevated position. The Khoiak festival of Osiris which was performed each year on the 12 day of the month of the same name (Khoiak). This festival marked the return of the Nile inundation and with it, possibly one of the most important festivals of the year. The festival was a joint celebration between the Osirion myth and the Nile inundation which were symbolically entwined. The return of the Nile inundation was associated with the scattered dismembered body parts of Osiris being found and re-assembled and as the waters began to saturate the low lying land, so the priests soaked the moulds which held the symbolic representation of Osiris as Sokar. The moulds were an intricate mixture of various substances including seeds, precisely measured and placed in a mould and then underwent daily libations which lasted for approximately 10 days. The germination of the seeds was looked upon as the re-birth, the resurrection and as the Nile waters leveled and rejuvenated the Nile valley with its rich deposits of silt so too was the land of Egypt re-born and resurrected. The festival continued with daily ceremonies being carried out with the utmost care as not to upset the delicate balance of harmony.
The relief scenes at Dendera give us a somewhat basic view of the festival, but nevertheless it does show us one of the many attributes attached to the Dendera temple complex other than that of Hathor the Mother Goddess. The Osiris festival of Khoiak provides us with another insight into the daily routines of the ancient Egyptian and how religion played an integral part of their everyday life, not so much in as, indoctrination but as an understanding of the environment in which they live, worked and ultimately died in. Before we leave the roof it is worth noting another feature that has now been removed during the renovation the main temple itself. We refer to the copper engravings once more of the Napoleonic expedition of 1798. Which depict the entire temple roof structure with scenes of mud brick structure? Vivant Denon in his “Travels in Egypt” mentions the mud brick structure upon the roof of Dendera and refers to them as Arabian ruins. We would like to propose that in fact they more than likely belonged to the Christian/Coptic inhabitants of the temple complex during its occupation by the same. However, the interesting point to conclude from this notable historic observation is that Dendera at the time of the Napoleonic expedition had already been deserted by the Christian/Coptic inhabitants and left o a ruinous state of repair. The temple complex offered the local inhabitants the perfect location to live, work and grow as a community but it was already deserted, why?
The Isis temple better known as the Iseum (temple of the birth of Isis), is located to the rear of the main temple itself. The Isis chapel was aligned East, West, but with the main chapel itself having been re-aligned at a later date to face the Northern direction (Emperor Augustus 30BC-AD14). The temple has undergone considerable damage, but is still in a state of repair that allows us to piece together the layout and function of this small temple. There are a number of re-used blocks that are visible in the sub-structure of the main hall of the temple, which bear the cartouche of Nakhtnebef (Nectanebo I) (380 BC- 360BC). It was possibly his temple that was taken down during the re-alignment of the present temple. The main hall itself with its new alignment also sits elevated from the rest of the associated temple structure giving it a more prominent position. This is best seen from the Eastern Gate which lays due east and also sits in an elevated position to that of the complexes grounds.
The Iseum has as previously stated undergone various architectural additions during its existence. Numerous Pharaohs/Emperors; Nectanebo I, Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy X, Ptolemy XI and finally Emperor Augustus. They have all contributed to the Iseum architecturally and in some cases changed its primary function as well. It must be noted that the original structure of Nectanebo I was in alignment with the Eastern gate and this would suggest a processional route may have existed with the Eastern compound as discussed earlier. The archaeological investigations that have been carried out at the Eastern compound have so far been very little, but it is said to be attributed to that of Ihy the son of Hathor and Horus.
One more prominent feature of Dendera's main temple is its unique crypts which lay hidden within exterior walls of the main temple at various levels, they total 12 in number and unlike the crypts at the temple of Edfu these crypts have been decorated with finely executed relief. It is in the 4 th subterranean crypt that the infamous Erich von Daniken and others claim that the relief resembles the modern light bulb, and that this proved that the ancient Egyptians had access to technology beyond that which we perceive they had possessed. The relief in question represents a cosmological re-birth of a new year with the son of Hathor, Harsomtus/Heru-Sema-Tawi (Horus who unifies the 2 lands) taking the manifested form of a snake wrapped in the Lotus for protection he also has the morphological manifestation of a hawk also to be seen within this crypt, nothing as far as were aware to do with light bulbs. But everyone is allowed to their own opinions. There is one small detail however that intrigues us about crypt 4 and that is the use of limestone in the structure of the temple wall itself and not sandstone which is used primarily throughout the temple structure. This may be due to the craftsman wishing to execute the fine relief or it may have to do with the original structure that stood here before. It is also possible that the relief had been inserted afterwards and again to facilitate this move the limestone was used instead of the sandstone. For whatever reason lies behind its use, it has complimented the overall relief very well and given us the opportunity to gaze upon such craftsmanship once more. It is said that the crypts were used as store rooms for the ceremonial furnishings, sacred and sacrificial equipment not to mention the divine statues themselves adorned with gold and other precious metals and stones.
Access to some of the crypts especially those on the upper floors is via a moveable slab in the wall, similar to those that we encountered at Qasr Qarun in the Fayyum. There the stone slabs were pivoted by a single rod allowing the block to close with perfect precision, thus concealing the entrance to the untrained eye. After all the crypts at Dendera may well of offered a place of security during times of trouble , so the priesthood could hide and conceal the treasure held by the temple and its staff if not the priests themselves. They were certainly troubled times and these crypts would of offered safety and kept one out of harm's way in case of intruders or invasion. Again yet another example of the development, in architectural design and build. The actual true reason for the crypts may well lay within the relief scenes themselves and the priests that were to recite the incantations carved upon the walls. If we look closely at the locations of the crypts we will discover that the majority lie behind the side chambers themselves, most of which have a certain function to play with the overall function of the temple. We have encountered before whispering corridors in many other temples throughout Egypt and these have always played a major role in the temple itself and the myths and legends that have built up around the, for instance the temple of the Oracle in Siwa where Alexander the Great received his divine right to rule Egypt, Qasr Qarun where the corridors lay beneath the actual holy of holies itself with access from behind the main altar.
Many a pilgrim on his spiritual journey on entering a crypt would hear the incantations being spoken to him as if from the very God's themselves, when in fact it was the priests themselves reciting the incantations for the pilgrims and their fulfillment of the spiritual experience.
Before we leave the main site itself, it is worth mentioning the remains of the Christian Basilica, which sits squeezed in-between the two birth houses (mammisis) on the site. The basilica is a fine example of early Christian/Coptic architecture and dates to around the 5 th century AD. The re-use of original block work in some cases is quite evident with remaining hieroglyphs and relief scenes apparent. Some of the re-used blocks have received some delicate carving, some of which is the best to be seen in Egypt. There are various niches emblazed with decorative arches holding the Coptic cross within an intricately carved background. It is interesting to see however how the Christians and Coptic's alike integrated their church on this site , actually without interfering with any of the other structures or vandalizing them for that matter, most of the iconographic relief scenes which adorn the walls of the adjacent Mammisis have remained untouched, and no acts of religious hatred has occurred. This only goes a little further to prove a theory of ours that it was not the Christians or Coptic's that defaced many of the great monuments of Egypt and that the defacing of the relief scenes took place much earlier by persons or groups yet unknown. The basilica is a fine attribute to the temple complex and demonstrates the diverse architectural development of the site and its continued popularity as a sacred place of worship.
To conclude, Dendera temple complex is one of the few archaeological sites in Egypt today that can offer such a deep understanding of the spiritual development of ancient mankind. At its core lies a wealth of underlying bases for many of our modern belief systems today and we have the roots here at Dendera for all to see.
We would like to add a passage from Vivant's journal when he came across Dendera:
“At the sight of an edifice like this, what a succession of epochs presented themselves to my imagination! How many ages must have been occupied in leading a creative nation to these results, to this degree of perfection and sublimity in the arts! How many other ages to bring about the oblivion of such a multitude of things, and to reconduct man, upon the same soil, to the state of nature in which we had found him! Never was there so much space in a single point; never were the steps of time more strongly marked, or better followed. What uninterrupted power, what wealth, what abundance, what superfluity of resources must have belonged to a government that could raise an edifice like this, and that could find in its nation men capable of conceiving, executing, decorating, and enriching it with all that speaks to the eyes and to the mind!”
Dr John Ward KT & PH Ma Maria Nilsson
Historical Preservation Society
