Dendera

Dendera was my favorite site in all of Egypt, and not just because it was the topic of my 45 minute presentation. Mostly just because it's a beautifully preserved temple to a female goddess, and it's awesome. (Everyone agrees.)


Here are our favorite Hathor-headed columns, especially appropriate here because this entire temple is dedicated to Hathor. (Remember? Hathor of Dendera is the consort of Horus of Edfu.) It is intriguing, too, that the front row of columns from the hypostyle hall are actually part of the outer wall/pylon. I haven't seen this anywhere else.


Beautifully preserved and conserved Hathor-headed column - her hair would always have been blue!


This is a shocking example of how much of a difference conservation work can make. The left side of this picture shows what the paint looks like after conservators have cleaned it carefully, while the right side shows us how much dirt can accumulate in several thousand years. Isn't it crazy?


This is a replica of a famous zodiac ceiling for which Dendera is well known. Why, you ask, am I showing you a replica? Wasn't I allowed to photograph it just like everything else at Dendera? Oh yes, I was - it's just that the original is in the Louvre...


Dendera is also famous for its extensive crypts. This is a particularly famous relief from these secret rooms, one known because it looks so much like a light bulb. Really, it's an eggplant. With a snake inside? Okay, it's super weird. But it's probably not a light bulb.


Another weird relief from the crypts, near the light bulb image.


This is the sacred lake at Dendera. Clearly, it is no longer full of water. But it is still a pretty cool space - literally, quite the relief to walk down here (ground level is at the top of the wall), and stand in the shade of the palm trees.

Edfu

Edfu is one of the most famous Greco-Roman temples in Egypt. It is also very large. I like it a lot because it is dedicated to Horus, son of Osiris & Isis, and consort of my beloved Hathor. Hathor of Dendera (another beautiful and important temple) visited Horus of Edfu once a year in a huge festival called The Feast of the Joyous Union. It was pretty popular, apparently, and lasted about a month (they gave away free beer and bread!).

The huge pylon.



An interesting scene from inside the temple. This is a depiction of the epic battle between Horus and Seth, Horus being Osiris' child, and Seth being Osiris' murderer and brother. They are struggling over who deserves to be the ruler of Egypt/the world, and they fight for many years. In this photo, however, the formidable god Seth is depicted as a tiny hippo. Isn't that odd? Considering how powerful he was supposed to have been? It does seem strange to me, with my American movie upbringing - villains are supposed to be very powerful and frightening, and to be destroyed only with extreme effort, strength, and skill.

But for the Ancient Egyptians, depictions, and words, were just as real as the real thing - in fact, they could bring these things into being. So it was too dangerous to depict a huge, vicious hippo as the god Seth, because then maybe it would come into existence that way, and Horus wouldn't be able to defeat it. Better to depict him as a harmless little guy, with Horus huge and powerful, just to be safe.

Isn't he cute, though? Poor guy...

Another one - he's on his back here!

Oh, Seth. (Interestingly, Seth was extremely popular in the Oases, especially in Dakhla, even after he'd fallen out of favor in the Valley. He was popular, they presume, because he was so dangerous - the idea is that you appease a dangerous god so he'll come protect you from other dangerous things, of which there were presumably perceived to be more in the vast mysterious desert around the oases...)