Image Gallery
The Goddess Hathor
This bust comes from a triad statue that showed King Amenhotep III flanked by the god Osiris and the goddess Hathor. It is one of the numerous statues that adorned Amenhotep III's mortuary temple at Thebes. Some 150 years later, when the temple was destroyed by an earthquake, this and other statues were reused in the nearby mortuary temple of Merenptah, Western Thebes. 18th Dynasty, c 1390-1352 BCE.
The British Museum, London.
Questions & Answers
What was the purpose of the temple in ancient Egypt?
- The temple in ancient Egypt was the literal home of the god it was built for. The high priest cared for and communed with the statue of the god there, and festivals were often begun in the reception area. There were no "worship services" conducted at ancient Egyptian temples as those would be recognized today.
What is the most famous ancient Egyptian temple?
- Karnak is the most famous Egyptian temple.
What were ancient Egyptian temples supposed to represent?
- Ancient Egyptian temples were understood to have been designed by the gods and represented the first moment a deity entered the mortal plane. They also were associated with the beginning of the creation of the world by the god Amun or, sometimes, the goddess Neith.
Could the general public have access to an ancient Egyptian temple?
- The general public was allowed in the courtyard and outer reception area of an ancient Egyptian temple but not in the interior and certainly not anywhere near the Holy of Holies where the deity's statue resided.
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