Shop Japan The Temple of Hathor, Dendera

The Temple of Hathor, Dendera

This beautiful temple of Hathor is one of the best preserved of Egypt’s Graeco-Roman temples and a delightful example of late Ptolemaic period religious architecture. It originally stood at the centre of a complex that also included sanctuaries dedicated to Horus, husband of Hathor, and to their son, Ihy – neither of which has survived. As a divine couple, it was only natural for the temples of Hathor of Dendera and Horus of Edfu to share strong associations with one another. The cult of Horus is particularly well promoted within the Dendera temple, where a list of the gods of Edfu is given prominence within the hypostyle hall.

As regional capital of the 6th Upper Egyptian nome, Dendera was not only an important administrative centre, but also a prominent religious site. Its sacred associations date back to the foundation of its first temple in the Old Kingdom. The patronage of the goddess Hathor is similarly ancient. Unfortunately, little remains of the pre-Ptolemaic sanctuaries – these earlier monuments having long been torn down and re-used elsewhere in the city. The temple of Hathor that one visits today was inaugurated by Ptolemy XII Auletes in 54 BC. The main sanctuary area was completed during the reign of Cleopatra VII, with the splendid pronaos being added by the Roman Emperor Tiberius in the 1st century AD.

Date of Construction: Main temple inaugurated by Ptolemy XII Auletes in 54 B.C.; Main sanctuary completed by Cleopatra VII (51 – 30 B.C.); Pronaos added by Emperor Tiberius (14 – 37 A.D.)

Highlights:
Pronoas with Hathor-headed columns and ceiling decorated with celestial chart
Inner sanctuary, including the Wabet “Place of Purification”
Roof-top shrines
Scenes of Cleopatra VII and her son, Caesarion, before Hathor (rear wall of the temple)
Mammisi (“Divine Birth House”)
The Sanatorium