Denderra
Location
One hours drive from Thebes, Egypt.
|
|
|
View Photo Gallery |
Index of Ancient Sites |
Description -
The temple of Hathor at Denderra was found originally buried in sand. It includes astronomical representations of the skies, zodiacs and several interesting hieroglyphs.
This first set of hieroglyphs are found on the ceiling in the entrance hall of the temple of Hathor. They have evoked much speculation from writers who focus on their similarity to modern machinery.
What appears to be a 'helicopter', a 'plane' and a 'hovercraft'. But if we look at the image as it continues...
We can see an 'Ankh' above in the right hand picture, which appears to have had another symbol drawn over it. This is the current explanation for these images; that they are actually the result of two sets of hieroglyphs superimposed over each other.
The next two pictures come from the catacombs in the 'Hathor' temple. These unique hieroglyphic images have yet to be adequately interpreted, and although they have been likened to modern electrical appliances (wires and bulbs etc), their meaning is probably more complex, involving imagery to express a concept rather than a physical object.
We can see that the 'Djedt' appears to be supporting one of the two 'objects.
These very un-Egyptian symbols are embossed like a signature above the image.
The following pictures are also from Denderra and are described as 'offerings'.
And these..
Looks like there was a lot of 'offering' going on in the temples.
The 'Offerings' - It is clear that these 'offerings' were being inhaled, which opens a topic of conversation rarely covered in archaeological text books, namely that several Egyptian mummies have been found to contain traces of cocaine. The sanctity and importance of such a place as the temple of Hathor at Denderra suggests that this practice of inhaling such 'offerings' may have been a part of everyday life in the priesthood. Although this by no means proves that this is what we are looking at here, we are offered a possibly valuable insight into the mind of the Egyptian priest.
Metal brick-ties (right) - It has been noticed that the builders of the temple of Hathor used metal brick-ties, one of many similar construction features found on ancient structures around the world.
(Click here for more on this subject)
Chronology -
The temple was dated through the astronomical information to 1,700 BC, from the 18th dynasty.(1)Myth and Legend -
One of the roles of the goddess Hathor was to support the skies, her four legs representing the four cardinal points of the skies.Archaeo-astronomy -
The now famous zodiacs discovered at Denderra show constellations mostly similar to those still used today. The largest display covers the ceiling of the entrance hall of the temple of Hathor, and includes much astronomical information alongside images of mythological creatures, deities and symbology with meanings only guessed at today.In the 'round' zodiac on a ceiling of a small room, Lockyer found hieroglyphs that were determined to represent setting and rising stars, and from which the temple was subsequently dated. It was realised that this zodiac showed a time anterior to its construction and it was suggested that it may have been reproduced from an earlier copy, with a summer solstice orientation. (1)
References:
1). J. Norman Lockyer. The Dawn of Astronomy. 1964. M.I.T. Press