Dendera Temple Complex -Hathor Egyptian Goddess & Zodiac Ceiling Relief
Dendera Complex, which used to be an important religious center in ancient Egypt, embraces three sanctuaries of Horus, his son Ihy, and his wife Hathor; only the last survived till our days. Dendera used to be called Tentyris in ancient times.
Where is Dendera Temple?
It is located on the West Bank of the Nile River, south of Qena and 60 Km north of Luxor.
When Was Dendera Temple Built?
The Temple of Hathor at Dendera is one of the best-preserved temples from ancient Egypt. Some parts date back to 1995 BCE, but the main temple was built in 54 BCE. During the late Ptolemaic period, Ptolemy IX Soter started constructing this temple. It was completed under the Roman Emperor Trajan, as he was depicted at the walls making offerings to Goddess Hathor.
The Temple of Hathor is built in a magnificent scenic style. To the west, it has a deep rectangular hollow that is believed to be the remains of the temple’s sacred lake. The temple also has a hypostyle hall of Tiberius, a well, a sanatorium, a Coptic church, and two mummies.
The Myth About Goddess Hathor
Hathor is an Egyptian Goddess of love and motherhood; she is believed to be the wife of the falcon God Horus. The Temple at Dendera was the center of the cult of Hathor; the myth says that Hathor went to Horus in his Temple of Edfu, and when she returned, it was considered the beginning of the flood season of the River Nile.
Dendera Temple Ceiling Zodiac
The only complete “map” of the sky of ancient Egypt was in the chapel of Dendera temple, in one of the rooms where it holds a unique ceiling relief called the Dendera Zodiac. The ceiling had human and animal figures represented in the night sky; that’s why we related it to the Zodiac. This monument is proof of the merging of astronomical and astrological theories of the Babylonian and Greek merged with the Egyptian cultural elements.
