Components of Ancient Egyptian Temples: Shrines, Decorations, Buildings, Inscriptions | Middle East And North Africa

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ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

Egyptian pillar

Temples from the Middle Kingdom onward were in large rectangular spaces enclosed by high walls with entrances flanked by two large pylons (sloping towers), with a door between them. After passing through the pylons, one entered a large courtyard with colonnades on two or three sides. This is where people gathered. Beyond the courtyard was a large hypostyle hall (a forest of columns that supported a roof). Beyond this a was sanctuary in which a statue of the deity was placed on a boat or in a shrine. Only the pharaoh and high level priests were allowed to enter this area.

Large temples, like the one at Karnak, had a series of courtyards, each with pylons, leading from the entrance, and multiple sanctuaries. These temples were regarded as embodiments of ancient Egyptian cosmology and symbols of renewal, a concept in which Egyptian civilization was largely based. The ceiling of a temple was viewed as the heavens; the floor, the fertile marsh from which life emerged. The pylons at the entrance were shaped like the hieroglyphic for “horizon,” and the whole structure, like the horizon, was seen as the nexus of heaven and earth, divine and mortal, order and chaos. The polarities and contradictions of the world remained in harmony and balance as long as certain rites were carried out by the Pharaoh.

Some Egyptian columns were built with ridges to imitate bundled reeds. There were ones with closed papyrus capitals and ones with open papyrus capitals.

One reason Egypt was able to build such large temples and pyramids was that it was relatively untroubled by wars and could devote its manpower to construction projects rather than the military.

Temple Decoration in Ancient Egypt

The decorations of ancient Egyptian temples corresponded with their sacred character. The walls and pillars were generally covered from top to bottom with representations of gods brilliant coloring often brightening the broad spaces in the building. We also see the king standing in a stiff posture, dressed in a costume of ancient date, with the great divinities of the temple. [Source: Adolph Erman, “Life in Ancient Egypt”, 1894]

The principal god often holds the sign of life to his nose; the goddess blesses him, laying her hand on his shoulder; the third and youthful god looks on, and Thoth the scribe of the gods marks down the " millions of years," which these divinities bestow upon the Pharaoh. The following scenes also constantly occur : two gods embrace the monarch, or a goddess gives him her breast; Horus and Seth, the gods of war, teach him to shoot with bow and arrow; or the monarch stands in supplication before several gods seated on their thrones in two columns one over the other, all being exactly alike; or these divine puppets themselves approach the Pharaoh in two long rows, in order to express their thanks to him for this " beautiful monument."

The royal tombs were supposed to be decorated entirely in relief en creux, but it is seldom that this system of work is found throughout, for if the Pharaoh died before the tomb was finished, his successor generally filled up the remaining spaces cheaply and quickly with painting. The same may be observed with regard to the temples. For instance, the sanctuary of Gurnah was begun by Seti I. on a small scale, and was therefore decorated in bas-relief; but when afterwards his son Ramses II. determined to finish it on a much larger scale, he was obliged to drop this laborious style of decoration and content himself with relief en creux. In the same way Ramses III decorated his little palace of Medinet Habu with bas-relief, but when it came to the enormous requirements of the immense temple which he built in the rear at the same time, he was again obliged to substitute the cheaper method.

Decorations at the Temple of Dendur

In a discussion of temple decoration using the Temple of Dendur near Aswan as an example, Isabel Stünkel of the Metropolitan Museum of Art wrote: “In ancient Egypt, temples were seen as residences for deities, who were thought to temporarily manifest themselves in the cult statues located in the sanctuary. The temples were also the stage for daily rituals that were ideally performed by the pharaoh, but in practice by priests. These cultic performances included the offering of food and beverages as well as the burning of incense, which was thought to have a purifying effect. The inner rooms of the temple were restricted to those performing the rituals. During religious festivals, cult statues could be brought out of the temple. At Dendur, they were likely carried out onto the spacious cult terrace, enabling the public to feel closer to their gods. [Source: Isabel Stünkel, Associate Curator, Department of Egyptian Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art \^/]

Tefnakht stela

The Temple of Dendur was primarily dedicated to the goddess Isis of Philae, who had her principal temple on Philae, an island about 50 miles north of Dendur. Depictions of this goddess can be found in many scenes on the temple. Isis's husband, Osiris, is also featured, as is their son, Horus, who appears as both Harpocrates ("Horus the Child") and Harendotes ("Horus Who Protects His Father"). \^/

“Two other deities, Pedesi and Pihor, also played an important role. These two brothers, who may have been the sons of a local Nubian chieftain, were deified after their death and are known only from the decoration of the Temple of Dendur. A small rock-cut chamber originally located in the cliff behind the temple may have been their tomb. Since Dendur stood in Nubia, to the south of the Egyptian border at Aswan, the Nubian gods Mandulis and Arsenuphis also occur among the many deities represented in the temple. \^/

“As is common in Egyptian relief decoration, the outside of the temple was carved in sunk relief, which created deep shadows in the bright sunlight. Raised relief, in which the background is carved away and the figures are raised, was used for the interior of the building. The reliefs were originally brightly painted. In nearly all of the offering scenes, the ruler stands in front of one or more deities, who may be either seated or standing, and presents them with different goods. In return, these deities were thought to have the power to offer prosperity and life, represented by the ankh (sign of life) held in their back hands. In the sanctuary itself, relief carvings appear only on the rear wall. \^/

“The temple's design and decoration has several symbolic layers. In particular, many details carefully reflect its geographical orientation. For example, a cobra depicted on the south column wears the crown of Upper Egypt (south Egypt), while the cobra on the north column opposite wears the Lower Egyptian crown. According to ancient Egyptian mythological concepts, the creation of the world was thought to be renewed inside the temple, and the building itself was regarded as an image of the natural world. Thus we find carvings of papyrus and lotus plants adorning the bottom of the outside walls, with representations of the Nile god Hapy placed in between. \^/

“The two columns of the temple resemble tall plants that reach toward the sky, and the shape of the capitals incorporates papyrus and lily plants, the emblems of Upper and Lower Egypt. Above the columns, a large sun disk is flanked by the outspread wings of Horus, the sky god. Winged sun disks were also placed above a side entrance to the temple and above the main gate. Inside the temple, flying vultures depicted on the ceiling also evoke the sky. In ancient Egypt, depictions were thought magically to become real. The temple's decoration thus not only guaranteed the performance of rituals, but also the continuation of the natural world and cosmic world order.” \^/

Inscriptions at Ancient Egyptian Temples

In a typical set of inscriptions at an ancient Egyptian temple the god assures the king over and over again in these words,' " I give thee years of eternity and the joyful government over the two countries. So long as I exist, .so long shalt thou exist on earth, shining as King of Upper h'gvpt and King of Lower Egypt on the throne of the living. As long as heaven endures thy name shall endure, and shall grow eternally, as a reward for this beautiful, great, pure, strong, excellent memorial that thou hast erected to me. Thou ha.st accomplished it, thou ever-living one." [Source: Adolph Erman, “Life in Ancient Egypt”, 1894]

In other places the god says, " I bestow upon thee Hfe, duration, purity," or, " I bestow upon thee the everlasting life of Re' and his years, as monarch of the two countries; the black and the red land lie beneath thy throne, as they lie daily beneath that of Re'/ Or, again, " My son, whom I love, my heart rejoices when I see thy beauty; thou hast renewed for me once more my divine house, as the horizon of the sky. For this reason I give to thee the eternal life of Re' and the years of Atum."

We also find the god speaking to the king as follows : “Welcome, thou good god; I place thy victory over every nation, and the fear of thee in the hearts of the nine nations of the bow. Their great ones come as one man to thee with their backs laden. I place the fear of thee in the two countries, and the nine nations of the bow shall bow when thou dost call." But if we think to have found a new thought, we shall be disappointed when we read on the next wall, “Son of my body, whom I love, thou lord of power over all the countries! The people of the Nubian Troglodytes lie slain beneath thy feet. I allow the princes of the southern countries to come to thee, bringing their tribute and their children on their backs and all the beautiful gifts of the south. Their lives are in thy hand, they live or die as thou pleasest." Or, again, “Welcome! Thou hast captured what thou didst desire, and hast slain those who crossed thy border. My sword is with me, it falls upon the countries; thou dost cut off the heads of the Asiatics. I allow thy power to be great, and subject each country to thee, that they may see how strong is thy majesty, like to my son when he is angry." It must strike everyone that all these representations and inscriptions are compiled more to the honour of the kings than to that of the gods.

Shrines in Ancient Egypt

Neal Spencer of the The British Museum wrote: “The focal point of most Egyptian formal religious rituals was the divine image, a physical manifestation of one or several deities, typically (but not always) in the form of a statue. Much of religious architecture served to shroud the divine image in nested layers of protection from the chaotic—and hence dangerous—outside world. It is thus unsurprising that a formal code of architectural forms was developed over the millennia to provide this protection. The present discussion addresses stand-alone shrines, whether portable or not, rather than integrated components of temple architecture such as temple sanctuaries. [Source: Neal Spencer, The British Museum, London, UK, UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology 2010, escholarship.org ]

Amun Temple, including the shrine (c), in Luxor

“Shrines, defined here as the architectural element immediately surrounding a sacred image, usually of a god, are attested throughout Pharaonic history, but with regional and chronological variations very evident. The architectural form of Egyptian shrines was developed from that of archaic “tent-shrines” made of timber and matting, but later examples represent a distillation of formal temple architecture. Eventually, classic shrine-forms were deployed in non-temple contexts.”

“Building inscriptions indicate that the shrines were typically sealed with wooden doors, embellished with metal or other lavish materials. The Ritual of Mut describes the priest unbolting these doors for the morning service; depictions of a similar ritual survive in the temple of Sety I at Abydos. We need to accept that many cult statues would have been stored within shrines in a disassembled state, as some were too tall for their own shrine. In Papyrus Harris I, a shrine set up at Memphis is described as containing statues of Ptah, Sakhmet, and Nefertum, flanked by “statues-of-the-lord” (kings in ritual poses?) making offerings. Furthermore, that the doors of many naoi opened inwards makes it clear that the divine image would have been housed towards the rear, often in a smaller internal niche. Other shrines, even within large formal temples, would have been made of wood, sometimes elaborately painted or inlaid with glass and precious metals; some were then covered in sheet metal or provided with elaborate openwork wooden or faience sides (as depicted in a papyrus in Turin). The caches from the Sacred Animal Necropolis temples at North Saqqara provide a glimpse of the range of sizes and qualities that would have existed. Many of these shrines were destined to house copper alloy statues, dedicated by individuals, rather than principal cult images.

“The architectural language of shrines also appears in other aspects of Egyptian material culture. In addition to the integration of shrine representations in naophorous statuary, objects from the funerary sphere echoed the form—notably some coffins and sarcophagi, shabti boxes, canopic chests, and animal coffins. Pectorals and sistra of the Late Period could also incorporate shrine forms. Miniature shrines, in stone, copper alloy, and other materials, faithfully represent the key architectural components of the classic shrines. Those with suspension loops must have been attached to walls in temples or houses, as they are too heavy to wear about the neck.

“The smallest shrines could evidently be the product of a single artisan, but in the case of the larger decorated naoi, a skilled team of craftsmen would have been required. The quarrying of the stone and initial sculpting into a recognizable shrine-form prior to transport are attested at a quarry in the Eastern Desert. Proportional drawings for naoi have survived, particularly for wooden shrines. In many cases, the final decoration must have been completed in the dark interior of the temple sanctuaries in which the naoi were set up.”

Portable Shrines and Barks in Ancient Egypt

Neal Spencer of the The British Museum wrote: “ “Some shrines were evidently intended to be portable, most notably for use in processional temple festivals. The extensive representational evidence relating to Theban festivals includes depictions of the large sacred bark of Amun, which supported a shrine (or even nested shrines) on its deck, also festooned with dozens of figures of officiants, royalty, and even deities in ritual poses. In some depictions the shrine seems to be quite exposed, with only a textile veil occasionally depicted to shroud the divine image. Of course, shrines for royal display are well attested for royal festivals such as the Heb-Sed, with representations of architectural forms similar to those attested for the shrines of deities. [Source: Neal Spencer, The British Museum, London, UK, UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology 2010, escholarship.org ]

Inside some shrines, also called the naos, was a richly-adorned little bark containing the figure of the god." The god image therefore was small and probably resembled the little bronze figures of which we possess such a number. We know no more, for this sacred image of the god was so strictly guarded from profane eyes that as far as is known it is never once represented in the temple reliefs.' Even the pictures of the Holy of Holies show only the divine bark, adorned fore and aft with the head of the animal sacred to the god, and manned with a crew of small bronze figures of kings and gods; in the center is the little deck cabin like a little temple, which for further protection is covered with a canopy of some stuff material." [Source: Adolph Erman, “Life in Ancient Egypt”, 1894]

This bark was carried round in procession on great festivals, and to the outside world it was itself the image of the god. There is really nothing very remarkable in this circumstance, for in the worship of other nations also, the shrine or the processional carriage of the god, which alone is seen by the people, stands at last to them for the figure of the god itself It is however characteristic of Egypt that a boat should play this part in that country. The Egyptian idea of traveling was always by Nile boat; the god also would therefore, according to their views, require a Nile boat to go from place to place.

Shrines in Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt

shrine

Neal Spencer of the The British Museum wrote: “The earliest iconographic representations of architectural settings for deities and royal display are on late Predynastic and Early Dynastic seals, maceheads, palettes, and decorated ceramics, and in the small models found buried in deposits in and around early temples. The seals and maceheads show figures within, and processions leading towards, stylized structures, seemingly built from a combination of reeds, matting, wood, and perhaps textiles. Some depictions may represent portable shrines. The forms of some of these shrines had been codified by the early 3rd Dynasty, when they were replicated in stone within the Step Pyramid complex at Saqqara. Reliefs from Old Kingdom pyramid-temples label these architectural forms as the pr-nw and pr-wr shrines, associated with the North and South, respectively. Many of the distinctive elements of these shrines can be found in later temple and funerary architecture, particularly the corner pillars and vaulted roof of the pr-nw, or the curved roof of the pr-wr. [Source: Neal Spencer, The British Museum, London, UK, UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology 2010, escholarship.org ]

“However, the classic form of shrine, known from the 12th Dynasty onwards but attested in hieroglyphic and representational evidence in the Old Kingdom, is that combining torus-molding, cavetto cornice, and a flat roof, as embodied by the hieroglyphic determinative for zH-nTr. Other elements were combined with this form, particularly pyramidal roofs, plinths, and decorative details such as kheker-friezes, uraeus-friezes, and winged sun-discs. Some shrines’ ceilings were decorated with rows of vultures. Many of these “classic” shrines thus represent a distillation of formal Egyptian sacred architecture—they are effectively temples in miniature. Much of the architectural language used in shrines thus evoked imagery relating to solar religion and cosmic rebirth. These same themes are prevalent in the daily temple rituals focused around shrines.

“Of course, the use of stone and metal, or solid wood construction, allowed embellishment with developed decorative schemes not possible on the archaic shrines. As early as the 3rd Dynasty, a Heliopolitan shrine or chapel of Djoser bore finely carved scenes featuring divinities, but perhaps more typical is the decoration on a granite naos of Pepy I found at Elephantine. Here, the rather stark architectural form was only embellished with the royal titulary and epithets.

“By the 12th Dynasty, the classic forms of shrines were already a widely accepted part of formal religious imagery. Surviving royal examples are rare, but include the naos of Senusret I found at Karnak, decorated with offering scenes, and the wooden shrine found at Dahshur, which housed the ka-statue of pharaoh Hor of the 13th Dynasty. From the Middle Kingdom onwards, the same architectural forms were being employed for shrines housing private statues, some originally set up along the processional routes at sites such as Abydos.”

Shrines of the New Kingdom and Later

Userhat holding a shrine of Amen

Neal Spencer of the The British Museum wrote: “Abundant representational evidence survives in New Kingdom temples. The reliefs in the temple of Sety I at Abydos show a range of types, including complex groups of nested shrines. Unusual shrines were also produced, such as the low chapels for statues set up by Ramesses II at Per-Ramesses. Finally, the distinctive chapels for processional barks, open at either end (effectively transitory shrines), were densely decorated with ritual and processional scenes. Wood and matting shelters, and perhaps textile veils stretched onto wooden frames, were another form of sacred protection, now known only from the holes drilled around certain reliefs of deities. [Source: Neal Spencer, The British Museum, London, UK, UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology 2010, escholarship.org ]

“A large number of monolithic shrines, typically in hard stones such as granite, have survived from the Late Period, but it is one iconographic scheme, seemingly developed in the cult centers of the Delta, that signals a shift in function for these monuments, complementary to the core function of housing the divine image. This complex iconography featured registers of divine images, which embodied cosmogonical narratives particular to certain temples and must have been seen as supporting the eternal cycle of re-creation. Other monolithic shrines of the Late Period bore complex mythological narratives, representations of divine imagery from within the temple, or even astronomical information. The scale of these shrines is rather imposing: some are over 3 meters in height, and at Mendes reaching 7 m, emphasizing their protective function. The term kAr is used to refer to shrines of this form. In some cases, the proportions of the shrine strongly suggest that the images housed within featured more than one deity.

“At Bubastis, at least twelve monolithic naoi were commissioned in the reign of pharaoh Nakhthorheb alone; alas, the destruction of the building has deprived us of a clear sense of their original layout. It has been suggested that one of these shrines may have been associated with coronation rituals. In contrast, the shrines at Mendes were provided with minimal decor yet stood facing each other in an open-air court; these truly afforded the god protection from the Delta climate. Monolithic naoi continued to be produced throughout the Ptolemaic and Roman eras. The podium at Elephantine supported three naoi housing stelae. The distinctive characteristics of Pharaonic shrine architecture were also present in Meroitic temples.”

Buildings at an Ancient Egyptian Temple

Buildings belonging to the temple included storehouses, the dwellings for the priests, etc. They were situated in the so-called temple circuit — inside those great walls which enclosed a wide circle round the temple, and which can still be traced in many of the ruins. The dimensions of these temple enclosures may be judged from the fact that that of southern Karnak comprised about twelve acres, and that of middle Karnak, probably, fifty-seven. Even if these were of unusual size, they show us that each of the great temples, with its additional buildings, courts, and gardens, occupied quite a town quarter. The buildings comprising this sacred quarter were constructed, for the most part, of brick, and therefore have mainly disappeared; and we should not therefore be in a position to form a picture of the temple surroundings did not the representations in the tombs come to our assistance. It is again the tombs of Tell el Amarna which have preserved this record for us. [Source: Adolph Erman, “Life in Ancient Egypt”, 1894]

The temple is in general built after the usual plan of the great temples, though there are certain curious details in the architecture. Passing through the immense pylon adorned with flag-staves, we enter a large court in the middle of which stands the great altar of the god, which is reached only by a flight of steps; the altar is richly laden with slaughtered oxen and geese and decked with flowers. In order to show that this court is open to all worshippers, it is not closed by thick walls, but by a chain of structures with portals. The doors of the latter stand open, except at the back part of the court, where there is a wall to separate it from the fore part.

Three smaller chambers lie behind the central one; the hypostyle hall is noteworthy, it is supported by sixteen large pillars. Six small buildings standing in this central part of the temple may perhaps have served as storerooms. The termination of the whole building is formed by two grand halls or courts against which sixteen rooms are built, which evidently constitute the special places for worship. In the middle of each hall stands a great altar. Close behind this great temple stands a second smaller one, consisting of a great hall surrounded by smaller rooms, in front of which there is a hypostyle hall with rows of pillars and statues of the king, as well as a small court.

Passing from the “House of the Sun “proper, we come to the adjoining buildings. The large temple is surrounded on all sides by a small court, which has one entrance only. No one could reach the temple without passing through this gate, and this entrance was guarded in a military manner, for two houses close by in the court were evidently inhabited by watchmen. To the left of the great gate a wall divides off a corner of the court — here the animals for the sacrifices were killed.

The little temple behind is also surrounded by a court; here also there is the walled-off slaughter-yard to the left of the entrance. In the rear is a small building which served as a kitchen, and a larger one, probably the bakery, for in it people seem to be kneading dough. Thus we see that the space in the court to the left of the temple was devoted to household offices; I cannot tell for what purposes that on the right-hand side was used; perhaps for worship, for we see there a seated group of singers, who are devoutly singing their hymns accompanied by the harp. It appears that the large piece of ground at the back of the smaller temple was taken up with the dwellings of the priests and servants, as well as by the granary and the treasury belonging to the temple; our illustration gives a tolerably clear idea of these buildings. The piece of ground which appears to have been connected with the temple by a side-door is surrounded by a wall into which admission can only be gained by one gateway. The space between the buildings is laid out as a garden and planted with trees, each trunk is surrounded by a little heap of earth; there are also two tanks to facilitate the watering of the young plants.

The great building to the right of the entrance consists of thirty-seven rooms, which are arranged in two rows round a rectangular court; a colonnade between these rows forms a corridor for the rooms behind; there is another small court in front of the house. This building may have contained the offices for the management of the temple property, or the dwellings for the servants. Beyond, there lies another building, far larger and grander than the one described above. A large hall supported by two rows of columns, and a parallel smaller hall with one row, appear to serve as courts; between them and round them is a complicated series of halls, rooms, and storerooms. We are probably right in regarding the principal building, surrounded by courts and stabling, as the dwelling-house of the priest.

To the left, on the smaller part of the piece of ground, is the provisionhouse. On each side of a court, well guarded by gates and walls, lie eight chambers filled with all manner of gigantic jars; from the hindermost chamber a staircase leads to a story above, the low rooms of which are seen in our illustration. These rooms are the temple storerooms; the curious building in the middle of the provision-house may be the treasury. In the court of the provision-house is a second similar building with stately doors and adorned with rows of pillars; in the court of the latter building, separated from the outer world by threefold walls, we find the central point of the whole plan, a square building with four closed doors. The roof of this edifice is arranged as a kind of temple and provided with an altar on which thank-offerings may be offered to the god out of the fulness of his gifts. Steps outside lead up to this altar on the roof

Finally, behind the storehouses, protected from idle visitors by walls and closed gates, is a garden or grove with a large tank in the centre. We do not know whether this artificial lake with its flight of steps leading down to the water was merely for the refreshment of the priests, or served, as at Karnak for instance, for certain ceremonies at the festivals. It is also uncertain whether the small building on the bank was for pleasure or for more serious purposes.

Mammisi (Temple Birth Houses)

Holger Kockelmann of Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Germany wrote: “Egyptian birth houses (mammisis) are an important feature of many Late Period and Ptolemaic and Roman temple complexes. Being small temple edifices in their own right, their decoration is dominated by scenes that relate to the nativity and bringing up of the divine child of a local triad. As the young god was identified with the king, birth houses were also places devoted to the cult of the living ruler. [Source: Holger Kockelmann, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology 2011, escholarship.org ]

“The term “mammisi” is a modern creation by J. F. Champollion, derived from Coptic ma “place,” N“of,” and mise/misi “to bear,” maNmisi = maM_misi meaning “place of giving birth”. The ancient Egyptian designation was pr-mst, “house of birth.” This name refers to the key theological topic of the decoration of the mammisi, which centers around the birth of the divine child of the triad of the main temple (Daumas 1977: 462 - 463).

“Mammisis were added as subsidiary buildings to a number of Late Period temples for a period of more than 500 years; they were dedicated to various child-gods, whose names are given in square brackets: Dendara [Ihi], Armant [Harpara]— destroyed in the middle of the nineteenth century, Edfu [Harsomtus], Kom Ombo [Panebtawy-pa-khered], and Philae [Horus/Harpokrates]. Often they were erected in front of and at right angles to the main temple. The hemispeos (a partly free-standing, partly rock- cut cultic edifice/temple) of Kalabsha was most probably also a mammisi. There must have been a birth house at Esna—it is mentioned in the inscriptions of the main temple but has not yet been located. Moreover, there is a sun- dried brick birth house at the south side of the temple of Deir el-Medina. According to Arnold, birth houses existed in the enclosure of Amun-Ra-Montu in Karnak, at Elkab, and in Luxor. In addition, one finds a very late mammisi for Tutu in Ismant el-Kharab. It should be mentioned that some scholars also classify a couple of other buildings as “mammisis,” for instance, the temple of Isis at Dendara.

“The existence of Late Period and Ptolemaic mammisis at Mendes, Nabesha, Medamud, Hermopolis magna, and Qasr el-Ghuweida is a mere hypothesis, based on insignificant architectural remains. It seems likely that the temples of Behbet el-Haggar and Sais also included mammisis.”

Mammisi Architectural Development

Edfu mammisi

Holger Kockelmann of Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities wrote: “The oldest surviving, securely identified birth house was built in the reign of Nectanebo I at Dendara. According to Arnold, there are slightly earlier examples, one being the birth house of Harpara at the east side of the Amun-Ra-Montu temple at Karnak, which was begun under Nepherites I and enlarged by Hakoris and Nectanebo I. [Source: Holger Kockelmann, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology 2011, escholarship.org ]

“The 30th Dynasty mammisi at Dendera represents a modest brick building with a rectangular sanctuary that is flanked by a long chapel on each side. The central shrine and facades of the lateral rooms were cased with stone and decorated by Nectanebo I. At this time, the building was just a small shrine with courtyard and access path. The edifice was enlarged in the reign of the Ptolemies; under Ptolemy II, the stone casing of the interior walls was continued, and a staircase to the roof was added.

“The Ptolemaic mammisis differ considerably from the rather simple scheme of the Late Period birth houses as represented by the building of Nectanebo I at Dendera. The mammisis are now temples in the proper sense, suitable for a daily cult ritual. Their architecture is probably modeled on ancient wooden constructions. It should be mentioned that there may have been Ramesside prototypes.

“Under Ptolemy V, at the latest, a new form developed: the peripteros, which consisted of a core edifice with a corridor running around the outside, its roof being supported by columns with floral capitals. These columns imitate the papyrus swamps, where the young Horus hid himself in Khemmis. Above the capitals, a protective figure of Bes is sometimes carved; alternatively, the sistrum and face of Hathor, the goddess of motherhood and joy, is found. Between the columns of the colonnade are (decorated) screen walls.

“Inside, the mammisi comprises a sanctuary and a hall of offerings plus additional rooms such as side chapels. Frequently, there is a staircase for accessing the roof. At this stage of its development, the birth house may stand somewhat elevated on a foundation pedestal and also have a forecourt surrounded by columns and screen walls; in older mammisis, the court is attached as a separate structure. The mammisis of Philae, Armant, and the Roman birth house of Dendera belong to the new type. The Edfu mammisi was also built and decorated according to the new scheme under Ptolemy VIII Euergetes II and Ptolemy IX Soter II: it rests on a foundation, has an entrance kiosk, a colonnaded ambulatory, and high abaci decorated with Bes figures.

“The sanctuary can be divided into two rooms, as is the case in the late Ptolemaic mammisi of Armant. This building with two columned high kiosks in front of the sanctuary is somewhat unusual in terms of its architecture. Perhaps its construction was already started under Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos, whereas cartouches of Cleopatra VII and Ptolemy XV Caesarion testify to decoration activity under his daughter and mammisi may go back to Ptolemy X Alexander I. It is located behind the main temple dedicated to Montu, but not at a right angle.

“Generally speaking, the ground plan of the Ptolemaic mammisis survives into the Roman Period, but becomes more sophisticated. The Roman mammisi at Dendera has the most complex architecture of all surviving birth houses. The dedicatory inscription refers to Trajan, but the building may have been initiated by Nero. Erected on a foundation pedestal, it comprises three rooms in the core: the sanctuary (most probably with a naos containing a statue of Hathor suckling Ihi) flanked by a long chapel on either side, the room of the ennead, and the preceding offering room. At the north side of the room of offerings is a staircase to the roof. The aforementioned hall of the ennead is a new element, which lies between the offering room and the sanctuary and is well known from major temple buildings. There are also crypts. The rear wall of the sanctuary is furnished with a false door and a cult niche. The ambulatory merges with the entrance kiosk, which is a novelty.”

Art Work and Decoration in Mammasi

image of Isis suckling Horus at at Dendera mammisi

Holger Kockelmann wrote: “During the Late Period, a shift to temples for female deities is clearly perceivable. This tendency is also reflected in the mammisi, whose decoration centers around theogamy (marriage of a male and female deity), birth, and motherhood. “Among the numerous offering scenes, which are found in the mammisi, the donation of milk plays a very important role. It symbolizes nourishment, motherly care, protection, and purification and is closely related to the birth and bringing up of the divine child. [Source: Holger Kockelmann, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology 2011, escholarship.org ]

“The reliefs in the sanctuary, which could be gilded, display ceremonies connected to a liturgical drama, mst-nTr, “the birth of the god”. They narrate the nativity of the divine child. The depictions resemble the 18th Dynasty reliefs of the myth of the divine royal birth in the temples of Deir el-Bahri and Luxor. Among other things, they include the creation, delivery, breast- feeding, and enthronement of the newborn god. The replacement of the king of the 18th Dynasty myth by the divine child of the mammisis may partly be ascribed to the experience of loss of native rulership during the 25th Dynasty.

“Perhaps the young god, whose status as king and universal ruler is emphasized by the texts and depictions in the mammisi, was regarded as a more stable guarantor of the continuation of the world’s theological-political order. However, also the cult of the living ruler was “specifically established in the birth houses,” as “the young king was identified with the son of the divine family”; “the aspect of the birth houses as scene of royal cult would explain the remarkable development of these buildings from the 30th Dynasty on”. Moreover, the juvenal god was identified with the rising sun; hence, the young king participated in this daily cosmic renewal.”

Image Sources: Wikimedia Commons

Text Sources: UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, escholarship.org ; Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Egypt sourcebooks.fordham.edu ; Tour Egypt, Minnesota State University, Mankato, ethanholman.com; Mark Millmore, discoveringegypt.com discoveringegypt.com; Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Geographic, Smithsonian magazine, New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Discover magazine, Times of London, Natural History magazine, Archaeology magazine, The New Yorker, BBC, Encyclopædia Britannica, Time, Newsweek, Wikipedia, Reuters, Associated Press, The Guardian, AFP, Lonely Planet Guides, “World Religions” edited by Geoffrey Parrinder (Facts on File Publications, New York); “History of Warfare” by John Keegan (Vintage Books); “History of Art” by H.W. Janson Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.), Compton’s Encyclopedia and various books and other publications.

Last updated July 2024