Hathor Chapel of Thutmose III.
The Hathor Chapel of Thutmose III. in Deir el-Bahari was a cave sanctuary between the mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II and the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut . In addition to its existing millions of years house Oh-menu in Karnak and his temple Henket-ankh north of the Ramesseum was Thutmose III. towards the end of his reign build the complex of the mortuary temple Djeser-achet above the Hathor chapel, on which archaeological work has been carried out since 1962 .
Thutmose III. had first opened a new cult in honor of the goddess Hathor in a chapel of his mortuary temple "Henket-anch" , which was carried out by the high priest Re , among others . With the completion of the Hathor Chapel in Deir el-Bahari, the opening of the second new Hathor cult followed.
Representations
The Hathor Chapel in Deir el-Bahari was discovered in 1906 by Édouard Naville on behalf of the Egypt Exploration Fund . The sanctuary, made of painted sandstone , was 2.25 m high, 1.57 m wide and 4.04 m long. Thutmose III is on the walls. to see with his wife Meritre Hatshepsut , who both make offerings in front of the cow-shaped Hathor , with Hathor appearing as the protective and suckling deity of the king.
This scene is repeated on the right wall; supplemented with two princes. Thutmose III is enough on the back wall. to the deity Amun-Re drink and burnt offerings ( incense ). The vault is adorned with a starry sky .
function
The Hathor Chapel was used during festive ceremonies, among other things, as a reception hall in which the tributes were handed over. In the course of the valley festival , the Hathorkapelle acted as a further destination and station stamp as part of the procession . On this occasion tributes and offerings were presented to the king and the " bouquet of flowers of Amun " was presented. In the tomb of Mencheperre-seneb (first priest of Amun ) the connection between these rites is described on the opposite wall of the entrance:
“Come in peace to where the king is, with a bouquet of Amun, [lord of the thrones of the] two countries in Karnak , after doing what Amun-Re praises at his feast of Djeser-achet, upon his appearance [. ..], during his annual river trip (valley festival). "
The handing over of the “Bouquet of Amun” took place in the neighboring temples after the ceremony. This ceremony was only documented in this form in the grave of Mencheperre-seneb. During the “ celebration in the house of eternity ” priesthoods presented the grave owner with a lettuce bouquet , which is why the ancient Egyptians also called the bouquet of flowers the “ bouquet of Djeser-achet ”.
literature
- Siegfried Schott : The beautiful festival of the desert valley: Festival customs of a city of the dead. Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences and Literature, Mainz 1953.
Web links
- Victims in front of Amun-Re (rear wall) ( Memento from June 19, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ^ Siegfried Schott: The beautiful festival of the desert valley: Festival customs of a city of the dead . P. 6.
- ^ Siegfried Schott: The beautiful festival of the desert valley: Festival customs of a city of the dead . P. 57.
- ^ Siegfried Schott: The beautiful festival of the desert valley: Festival customs of a city of the dead . P. 54.