The Temple of Dendur: A Remarkable Work From Nubia (15 BC)

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Table of Contents

Form
Content
Context
Comparison
Works Cited

Form

The Temple of Dendur is a remarkable work of art and dates back from Nubia (15 BC) and is made primarily of sandstone blocks that have been carved by master craftsmen. It is formed into two separate pieces, the first one being the entrance portal about 19 feet high, and the second part being the temple that consists of an anteroom and rear chamber. The length of both the parts of the temple is about eighty feet from the entrance to the back portion. The structure of the temple is relatively simple and was designed to serve the purpose of being a permanent showcase of the medium of sculpture used during the time of its construction. The decorative style of the temple clearly indicates that it was not just designed as a prayer hall but to act as a conduit between the present world and the next where worshippers in this world could walk through the building and observe the gods portrayed in the artwork carved on its face. The impact of this building is of simplicity whereby the sculpture is visible to be composed of different elements, each of which has their own purpose of having been executed for relevant reasons. Researchers and historians are of the opinion that when this temple was built it was painted in vivid colors and with scenes that showed lifestyles and religious themes. The building in itself is a unique piece of art and architecture not because of one or two special characteristics but due to being a sum of what it stands for. Undoubtedly the temple is a work of religion that is long forgotten and there are not many such temples in the world now. The focus of the temple is seen in the rear room where the visitor is attracted into closely observing the art forms. The base of the external part of the temple is carved with images of grass as visible on the riverbed, and with papyrus depicting Hapy, who was God of the River Nile. The columns in the antechamber of the temple are presented decoratively as if they are flowers growing towards the sky.

Content

Egyptian temples are not considered to be only centers of cult images but also signified by design and their decorative style and a wide array of mythological and religious concepts. An important significance of such forms was the understanding that the temple depicted the natural world as viewed by Egyptians. Images above the gate of the temple entrance depict the Sun God as flanked by Horus the Sky God with his wings spread. The sky is also depicted with the presence in carvings of vultures with their wings spread wide that are clearly visible on the ceiling of the porch at the entrance. The symbol of life is depicted on the outer walls where scenes are carved that show the king making offerings to deities. Deities such as Isis, Osiris and their son Horus along with others are carved with inscriptions beside their forms and are depicted in horizontal style and are identified by their names, which appear close to their figures. Many of the figures clearly read as ‘Pharaoh’, who in this case was Caesar Augustus of Rome, the ruler of Egypt at the time and he had the temple built and depicted himself in it as the Pharaoh. This temple was small and was built around 15 BC in honor of the goddess Isis and Pedesi and Pihor who were the deified sons of the local chieftain of Nubia.

Context

It is well known now that Egyptian temples were never constructed only for cult images and for worshipping only, but were strongly characterized by way of their design, decoration and construction patterns that implied different mythological and religious concepts were well represented by them. The most important symbolic understanding that arose from such structures was the concept of temples being images of the way of life of people during the time and that the natural world as perceived by the Egyptians was well symbolized in them. The linings of the temple base were represented by carvings of lotus plants and papyrus that were symbolic of growing from the water and which have been clearly depicted by the carved figure of the Nile God Hapy. The columns of the porch symbolically and majestically are shown to rise towards the sky implying the papyrus stocks bound with lily flowers signifying rituals in honor of the Sun God. The outer walls depict the symbol of life, which is inferred from the forms of the king making offerings to different deities. Although the temple was described as Egyptian, it was built by the Romans, hence the work relates to the time of renaissance Italy. The temple ostensibly shows Augustus, the Roman emperor worshipping Nubian deities including Pahor and Pedese who were the sons of the ruler of Nubia and were drowned in the River Nile and subsequently deified and worshipped. The temple of Dendur primarily signifies the celebration of these two brothers contained in the thickness of its rear wall and serves as a cenotaph for them. It is also believed that this temple was constructed in place of a more ancient rock-cut shrine in which these two brothers’ cult was deified and celebrated. A noteworthy ritual related to the same temple was celebrated in the name of Augustus on behalf of the two brothers in contemporary Sayala located close to Abu Simbel. Therefore Nubian religious systems had percolated into the Roman period at Dendur and Sayala.

Comparison

The temple of Dendur can be compared to the Temple of Debod which too is an ancient Egyptian temple which was transported and built again in Spain. The construction of this temple was initially started in the second century BC by Adikhalamani who was the Kushite king of Meroe, and was comprise of a small room that was dedicated to Amun. It was later expanded on all its four sides to make a temple. It is understood that the Roman emperors Tiberius and Augustus completed the construction of the temple. Similar to the temple of Dendur, there is a long passage that leads to the main temple from the entrance formed by three stone gates of pylon. This temple is similar to the Temple of Dendur in being built with sandstone blocks. Behind the original columns of the temple, the original sanctuary of the God Amun could be found with the kind of sculpture and carvings that characterize the temple of Dendur. Just as the temple of Dendur was transported to New York to save it from drowning in the great dam of Aswan, this temple too was transported to Spain in 1960 for the same reason. The stone slabs of both temples were separated, packed and transported by ship to their respective destinations during the 1960s.

Works Cited

Origin of the Egyptian Temples. 2008. Web.

Robert Steven Bianchi, Daily Life of the Nubians, Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.

Works of Art, The Temple of Dendur. 2008. Web.

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The Temple of Dendur: A Remarkable Work From Nubia (15 BC)

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