The Mystery at Dendarah

I’ve been talking to a friend of mine about the carving found in the crypts at the Temple of Hathor in Dendarah, Egypt. It’s pretty mind-bending stuff.

But first, maybe a little background is in order?

In upper Egypt there’s a temple dedicated to Hathor at Dendarah. It’s a remarkable site. While the current temple is Ptolemaic (i.e. very late in Egyptian history) it’s built on, and contains, elements from much, much earlier times.

There is a paving stone in a section of temple’s floor which has been pulled up to reveal the tops of columns buried underneath the existing temple.

This temple contains several interesting things: the world’s first Zodiac (a bas-relief ceiling carving, the original of which is now in France), graffiti from the French troops garrisoned there during Napoleon’s occupation, and a number of hidden crypts – the most interesting of which contain some pretty startling images.

First off these crypts are normally off-limits to the general population of tourists, and they have a real Indiana Jones quality to them – being located 10 feet in the air, or hidden under the floor. You mind runs straight away to hidden mechanisms and sliding stones. We make a point of visiting them whenever we can.

Next, they boast some very unique and cryptic art work. Take a look at these:

This is famously known in many circles as a “light bulb” and indeed, most people who look see these carvings are immediately reminded of some kind of electrical apparatus. The thing that looks like an electrical insulator is the “djed” and was “the backbone of Osiris” a symbol of stability to the ancient Egyptians. This of course brings to mind anything from the electrical nature of the human nervous system, to the idea that kundalini energy is often represented as a snake.

My friend feels that “lizard being” represents the Egyptian frog goddess Heqet – but I don’t buy that for a number of reasons. For one thing, the carving clearly shows a male (or, at least, non-female) being.

Click HERE to listen to an episode of our Spirit of Place podcast that talks about Dendarah at: www.Spirit-of-Place.com

Peace

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