8/12/2019 Philae Temples Part III

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them. This, of course, is a common pose of the pharaoh dating back to the earliest times in(gyptian history, and repeated by almost every pharaoh. To the left of him stands Isis , watching the king, together with the falcon headed Horus of (dfu and Hathor . Above thisscene are two reliefs. To the right, Ptolemy )II presents the crown of +pper and ower (gyptto Horus and *ephthys . To the left, he offers incense to Isis and the child, Horus .

!n the western tower of the Pylon, the pharaoh is seen in the same stance, slaying hisenemies once more while Isis , Horus and Hathor look on. Again there are two reliefs above,

one depicting him in the presence of +nnefer -the name given to !siris after his resurrectionand Isis and the other shows the king before Isis and Hariesis. +nfortunately, these reliefswere badly damaged by the early /hristians. Along the whole bottom of the first pylon arereliefs of small *ile figures bringing offerings.The gateway of the first Pylon predates the structure itself, having been built by *ectanebo atthe same time that he built his small temple and vestibule now located at the beginning of theapproach to the main temple. To either side of the gateway, /optic /hristian crosses havebeen carved into the sandstone, and in the thickness of the doorway there appear reliefs of*ectanebo in the presence of various gods, including Isis . !n the right is a 0rench inscriptionrecording the victory of eneral #esai1 over the 2amelukes in $344.

5ust beyond the first Pylon is the forecourt of the temple. Here, on the rear walls of the pylonand gateway are additional depictions. !n the right or western tower Ptolemy )II *eos

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Here, in the sanctuary of the mammisi of Isis , the hawk of Horus is shown wearing the #ouble/rown and standing in a thicket of papyrus. :elow that scene, Isis carries the newly bornHorus in her arms, surrounded protectively by the gods Thoth , <adjet , *ekhbet and Amun9=a .

A colonnade surrounds three sides of the birth9house, with floral column capitals surmountedby sistrum capitals with Hathor heads. The screen walls between the columns depict Ptolemy>I, >III and ) as well as the =oman Tiberius in the presence of various gods.The right, or eastern side of the forecourt is adorned with a graceful gallery of columns withfloral and palm leaf capitals that support a cornice, bearing a row of uraeus9serpents. Theinscriptions assign the building of the gallery to Ptolemy >III (uergetes II , but there arecarvings on the walls that depict Ptolemy )II before the gods. There are si1 doorways thatlead through the rear wall of the colonnade to small anne1 rooms which were used for variouspurposes such as storing religious e8uipment, preparing incense, housing the sacred booksand perhaps the priestly regalia. !ne of the chambers is thought to have been a "library"

dedicated to Thoth.5us before the second pylon is a small =oman chapel in the northeast corner, which was builton a natural outcrop of rock and stands at an angle to the outer entrance.

The northern wall of the forecourt is formed by the second reat Pylon which stands $&% feetwide and ?& feet tall. It is set at a different angle than the first Pylon. An incline plane ofshallow steps leads to the gateway between the towers.!n the left, or western tower, Ptolemy )II offers incense and dedicates sacrificial animalsto Horus , Hathor and other gods. Above this are two small reliefs, horribly mutilated, depictingthis king presenting a wreath to Horus and *ephthys and offering incense and pouring wateron an altar in the presence of !siris , Isis and Horus.

!n the right, or eastern tower, there are similar scenes but in a much better state ofpreservation.

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At the base of the eastern tower, part of the granite foundation of the original island protrudedand this was carved into a stele on which Ptolemy >I Philometor , and his 8ueen /leopatra IIstand before Isis and Horus . This stela was faithfully transferred to the new island with therest of the temple. An inscription refers to the grant of the #odekaschoinoi made to Isis, whichbrought the priests of Philae into parity with those of (lephantine . #odekaschoinoi is a reekword for "twelve schoinoi" A schoinos e8ualed about seven miles. It is not a measurement ofarea, but rather length, so presumably this meant that their foundation estate to finance thetemple e1tended for about seven miles along the *ile =iver , including the arable land.

:oth of the towers of the 6econd Pylon have grooves for flagstaffs like the first pylon. Thedoorway between the towers depicts Ptolemy >III (uergetes II , greatly defaced, before aseries of e8ually defaced gods. !n the east side of the doorway is an inscription to the/hristian :ishop Theodorus.

0rom here, the second pylon doorway leads into the inner part of the Temple and the mainfinally to the main sanctuary.