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Temples
The foundation of a temple was an important and
sacred event (few were built in each reign). At the start of Egypt’s
history probably only one type of temple was built at sites
throughout the country. Records kept in temple archives provided
information about the stages of temple construction so that there
was conformity between those erected in the Old Kingdom (which were
themselves probably based on plans of predynastic shrines) and those
put up thousands of years later in the Greco-Roman Period.
Construction Rituals The first known reference to an actual foundation ritual occurs in association with the Old Kingdom solar temples when the rites of “Stretching the Cord” and “Setting out the Four Sides of the Enclosure” are mentioned. The rite of Stretching the Cord (staking out the ground) occurs in Dynasty 2 and almost certainly goes back to predynastic times. Its earliest depiction is in two scenes on a gate jamb at Hieraconpolis (reign of Khasekhemui). This was the first phase in laying out the ground plan when the axis on the plan was marked on the ground with a twelve-knot cord. In one scene the king holds a stick or mace and stands before his people; facing him are four ranks of smaller figures who also hold sticks. In the next scene the king and the goddess Seshat are shown hammering boundary poles into the earth. The subsequent rite was that of “Releasing the Cord,” when four stakes and a length of rope were used to determine the size and position of the temple. Next, the land on the four sides of the site was hacked up with a hoe; this created trenches that would hold the foundation blocks. Pits were excavated in the trench in the positions where the blocks would be placed. The bricks were then manufactured, and the trench was filled with a mixture of sand and sherds to protect the walls against water infiltration. Foundation deposits containing small models of tools and implements were next inserted at various points under the walls, and four bricks (or sometimes more) were put at the corners of the building, representing a very ancient rite. The king then whitewashed the building with besen (probably chalk) as a form of purification. At some point heads of a bull and geese were also placed in the ground. Once the temple was finished the building was consecrated, and the temple and its enclosure were named. The god Tanen performed this ceremony which magically brought the temple to life so that it could be handed over to its resident god. The naming of the temple enabled it to protect the god, which was the main purpose of these rites. The god was finally invited by Tanen to enter and take possession of his sanctuary. The mural scenes in the temples that depict the foundation and consecration rites usually occur together, but in the Temple of Sethos I at Abydos they were placed in different parts of the building. Their inclusion in the building was meant to impart magical protection to the temple. The position of a temple was probably fixed astronomically on the previous night by orientating the south axis of the temple from north to south between the constellation of the Great Bear and Orion. The ritual was said to be performed by the king who was accompanied by Seshat, Ptah, and Khnum. Seshat, the “Lady of Builders,” was a very ancient goddess whose duty was to help the king measure out the ground plan of the temple and reckon the measurement of the building. Sometimes she was replaced by Thoth, god of science, or Ptah, god of crafts, but usually Ptah and Khnum, a creator god, were primarily concerned with the physical construction of the temple. The kings appear to have shown a great personal interest in these foundation ceremonies. They would almost certainly have performed the rites in person at each temple, particularly the staking out of the constructional diagram of the plan. They would have been assisted by priests impersonating Ptah and Thoth and possibly the queen representing Seshat. The founding and establishing of the gods’ temples was one of the king’s most important duties, in return for which he received Egypt as his inheritance. The temple consecration was repeated every year on New Year’s Day to give new life to the buildings, its scenes, and all its furnishings and equipment. At the conclusion of the consecration, and once the purification of the temple was completed, a meal was prepared for the craftsmen who had built and decorated the god’s mansion and for the priests who served the deity. .
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Building Methods
The actual construction methods can be deduced, although no records have survived; nevertheless, plans must have existed in the past. Great skill was required to erect these monumental buildings: cutting and dressing stones, placing the huge blocks in position, and raising the columns, capitals, architraves, and ceilings. They had a well-trained, coordinated workforce although their equipment was simple. In addition to the problems of construction on site, however, the blocks had to be carried on barges and transported by river and then finally dragged across land on rollers. Once the construction had been completed the craftsmen began the arduous tasks of sculpting and painting the reliefs on the walls, columns, and ceilings, thus creating a superb and appropriate dwelling for the god. .
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Temples
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