What Happened To The Staircase In The Temple Of The Goddess Hathor?

Ellen Lloyd - AncientPages.com - Dedicated to one of the most famous deities of ancient Egypt, the magnificent temple of Goddess Hathor is the largest and most impressive building in the Denderah temple complex.

It is one of the best-preserved temples in all of Egypt, and it has been modified several times starting as far back as the Middle Kingdom (between 2030 and 1650 B.C.).

Hathor's head. Faience, from a sistrum's handle. 18th Dynasty. From Thebes, Egypt. The Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, London. Image credit: Wikipedia

Goddess Hathor Was One Of The Most Popular Goddesses In Ancient Egypt

Hathor was a goddess who personified the principles of joy, feminine love, and motherhood. She was known as “the Great One of Many Names,” and her titles and attributes are so numerous that she was influential in every area of life and death for the ancient Egyptians.

She was a sky goddess, known as the “Lady of Stars” and “Sovereign of Stars,” and linked to Sirius (and so the goddesses Sopdet and Isis). Her birthday was celebrated when Sirius first rose in the sky. By the Ptolemaic period, she was known as the goddess of Hethara, the third month of the Egyptian calendar.

Goddess Hathor was also associated with Sistrum, a magical and sacred ancient Egyptian musical instrument.

Temple of Hathor. Image via Wikipedia

Inside the Temple of Hathor is a large and small Hypostyle Hall, laboratory, storage magazine offering entry, several shrines, and many ancient depictions of Cleopatra VI, an Egyptian Ptolemaic queen.

Damage To The Western Staircase Inside The Temple Of Hathor

Two staircases, one on the west and one on the east, lead to the roof terrace from the first antechamber.

During the New Year's festival, the ba of Hathor would emerge from the crypt beneath the temple and be carried up the western staircase to the roof to a kiosk in the southwest corner. There, she would await the first light of the dawn of the New Year and symbolically merge with the Sun.

Credit: Konstantin - Adobe Stock

Once the goddess had merged with the Sun she was carried back down the staircase on the eastern side of the temple before returning to the crypt. The priests would ascend by the western staircase and descend by the east staircase.

The western staircase leading to the roof of the Temple of the Goddess Hathor is decorated with beautiful images of the pharaoh, his priests, and the goddess.

The staircase is in bad condition, and it almost looks like someone dropped a bucket of cement down the steps. What caused the damage to the stairs? Could the explanation be that the stairs have been exposed to natural elements like water and air for thousands of years? Are the stairs simply worn because of old age?

Can tourists be blamed, or did something else happen inside the Temple of Hathor?

Written by  Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com

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