Dendera light

Motif in the Hathor temple in Egypt

The Dendera light is a motif in the Hathor temple at Dendera in Egypt. According to the hieroglyphic text surrounding the pieces, it depicts part of the Egyptian creation myth.

The temple contains several reliefs depicting Harsomtus, in the form of a snake, emerging from a lotus flower which is usually attached to the bow of a barge. The so-called Dendera light is a variation of this motif, showing Harsomtus in an oval container called hn, which might represent the womb of Nut.^[1][2]

Sometimes a djed pillar supports the snake or the container. A closely related motif is "god resting on the lotus flower".

Depictions and text

Each of the three objects consists of two reliefs. One half (a) of each pair is in south crypt 1-C (crypte 4), the other half (b) in room G (chambre V) of the temple.^[1]

Similar motifs

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Fringe interpretation

In contrast to the mainstream interpretation, a fringe theory proposes that the reliefs depict Ancient Egyptian technology, based on comparison to similar modern devices (such as a Cathode-ray tube, Geissler tubes, Crookes tubes, and arc lamps). Norman Lockyer's passing reference to a colleague's humorous suggestion that electric lamps would explain the absence of lampblack deposits in the tombs has sometimes been forwarded as an argument supporting this interpretation (another explanation is the use of a system of mirrors).^[3]

Proponents of this interpretation have also used a text stating that "high poles covered with copper plates were erected to break the storms^{[Note 1]} coming from on high" to argue this,^[4][5] but Bolko Stern has written in detail explaining why the copper-covered tops of poles (which were lower than the associated pylons) do not relate to electricity or lightning, pointing out that no evidence of anything used to manipulate electricity had been found in Egypt and that this was a magical and not a technical installation.^[6]

Archaeologist and debunker Kenneth Feder argued that if ancient Egyptians really had such advanced technology, some light bulb remains (glass shards, metal sockets, filaments...) should have been discovered during archaeological excavations. By applying Occam's razor, he instead highlighted the feasibility of the aforementioned mirrors system, and that the ancient Egyptians knew that adding salt to torches minimized lampblack.^[7]

See also

• Egyptian mythology

References

1. Waitkus 2002.
2. Waitkus 1997.
3. Lockyer 1894, p. 180-181.
4. Kolbe 1908, p. 391.
5. Dümichen 1877, p. 13.
6. Stern 1896, p. 106-108.
7. Feder 2014, p. 225–227.

Notes

1. storms mistyped as stones in source

Sources cited

• Dümichen, Johannes (1877). Baugeschichte des Denderatempels und Beschreibung der einzelnen Theile des Bauwerkes nach den an seinen Mauern befindlichen Inschriften [Construction history of the Dendera temple and description of the individual sections of the structure according to the inscriptions on its walls] (in German).
• Feder, Kenneth H. (2014). Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-803507-4.
• Kolbe, Bruno (1908). An Introduction to Electricity. Kegan Paul, Trench , Trübner.
• Lockyer, Norman (1894). The Dawn of Astronomy. ISBN 9780262120142. Retrieved 2020-10-06.
• Mariette, Auguste (1870). Dendérah: description générale du grand temple de cette ville [Dendera: general description of the great temple of this city] (in French).
• Stern, Bolko (1896). Ägyptische Kulturgeschichte [Egyptian cultural history] (in German). Reprint-Verlag-Leipzig. ISBN 978-3826219085.
• Waitkus, Wolfgang (1997). Die Texte in den unteren Krypten des Hathortempels von Dendera: ihre Aussagen zur Funktion und Bedeutung dieser Räume [The texts in the lower crypts of the Hathor temples of Dendera: their statements regarding the function and meaning of these rooms] (in German). ISBN 3-8053-2322-0.
• Waitkus, Wolfgang (2002). "Die Geburt des Harsomtus aus der Blüte — Zur Bedeutung und Funktion einiger Kultgegenstände des Tempels von Dendera" [The birth of Harsomtus from the flower — The meaning and function of some of the cultural objects of the temple of Dendera]. Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur (in German). 30: 373–394. JSTOR 25152877.

External links

• "The Dendera Reliefs, Catchpenny Mysteries".
• Dörnenburg, Frank (2004). "Electric lights in Egypt?". Archived from the original on 2005-04-08.
• "Awful Archaeology Ep. 5: The Dendera Light". YouTube.
• "Debunking the Dendera "Light Bulb"". 3 October 2019.
• "Dendera Temple Crypt". Archived from the original on 2010-04-25.

26°08′30″N 32°40′13″E / 26.141611°N 32.670139°E / 26.141611; 32.670139