Bes was a household and protective deity associated especially with women, childbirth, children, sexuality, music and the warding-off of dangerous forces. Unlike most Egyptian gods, he is normally shown frontally, staring directly out at the viewer. His squat body, leonine features, protruding ears, beard and exaggerated face were not meant to make him ridiculous; they...
Born in Alexandria in 47 B.C., Ptolemy XV Philopator Philometor Caesar; known to history as Caesarion, “Little Caesar”, was the only son of Cleopatra VII and Julius Caesar. His lineage alone seemed to fuse two worlds: the golden legacy of the Pharaohs and the iron empire of Rome. Through him, Egypt and Rome might have...
Situated within the vast temple complex dedicated to the goddess Hathor at Dendera, the Sacred Lake is a man-made reservoir, part of the temple’s ritual architecture. However, the Sacred Lake at Dendera was not merely a tranquil body of water; it was a living symbol of renewal, a stage for sacred drama, and a portal...
The concept of the Sacred Lake (Ancient Egyptian: “She-netjer”) dates back to the earliest phases of Ancient Egyptian religious architecture, likely as far back as the Old Kingdom, c. 2686–2181 B.C., though surviving examples are predominantly from the Middle Kingdom onward. These man-made bodies of water were typically constructed within temple precincts, mirroring the primordial...
