Studien zur spätägyptischen Religion

Herausgegeben von Christian Leitz

Band 42

2024
Harrassowitz Verlag · Wiesbaden
 Margaret Swaney

Designing a Temple for Repit

An Art History of Ptolemaic Athribis
Athribis-Studien II

2024
Harrassowitz Verlag · Wiesbaden
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 Table of Contents

Preface. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XIII
Chapter 1: Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Overview of the Repit Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2 The Repit Temple in its Historical Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.3 The Repit Temple’s Main Deities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.4 History of Research at the Repit Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.5 Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Part I: Macro-Analysis
Chapter 2: Iconography in Context. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.1 Adornments: Broad Collars, Armbands, and Wristbands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
2.2 The King. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.2.1 Royal Headgear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.2.1.1 Wigs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.2.1.2 Nemes-Headdress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
2.2.1.3 Blue Crown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
2.2.1.4 Cap Crown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
2.2.1.5 Red and White Crowns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.2.1.6 Double Crown and its Composites. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
2.2.1.7 Atef Crown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
2.2.1.8 HmHm-Crown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.2.1.9 Geb Crown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.2.1.10 Double and Quadruple Feather Crowns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2.2.1.11 Crowns with a Large Central Disk and Flanking Solar Attributes . . . . . . . 37
2.2.1.12 Composite Crowns with Central Rush or White Crowns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
2.2.1.13 Summary of Royal Headgear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
2.2.2 Royal Beard. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
2.2.3 Royal Attire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
2.2.3.1 Short Skirt with Triangular Projection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
2.2.3.2 Short, Tight-Fitting Skirt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
2.2.3.3 Shendyt-Skirt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
2.2.3.4 Long Skirts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
2.2.3.5 Corset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
2.3 The Queen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
2.4 Goddesses. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
2.4.1 The Local Leonine Goddess(es): Repit and the Eye of Horus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
2.4.2 The Local Human-Headed Goddesses: Isis and Aperetset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
2.5 Gods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
2.5.1 Min(-Re) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
2.6 Divine Offspring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
2.6.1 Kolanthes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
VI Table of Contents

2.6.2 Falcon-Headed Divine Offspring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

2.7 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
Chapter 3: Visualizing the Local Theology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
3.1 Offering Scene Compositional Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
3.1.1 One Receiving Deity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
3.1.2 Two Receiving Deities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
3.1.3 Three Receiving Deities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
3.1.4 Four Receiving Deities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
3.1.5 Five and Six Receiving Deities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
3.1.6 Interpretation of Offering Scene Compositional Structures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
3.2 Symmetrical Deity Pairings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
3.2.1 Min(-Re) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
3.2.2 The Local Divine Offspring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
3.2.3 The Local Goddesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
3.2.4 Summary of Symmetrical Deity Pairings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
3.3 Offering Scene Types, Placements, and Symmetrical Pairings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
3.3.1 Ocular Offering Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
3.3.1.1 Wedjat-Eye(s). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
3.3.1.2 Mineral Eye Paint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
3.3.1.3 Swty-Crown. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
3.3.2 Aromatic Offering Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
3.3.2.1 Myrrh (an tyw) and Incense (snTr). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
3.3.2.2 Styrax (n n ib) and Trees (SAw). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
3.3.2.3 rrm-Plant. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
3.3.3 Offering Scenes Associated with the Pacification and Return
of the Distant Goddess . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
3.3.3.1 Intoxicating Beverages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
3.3.3.2 WnSb/wt t. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
3.3.3.3 Mirrors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
3.3.3.4 Sistra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
3.3.4 Offering Scenes Associated with Kingship. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
3.3.4.1 Dual Uraei. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
3.3.4.2 White and Red Crowns. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
3.3.5 Offering Scenes Traditionally Associated with Mammisis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
3.3.5.1 Milk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
3.3.5.2 Swaddling Cloth (nwd t). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
3.3.5.3 Bringing the Bush of Chemmis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
3.3.5.4 Other Decorative Elements Traditionally Associated with Mammisis. . . . . . 121
3.3.6 Summary of Offering Scene Types, Placements, and Symmetrical Pairings. . 122
3.4 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Chapter 4: Art-Making at the Repit Temple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
4.1 Textual and Visual References to Material and Technical Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . 128
4.2. The Preparation of the Wall Surfaces. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
4.3 Reference Marks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
4.3.1 Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
4.3.1.1 Grid Sizes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
 Table of Contents VII

4.3.1.2 Figural Proportions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

4.3.1.3 Potential Scenes with Multiple Grids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
4.3.1.4 Composition and the Grid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
4.3.2 Guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
4.4 Preliminary Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
4.4.1 Drafting Figural Elements and Text Matrix Borders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
4.4.2 Drafting Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
4.5 Relief Carving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
4.5.1 Carving Figural Relief. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
4.5.2 Carving Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
4.5.3 Direction of Work: Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
4.5.3.4 Case Study: The Unfinished Clothing Chamber (E4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
4.5.4 Direction of Work: Doorways. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
4.6 Plastering and Painting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
4.6.1 Ptolemaic-Era Plastering and Painting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
4.6.2 Roman-Era Plastering and Painting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
4.7 Gilding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
4.8 Reconstruction of the Repit Temple’s Chronological Phases of Production . . . . . . . 178
4.9 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182

Part II: Micro-Analysis

Chapter 5: The Three Sanctuaries (D1-D3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
5.1 The Innermost Sanctuary (D3): “The House of Gold (p r n n bw)”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
5.1.1 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
5.1.2 Lateral Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
5.1.3 South Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
5.1.4 Soubassement: A Monumental Unguent Recipe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
5.1.5 Doorway from the Second Sanctuary (D2)
to the Innermost Sanctuary (D3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
5.1.5.1 Inner Door Jambs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
5.1.5.2 Door Reveals: The Twelve Hours of the Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
5.1.5.3 Door Passage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
5.1.5.4 Outer Door Jambs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
5.1.6 D3 Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
5.2 The Second Sanctuary (D2): “The Great Staircase (rwd wr)” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
5.2.1 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
5.2.2 Lateral Walls: Leading the King to the Temple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
5.2.3 North Wall: Month Goddesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
5.2.4 South Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
5.2.5 Soubassement: A Hydrological Fecundity Procession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
5.2.6 Doorway from the Eastern Couloir Mystérieux (C3)
to the Second Sanctuary (D2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
5.2.7 Doorway from the Western Couloir Mystérieux (C5)
to the Second Sanctuary (D2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
5.2.8 Doorway from the First Sanctuary (D1) to the Second Sanctuary (D2). . . . . . 208
5.2.8.1 Inner Door Jambs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
VIII Table of Contents

5.2.8.2 Door Reveals: The Twelve Hours of the Night. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208

5.2.8.3 Door Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
5.2.8.4 Outer Door Jambs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
5.2.9 D2 Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
5.3 The First Sanctuary (D1): “The Excellent Child Is Within It (xy iq r m - qAb.f )” . . . 214
5.3.1 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
5.3.2 North and South Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
5.3.3 Lateral Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
5.3.3.1 Southern Scenes: A Festival Procession for the Divine Child. . . . . . . . . . . . 215
5.3.3.2 Northern Scenes: Offerings Before Son and Mother. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
5.3.4 Soubassement: The Hwt - b nw Motif as Cyclical Renewal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
5.3.5 Doorway from the Hall of the Ennead (C2) to the First Sanctuary (D1) . . . . . 226
5.3.5.1 Inner Door Jambs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
5.3.5.2 Door Reveals: The Twelve Hours of the Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
5.3.5.3 Door Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
5.3.5.4 Outer Door Jambs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
5.3.6 D1 Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
5.4 D1-D3 Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Chapter 6: The Couloir Mystérieux (C3-C5) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
6.1 Exterior Walls of the Sanctuary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
6.1.1 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
6.1.2 Eastern Exterior Wall (C3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
6.1.2.1 Southern First Register Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
6.1.2.2 Northern First Register Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
6.1.3 Western Exterior Wall (C5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
6.1.3.1 Southern First Register Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245
6.1.3.2 Northern First Register Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247
6.1.4 Soubassement: A Geographical Fecundity Procession - Nomes. . . . . . . . . . . . 249
6.1.5 Exterior Walls of the Sanctuary (C3 and C5) Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
6.2 Outer Surrounding Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
6.2.1 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
6.2.2 Eastern Surrounding Wall (C3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252
6.2.2.1 Southern First Register Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
6.2.2.2 Central First Register Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255
6.2.2.3 Northern First Register Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
6.2.3 North Rear Wall (C4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 258
6.2.4 Soubassement: A Geographical Fecundity Procession - Marshlands (pHw). . 259
6.2.5 Doorways from the Offering Hall (C1) to the Eastern (C3)
and Western (C5) Couloir Mystérieux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
6.2.5.1 The Eastern Doorway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
6.2.5.2 The Western Doorway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
6.2.6 Outer Surrounding Walls Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
Chapter 7: Transverse Halls (C1-C2) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
7.1 The “Hall of the Ennead (wsxt p sDt)” (C2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
7.1.1 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
7.1.2 North Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
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7.1.3 South Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269

7.1.4 Soubassement: Geographical and Hydrological Fecundity Processions. . . . . . 270
7.1.5 Central Doorway from the Offering Hall (C1) to the Hall
of the Ennead (C2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
7.1.5.1 Inner Door Jambs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
7.1.5.2 Door Reveals: Royal wAs-anx -wAs Motifs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
7.1.5.3 Door Passage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
7.1.5.4 Outer Door Jambs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
7.1.6 C2 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
7.2 The “Offering Hall (wsxt -Ht pw)” (C1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
7.2.1 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
7.2.2 North Wall: Enshrined Deities and the Daily Temple Ritual. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
7.2.3 South and Lateral Walls: The Divine Masters of the Offering Table. . . . . . . . 289
7.2.3.1 Lateral Wall Scenes: Ageb-Wer and Sema-Wer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
7.2.3.2 South Wall Scenes: Mnevis and Apis. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
7.2.4 South Wall Second Register Scene. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
7.2.5 Soubassement: A Hydrological Fecundity Procession
and the Inundated Fields. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
7.2.6 Inner Side of the Doorway from the Transverse Hall (B)
to the Offering Hall (C1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
7.2.6.1 Soubassement Monographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
7.2.6.2 First Register Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 296
7.2.6.3 Second Register Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
7.2.6.4 Third Register Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
7.2.7 Doorway from F1 to the Offering Hall (C1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
7.2.8 Doorway from the Eastern Antechamber (E1) to the Offering Hall (C1) . . . . 301
7.2.8.1 Inner Door Jambs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
7.2.8.2 Inner Door Lintel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
7.2.8.3 Door Reveal: Roman Additions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
7.2.8.4 Door Passage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
7.2.8.5 Ceiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
7.2.8.6 Outer Door Jambs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
7.2.8.7 Outer Door Lintel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
7.2.9 C1 Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
Chapter 8: The Eastern Antechamber (E1) and the Wabet Complex (E2-E3) . . . . . . . . . . . 311
8.1 The Eastern Antechamber (E1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
8.1.1 Upper and Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
8.1.2 South Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
8.1.2.1 First Register: Natural Abundance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
8.1.2.2 Second Register: Intoxicating Beverages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
8.1.2.3 Third Register. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
8.1.3 East Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
8.1.3.1 First and Second Registers: Hymns to the Divine Son and Father. . . . . . . . . 319
8.1.3.2 Third Register: The Divine Eyes and Cosmic Cycles Restored. . . . . . . . . . . 320
8.1.4 North Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
8.1.5 West Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
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8.1.5.1 First Register. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

8.1.5.2 Second Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
8.1.6 E1 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 323
8.2 The Wabet Complex (E2-E3). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
8.2.1 The Open Court (E2): “The Site of the First Feast (st Hb t py)” . . . . . . . . . . . 325
8.2.1.1 Doorway from the Eastern Antechamber (E1) to the Open Court (E2). . . . . 325
8.2.1.2 Lateral Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
8.2.1.3 Soubassement: A Hydrological Fecundity Procession. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
8.2.2 The Wabet (w abt) (E3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
8.2.2.1 The Doorway from the Open Court (E2) to the Wabet (E3). . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
8.2.2.2 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
8.2.2.3 Lateral Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
8.2.2.3.1 Southern First Register Scenes: The Daily Temple Ritual. . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
8.2.2.3.2 Central First Register Scenes: Purifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
8.2.2.3.3 Northern First Register Scenes: Offerings for the Goddesses. . . . . . . . . . 335
8.2.2.3.4 Southern Second Register Scenes: Incense. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
8.2.2.3.5 Central Second Register Scenes: Lotus and Divine Scent. . . . . . . . . . . . . 338
8.2.2.3.6 Northern Second Register Scenes: Protection and Appeasement. . . . . . . . 339
8.2.2.4 Rear Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
8.2.2.4.1 First Register: Clothing and Protection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
8.2.2.4.2 Second Register. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
8.2.2.5 Soubassement: A dwA- rxy t Motif. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
8.2.2.6 Ceiling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
8.2.3 E2-E3 Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Chapter 9: The Eastern Side Chambers (E4, E5, and E7) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
9.1 The Clothing Chamber (Hwt - m nxt) (E4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
9.1.1 Doorway from the Eastern Couloir Mystérieux (C3)
to the Clothing Chamber (E4). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
9.1.2 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
9.1.3 West Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
9.1.4 Lateral Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
9.1.4.1 First Register: Royal Legitimation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
9.1.5 Rear Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
9.1.5.1 First Register: Ocular Offerings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
9.1.5.2 Second Register. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 354
9.1.6 E4 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
9.2 The Treasury (p r-HD) (E5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 355
9.2.1 Doorway from the Eastern Couloir Mystérieux (C3) to the Treasury (E5) . . . 356
9.2.2 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
9.2.3 West Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358
9.2.4 Lateral Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
9.2.5 Rear Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
9.2.6 Soubassement: A Procession of Personified Mining Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
9.2.7 E5 Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
9.3 The “Great Chamber (at wrt)” (E7). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
9.3.1 Doorway from the Eastern Couloir Mystérieux (C3) to E7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
9.3.2 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370
 Table of Contents XI

9.3.3 Lateral Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370

9.3.4 Rear Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
9.3.5 West Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
9.3.6 Soubassement: A dwA- rxy t Motif . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
9.3.7 E7 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Chapter 10: The Laboratory Complex (F4-F6). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
10.1 The Central Laboratory Chamber (F5). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
10.1.1 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
10.1.2 Lateral Walls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380
10.1.3 Rear Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
10.1.4 West Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
10.1.4.1 Door Lintel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
10.1.5 Soubassement: Marsh Plant Frieze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
10.2 The Southern Laboratory Chamber (F4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
10.2.1 Doorway from F5 to F4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
10.2.2 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
10.2.3 First Register. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
10.2.4 Soubassement: Marsh Plant Frieze. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
10.3 The Northern Chamber: The Punt Room (st Pwn t) (F6) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
10.3.1 Doorway from F5 to F6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
10.3.2 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
10.3.3 Soubassement: A Treatise on the Vegetation of Punt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
10.3.4 Lateral Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
10.3.4.1 Southern Scenes: The Restoration of the Divine Eyes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
10.3.4.2 Northern Scenes: Pacification with the Vegetation of Punt. . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
10.3.5 South Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
10.4 F4-F6 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
Chapter 11: The Eastern Rear Chapel (K1). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
11.1 Lower Bandeau Inscriptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
11.2 Rear South Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
11.2.1 Central First Register Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
11.2.2 Easternmost and Westernmost First and Second Register Scenes. . . . . . . . . 403
11.3 Lateral Walls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
11.3.1 Northernmost First Register Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
11.3.2 Northern Central First Register Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
11.3.3 Southern Central First Register Scenes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
11.3.4 Southernmost First Register Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409
11.4 North Wall. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
11.5 Soubassement: A dwA- rxy t Motif. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411
11.6 K1 Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412

Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
List of Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
Bibliography. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
Plates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
 Preface
This book is a revised version of my Ph.D. dissertation, which was successfully defended at
the Johns Hopkins University on the 29th of June 2022. In completing this project, I have
benefited from the guidance and support of many people. First and foremost, I want to thank
my doctoral advisor, Betsy Bryan, who accepted me into the world of Egyptology. I have
benefited from her expertise in countless ways, and I am indebted to her for introducing me
to art history as an analytical lens. It was because of her recommendation that I was able
to join the Athribis temple project team, and I am deeply grateful for her belief in me and
her guidance along the way. I also want to thank my secondary advisor, Richard Jasnow. I
benefited greatly from his vast knowledge of Greco-Roman Egypt and his many helpful bib-
liographic recommendations. He also generously instructed me in Ptolemaic hieroglyphs as
an independent study, which has been crucial for my research. Additionally, I want to thank
the remaining members of my dissertation committee, Jacob Lauinger, Karen ní Mheallaigh,
and Christian Leitz, for their probing questions and insightful discussion of my work, which
has contributed to the quality of this revised manuscript. I am also grateful for the financial
support I received from the Johns Hopkins University Near Eastern Studies Department and
for the Provost Office’s Covid-19 Dissertation Completion Award, which have helped me see
this project through to completion.
Moreover, I am indebted to Christian Leitz for inviting me to join the Athribis project team
and for entrusting me with the art historical study of the Repit temple. He also graciously al-
lowed me to consult his unpublished translations of the Repit temple texts, which now appear
as volume VII of the Athribis temple publication series. His translations and commentary were
an invaluable resource and greatly expedited my own research. I also want to thank him for
the opportunity to publish this monograph in his series Studien zur spätägyptischen Religion.
Additionally, I am grateful for the financial support I received from the Athribis project, which
allowed me to conduct two study seasons at the Repit temple. This book would not have been
possible without this intimate and prolonged access to the temple and its carved reliefs. I also
want to thank the Athribis project archaeological director, Marcus Müller, for welcoming me
to the team and for our fruitful conversations at the temple. My work has also benefited from
many illuminating conversations with Athribis conservators Lucie Pieri, Satoko Toyoda, and
Claire d’Izarny, and archaeologist, Ole Herslund. I also want to thank Jens Fetkenheuer and
the team at Harrassowitz for their editorial efforts and for guiding me through the preparation
of this manuscript for publication.
My friends and colleagues have likewise been an essential source of support. From the
Johns Hopkins Archaeological Museum, I want to thank Sanchita Balachandran, who was
always there to provide much needed words of encouragement and to put what felt like in-
surmountable obstacles into sharp perspective, and Kate Gallagher, who answered my many
technical questions about database design. From the Johns Hopkins Near Eastern Studies
Department, I also want to thank Lingxin Zhang, Jill Waller, and Morgan Moroney for their
willingness to listen to my ideas and to share advice and inspiration.
Finally, this book would not have been possible without the steadfast support of my family.
My husband, Benjamin Bledsoe, has been by my side through the entire process, celebrating
XIV Preface

each milestone and comforting me through each setback. He was always there to reassure
me and to listen to my harebrained ideas, and I am sure he now knows more about the Repit
temple than many Egyptologists (whether he likes it or not). Our dogs, Cleopatra Selene (in
memoriam) and Nova Rae, have also contributed in their own special ways. I am eternally
grateful for the support of my parents, Robert Swaney and Debby O’Neil. As I considered
the contributions of the Repit temple builders and decorators, my father was never far from
my mind, as growing up I had witnessed first-hand the beautiful buildings that took shape
through the precise work of his skillful hands. My mother fostered my interest in ancient
Egypt throughout my adolescence, and it was our first trip to Egypt in 2010 that cemented my
determination to study Egyptology. I also want to thank my sisters, Jasmine Lamb and Cara
Swaney, for always believing in me and encouraging me when I needed it most.
I am grateful for the incredible guidance and support I have received from each of these
extraordinary scholars, mentors, colleagues, friends, and family. I could not have completed
this book without you.

Baltimore, April 2024

 Chapter 1: Introduction
Ancient Egyptian temples are complex spaces. On a practical level, they act as residences of
the gods, and thus constitute an arena for human and divine interaction in the form of rituals,
offerings, and festival celebrations, with varying degrees of public accessibility. Through their
architectural forms and decorative programs, they also act as embodiments of the cosmos, in-
stantiating the ordered world against the ever-present threat of undifferentiated chaos. Temples
are also highly centralized and restricted works of art, guided by particular principles of de-
corum encompassing their religious content as well as the means by which this information is
actualized through text and image.1 Though temples function in a very ritualized—and thus
controlled—sphere, this does not mean they are devoid of change or that their priestly design-
ers had no choice in establishing their specific, meaning-laden material and visual forms.2
As comparatively late examples of ancient Egyptian religious architecture, the temples of the
Ptolemaic period (332-30 BCE) exemplify this proclivity for tradition and innovation, their
architecture and decoration both a continuation of earlier trends and also an elaboration of
inventive and increasingly complex visual strategies that exploit the buildings’ three-dimen-
sionality to bring their particular local theologies into being.
The decorative programs of Ptolemaic temples provide a vast quantity of material that is
frequently discussed in terms of the ritual content of their rich corpus of scenes as well as the
religious and mythological contexts of their abundant inscriptions. Nonetheless, there are rel-
atively few studies that take an explicitly art historical approach to explore how these three-di-
mensional works of art create meaning. Traditional studies of the decorative programs of
Ptolemaic temples often focus on identifying their so-called “temple grammar.”3 Originating
in French and German intellectual centers, this structuralist approach draws upon the analyses
of temple inscriptions, their genres, word choices, placements, and intertextual relationships
and transfers this framework to the study of temple scenes, focusing primarily on ascertain-
ing the underlying framework by which adjacent or symmetrical scenes are chronologically,
mythologically, or geographically interrelated. While this approach is instrumental for un-
derstanding the content and interrelationships of temple scenes, its uncritical application can
become overly deterministic, focusing on identifying linkages rather than examining how
these relationships create meaning in particular architectural spaces.4
1 For temples as works of art, see Baines 1997, 216-241. For the concept of decorum and restricted knowledge,
see Baines 1990, 1-23.
2 For an overview of the development of ancient Egyptian temples from the end of the New Kingdom through
the Roman period, see Arnold 1999. For their combination of tradition and innovation, see also Finnestad
1997, 185-237.
3 The term “grammaire du temple” was first coined by Derchain 1962a, 31-34. For an overview of the “temple
grammar” approach, see Kockelmann 2011a, 16-45. Scarcely any discussion of the decorative programs of
Ptolemaic temples does not at least mention the “temple grammar,” for example see Richter 2016, 7-8; Preys
2002, 465-493; Leitz 2009, 28-30; Derchain and Recklinghausen 2004; Vassilika 1989, 5-11; Winter 1987,
61-76; Gutbub 1985, 123-136. Winter’s (1968) work is also foundational for considering the “temple gram-
mar” with respect to the content of the scene-bordering Randzeilen. Some art historians who take a semiotic
approach to studying temple art have moved away from this structuralist terminology, preferring to speak of
“codes” rather than an all-encompassing “grammar,” see Angenot 2015, 98-119.
4 Derchain himself stresses the importance of context for understanding these linkages, yet subsequent studies
drawing on his framework do not always prioritize this crucial component.
2 Chapter 1: Introduction

Ptolemaic-era iconography is also increasingly complex and multivalent, which has of-
ten hampered studies of its precise modes of visual meaning-making.5 Iconographic studies
frequently assess individual elements—often various crowns and headdresses—rather than
considering how different iconographic features combine to create particular, context-driven
constellations of meaning. On the other hand, given the large quantity of material, studies that
do consider multiple iconographic attributes can become descriptive rather than interpretive.6
There are also numerous studies focused on evaluating the core theological and mythological
meanings of individual ritual scene types;7 however, a scene’s value—the way its particular
visual and textual nuances contribute to a larger theological reality—is dependent on its pre-
cise contextual relationships within a larger decorative program.8 In this vein, there are also
notable studies analyzing the decorative programs of particular Ptolemaic- and Roman-era
temple room types.9 Yet, these studies typically take a more comprehensive approach to dis-
cern these rooms’ characteristic, supraregional architectural forms, decoration, and functions,
of which art historical considerations typically play only a minor role. Studies of Ptolemaic
temples also rarely engage with the technical aspects of art production, taking the finished
product as self-evident rather than considering the contributions of the individuals responsi-
ble for its planning and execution and their impact on the finished scenes and their various
components.
To contribute to this area of study, the present volume endeavors to look at an ancient
Egyptian temple through the eyes of its designers, considering how the collective decisions
of the priests, scribes, sculptors, painters, and gilders came together to craft in stone a com-
plex mythological reality. As a case study, I examine a late Ptolemaic-era temple located at
the ancient site of Athribis in Upper Egypt. Built by Ptolemy XII Neos Dionysos (ca. 80-58
and 55-51 BCE), this temple is one of the last great monuments of the Ptolemies, and it has
only recently been fully excavated and published.10 The temple is dedicated to the relatively
little-known leonine goddess, Repit, and is unique both in terms of its architecture and its
decorative program, leaving many questions about its function and the motivations of its local
designers unanswered. To address some of these unresolved issues, I take an art historical
approach, with the broader aim of assessing the different ways images materialize the temple’s
local theology. Given the methodological issues outlined above, I combine a more traditional
study of the Repit temple’s decorative program with an analysis of its production, considering
overall trends in art-making and visual meaning-making at the temple as a whole as well as
the specific, context-driven meanings of individual images and scenes and their means of pro-

5 For an overview of the historical development of studies of Ptolemaic temple iconography, see Richter 2016,
66-70.
6 For example, Vassilika (1989) creates a useful catalog of individual iconographic elements and their co-oc-
currences at Ptolemaic Philae, but she does not meaningfully interpret these identified “patterns.” Richter’s
(2016) study of the iconographic elements in the Per-wer at Dendera is a notable exception to these decon-
textualizing studies.
7 For example, Amer 1986, 17-24 (hAd rt-bracelets); Daumas 1975, 102-109 (rrm-vessels); Derchain 1955, 225-
287 (crown of justification); Eldamaty 1997, 51-54 (golden falcon); Elwart 2015, 109-121 (sistra); Husson
1977 (mirrors); Kinnaer 1991, 73-99 (mekes/i my t - p r); el-Kordy 1982, 195-222 (eye paint); el-Kordy 1986,
441-452 (mAH-crown of gold); Plas 1989, 4-35 (seeing the god); Ryhiner 1986 (lotus); Teeter 1997 (ma’at);
Stroot-Kiraly 1989, 157-160 (white bread); Junker 1911, 69-77 (burnt offerings); Egberts 1995 (meret-chest/
driving the calves); Sternberg-El Hotabi 1992 (menu-drink/wine); Sambin 1988 (w nSb). For additional ex-
amples, see also Richter 2016, 69, n. 239.
8 For examples of these more contextualizing studies, see Labrique 1992; Leitz 2001.
9 For example, Coppens 2007 (wabet complex); Baumann 2018 (treasury); Gaber 2009 (central hall).
10 For the excavation history of the Repit temple, see section 1.4 below.
 1.1 Overview of the Repit Temple 3

duction within each architectural space. While this analysis is in dialog with more traditional
studies of Ptolemaic temples centered on the “temple grammar,” I foreground the contextual
aspect of this approach to assess how the designers actively employ three-dimensional visual
relationships to create constellations of meaning that actualize the Repit temple’s cosmologi-
cal foundations.

1.1 Overview of the Repit Temple

The Repit temple (Hwt -Rpy t) is located at the site of Athribis in the ancient 9th Upper Egyptian
Panopolite nome, about seven kilometers southwest of the modern Egyptian city of Sohag.11
The site is situated on the desert edge between the cultivation and the western mountain
range on the west bank of the Nile, across the river from the nome’s capital city of Akhmim.
Today, the site preserves at least four different archaeological zones: mudbrick settlement and
workshop structures; a rock-cut necropolis; mountain quarries; and the temple precinct.12 The
latter area preserves part of a limestone monumental gateway dated to the reign of Ptolemy IX
Soter II (116-107 and 88-81 BCE) with a dromos leading from the east, suggesting a proces-
sional relationship with the cult center of the preeminent regional god, Min, across the river at
Akhmim (Pl. 1.1).13 The remains of a pylon are also visible to the west of the gateway, which
likewise seems to be dated to the reign of Ptolemy IX. The pylon fronts a temple (the so-called
“pylon temple”) which is likely at least partially cut into the western mountains, the remains
of which are currently being excavated.14 A second dromos connects the Ptolemy IX gateway
with the perpendicularly-oriented Repit temple to the north, which was begun under Ptolemy
XII and completed during the Roman period. Inscriptional evidence from the Repit temple
suggests the site also originally featured a sanctuary dedicated to Min (Hwt - nTr n t Mnw), an
Osiris temple/tomb (p r-Wsi r), and a necropolis for the primordial gods (iAt - nTry t), though
further archaeological investigation is needed to confirm the existence and precise location of
these features.15
The Repit temple is oriented approximately north-south, running parallel to the adjacent
western mountain face from which its limestone blocks were quarried. Though the temple is
incompletely preserved, its recent excavators have accurately recovered its overall dimensions
(ca. 75 x 45 m) and ground plan (Fig. 1.1).16 The front of the temple features a pronaos (A)
originally fronted by six Hathor-capital columns (V1-V6) connected by screen walls, with a
central row of six additional columns (W1-W6) in its interior. This is followed by a badly dam-
aged transverse hall (B) that connects to a series of corridor-like chambers to the east (H1-H5)
and west (J1-J5). Along its central axis, the naos beyond consists of a transverse Offering Hall
(wsxt -Ht pw) (C1) and Hall of the Ennead (wsxt - p sDt) (C2), followed by three consecutive
sanctuaries of varying sizes (D1-D3) surrounded by a narrow couloir mystérieux (C3-C5). On
11 El-Sayed 2012c, 68. The modern name “Athribis” derives from the Coptic form of Hw t - (tA) -Rpy t, ΑΤΡΙΠΕ,
while the Greek toponym of the site Tριφείον derives from the Demotic toponym [Hw t] - tA-Rpy t, El-Sayed
2012a, 3-8.
12 For an overview of the site, see also Müller 2019, 20-21; Kościuk 2012, 107-148; Petrie 1908, 10-11, pl. 14.
13 For the texts and scenes appearing on this gateway, see Athribis I, 149-197. For the processional relationship
between Athribis and Akhmim, see also Altmann-Wendling 2017, 7-9.
14 Lippert 2023, 17-18. For the location of the temple referred to as “the cave of the shining Eye (TpHt -Axt)” in
the Repit temple texts, see Athribis VII, 1036-1039. For these recent excavations, see also section 1.4 below.
15 Athribis VII, 1036-1041.
16 For these recent excavations, see section 1.4 below.
4 Chapter 1: Introduction

Fig. 1.1 Plan of the Ptolemy XII Repit Temple by J. Kościuk, S.

Baumann, M. Müller, and C. Teotino.

the eastern side, an antechamber (E1) gives access to a wabet complex—consisting of an open
court (E2) and elevated chapel (E3)—as well as an ascending stairway (G), while to the west,
a smaller antechamber (F1) leads to a second, now-destroyed stairway (F2). Other eastern
chambers include a clothing chamber (Hwt - m nxt) (E4), treasury (abA-DfAw) (E5) (which also
gives access to a series of crypts), and an additional room to the north (E7), with a parallel,
now-destroyed northern chamber originally located to the west (F7). The naos is surrounded
on three sides by a colonnade (L1-L3) originally featuring 26 columns with composite capitals
(Y1-Y26). The eastern colonnade (L1) gives access to a large room whose decoration is most-
ly destroyed (E6), while the western colonnade (L3) provides entry to a similarly destroyed
chamber (F3) as well as a tripartite laboratory complex (F4-F6). The rear colonnade (L2) gives
access to three rear chapels of equal size (K1-K3), the westernmost of which is now destroyed.
The temple is surrounded by an exterior wall (M1-M3), with entrances on all four sides: a