The Cult Practice in the Sanctuary and 'Axial Chapel' (Mesenit) of the Horus-Temple of Edfu: Theological Traditions and Cult in the Inner Core of an Egyptian Temple

• Applicants: Dr. Victoria Altmann-Wendling; Professor Dr. Martin Andreas Stadler
• Subject Area: Egyptology and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
• Term: since 2018
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 407010283

For the first time the barque sanctuary and the axial chapel ('Mesenit') of the temple of Horus in Edfu will be subject to an in-depth investigation. It shall be the basis for future systematic studies of the entire temple, its theology, and its ritual practice. The almost completely preserved and completely decorated temple of Edfu (Upper Egypt, 237-57 BC) presents us with its wall decoration unrivalled extensive information both on the performed rituals and the inventory as well as details on the regional and transregional cult topography, mythology, iconography, and theological concepts. This potential for gaining insights into the cultic processes and the religious conception of Egyptian sanctuaries has been only superficially skimmed. The two rooms to be studied, located axially one behind the other, form the inner core of the temple. Both their architectural design and the wall decoration testify to their central significance within the cultic processes. From this, we may conclude to a complementary relationship between the two rooms. To designate that relationship the terminology 'front (or open) sanctuary' and 'back (or secret) sanctuary' are proposed entailing a working hypothesis. However, the exact cultic function and conception of both rooms and their concrete interrelation have not yet been systematically researched. A detailed investigation in the course of the project will meet this desideratum. The project will address the two rooms in the temple by applying a methodologically holistic approach and by drawing on recent scholarship on Egyptian rituals as well as editions of papyri and temple inscriptions. In addition, for the first time, the polychromy of the wall reliefs, made visible again through restoration, as well as still preserved dipinti can be included in the analysis to obtain a complete 'room biography'. Phase I aimed at the philological and documentary exploitation of the sources; the latter now no longer separates hieroglyphics and pictorial representations, whereby the numerous intermedial references only become apparent. Phase II will be dedicated to textual and religious historical analysis, interpretation and contextualization as well as iconographic investigation. Comparisons with older and contemporary temples will provide clues about the function and genesis of the spatial situation in Edfu. References within the temple will be used to reconstruct cult practice. At the end of Phase II, the final publication will appear in print in three volumes, consisting of 1. the transliteration, translation, and philological commentary, 2. the drawings of the wall scenes, and 3. the in-depth contextual analysis of the scenes and inscriptions. The photographic documentation, on the other hand, will be made available online and in open access.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants