The Ancient Egypt: Philae Island .. The Great Temple of Isis .. Part ( 10 )

The eastern chambers of the temple of Isis

Returning to the small court or hall before the vestibule, one should now visit the eastern portion of the building . On the south wall there is a damaged relief of the king offering to Horus .

On the east wall, the king worships Isis, who says that she gives him the sovereignty of Horus ; he offers to Isis ; and, in large size, he presents a large heap of offerings of all kinds to the temple .

The north wall is covered with scenes which have been damaged by the Christians . The king is here seen offering to Isis and Unnefer .

On the west wall he worships Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, Hathor, Khnum, Satis, Anukis, and Horus . The king throughout these reliefs is Ptolemy II, Philadelphus, but Ptolemy III, Euergetes I, has added his name here and there .

A door in the north wall leads into a passage which turns into the adytum .

In this passage, on the east wall, the king is seen carrying a miniature barque, while two priests bear its case behind him . He offers it to Isis and Horus .

On the west wall, he offers a similar barque to Osiris-Unnefer and Isis .

Returning once more to the court in front of the vestibule, one may now pass out by the doorway on the west side, which brings one into an antechamber from which two passages lead, that in the west wall taking one outside the temple, and that in the north wall taking one up a straight flight of steps to the roof . In the anteroom, there are three big reliefs showing the king before Isis .

The roof of the temple of Isis

Ascending the steps by a staircase on the west side of the temple gives access to the roof of the sanctuary, and here are the Osiris chambers, the roof is found to be constructed in the form of a platform, at each of the four corners of which is an open chamber sunk some eight feet . The stairway by which one has ascended has led through the first of these . That at the north-east corner has a small room leading off it, but there are no inscriptions or reliefs on the walls . That at the south-east corner has lost its flooring, and thus one looks down on to the hall below . That at the south-west corner is the most interesting . On the north wall, Isis, Nephthys, Horus, and Anubis are shown making offerings to Unnefer, and Isis and Nephthys spread their wings around him . On the north wall, Isis weeps by the bier of Osiris, beside which stands Anubis, while above it hovers a hawk . The gods Harmachis, Geb, Thoth, Tefnut, Nut, Hathor, Sekhmet, and others stand near bewailing . On the east wall, various gods worship before Unnefer, Isis, and Nephthys . In the south wall is a door leading into a second chamber, and on either side of it is a relief showing the king, slaying his enemies . In this chamber, which one now enters, the reliefs are very curious . On the north wall one sees in the top row the king, whose cartouches are blank, worshipping Min ; and Unnefer is worshipped by Isis, Nephthys, Anubis, Horus, Wazet, and Nekhbet . In the second row a sacred boat in which is the bier of Osiris is worshipped by the four genii of Anubis — Imsety, Hapi, Duamutef, and Qebehsenuef . In the third row, a shrine is shown in which is a sacred tree . On the west wall in the top row the king worships before Ptah, Harmachis, Shu, Tefnut, a god whose name is not clear . Nut, Unnefer, Isis, Khnum, Satis, Horus, Nephthys, Hathor, Harpocrates, and Wazet . In the second row Khnum is seen fashioning a pot ; behind him are Hapi, a hawk-headed lion, the frog Heket, Osiris, Isis (?), Horus, a lion-headed god, Osiris, Isis, Horus, Remtet in the form of a human-headed snake, Sekhmet, a form of Khepera, Wazet of the fields, Anhur-Shu ( Anhur's name also could mean Sky Bearer and, due to the shared headdress, Anhur was later identified with Shu, becoming Anhur-Shu . He is the son of Ra and brother of Tefnut if identified as Shu ), Osiris, and Isis . In the third row are the nome standards . On the south wall, in the top row, Osiris and Isis stand beside the sacred head of Osiris on a pole ; Horus and two goddesses stand before a large Tet or Dad emblem ; and Satis, Anukis, Sokaris, and a ram-headed god are shown before another sacred symbol . In the second row Osiris-Unnefer in the form of a mummified hawk lies on a bier supported by four figures ; Isis and Nephthys kneel by the legs of Osiris, which are in a chest ; and Isis and Nephthys lean over the bier on which the resurrection of Osiris in the form of Horus is taking place . In the third row Anubis, Isis, and Nephthys are seen tending the body of Osiris ; the body of Osiris lies on a bier, while Horus sprinkles water over it, thus causing lotus-flowers to grow from it ; the body of Osiris lying on its bier is worshipped by Horus and Heket . On the east wall, in the top row, is the king before the gods Amen-Ra, Nun and Nunt, Hehu and Hehut,Kekui and Kekuit, Nuy and Nuyt, Tum, Thoth, etc. . In the second row, the king ofifers to Ptah who fashions a vase, Hapi, Horus, Osiris, Isis, Neith, Selket, Osiris, Urthekau snake-formed, Horus, Nekheb, Horus of Edfu, Sokaris protected by a goddess, and a shrine in which is the head of Isis protected by a goddess . In the third row are the nome signs . One may now ascend to the pylon by means of a stairway .

The outside walls of the temple of Isis

The outside walls of the temple of Isis are decorated with reliefs dating mainly from the reign of Tiberius . At the south end of the west wall, the king is shown slaying his enemies in the presence of Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Hathor . Above this, he is shown slaying a captive before the Pharaoh of Senem . In the other reliefs, he is shown worshipping Unnefer and Isis ; Amen-Ra, Mut,and Khonsu ; Khnum and Hathor ; Horus, Isis, and Nephthys ; Thoth ; Min ; Hathor and Horus ; Nut ; Shu and Tefnut ; Nephthys ; and others ; he is crowned by Nekheb and Wazet in the presence of Isis ; and he slays a captive before Horus and Hathor .

On the north side, or back, of the temple four large reliefs show him before Isis and Horus ; Unnefer and Isis ; Isis and Nephthys ; and Hathor and Horus, while other smaller reliefs represent other gods .

On the east side of the temple at the south end, he is seen slaying his enemies before Isis, Hathor, and Horns ; he makes offering to Unnefer and Isis ; Khnum, Hathor, and Horus ; Isis, Hathor, and Horus ; Horus, Nephthys, and the Pharaoh of Senem ; and Unnefer, Isis, and Nephthys . Along the north end of this side, the Pharaoh is seen leaving his palace, with the jackal-, ibis-, and hawk-standards before him ; he is purified by Behudti and Thoth ; he is crowned by Nekheb and Wazet ; he is led by Menthu of On and Harmachis to Isis ; and he worships Isis, Unnefer and Isis, Horus and Isis, and Isis and Horus. Higher up he stands before Isis, Horus, and others .