Through the Eras

Religionstress the service the tomb owner had performed for theking, and any mention of his deeds for the gods is largelyabsent. During the First Intermediate Period (2130–2008B.C.E.) the first indications of the belief in divinities thatwould intervene in the lives of individuals can be foundon stelae and inside tombs. Such references are few, however,and seem to be outside the norm of general religiousexperience. Beginning in the New Kingdom,however, the evidence indicates a much greater emphasison an individual’s personal relationship with the gods,and the gods’ actions on behalf of the individual. Evidencefor such personal piety becomes abundant duringthe Ramesside period (1292–1075 B.C.E.), and it has beensuggested that this is a reaction to the religious upheavalwhich took place in Egypt during the Amarna period.ENCOUNTERING THE GODS. A primary locus forthe individual’s encounter with the gods was the temple.While most of the temple activities were closed tothe public, there were occasions when the gods appearedpublicly. During festivals, when the gods left their templesin processions, people had the opportunity to presentthe gods with questions and receive oracularresponses. In addition, there were places set aside withinthe temple complex where people could approach thegods with their prayers. At the rear of some temples, directlybehind the sanctuary of the temple, could be founda chapel of the “hearing ear.” This could vary betweenan elaborate chapel to a simple niche with a statue of themain god of a temple, or even only a pair of carved ears,representing the god’s ability to hear prayers. There werealso places in the gates of the temenos wall (the wall surroundinga temple) where people could make prayersand offering to the gods. The south gate of the temenoswall at Edfu was described as “the standing place of thosewho have and those who have not, in order to pray forlife from the lord of life.” Even the relief images of thegods in the accessible parts of the temple could becomethe focus of prayers and offerings. Some of these figuresshow evidence that, at one time, structures were builtaround some reliefs, forming small shrines, with a shelffor offerings and at times a curtain to conceal the relief.PURPOSES. People would visit a temple for three mainpurposes: prayer, sacrifice, and dedication of votive offerings.Prayers were generally delivered orally, and beganwith a low bow, called “kissing the ground.” The petitionerwould then kneel or stand, with arms raised, topraise the deity and make their requests. Fortunately, visitorssometimes carved their prayers into the temple asgraffiti, which preserved evidence of the types of thingspeople prayed for. People could pray to receive the favorof the gods, or to be loved by their gods. Other requestsincluded the opportunity to go on pilgrimages, to avoidevil-doing, to receive the material necessities of life, goodhealth, and a long lifetime of the ideal 110 years. One manleft a prayer for potency and a good wife as a companion.Another left a request that he gain favor in the eyes of acertain female singer in the temple of Amun. Letters writtenby officials of the Ramesside period away on businessto their family members back in Egypt made requests forprayers to be offered on their behalf. One such official,Dhutmose, instructed his family and servants to “pleasecall upon Amun to bring me back, for I have been ill sinceI arrived north and am not in my normal state. Don’t setyour minds to anything else. As soon as my letter reachesyou, you shall go to the forecourt of Amun of the Thronesof the Two Lands, taking the little children along withyou and coax him and tell him to keep me safe.”OFFERINGS. Worshippers did not approach theirgods empty-handed. When they visited the temples tooffer prayers, they frequently brought sacrifices along asan inducement to the god to grant their requests. Commonsacrifices included libations of wine, beer, milk, orwater. The presentation of bread, fruit or flowers, or theburning of incense or foodstuffs was also common. Mosttemple visitors brought their offerings with them, butthey could also acquire them at the temple. A more permanenttype of offering was the votive offering, a permanentmemorial of a prayer to a deity. Votives couldinclude stelae, showing the petitioner praising the god,model ears, or stelae with images of ears, intended to inducethe deity to hear the petitioner’s prayers. Othertypes of offerings included model phalluses, intended togain fertility for the donor, or small images of deities orcult objects used in the temples.PUBLIC CHAPELS. Temples were not the only locationat which the worship of the gods occurred. The siteof Deir el-Medina has preserved the remains of publicchapels dedicated to the gods. These chapels show a fairlyconsistent design. They consisted of an open forecourtleading to a roofed hall, often with one or two pillars, withbenches along each side wall. On the benches were seats,seven along one side of the hall, five along the other. Someseats from these chapels were inscribed with the names ofindividuals. This may indicate that participation in worshipin the chapel was by subscription. Some scholars haveused these inscriptions at Deir el-Medina to prove the existenceof “cult guilds,” in which individuals would enterinto a legal contract to band together in the worship of aparticular deity. There is written evidence of these guildsin the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (664–525 B.C.E.), but as yetno written evidence of such societies has turned up forNew Kingdom Egypt or for the Deir el-Medina. Moving234 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)