Facts About the Virtual Egyptian Temple Temple Version 5.0 Jeffrey Jacobson, Ph.D. 617-435-0517 [email protected] Here we provide historical information on the Virtual Egyptian Temple, version 5.0, produced by PublicVR. It is raw material for museum docents and classroom teachers to construct a live tour of the virtual temple for K-12 and general public audiences. The tour is live because the temple is an actual 3D space, which the presenter navigates while interacting with the audience. The majority of the explanations here are the work of Lynn Holden, referring to earlier versions of the temple from 2000-2005. Dr. Robyn Gillam supplied updates and corrections several years later. Materials were reassembled and edited by Dr. Jeffrey Jacobson. Introduction to the Temple The city temple was usually located at the heart of a town or city. Leading to the temple was a sacred road, usually lined with statues – often sphinxes, the life-giving animal form of the deity protecting the King. This road was the site of elaborate processions on special occasions, such as the arrival of the King. Not every community had a temple; some temples served several communities. Though most Egyptian architecture was built of mud-brick, temples were generally made of stone so that they would be eternal and endure forever. Many (not all) temples were oriented towards the east, so that, from the interior, the sun would be seen to rise between the rectangular towers of the entrance Pylon. Because of this alignment, the light would, at special times, stream into the interior through specially sited openings to illuminate the images of the Gods and the Kings. The forms of ancient Egyptian buildings often display a striKing harmony with the shapes of Egypt’s natural environment. The forms of a temple echo the horizontal lines and rectilinear textures of the cliffs of the Nile Valley and the mounds and pyramidal masses of the desert that surrounded it. An example of this is the Mortuary Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir el Bahri, shown in the earlier section. The paintings that decorated it reflected the colors of the landscape as well. This connection with the environment is one of many manifestations of the ancient Egyptians’ love of harmony and balance. Temple interiors were richly decorated with scenes from the stories of the lives of the Gods and of the Kings. The ceilings were usually carved with stars and painted blue to imitate the sky, sometimes adorned with flying vultures and hawks or with personified stars and constellations in boats sailing on the celestial Nile (the Milky Way). These scenes were almost always highly organized into structured registers with base lines, and the figures themselves arranged with the Copyright 2014, PublicVR, All rights reserved. Temple Version 5.0 1 help of painted grid lines. The size and association of figures is also revealing, with the largest figures in a scene being the most important and usually attended by ranks of smaller figures. Like the architecture of the temple, the art within it was highly stylized and very traditional. It consisted of simple but effective shapes contained within an outline. The human figure was represented in a functionally stylized manner with the head, waist, and arms and legs in profile to allow indication of action and movement, but with the shoulders seen from front view to show details of jewelry and clothing. The color palette the Egyptians used was relatively simple: red (ochre - iron oxide), yellow (yellow ochre), green (malachite), blue (copper salts), brown (dark ochre), black (carbon) and white (gypsum). But these colors were used very powerfully to convey vibrancy and contrast. Over time changing ideas of color led to more being available. Nevertheless, this style and the presence of hieroglyphs in the scenes gives a stylized appearance to Egyptian art. A wall of mud brick surrounded most temples. Other buildings often associated with the temple often had what we would consider non-religious purposes. For example, many temples had large storehouses for grain, which was collected in times of plenty and distributed in times of scarcity when crops failed because the annual Nile flood was too high or too low. Also, most temples had a “House of Life,” a center for education and a place where texts were stored. These texts contained not only descriptions of religious beliefs and rituals but also literature and historical accounts. The Egyptians were particularly fascinated with history. The “House of Life” texts also included legal and governmental records. Land records were especially important because landmarks could be washed away during a particularly high Nile flood. In addition to buildings, temple grounds often included a sacred lake where purifications were performed and myths were enacted, as well as sacred groves and gardens. Copyright 2014, PublicVR, All rights reserved. Temple Version 5.0 2 Floor plan of the temple Other General Facts • The virtual temple simulates a city temple, which was part of the local community. Its community functions stemmed from its core religious mission. It was the center of learning, a place of healing, a site very important to the economy, and often the seat of government, especially in later times. • The virtual temple, as a city temple, is not to be confused with the mortuary temple, which was located away from everyone, usually to the west at the edge of the desert or near sacred mountain. It is a memorial monument, dedicated to the memory of a specific person, usually a King, local patron, or hero (such as Amenhotep Son of Hapu). • Our virtual temple is theoretically situated in Egypt’s late period, sometime between the end of the New Kingdom and the Ptolemaic (Greek-ruled) period. This range is approximately 500 BCE – 30 BCE, ending with the Reign of Cleopatra. • As seen in certain apocalyptic writings, there were bad times, and times of change. But at its base, ancient Egypt was a static culture, striving for continuity, stability and balance forever and ever. The duration of its culture is remarkable. • Ancient Egypt has been an important influence on a number of different cultures. Its art and architecture profoundly influenced that of Greece, and the worship of its Gods and the ideas associated with them spread throughout the Graeco-Roman world. Its esoteric learning also left a mark on both Christian Europe and the Islamic Middle East. Over centuries the rediscovery and dissemination of this culture has provided inspiration to people everywhere. • Our virtual temple is dedicated to Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis. He is the great hero and slayer of evil, the god of Kingship. On behalf of all gods, he supports Pharaoh granting him power and authority to rule on earth. On behalf of the people of Egypt Pharaoh offers Horus Copyright 2014, PublicVR, All rights reserved. Temple Version 5.0 3 “every good thing” from the earth. He is also called Re-Horakhty, when he appears in the temple artwork with sun above his head. Copyright 2014, PublicVR, All rights reserved. Temple Version 5.0 4 Surroundings • A mud brick wall surrounded the temple, separating it from the rest of the town or city. The bricks were laid in a wavy pattern to depict the original waters of creation, the primordial chaos from which the first land rose. • The space between the wall and the temple was generally crowded with areas for workshops, living quarters for the priests and sometimes for other people working for the temple, gardens, groves of trees, and open space for religious ceremonies, particularly in the front of the temple. (When time and budget allow, we will add more of these features to our virtual temple.) • In this area surrounding the temple, religious events and ceremonies happened, people met to conduct business, and children played. This was also true of the courtyard, the first area inside the temple. Sacred Lake The temple precinct contained at least one Sacred Lake, filled with water from the Nile or subterranean sources. It was used for purification ceremonies and non- public ritual performances with sacred boats. Outer Gate A colossal gate in the temple’s surrounding wall led to the village, town, or city beyond. It was directly opposite the main gate of the temple. Copyright 2014, PublicVR, All rights reserved. Temple Version 5.0 5 The Pylon • The first part of the virtual temple that we encounter is a massive stone front wall (facade) called the Pylon. • It symbolizes the eastern horizon and two mountain peaks between which the sun rose every dawn and at the beginning of creation. • Public ceremonies often took place in front of the temple. Some of those reaffirmed the power and the goodness of the King. Others were public oracles, where the God dispensed advice and judgment to the people through signs interpreted by the high priest. • The temple is dedicated to the God, Horus. He is shown as a hawk in statues on either side of the gate and in Hawk-headed form on the wall. • Horus is the son of Amun, the sun God and King of all Gods. • Horus’s hawk-headed form is often shown with a golden globe on his head, representing the Sun. In that form, he is called “Re-Horakhty.” • The flagpoles shown here would be 120 feet high in an actual temple. Temple flagpoles were often carved from giant Cedars of Lebanon shipped to Egypt. Today, there are none of the great trees left. Hawk: • This is the hawk form of Horus, with Pharaoh standing under his breast, under his protection. • Horus is the God of Kingship, representing all Gods in his transactions with Pharaoh.