Let's collect in this thread research and references provided from external sources about the connection of Sirius with the Hathor Temple.
The Theology of Hathor of Dendera: Aural and Visual Scribal Techniques in the Per-Wer Sanctuary, Barbara Ann Richter, 2012
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escholarship.org]
* page 3: Her [the wandering goddess] journey south may also reflect the disappearance of the star Sirius (equated with Isis), and its return, which heralds the New Year and the Inundation. ref: Quack, Goddess Rising, 283-294; idem, Rückkehr, 145-146. Wells, Astronomy 146-147, notes that the heliacal rising of Sirius, heralding the inundation, was a regulating factor for Upper Egypt due to its agrarian dependency on the annual flood; the rising of the star Sothis (Sirius) became the principal festival of the last month of the year at the Temple of Satet at Elephantine, the mythical source of the Nile. Spalinger, Calendars, 224, notes that GR period sources place great emphasis on the rising of Sothis for the commencement of the year. Texts at Dendera emphasize the importance of Sirius and the inundation, as we discuss in Sections 4.0.1.3 (page 79) and 5.2.5. (page 199)
* page 199: Allusions to the life-giving, rejuvenating qualities of the flood waters appear in Hathor's speech in the Divine Randzeile: I purify my body [with] the water of youth, I cause that the inundation shall come to you in its season of the year,734 at the beginning of the year, without ceasing" (D III, 72,8).
* page 109: Leitz explains that the reference to the "Day of the Night of the Child in his Nest," plays on the double meaning of the word msi, which can mean "be born," as well as "heliacal rising." The dawn ("the day of the night"), occurring 40 minutes before sunrise and thus technically still the 5th Epagomenal Day, is therefore the heliacal rising of the star Sirius (with which Isis is equated) just before New Year's Day. This moment is thus the msi, or "birth" of Isis. References to her birth on this day occur mostly on the south and west walls of the main Temple of Hathor and the small Temple of Isis at Dendera; the small temple itself stands at the southwest corner of the main temple. Furthermore, the ancient architects aligned the axis of the small temple precisely to the point of the horizon where Sirius would rise just before New Year's, when the "birth of Ra," takes place at dawn, as the new-born sun god, the falcon, comes forth from his nest and rises at dawn. The rising of Sirius also connects to the Royal Crown of Isis through its seshed-band component in "The Ritual of Presenting the Seshed Band," which takes place precisely on the "Day of the Night of the Child in his Nest."
* page 197: In the symmetrical scene on the west side of the base, the speech of Isis brings additional imagery, equating her with Sirius (Sothis), the star whose annual reappearance heralds the inundation: "Sothis, who pours out Hapy from his cavern" (D III, 74,12-13)
* Per-Wer is the room at the southern wall, centered. Listed as 18 or F in the maps on [commons.wikimedia.org]
On the orientation of ancient Egyptian temples. (1) Upper Egypt and lower Nubia, Mosalam Shaltout, Juan Antonio Belmonte, 2005
[
adsabs.harvard.edu]
* page 276: orientation of 115 temples.
* 115 temple list: 3 temples aligned precisely to 108° clockwise rotation (18° south of East, listed as 18 in the text): Hathor in Dendera (minor axis), Isis in Dendera (major axis), Mut in Karnak (minor axis)
* page 280: statistical cluster near 115° clockwise rotation (25° south of East, listed as 115 in the text): the winter solstice (WS)
Common knowledge, cited by many source:
* Hathor's birthday is the heliacal rising day of Sirius
* the Egyptian new year starts with the heliacal rising day of Sirius
* the Egyptian new year was celebrated on the Hathor temple roof and in the Uabet room (aka Wabet, the room with Nut on the square shaped ceiling, 23 in the map on [commons.wikimedia.org])
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/08/2022 12:50AM by Holger Isenberg.
