8. TEMPLES & PRIESTS

Temple: home of a particular god

Focus of "official" religion

Maintenance of order, specific god

Temple: recapitulates cosmology

Primeval mound

Inner sanctuary

Courts, pylons, chapels, storage, functional, etc.

Lake, obelisks, enclosure wall, causeway

Images everywhere

Access restricted

Some actual temples: Luxor, Temple of Horus at Edfu, Dendur

Cult image: home of god

"Opening of the mouth"

Daily ritual

Processional bark/boat

Animal cults

Specific
Apis bull of Memphis

Animal cults: general
Horus Falcon of Edfu

Official temple-based religion

KING

Hierarchies

Workers

Scribes

PRIESTS

Ranks

High Priest

"Musicians" (sing and play sistrum)

PRIESTS

Duties:

Rituals/ceremonies
Maintaining cult
Representing king
Specialized duties (books, oracles, animal cults)
Administration

Priest statue in Kelsey Museum

Karanis: South Temple

Pnepheros and Petesuchos: Crocodile gods (local forms of main crocodile god Sobek)

Animal cults: crocodile mummies

Sanctuary as focus of daily cult ritual

Priest with censer: offerings

Priest as magicial

Priests for divine oracles

Oracle questions

Voice oracles

"Speaking" statues

Institutions within the temple:
-House of Gold (Cult images)
-House of Books (library)
-House of Life (rituals)

Priests as further intermediaries between people and gods

GODS
KING
Priests
People

Priests: day-to-day, local
King: national, builds temples