Dendera
Hathor's well-preserved temple, whose crypt reliefs of a lotus giving birth to a snake are claimed to show an ancient light bulb.
- Location
- West bank of the Nile, near Qena, Upper Egypt
- Modern country
- Egypt
- Main temple
- Temple of Hathor, mostly late Ptolemaic and Roman (1st century BCE–1st century CE)
- Famous features
- Dendera zodiac (now in the Louvre); crypt reliefs
- Modern claim
- 'Dendera light', an alleged electric lamp
What is Dendera known for?
Dendera, near Qena in Upper Egypt, was the cult center of Hathor, goddess of love, music and joy. Its temple, built mainly under the last Ptolemies and the early Roman emperors, is one of the best preserved in Egypt. A carved ceiling zodiac from one of its rooftop chapels was removed in 1821 and is now in the Louvre.
Reliefs in a crypt beneath the temple show a large bulb-like shape with a wavy snake inside, rising from a lotus flower and supported by a djed pillar. Some ancient-astronaut books present them as electric lamps with cables and insulators.
Egyptologists read them using the hieroglyphic texts carved next to them. The images show a snake emerging from a lotus flower, a creation image linked to the sun god, with the djed pillar as a symbol of stability. No wiring, glass or electrical equipment has been found in Egypt.
Listed as a claim to skip: the 'light bulb' relief is a lotus giving birth to a snake.
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Dandarah'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Dendera light'Reference
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