Upper Egypt, although it lacks the fore-courts which the canonical style calls for. For some reason these common preludes to the great pronaos, or covered vestibule of the temple proper, were not provided in this case-possibly because of a lack of means. On the whole, it seems to me the temple gains by their absence, as the open approach from the great entrance pylon permits an unobstructed view of the façade. Like all the marvelously preserved old shrines in the upper valley, this one dates from a comparatively late day in the history of Egypt - that is to say, from the time of the last Ptolemies, or the first century B.C. Indeed, the Roman occupation had much to do with restoring the temple itself, and the Emperor Domitian is credited with the construction of the entire northern pylon. If he did it, however, he at least built it in the Egyptian manner a lofty gate with sloping sides, although not a pylon such as we expect to see in the older temples of Luxor and beyond. In appearance the whole temple is immensely dignified, despite the decoration of its frontal columns with huge heads of Hathor as capitals. I cannot bring myself to admire the Hathor column as an architectural member. But the great entrance hall is full of them, -twenty-four in all, -massive boles of stone like stout trees, and each adorned with the broad, flat face of the goddess high above. The front of the temple, by the way, is not left entirely open, for the spaces between the pillars are walled to half their height with solid stone capped by a heavy cornice, and only the central space is pierced by a great door. The idea, no doubt, was to admit sufficient light, while at the same time keeping off the gaze of vulgar eyes. The Egyptian did not relish having his religious rites overseen by the crowd; and his temples were commonly walled about like fortresses, the actual ceremonies taking place far within the depths of a Holy of Holies, protected from the outer world by a multitude of partitions. The walls and columns we found decorated with deeply incised reliefs representing the kings, duly besprinkled and incensed by Horus and Thoth, but these kings were Roman emperors rather than Egyptian monarchs of an elder day. The massive ceilings were also decorated with curious designs — one, I remember especially, being a representation of the goddess Nut (or shall we call it Newt?), the deity of the sky, swallowing the sun at nightfall and bringing it forth again from her lap at the dawning of another day. All these details and many more, which unfortunately went in at one ear and out the other, were explained by Raschid when he and his host had clattered up to the gates. I take note of the zeal of the Germans, in particular, for the absorption of information of this kind. The common practice is for Raschid to talk in English—but he is besieged by the Teutonic members immediately after, and even when we are ready to start for home they always crowd around him for one more draft from the well of his wisdom. Raschid is a patient man. Every day, despite his explicit warning, the expedition is held up at the door of some tomb or temple by the failure of some of the party to bring along their monument tickets comprehensive passes bought in advance at Cairo and required at every wicket-gate in all Egypt before you can go in. To-day three old ladies forgot theirs and were immensely tickled to be let in just the same as Raschid's "wives." Behind the pronaos at Dendera comes the hypostyle hall and here begins the temple proper. The Greeks would call this part of the shrine the “cella." It is a complicated building divided into many parts and possessing many little side rooms which the experts now denominate storerooms, treasuries, and laboratories. With these one has small concern, being much more impressed with the hypostyle hall in the midst of the temple-a lofty apartment, once traversed by the formal processions sacred to the goddess Hathor, and supported as to its roof by some more of those magnificent pillars, Hathor-crowned as |