Altar

In the temples of ancient Egypt, the altar {khat) was used to carry offerings intended to propitiate deities or the deceased. The travertine (‘Egyptian alabaster’) altar in the sun temple of Nyuserra (2445—2421 lic) at,'bu Gurab is one of the most impressive surviving examples. It consists of a huge monolithic circular slab surrounded In four other pieces of travertine, each carved in the form of a hetep (‘offering’) sign. In the temple of a. mu. n at k k a pink granite altar in the form of a hetep sign (now in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo) was erected by Thutmose iii (1479-1425 Rc) in the ‘Middle Kingdom court’. Relief scenes carved on the front of this altar show two kneeling figures of the king presenting offerings to Amun-Ra.

In the New Kingdom (1550-1069 ik;) many large-scale stone temple altars were pro ided with ramps or sets of steps. A massive limestone altar dedicated to Ra-Horakhty, still in on the upper terrace of the temple of Elatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri, was furnished ''ith a flight of ten steps on its western side. The Great Temple of the Aten at cl-.marna is

Known to have included a large central altar approached by a ramp, as well as courtyards full of hundreds of stone offering tables.

From the I. ate Period (747-332 iic) onwards, Egypt began to be more influenced by Hellenistic and Syrian forms of worship

The great travertine altar at the sun temple of King Kyuserra at. ihu Gurab. ziround the circular central part of the altar are arranged four hetep (offering) signs, (p. t: MCUOi. soh)

And the ‘horned altar’, consisting of a stone or brick-built block with raised corners, was introduced from Syria-Palcstine. Such an altar was erected in front of the early Ptolemaic tomb of rj;tosiri. s, a chief priest of 'I'hoth, at Tuna el-Gebel. See also ori'i:!U.Ci 'I'Am. F..

G ]m iKR, Autel’, BflAO 19 (1922), 236-49.

1. Sii. uv, ‘Balustrades, stairs and altars in the cult of iheAien at el-Amarna’.J/iW 80 (1994), 109-27.