VOTIVE OFFERINGS TO HATHOR
G. Pinch
- This books presents a fascinating but little known body of
evidence which it vital for the understanding of Egyptian religion
of the second millenium BC. The popular worship of Hathor, the
goddess of women and foreign places, has been neglected in favour
of research on the official elite cults. The aim of this work
is to redress the balance, and to examine more generally the
contribution which votive objects can make to the study of a
traditional religion.
Part I covers the main sites at which large groups of votive
offerings to Hathor have been found: Deir el-Bahri in Egypt,
Faras and Mirgissa in Nubia, Serabit el-Khadim in Sinai, Timna
in the Negev, and Gebel Zeit near the Red Sea coast. For each
site, the history of the Hathor temple and shrines is outlined
and the evidence for the find-places of the votive offerings
is assembled from excavation reports and archival material.
The second part examines the eleven main categories of votive
object: stelae, textiles, Hathor masks, cow, cat, and fertility
figurines, model phalli, ears and eyes, amulets, jewellery and
vessels. The symbolism of each of these categories is discussed
in relation to the cult of Hathor, and possible reasons for their
donation are suggested. Many of the votive objects are illustrated
for the first time in line drawings and photographs.<>P
In Part 3, the offerings are examined in the general context
of popular religion and in the light of comparative material
from other cultures. The role of the royal patronage in the provision
of votive offerings, the nature of the relationship between ordinary
Egyptians and the deities they worshipped, and the religious
life of women are among the featured topics. Votive Offerings
to Hathor will be of great interest to scholars of Egyptian
religion, social history and art, and to those involved with
the cross-cultural study of religion or women's studies.
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512 pp. 23.5 x 15.5 cm; 64 plates, 18 figs, 6 plans; cl
0 900416 54 8 $99 / £40.00, pb 0 900416 55 6 (1993) $55
/ £22.00
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CONTENTS
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Introduction
1. The sites
2. The votive objects
3. The place of votive offerings in popular religion
Abbreviations and Bibliography
Index
Plans, Figures and Plates
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SOME COMMENTS BY REVIEWERS
"The book is well illustrated with
plans, figures and black and white plates some published
for the first time." "...this is a gastronomic feast
for unlimited consumption by egyptologists. In short a fine
book." Discussions in Egyptology
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