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The Smaller Columns |
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This grouping of hieroglyphs on the base of the columns in the Hypostyle Hall was a visual sign to the public that they had access to this part of the temple even if they could not read it. To the literate, it reads "all the common people worship the king." |
Much grander by far than their own homes, the public was given access to this part of the temple during festivals to witness the procession of the god's portable shrine. Only a few Egyptians could read the hieroglyphic texts, but a pictorial design at the base of each column indicated they had permission to be here. Repeated several times around the circumference of all 134 columns is a design showing a small bird called a lapwing resting on a basket while adoring the king's cartouche with human arms that have sprouted from their chests. Above them, a tiny star spells out the word "adore." To the Literate scribes, they design reads: all the people adore the King. The illiterate could easily be taught to recognize this design as a visual sign meaning "you may stand here." |
