REVIEW BY SARAH GRIFFITHS
When José María Barrera visited the Temple of Dendera for the first time, he was left breathless by the spectacular celestial ceiling of the pronaos – so much so, he returned a few years later armed with a telephoto lens and high-end digital camera. Over three days, he took more than 5,000 high-resolution photographs, which he stitched together using specialised software to recreate the entire ceiling. This beautifully illustrated book is the result of his ‘obsession’.
A software engineer and avid photographer, the author does not intend this as an academic work. Rather, he wishes to convey the admiration he felt standing beneath this stunning ceiling, but he does provide historical and mythological context to help the reader appreciate the ceiling’s ‘full magnificence’.
The tour begins with introductory chapters on the temples of Egypt and their astronomical function, and the measurement of time and its importance to any society. It continues with an exploration of the Dendera temple layout, with illustrations from the French expedition’s Description de l’Égypte. Dedicated to Hathor, the temple dates back to the Ptolemaic era. The portico structure was added by Tiberius in the 1st century AD, and the ceiling decoration completed under Claudius. The portico’s 24 Hathor-headed columns represent the hours of the day.
