Cosmogonic Myths and Theoretical Science
Kom is a
mound of earth and rubble covering an ancient settlement. Ombo
is the name of the ancient settlement. The site was already
ancient when the temple was constructed at the time of the
Ptolemies VII-XII (300-80 bce) for it sat at the crossroads of
the great caravan trails from Nubia and the gold mines to the
east. The temple is located on the east bank at a bend in the
river Nile about 20 miles (50 km) north of Aswan.
In ancient times,
Nile crocodiles warmed themselves along the river bank, basking
in the Egyptian sunshine. Once regarded as sacred animals,
crocodile mummies are preserved in the chapel of Hathor located
to the right of the temple entrance. Because of its proximity to
the river, the temple has suffered damage from the Nile
floodwaters and the Forecourt has been washed away.
The temple at Kom Ombo is unusual because it is a double temple. The left-hand side of the temple is dedicated to the god Haroeris (Horus the Elder), called "the Good Doctor" and his consort Ta-Sent-Nefer (an aspect of Hathor), called "the Good Sister." The right-hand side of the temple is dedicated to Sobek (Sobek-Re), god of fertility, his consort (also an aspect of Hathor) and their son, Khonsu-Hor.
Sobek, in his crocodile form, stands <A>
between the outer hypostyle hall and the inner hypostyle hall. He
wears the atef crown so we know that he is not the crocodile
companion of Set, the opponent of Auser.
At the entrance to the inner vestibules (B) is a depiction of a woman giving birth.
There are three vestibules: (1) Foundation of the Temple represented by Sheshat - where cleansing and libations are carried out; (2) Hall of Offerings - only priests were permitted here; and, (3) an Inner Sanctum for each divinity connected by a secret corridor which allowed the priests to speak unseen to those in chamber.
Between the sanctuaries we see Haroeris in blue (representing air) and Sobek in green (representing water). Behind the vestibules are the chapels for meditation and prayer which once held vestments and sacred texts.
In the outer corridor was a statue of the Good Doctor whose ear would "hear" the pleas of the afflicted who came to the temple for diagnosis and healing, and whose eye represented the healing they sought (the symbolic eye becomes the RX on the medical prescription still in use today).
| The walls of the outer corridor are a floor- to-ceiling medical compendium: we see the scalpel, the scrub brush, the measuring spoon, mortar and pestle, the tongue depressor, calipers, dentistry tools, bone saw, and forceps. There is also an image of a birthing chair. |  |
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Once the diagnosis is made and the prescription written, the patient is instructed on dosage and timing on the Medical Calendar (left) which shows day, season and month in that order. The patient then proceeds to get the prescription filled. |
| The numbering system shown here is 1=1, arch=10, circ=100 (126) |  |
While at the temple, the visitor is under the protection of divine beings including Nekhebet the vulture goddess.
Egyptian medical papyri dating from 2000 to 1090 bce reflect earlier knowledge. Two of the earliest papyri, the Kahun and the Gardiner fragments (c. 2000), deal with diseases of women, children, and cattle. Later papyri, the so-called Smith and Ebers papyri, date from the seventeenth and sixteenth centuries bce. In the Ebers papyrus, the author puts together information that a physician might need. It contains 877 recipes concerning a variety of diseases or symptoms. Spells are recommended in twelve cases but the physician is expected to make a recitals before medical treatment, to increase the virtue of the remedy. The contents includes internal medicine, diseases of the eye, skin, extremities, head, surgical diseases and diseases of women.
Horu (s) the Elder - originally was a god of light whose eyes were associated with the sun and the moon and, because the moon is sometimes invisible, he is a patron of the blind. He is not to be confused with Horus the Younger, son of Auset and Auser. The Greeks had a tendancy to put s on name endings, a practice which has been retained, his real name is Horu.
Hathor - an ancient sky goddess portrayed as a cow or as a woman with the head of a cow, Hathor nurses and suckles the living and the dead for whom she provides meat and drink. In one of her aspects, she represents the place on the horizon where her consort rises. The Greeks identified her with Aphrodite by which she acquired an association with love and beauty.
Sheshat - is the consort of Thoth. She is a stellar divinity who measures time and space and it is Sheshat who assists in the lay-out of the axis for new temples by reckoning from the position of the stars. She is called "mistress of the house of architects." She is also the record keeper of the gods, "the secretary."
Social and Behavioral Sciences E-Campus
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