Emily Chan
“The rediscovery of the multicolored temples of Egypt will revolutionize the impression of the sanctuaries, which currently appear mostly as brownish-beige monoliths that hardly stand out against the background of the desert landscape,” said Stadler.
The newly uncovered details and patterns give off the impression that the building was originally bright and vibrant, representing the cosmos based on Egyptian ideals.
Previously, research has suggested ancient Egyptian temples were not only colorful but they also were decorated with gold.
Since the start of the Pharaonic Era, which lasted from around 3100 B.C. to 323 B.C., gates, columns, and other architectural elements appear to have been covered in gold.
However, gold leaf decorations are rarely preserved. The material is incredibly fragile and usually decays without leaving behind a trace. Sometimes, the gold leaf would be removed on purpose for its value.
Now, the researchers have found traces of gold leaf decoration higher up on the walls of one of the temple’s central rooms, known as the barque sanctuary.
They also discovered “dipinti,” or graffiti painted in ink. It was written in the ancient Egyptian Demotic script, which was developed as a sort of shorthand since writing hieroglyphics would’ve been too complicated and time-consuming.
Demotic was used starting from the 7th century B.C. It was common at the time the temple was constructed.
Only about 10 percent of the population knew how to write the Demotic script, so the graffiti must’ve been created by literate people, like priests.
They were the only people allowed into the area where the graffiti was found. The graffiti consisted of prayers addressed to Horus.
