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rites, but according to others the small size or difficulty of access of many of these crypts indicate
this was not likely their main function. It is more likely they were used for the giving of oracles by
hidden priests, as secret storerooms of foe the safekeeping of valuable items. They could have also
had a symbolic meaning. Even though it is difficult to determine what their exact function was, the
locations and sizes of the crypts do indicate they had an important symbolic function in the temple
(Wilkinson 2007, 68).
The interior walls of the fifth room, were not decorated until the reign of Caligula (37 – 41 AD).
The adjoining new year’s court remained undecorated. The ceiling of the wabet is decorated as an
astronomical ceiling. It preserves part of a zodiac. The remaining interior rooms of the Augustan
temple were never inscribed (de Meyer and Minas-Nerpel 2012, 2).
The zodiac ceiling
The temple of Shenhur has one decorated block in its roof covering about one quarter of the
ceiling of the fifth room, the wabet. Its a portrayal of six signs of the 12 zodiacs, from Leo to
Capricorn. It also includes the arms and legs of Nut, the sky goddess. The images of Leo and Virgo
are damaged. The decoration is completed by a scattering of stars and some Egyptian
constellations (Huxley 1985, 127).
In Mesopotamia year was divided into distinct equinoxes, spring, summer, autumn and winter. The
equinoxes marked distinct breaks in the year. Some cities celebrated new year’s rites at both spring
and autumn equinoxes. The year in Mesopotamia was divided into two six month cycles, one
beginning in spring and the second in autumn, or one beginning in summer and the other in
winter. This is how the celestial sphere was divided. When the celestial sphere was divided at the
lines of the winter and summer solstice this symbolically represented the sun’s journey to the
north, or from the north to the south during the cycle from summer to winter. When the celestial
realm was divided through the equinoxes this symbolically represented the celestial equator. It was
believed that above this equator the province of the celestial deities was located and the one
below represented the province of the deities of the underworld. When during the autumn
equinox the sun crossed the equator this symbolised entering the underworld. New year’s day was
celebrated at the beginning of the calender, which was recognised by the rising of Sirius at the
start of their solar year. Some cities celebrated 2 new years dedications, because of the division of
the celestial sphere at the srping and autumn equinoxes. One was to celebrate the celestial realm,