Abstrakt wystąpienia:
The lecture by Dr Jadwiga Iwaszczuk (IMOC-PAS) will address the disputed question of the definition of niche in public architecture in ancient Egypt. In presentation, the term ‘niche’ will be used to refer to any recess in the wall that was used for a cultic purpose (the practice of a cult or the storage of cult objects). Research on niches of the Upper Terrace in Hatshepsut's Temple was previously conducted by Dr Mikołaj Budzanowski as part of his doctoral thesis. After 20 years of its defence, the publication by him and a present speaker is being prepared, as it is necessary to update it and to have a new discussion about it.
Three types of niches are attested on the Upper Terrace of the temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari: Osiride niches, gods cult niches and royal cult niches. The niches can be identified thanks to their decoration and architecture. The Osirid niches are open and contain an Osirid statue and their side walls depict the gods of the Ennead. The niches dedicated to the gods can be open or closed with a double-leafed door, and their decoration varies from niche to niche. It is possible that this type of niche contained statues made of organic materials.
Unlike the cult niches of the gods, the royal cult niches are always grouped together, although the number of niches in each group varies. The side walls have a consistent decoration: in all cases the king is depicted seated before the sacrificial table with a list of offerings above. The rear walls vary from group to group. The royal niches most likely contained the statues of organic materials depicting the Thutmosid kings and were always closed with double door. This latter group niches devoted to the royal cult will be a subject of the presentation. The special attention will be paid to the peculiarities of their architecture and decoration, as well as their position in the architectural setting and how they relate to the architecture and decoration of the rooms in which they are located.