Today we shed light on an artifact, the offering table, where we continuously review a piece with its picture and some information about that piece and the place it was displayed, as well as the era to which it belongs.
The table is a stone slab where various foodstuffs and drinks can be placed on it to be consumed by the deceased or the idol. It dates back to the era of the New Kingdom, Dynasty 18, Thutmose III (around 1497-1425 BC), and it is displayed in the Hurghada Museum.
Offering tables were often presented to resemble the hieroglyphic sign of an offering table. The table consists of a rectangular plate in the form of a mat with a portion representing loaves of bread protruding from the middle of one side. One way to ensure continuous offerings is to carve representations of food, drink, and "offering formulas" onto the table itself, making the table eternally full.
This example comes from the Karnak temple and belongs to one of the most powerful kings of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the great warrior King Thutmose III. On the front sides of the table, there are images of the king kneeling offering bowls filled with a liquid, and on the upper deck, instead of carved items of food and drink, There are forty holes for offerings. The titles of the king were engraved on the prominent part of the table, and the sides were decorated with Isis necklaces and ancestor pillars, which represent protection and stability.
Tue, Jun. 28, 2022
