Dr. Smiti Nathan

Transcript

Smiti: Welcome to Curiosity Meets the Past, a podcast for curious minds who love learning about the past. My name is Dr. Smiti Nathan, and I’m an archaeologist and your host.

In this episode, I’m speaking with Archaeologist and Egyptologist, Dr. Brooke Norton, whose main research explores the lives of ancient Egyptians abroad.

Brooke and I have been friends for over 15 years, but we’ve never talked this in depth about her research, so a lot of this is new to me, too.

In our conversation, she gently guides us through the fascinating and interconnected world of New Kingdom Egyptian and Canaanite temples.

Now, if you’re not as familiar with these structures, don’t worry. She gives us a beginner-friendly introduction to these temples before we get into what makes them so fascinating.

From the diverse ways that communities worship to how leaders leverage temples to assert their own power. These structures reveal so much about life in the past, during this period of time.

I’m so excited for you to hear this conversation. Brooke starts us off by sharing when and why these temples caught her attention. 

Brooke Norton: So, I was studying for my PhD quals. And this is a process that takes about a year of prepping. So, reading all of these [00:00:10] articles that are related to the various topics that, you know, you’ve chosen or you’ve been assigned. And I was reading about Egyptian-Levantine [00:00:20] interactions, and I came across a few articles that talked about a group of New Kingdom temples that are located in the Sinai Peninsula [00:00:30] and the Southern Levant–so, think modern-day Jordan, Palestine, Israel–that may or may not have been Egyptian. And the conclusions made [00:00:40] were that because these temples, sort of deviate from the norm, like how they would exist in Egypt, we can’t really say that Egyptian cult took place [00:00:50] within them. But in the last 20 to 30 years since these articles have been published, there’s been a lot of discussion about whether or not Egyptians were [00:01:00] actually present in the Levant at this time.

So, in the New Kingdom, or the Late Bronze Age, the ancient Egyptian empire stretched from Syria in the [00:01:10] north to Sudan in the south. And these boundaries changed over time, but that was sort of the greatest extent. And now it’s understood that Egyptians were present in the [00:01:20] Levant. 

But they used various tactics over time. So, sometimes they were co-opting buildings that were already there. Sometimes they were building new structures. [00:01:30] And these leave different types of archeological evidence on the ground. So, I was interested in looking at these various temples and cult spaces to [00:01:40] attempt to identify architecture, objects, and texts that could either firmly be associated with Egyptian or with Canaanite cult. And [00:01:50] then to focus on the examples where we could see a hybrid or a mix of the two. You know, if people are mutually participating, or if [00:02:00] this was like state driven ideology on the part of the Egyptians. And as I researched, I found lots of data on all of these different situations in these temples.

Smiti: That’s super [00:02:10] interesting and I’m wondering if we could step back for a moment and if you could break down what a so-called standard Egyptian temple would look like and [00:02:20] what a so-called standard Canaanite temple would look like.

Brooke Norton: So generally, both Egyptian and Canaanite temples sort of transitioned from [00:02:30] more public to more private spaces. So as you go further into the space, it’s going to become more private and restricted, like who’s able to [00:02:40] go in there. So, members of the public might be able to congregate outside of the temples, in these courtyards, but only the priest, or maybe the king or like very elite people, would be allowed in the [00:02:50] innermost sanctuary. So, they both sort of function in that way, but there are a lot of differences. 

So, I guess to start with the Egyptian temples, Egyptian temples, [00:03:00] generally had three functions in ancient Egyptian culture. So they were the place where cult activities took place, like, where all these [00:03:10] religious rights were enacted. They also were spaces that were used to uphold what’s called Ma’at. So, thi s is an ancient [00:03:20] Egyptian concept that generally translates to, truth, order, justice. And Egyptians were obsessed with upholding Ma’at [00:03:30] and protecting the universe from chaos, or Isfet. Temples were created to do this, to uphold Ma’at and order. 

Temples [00:03:40] also created a sort of a microcosm of the universe. So, the architecture in Egyptian temples resembled natural things found [00:03:50] in the Egyptian landscape. So, like, flowers and plants. And so, in one temple you would have the entirety of the universe contained and made [00:04:00] miniature within the space. And so, these three functions of Egyptian temples are reflected in the architecture, the layout of the temples, the [00:04:10] decoration, and the inscriptions that are, you know, found within them.

So, by the New Kingdom, which is the time period that I focus on, the Egyptian temple had sort of standard, it had a [00:04:20] standardized plan and this was the sort of typical plan for temples going forward. And so the entire temple precinct, so this is like the main building, [00:04:30] and any associated structures would’ve been separated from the surrounding town.

So, you’d have, like, the secular town and then the religious building. It was usually [00:04:40] separated by an enclosure wall. And then the main pathway going into the temple was for the most part oriented east-west. So, [00:04:50] this is the passage of the sun throughout the day. And so, not always, but most of the time Egyptian temples are oriented on these east-west axes.

So, at its [00:05:00] most basic, an Egyptian temple would have an open courtyard that’s just outside of the temple. Then you would walk through the first main gateway, which is called a [00:05:10] pylon. It’s this monumental gate. You would then find more open air courtyards and various activities took place in these. And then finally you would get [00:05:20] into the interior of the building. And in the back you would have the innermost sacred space. This is where the deity would live and where offerings would be [00:05:30] made.

But of course it gets more complicated. So, for anyone who is familiar with Karnak Temple, it’s this massive temple complex that’s located on the East Bank in Luxor. [00:05:40] There are tons of pylons, or these gateways, tons of hypostyle halls, and courtyards. And this is because Pharaohs kept adding to this complex over like [00:05:50] over a thousand years. And so to the ancient Egyptians, adding multiples of things wasn’t redundant. It just made it better. So, that’s sort of like one of the most [00:06:00] complicated examples, but, at its most basic, you’d have these, like, sort of three parts to the temple.

So, if we consider an Egyptian temple or Egyptian temples to be essentially [00:06:10] large houses for the gods, Canaanite temples function more as sacred spaces for communal gathering and feasting. So, [00:06:20] these temples were built in sacred areas of a town, or a settlement. And they might be rebuilt on top of a previous temple. So, you might have this sort of legacy [00:06:30] or this longstanding tradition of temples being built, atop one another. 

There’s a lot more variety in the architecture of a Canaanite temple than you see in the [00:06:40] Egyptian examples. So, Canaanite temples could also be surrounded by an enclosure wall. And then you would have a courtyard and the core [00:06:50] temple building or sanctuary. 

So, from my dissertation research, I looked at two main types of Canaanite temples. So, one is referred to as a [00:07:00] monumental migdol temple, or a symmetrical direct access. They’re very descriptive, these titles. So these are thick walled buildings. And so, [00:07:10] sometimes they’re called fortress or tower temples because of the thickness of the walls. And they could range from. A single to a multi roomed building. But they all [00:07:20] had this direct access entryway. So walking through the door, you’d have a direct access to the niche or a raised platform on the back of the, the [00:07:30] wall, which is the focus of the cult, where the offerings would be made. And they commonly had two towers, which flanked on either side of these [00:07:40] temples. And it gave someone access to the roof or like upper stories. 

The second type of Canaanite temple that I looked at is called anomalous or irregular [00:07:50] temples. And so, as the name suggests, they’re irregular, so they didn’t have a standardized layout. And they sometimes had what’s called a bent axis layout. So meaning [00:08:00] there wasn’t that straight procession way going into the temple, into the back of the, the niche or the sort of cultic area. And one scholar has [00:08:10] suggested that perhaps these temples were constructed outside of elite controlled spaces or outside of urban settlements. And so they might be less [00:08:20] hierarchical than the migdol temple that I just described.

Smiti: So as you were describing the architecture, I was curious what was actually going in on inside these [00:08:30] temples, and I know with the Canaanite examples you mentioned feasting. So, I’m curious what was going on inside Egyptian temples and also Canaanite temples, maybe in addition to [00:08:40] feasting.

Brooke Norton: Yeah, so I’ll start with the Egyptian temple. So, there were certain activities that took place each day that were part of the [00:08:50] ritual requirements. All of the activity and the rites were primarily concerned with attending to the needs of the main temple deity. So, each Egyptian temple had a [00:09:00] primary deity that lived in the temple and was worshiped there. But sometimes you might have a secondary or a tertiary. You might have like families of deities that lived in [00:09:10] these, lived in and were worshiped in these temples. 

So these ritual rights, these cultic rites would’ve been done by the priest who worked in the temple, but [00:09:20] also by the king. And whether or not the king actually ever did this job, he symbolically did, but the [00:09:30] temple would be, sort of plastered with images of the king, venerating and worshiping the deities, giving them offerings like [00:09:40] incense and food, and libations, to all of these deities. So, symbolically he was doing that in all of the texts and the images that are [00:09:50] depicted inside and outside the temple. But he realistically was not going to every single temple throughout the countryside. Maybe he was doing that at Karnak, because it’s such an important temple. But he [00:10:00] definitely wouldn’t have been doing this everywhere. 

So, two times a day, the image of the God would be brought out. So, it would live, the image of the deity, would live in [00:10:10] this sacred room in the back. And it would be brought out on a shrine or a divine bark. And it would be venerated [00:10:20] by singing hymns to it. It would be cleaned, cleansed, and then given offerings. And so offerings were usually food or drinks, [00:10:30] flowers, incense. So, food offerings could include various breads, different types of meat like oxen, goats, [00:10:40] gazelle, birds like ducks and geese, different types of vegetables, onions, leeks, fruits and different types of libations like water, milk, [00:10:50] beer, and wine. And then as I mentioned, all of these inscriptions and decorative scenes, would detail all of these cultic activities that would’ve taken place inside of the [00:11:00] temple. 

On the other hand, with the Canaanite temples, as I mentioned before, the focus was more on feasting [00:11:10] and communal gathering. And so, you would have the presentation of votives, like votive objects, food and drink offerings, [00:11:20] animal sacrifices, that all happened in the temple. And so, in addition to images of deities, and other [00:11:30] cultic items, you’d also have a lot of ceramic vessels that are found in these spaces that were used to prepare food, like to cook [00:11:40] food, to serve and present food, or to store food. We also find a lot of burnt plant and animal remains, as well as knives that would’ve [00:11:50] been used for butchery, for butchering these animals, and stone altars that were commonly found in courtyard spaces where these sacrifices, these [00:12:00] animal sacrifices and burnt sacrifices would be placed on these altars. So, what you find in these spaces reflect the sort of different cults that were taking [00:12:10] place, different cultic activities.

Smiti: That is absolutely fascinating. As you were speaking, I could definitely tell, like, which elements possibly could overlap with one [00:12:20] another, and it just alludes to the fact of what you were talking about earlier that of this overlap and hints at this messiness. That these don’t always fit into [00:12:30] nice discrete categories, and I was wondering if you could walk us through an example of that messiness or overlap where we have maybe an example [00:12:40] of temples combining or pulling from specific design elements of Egyptian and Canaanite design.

Brooke Norton: So, my dissertation research showed that [00:12:50] there were sort of different categories of potentially combined Egyptian and Canaanite elements. So, I looked at both the architecture and the objects found within these temples, [00:13:00] and I could see that there were many different ways that Egyptians and Canaanites could interact within these spaces.

So, if we think of it as a spectrum, we [00:13:10] can start at one end where there might only be Canaanite cults and really no evidence that Egyptians ever worshiped in that space. But, at [00:13:20] the other end of the spectrum, you have both Egyptians and Canaanites mutually participating in the cult. You have architecture and votive [00:13:30] objects that are reflecting both cultures and images, and texts that are referring to deities in both pantheons, as well as synchronized [00:13:40] deities.

And so, a good example of the latter end of the spectrum is at the site of Beth Shean. So, during the New Kingdom, Beth Shean became an Egyptian garrison town. [00:13:50] And this served as an administrative and military base for the Egyptian Empire in Canaan, in the Southern Levant. So, in the transition [00:14:00] from the 18th Dynasty to the 19th Dynasty, or the Ramesside period as it’s known. So, this is around 1300 BCE, the settlement at Beth Shean [00:14:10] changed, pretty significantly. So we see a new town layout is installed, new roads, new temples, new public and residential [00:14:20] buildings. And so, one of the temples was rebuilt with Egyptian style columns and doorway lintels, and various architectural [00:14:30] features, as well as these altars for burnt offerings were established in the courtyards. The material culture of this period [00:14:40] during the Ramesside period, at the temple, and also throughout the settlement at Beth Shean, really shows a strong mix of both Egyptian and Canaanite [00:14:50] traditions, and it’s about 50-50. 

So, some of these objects give us an indication of which deities were worshiped. So, pendants, like jewelry, [00:15:00] depict various Egyptian deities, Ptah-Sokar, and Thoth, there were feline like little cat and bowl figurines, found at the site that [00:15:10] may represent Levantine deities, like Baal and Reshep, as well as Egyptian deities like Sekhmet and Bastet. There are many different [00:15:20] stelae, or like inscriptions, that were found at this site that are dedicated to Egyptian deities like Amun-Re, Ptah, and Horus.

But some of these stelae [00:15:30] are really interesting and they show syncretized deities, so it shows syncretism at the site. So, one example is a stela called the Mekal Stela. [00:15:40] This is a stela that’s depicting an Egyptian-style cultic scene. So, you have an Egyptian official Paraemheb and his father Amenemopet, [00:15:50] who are named on the stela, and they’re depicted with their hands up in praise. And this is a very Egyptian hand gesture to show that you’re worshiping, like, [00:16:00] you’re doing this in front of the deity. And so, these two individuals are depicted worshiping in front of a seated deity who is named as Mekal, God of Beth Shean. [00:16:10] And he is a bit enigmatic. But his dress and his regalia, like all the things that he’s holding, mix both Egyptian and Levantine iconography.[00:16:20]

There’s also little figurines and pendants and other objects that combine Egyptian, the Egyptian deity, Hathor with other [00:16:30] Canaanite goddesses. We also see evidence for a combined Egyptian-Canaanite crafts production at the site. So, for example, [00:16:40] we find faience, which is like a silica-based glass, and clay jewelry. So the beads and pendants and such, that [00:16:50] merged both Egyptian and Canaanite motifs and iconography. And these beads, there’s hundreds, thousands found scattered throughout the temple. [00:17:00] And they were most likely placed on cultic statues, maybe as, like, necklaces or other types of jewelry, as votive offerings. And then [00:17:10] finally these large altars, as well as ash and burned animal bones were found in the courtyard, which is most likely evidence for these [00:17:20] Canaanite, this Canaanite ritual of burnt offerings. So, you have a mix of motifs and deities and the evidence for these ritual [00:17:30] activities at this site.

Smiti: Got it. That is certainly a mix. And you had mentioned a term as you were speaking, syncretism. [00:17:40] And you know, in scholarship and as scholars we often have, it’s sometimes jargony terms to describe things, but personally, I think this is such a good [00:17:50] example that you brought up and I was wondering if you could define syncretism for our audience. But also the concept of entanglement, which I see in your work, and I know you’ve [00:18:00] included in your dissertation, and perhaps explain why these terms are useful and helpful as we’re thinking about when Egyptian and Canaanite [00:18:10] temples are meeting.

Brooke Norton: Yeah, so syncretism is basically the merging of two previously separate things into a new third thing that has elements of [00:18:20] both. So for the ancient world, we’ll often talk about this in terms of religious syncretism. So we have examples in the ancient [00:18:30] Egyptian pantheon of two Egyptian deities being synchronized.

So one example is Amun-Re. This is a creator [00:18:40] God. And he’s a fusion of the Theban God, Amun, and the Heliopolitan God, Re. So this combined God contained two opposing [00:18:50] things, the hidden and the revealed. So Amun means the hidden one or the secret one. And Re is a term for the sun. [00:19:00] It means the sun, but it’s also the name of this other Egyptian God. So, combined Amun is revealed. But another example, there’s many, is [00:19:10] a Greco-Roman God. So, the Greco Egyptian God, Serapis was a syncretism of the God Osiris and the sacred bull [00:19:20] Apis. And this deity, his cult, was initiated during the reign of Ptolemy Soter, and he combined elements of the Egyptian God, [00:19:30] Osiris with Greek gods such as Zeus.

So, similar to the idea of syncretism, entanglement involves adapting foreign objects [00:19:40] into local practices, to generate something new. So an example is a particular mortuary or burial tradition that we see [00:19:50] in the Southern Levant during the Late Bronze Age.

So, at sites like Deir el-Balah, Beth Shean, and Tell Shadud, we see certain, Egyptian-style [00:20:00] coffins and burial treatments, being appropriated in a Canaanite context. So, we see these new types of anthropoid coffins, [00:20:10] meaning that they’re shaped like a body. They’re shaped like a human being made out of clay. In Egypt these are really common. It’s a very common type of coffin. They’re [00:20:20] made usually out of wood, out of stone or cartonnage, so they’re being made in a different material in Canaan. We also see other Egyptian-type objects like scarabs and [00:20:30] jewelry are appearing in these burials. But being used in a different way, not being used in the same way that they would be used in an Egyptian context.

We even see different [00:20:40] approaches to mummification. So, in this period we have these various communities, containing Egyptians and other mixed heritage people. And so, we can [00:20:50] see that sometimes people are choosing these things because maybe it’s a way to show status, but also because, maybe because of the proximity to Egyptian [00:21:00] populations and communal beliefs.

Smiti: Gotcha. And you started talking about this a little bit in terms of, like, status and communal beliefs, [00:21:10] but what do you think these entangled temples reveal about the people behind them?

Brooke Norton: So, I think overall it shows that people are [00:21:20] complex and that there are some myriad ways that people could participate in or adapt to religious life at these sites. [00:21:30] So, in the Late Bronze Age, we see that Egyptians are living in Canaan or in the southern Levant because at the time the Egyptian empire had established strongholds throughout [00:21:40] the region. 

So at the most basic, you have Egyptian and local Canaanite populations that need places to worship. They need spaces to worship. [00:21:50] So, these temples would’ve provided spaces for Egyptians to, you know, replicate their religious life at home, abroad. You also see during this [00:22:00] time Egyptian deities being worshiped in Canaan and Canaanite deities being worshiped in the Egyptian pantheon. So, at some of these sites, we’re [00:22:10] seeing both of these cults being worshiped in the same place. 

On the other hand, there are examples of temples where it seems [00:22:20] like the Egyptian state was co-opting these spaces. So, it’s not always the case where both sides are mutually participating, and it wasn’t uncommon, especially [00:22:30] in the Ramesside period for the Egyptian king to sort of insert his divine self into local religious life to, you know, to extract taxes or to [00:22:40] force loyalty of the local population. 

And so in the end, I think these religious contexts existed on a spectrum, so individual people [00:22:50] and the state had different motivations for participating in these cults and individuals could have participated as a means for, [00:23:00] you know, to show their status like they’re consuming Egyptian culture, or because they generally believed in it. And individuals could also reject Egyptian [00:23:10] manipulation of the local cult. So I think it just shows the complexities of these ancient individuals.

Smiti: That’s truly fascinating and, you know, we’ve been friends for so [00:23:20] long and I don’t think we’ve ever talked this much in detail about your work. And I mean, I have so many questions that, you know, could probably take hours worth of an [00:23:30] episode. But on a more personal note, I’m curious, how has this topic, especially for your doctoral dissertation, shaped you as a researcher [00:23:40] and archeologist?

Brooke Norton: Yeah, I mean, I always wanted to be an Egyptologist from a young age. I was fascinated by Egyptian culture. But I wanted to be an archaeologist. I [00:23:50] wanted to go out there and excavate and like, travel to these places and meet people who lived there. And as I was excavating, I [00:24:00] sort of excavated around the Eastern Mediterranean before I got to Egypt. And so, it really opened my eyes to all of these other fascinating cultures that, [00:24:10] were distinct cultures from the ancient Egyptians, but interacted with them, like, over the course of the entirety of the Bronze Age. 

And so, when I started, my graduate [00:24:20] school, right, I was in the Egyptology program. But I was looking at Levantine or Canaanite materials. So I sort of, kind of, straddle this [00:24:30] weird world where I’m an Egyptologist, but I’m looking at, like, Egyptians abroad. But I think this just, really opened my eyes as [00:24:40] well to be able to think not just as like, everything is like black and white, like you go into these studies with, like, certain preconceived notions. And I [00:24:50] think just studying all this material and looking at all this data really opened my eyes, as to how nuanced the situation is.

Smiti: Gotcha. [00:25:00] And I’m curious, what do you hope listeners take away after learning about these entangled temples and just how nuanced the archeological record can be?

Brooke Norton: [00:25:10] We like to say that the past is a foreign land, and it is true. It can be really difficult to understand the Egyptian frame of reference and [00:25:20] mindset. But I think it’s also important to recognize that life, especially in the context of Egyptian imperialism in the Southern Levant could be really nuanced, and [00:25:30] complicated and messy, as you said before. And individuals, although, you know, represented by the larger state, were separate. And they had their own [00:25:40] motivations and needs and nuances and agencies. I think the data that I was looking at, like, really exemplifies this.

Smiti: One of my biggest takeaways from this conversation is that when we intentionally choose to examine complexity and nuance, we get closer to a better understanding of life and people in the past and perhaps even the present.

If you’d like to learn more about Brooke’s work, you can check her out on Instagram and LinkedIn. You’ll find those links in the show notes along with the full transcript of this episode.

Now Brooke is also a producer and digital operations manager for my YouTube channel. So if you’re curious to dig a bit deeper and hear her behind the scenes stories, she shares that in more in a Patreon exclusive video.

Our Patreon, is free to join and gives you access to all of our bonus content. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily, we’d of course, appreciate that too. Thanks so much for listening and cultivating your curiosity with us. We’ll see you soon.

Credits

Brooke Norton: Guest

Noor Hanania: Theme Music Creator

Laura Riveiro: Podcast Cover Art Creator

Brooke Norton: Production Support

Smiti Nathan: Host, Video Editor

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