Painted Sandstone Relief of Bes

This painted, raised relief of Bes sits near the Roman Gate (back left) of the Temple of Hathor at Dendara. Bes is the Egyptian household god who protected mother and child during childbirth. He is a bow-legged muscular dwarf with a ferocious facial expression. His guardianship role was suited to his appearance, which was supposed to frighten away evil spirits.

Bes provided protection for the common folk, royalty, and even deities. This image of Bes is near the mammisi, the birth house/temple of the minor god, Ihy [pronounced ih-hee], the son of Hathor and Horus (see The Temple of Horus at Edfu). Ihy is also known as Horus-Sematawy [pronounced sim-ah-tah-wee], "Horus Uniting the Two Lands."

Massive mudbrick enclosure walls (back right) surround the Dendara temple complex, most of which was constructed during the late Ptolemaic and early Roman Periods. The area had been sacred for millenia, because ruins dating from the Old Kingdom through the Late Period have been found.