dendera lights redux

Dendera Lights Redux

AfricanCreationEnergy.com 1

Dendera Lights Redux:

A Discussion on the Plausibility of the Dendera Lights as a form of

Ancient Electrical Engineering Technology

by Prophessor A.C.E. (AfricanCreationEnergy.com)

November 12, 2015

Contents:

1. Statement of Purpose 2. Introduction 3. The African Origin of Atomic Philosophy 4. Translations of the Text of the Dendera Lights 5. What We Learn from the Translations of the Text 6. Comparative Analysis 7. Addressing Misinformation 8. Conclusion

A Discussion on the Plausibility of the Dendera Lights as a form of Ancient Electrical Engineering Technology


1. Statement of Purpose:

The purpose of this presentation is:

1. To show that the Ancient Egyptian reliefs known as the "Dendera Lights" fit in with the

expected chronology of time it would take to develop electrical technology based on the

point in time when it is said by preeminent scholars like George G.M. James and

Theophile Obenga that the Ancient Egyptians had a philosophy of the atom.

2. To show that based on translations of the texts, the components depicted and described in

the Medu Neter hieroglyphics associated with the "Dendera Lights" correspond

symbolically, metaphorically, and in meaning and function, to the components needed to

build a cathode ray tube electrical light source.

3. To present a Historical argument for the Plausibility (neither debunked, nor confirmed)

of the Dendera Lights as an Ancient Egyptian Electrical Light source. And, to

demonstrate in practical application that since the Dendera Lights can be built using

items and terms corresponding to the components described in the Medu Neter

hieroglyphics of the text, then the Dendera Lights serve as a tool that can be operatively

used to teach certain principles of Electrical Engineering in African Centered

Educational (A.C.E.) settings using African symbology.

4. To address the misinformation that has been disseminated on this topic to date.



2. Introduction (from Atomic Philosophy, to Technology Based on Atomic Philosophy):

Let us initiate the discussion by presenting a time-line of key Electrical-Engineering

accomplishments which are relevant to our discussion:

• 450 BC - Democritus develops philosophy of the atom

• 250 BC - Baghdad Battery* - a primitive battery discovered in Mesopotamia

• 1802 AD - Chemist Humphry Davy's Electric Light Bulb

• 1869 AD - William Crooke’s Cathode Ray Tube

• 1897 AD - J.J. Thomson “discovers” empirical evidence of the atom and the electron

through his work with the Cathode Ray Tube.

With the exception of the "250 BC Baghdad Battery", all of the points on timeline presented

above are generally accepted as valid in academia and by mainstream science. However,

although the Baghdad Battery is considered controversial as an actual primitive battery, popular

scientific television shows like Mythbusters on their season 03 episode entitled "Cooling a Six-

pack" concluded that it was PLAUSIBLE that the Baghdad Battery was used in Ancient times

for electroplating, acupuncture therapy, and testing spiritual resolve ("experiencing god"). The

fact that there has been a significant effort to deem the Mesopotamia Baghdad Battery as a

"Plausible" form of ancient technology, while simultaneously disseminating misinformation

about the Egyptian Dendera Lights in an effort to "debunk" the plausibility or possibility of

Ancient African Technology, is part of a greater agenda that can be observed in the field of

archaeological which attempts to promote Ancient Mesopotamia over Ancient

Egypt. Historical pundits will say that Ancient Mesopotamia is the "cradle of civilization" even

though the civilizations along the Ancient Egyptian Nile River Valley are older. Linguistic

pundits will say that the Ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform writing is older than the Ancient

Egyptian Medu Neter Hieroglyphics. Architectural pundits will say that the oldest

Mesopotamian Ziggurat is older than the oldest Ancient Egyptian Pyramid. And now,

technological pundits will try to say that the Baghdad Battery is Plausible, and the Dendera

Lights have been "debunked". Unfortunately, many of the older arguments presented by

personalities like von Däniken, Krassa, and Habeck to justify the interpretation of the Dendera

Lights as a form of Ancient Technology, were based on a shaky foundation. However, as we

will show later in this presentation, the argument to "debunk" the Dendera Lights as a form of

Ancient Technology was also fallacious. This presentation will demonstrate that the criteria to

deem the Dendera Lights as a "Plausible" form of Ancient Technology is equal to, if not greater

than, any of the criteria used to deem the Baghdad Battery as Plausible.



From the timeline of Electrical Engineering accomplishments above, it is important to note the

2347 year gap between Democritus’ "Atomist philosophy" (450 BC) and the Empirical

Evidence of the atom and the electron made possible by the technological device called the

Cathode Ray Tube (1897 AD). This is important because it provides a benchmark of how

much time it took to develop "technology based on the philosophy of the atom".

Additionally, since the "technology based on the philosophy of the atom" which led to

discovering empirical evidence of the atom was the Cathode Ray Tube, we want to describe the

components, construction, and function of a Cathode Ray Tube.

Figure 1: Cathode Ray Tube

Figure 1 above depicts a schematic of a Cathode Ray Tube. The basic components needed to

construct a Cathode Ray Tube are:

• a glass container, either evacuated to produce a vacuum, or filled with inert gas

• a Power Supply source

• two metal objects, one leading from the Cathode end of the Power source into the Glass

Container, and one leading from the Anode end of the power source

When voltage is applied across the two metal electrodes, a beam of electrons called a "Cathode

Ray" can be observed streaming from the cathode, through the glass container, to the anode. It is

important to note that regardless if the device is constructed with the anode inside of the glass

container, or outside touching the glass container, and the stream of electrons can still be

observed traveling through the container from the cathode to the anode. In addition to the

Electron Beam, the glass begins to light up and glow, due to electrons traveling inside the

glass. Electric light bulbs operate on principles similar to the Cathode Ray Tube.



3. The African Origin of Atomic Philosophy

Scholars like Martin Bernal with his book “Black Athena”, Théophile Obenga in his book

“African Philosophy : The Pharaonic Period : 2780 - 330 BC”, Cheikh Anta Diop in his book

“Civilization or Barbarism”, and George G.M. James in his book “Stolen Legacy” have shown

and proven that Greek philosophy had its origins in Ancient Egypt. In particular, as it relates to

our discussion, Democritus’ philosophy of the Atom, came from the Ancient Egyptian

philosophy associated with the Neter (deity) Atum. Additionally, Democritus’ philosophy

that atoms fill space as the Mind (nous) or World Soul is derived from the Ancient Egyptian

Memphite Theology of Ptah. The earliest empirical evidence of the Ancient Egyptian Neter

(deity) Atum dates back to around 2400 BC in the Pyramid texts. Atum is mentioned many

times throughout the Pyramid Texts and Ptah is mentioned only 3 times vaguely in the Pyramid

Texts. The earliest empirical evidence of the Memphite Theology of Ptah dates back to around

700 BC on an artifact known as the Shabaka Stone.

A comparative analysis of the content of the Memphite Theology of Ptah and the philosophy

associated with the Ancient Egyptian Neter (deity) Atum to our modern scientific Big Bang

Theory Cosmology shows striking similarities.

Figure 2: Ancient Egyptian Cosmology Compared to Modern Big Bang Theory Cosmology

In the graphical representation of Ancient Egyptian cosmology in Figure 2 above, what we observe is that the Ancient Egyptian concept of Zep Tepi, often translated as meaning "the first

time", corresponds to the "big bang" which initiated creation in our modern scientific cosmology. Next, on line 1 of Figure 2 above, the Ancient Egyptian concept of Nun corresponds to the “primordial waters”, the primordial hot and dense state which existed immediately after the big bang. It is important to note that the Ancient Egyptian



conceptualization of the cosmogony of the Universe as “primordial water” is one of the reasons why the Ancient Egyptians depicted celestial objects like suns and star constellations on metaphorical “solar boats” and “stellar boats” moving through the cosmos, because the “primordial water” was symbolic of the ocean of primordial subatomic matter from which suns and stars were created. On line 2 of Figure 2 above, we see two variants which exist in Ancient Egyptian Cosmology: on the left is the Primordial Mound, associated with the Ancient Egyptian Neter (deity) Ptah which is found in the Memphite Theology, and on the right is the Primordial Lotus which is found in the Heliopolitan Theology. Variations of symbols is something that can be observed over time and in different locations in the study of Ancient Egyptian cosmology, however, even when the symbols (variables) change, the context of the overall cosmology generally remains constant. In both variations, the Primordial Mound (Ptah) and the Primordial Lotus rise from the primordial waters of Nun, and correspond to the point where energy is converted into subatomic particles (quarks and electrons) in our modern scientific cosmology of the big bang theory. On line 3 of Figure 2 above, the Neter (deity) Atum as Nefertum, symbolized as a young man, comes forth from either the Primordial Mound or the Primordial Lotus, depending on the variant of the cosmology, and corresponds with the point where Atoms are formed in our modern scientific cosmology of the big bang theory. It is important to note that not only is there a phonetic and etymological relationship between the word "Atom" and the Ancient Egyptian "Atum", but they also come into being at the same points in the Ancient Egyptian Cosmology and the Cosmology associated with the Big Bang Theory. On line 3 of Figure 2 above, Atum becomes Atum-Re, symbolic of the Sun and stars, and corresponds to the point where suns and stars are formed in our modern scientific cosmology of the big bang theory. On line 5 of Figure 2 above, Atum-Re gives birth to 8 other beings, who collectively make up the Ancient Egyptian Ennead, and this corresponds to the point where the Sun gives birth to the 8 other planets of our solar system in our modern scientific cosmology of the big bang theory. It is important to note that everything on line 3 and below in Figure 2 is Atomic and sub-atomic (particle physics), and everything on line 4 and above in Figure 2 is astronomical (observational astronomy), and the Ancient Egyptians made a point to delineate and distinguish the two using different symbols, but united the concepts of observational astronomy and particle physics into a single scientific cosmology just like our modern scientific cosmology of the big bang theory. This content is relevant to our discussion because it is important to know what symbols the Ancient Egyptians associated with particle physics in their cosmological philosophy.

From the preceding paragraphs in this section on the "African Origin of Atomic Philosophy", we have established the content and symbols of the Ancient Egyptian Atomic Philosophy, as well as identified a timeline of the earliest evidence of the Ancient Egyptian Atomic Philosophy:

• 2400 BC - Pyramid Texts - earliest empirical record mentioning Atum and Ptah • 700 BC - Shabaka Stone - earliest written evidence of the Memphite Theology



It is important to note that these two points on our timeline of Ancient Egyptian Atomic

Philosophy are just "philosophies" (ideas and thoughts - Science and Mathematics) and not

practical application and usage of the philosophy (Engineering and Technology). The purpose of

this article, and what we are searching for, is practical application of the philosophy

(Seba). Recall that there was a 2347 year gap between Democritus’ Atomist philosophy, and

technology based on the atomist philosophy in the form of the technological device called the

“Cathode Ray Tube”. So, we would expect a similar amount of time to pass for the Ancient

Egyptians to develop a similar form of technology based on their philosophy. Subtracting 2347

from 2400 BC (the earliest evidence of Atum - the Ancient Egyptian's atomist philosophy), we

get the year 53 BC as the estimated date when we would expect to see some form of technology

based on the Ancient Egyptian’s practical use of their theory of the Atom.

So as we conclude this section on the "African Origin of Atomic Philosophy", we have

established criteria of what we will be looking for in order to identify evidence of any form of

technology the Ancient Egyptian may have developed based on their philosophy of the atom. If

the Ancient Egyptians Had Knowledge of Electrical Technology:

• We would expect the Ancient Egyptians to describe the technology in symbolism

associated with their cosmology and philosophy related to Atum and the use of the

technology would probably also be related to their cosmology uniting observational

astronomy and particle physics.

• We would expect evidence of the technology to exist around the year 50 BC, 2350 years

after the earliest evidence of their theory of the atom (philosophy of Atum), because it

took 2350 years for European scientists to have technology in the form of the Cathode

Ray Tube after Democritus’ philosophy of the Atom.

• We would be looking for some form of technology similar to the cathode ray tube, and

thus The Ancient Egyptians would also have to describe: 1) The “source of power” or

“spark” for the technology; 2) The metal electrodes; 3) A transparent container

containing a vacuum or filled with an inert gas; 4) The way these components would be

assembled; and 5) The light produced by the device.

In the Ancient Egyptian reliefs known as the "Dendera Lights", all of these conditions are

satisfied as we will discuss in the coming sections.



4. Translations of the Text of the Dendera Lights

The Ancient Egyptian reliefs known as the "Dendera Lights" refer to 7 unique images found in two buildings from the Dendera Temple Complex in Egypt. There are 6 "Dendera Lights" images in 2 rooms of the Hathor Temple at Dendera (the largest building). The images in the Hathor Temple at Dendera are located in the following rooms:

• 2 images on the South Wall of the South Crypt Chamber (labeled SC in Figure 3 below)

• 1 image on the North Wall of the South Crypt Chamber (labeled SC in Figure 3 below)

• 1 image on the South Wall of Chapel G (labeled G in Figure 3 below)

• 2 images on the North Wall of Chapel G (labeled G in Figure 3 below)

Also, there is 1 image on an interior wall of the older Temple of the birth of Isis (Iseum) building behind the Hathor Temple. The purpose of the Building was for celebrations associated with scientific

cosmological events. The building included a room described as a "laboratory", and ceilings which depicted astronomical constellations and the birth and cosmogony of the universe. In Chapel G, two of the cosmological events celebrated were the festival of the "New Year" and a festival called "the Night of the Child in His Nest."

Figure 3: Hathor Temple and Iseum (Temple of the Birth of

Isis) at the Dendera Temple Complex



The Dendera Temple Complex has been extensively studied by several French Egyptologists named Sylvie Cauville, François Daumas, and Zeinab El-Kordy, and one German Egyptologist named Wolfgang Waitkus. The complete Hieroglyphic text accompanying the "Dendera Lights" reliefs have been translated from the Medu Neter into French, and from the Medu Neter into German. Also, since the translators of the text were French and German speakers, then most of the detailed academic scholarship on the subject is also in French and German, which is one of the reasons why so much misinformation, partial information, speculation, and lack of clarity exists among English speakers. At the time of this writing, there has not been an academic publication released where there was a direct translation of the text associated with the "Dendera Lights" reliefs from the Medu Neter Hieroglyphics into English. At the time of this writing, any English translation available of the text associated with the "Dendera Lights" reliefs was either translated from the Medu Neter into French, and then from French into English, or translated from the Medu Neter into German, and then from German into English, from one of the following resources:

• Wolfgang Waitkus - “Die Texte in den unteren Krypten des Hathortempels von

Dendera : ihre Aussagen zur Funktion und Bedeutung dieser Ra¨ume (The texts in

the lower crypts of the Hathor temple of Dendera: their statements about the function and

importance of this space) [UGA Library, Call Number: PJ1526.D36 W35 1997 PubDate:1997; Call

Number: Folio PJ1526 .D36 W35 1997 PubDate:1997; Located: University of Georgia, Main Library 3rd floor]

• Wolfgang Waitkus - “Die Geburt des Harsomtus aus der Blüte - Zur Bedeutung und

Funktion einiger Kultgegenstände des Tempels von Dendera” (“The Birth of

Harsomtus from the flower - the significance and function of some cult objects of the

Temple of Dendera” published in 2002) • Sylvie Cauville - Dendara II, Dendara V-VI Traduction Les cryptes du temple

d'Hathor, Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta ("Dendera II, Dendara V-VI Translation

of The crypts of the Temple of Hathor", published in 1997) • Zeinab El-Kordy - "Deux Actudes sur Harsomtous: 1 - Le lever d'Harsomtous A

Dendara; 2 - Harcomtous, dieu solaire, primordial et créateur" ("Two Studies on

Harsomtous: 1 - The Sunrise at Harsomtous; 2 - Harsomtous, Sun God, Primordial God,

Creator God" published in 1982) • François Daumas and Émile Chassinat - Le temple de Dendara VI-VIII ("The Temple

Dendara, VI-VIII" published 1965 - 1978)

The following English translations of the text associated with the Dendera Lights were translated from either French or German from one of the aforementioned resources, into English using Google Translate software. The "full wall facsimile" images below come from Zeinab El-Kordy's paper entitled "Deux Actudes sur Harsomtous" (http://www.ifao.egnet.net/bifao/Bifao082_art_10.pdf). The translated text below appears in blue colored font.



Figure 4: 2 Dendera Lights images on the South Crypt (SC) - South Wall of the Hathor Temple of Dendera

Full Translation of the South Wall of the South Crypt (SC) (Source: Waitkus - German):

Banner Across the Top: Re-Sema-Tawy is alive with gloss in the sky (and) lives at the day of the New Year celebration. He lights up in its house in “the night of the child in his nest”, by

donating the light to the country from the birth bricks. The sky is jubilant, the earth is pleased and the God chapels is glad, when he appears in his chamber in his procession barge at his beautiful celebration of the New Year. The God with his disk has come to see him. Nehebkau gives him reputation, and the goddess with her disk, with godly body, rejuvenates him in his sanctuary. Taweret is content because of her majesty. She praises Re because of him with praise for his Ka, with wine from the wine area and meat bits on the altar before him. The "land-of-Atum" (= Dendera) is prepared with his most distinguished plan, as Hu and Sia are subordinated to him. He may protect the son of Re (empty king cartouche), forever.

Title of the south wall: Bringing of the amulets made of gold. Speak: To speak words: This is the protection of your majesty for the celebration, in ktmt gold.



King: The king of upper and lower Egypt (cartouche with the name of Ptolemy XII Auletes

54 B.C.), the son of Re (cartouche with another name of the same king).

Ihi: Words to speak of Ihi, the great, the son of the Hathor, the noble child with shining plait: I please your heart with glories for your person, and I drive rage out with spells. Royal edge line: I came to you, to your place (destroyed section). Beautiful one, whose looks are perfect. I have the Amulet of gold (destroyed section) attached with live on the day of the celebration (destroyed section) of your body.

Aset: Words to speak of Isis, the great, the gods mother, lady of jat dj, who stays in Dendera, the beginning with whose arrival the earth began, turquoise skin and lapis lazuli like head.

Har-Sema-Tawy [Snake]: Words to speak of Har-Sema-Tawy, the great god who stays in Dendera. Gold, height: 4 hands (≈11.7 inches). Made of metal the Day barge, the lotus

flower from gold.

Har-Sema-Tawy [Falcon]: Words to speak of Har-Sema-Tawy, the great God, who stays in Dendera, the multicolored-feathered who is on the Serech. Gold. Height: 1 cubit (≈20.5 inches) . Ihi: Words to speak of Ihi, the great, the son of the Hathor, Re in its shape of the great God, who appears with the diadem as a king of jztj (Egypt) and as a master of the Sed festival,: You reign Dendera millionfold from the nhh eternity to the completion of the Djed eternity. Gold. Height:

1 cubit (≈20.5 inches) . Har-Sema-Tawy [Snake emerging from the Lotus inside the "bubble" on the right]: Words to speak of Har-Sema-Tawy, the great, who stays in Dendera, the living Ba in the Lotus flower of

the day barge, whose perfection the two arms of the Djed pillar carry as its sekhem image (powerful form), while the Ka's on its knees are with bent arms. Gold. All precious stones,

height: 3 hands (≈8.8 inches) .

Har-Sema-Tawy [Snake emerging from the Lotus inside the "bubble" on the left]: Words to speak of Har-Sema-Tawy, the great, who stays in Dendera, who is in the arms of the princes in the night barge, the noble snake, whose figure Heh carries, whose crew carries his perfection in holiness, because of whose Ba which appearing (Hathor) appeared in the sky, whose shape is admired by admirers, who comes as unique, enveloped by his head serpents, with numerous names at the point of chw.n=sn (Gods with relationship with the Hathor), the sekhem picture of

Atum-Re in the Land of the father of the Gods (= Dendera), who created everything. Gold,

metal, height: 4 hands (≈11.7 inches).



Figure 5: 1 Dendera Light image on the South Crypt (SC) - North Wall of the Hathor Temple of Dendera

Translation of the text associated with the Dendera Light image from the North Wall of the

South Crypt (SC) (Source: Cauville - French):

The text describes this scene as follows:

Har-Sema-Tawy is emerging from the Lotus in a hn - protective envelope in the “Day

Barque”. There are four figures in the “Day barque”: Heh, the figure in front of him (= the god

S-t), the lotus is behind him, and the water below him. Gold, height: 4 cubits (≈81.9 inches

= 6’9” feet).

Behind Heh, is a creature with the head of a frog and the body of a baboon named UPU, holding

two knives. The text describes: Your name is perfect UPU. Your face is (that of) a frog. I

slaughter your enemies (in) the country, with a knife, and (I) kills on your enemies (in bed)

block.



Figure 6: 2 Dendera Light images on the Chapel G - North Wall of the Hathor Temple of Dendera

Translation of the text associated with the Dendera Light image from the North Wall of

Chapel G (Source: Cauville - French):

The text for the leftmost snake inside the bubble inside the lotus describes:

Har-Sema-Tawy in his boat. Height three fingers (≈2.25 inches) . Gold and all precious

stones.

The three lines of texts, above the next snake reads:

Har-Sema-Tawy of Upper and Lower Egypt, Snake rising out of the lotus. A protective-

envelope (hn) is around him. The sekhem power is in his arms. Four statues (are) with human

faces. The statue is Heh is in the front on a pedestal, and before him are two statues in front of

the Lotus. At the head of the boat is UPU, the Frog face, with knife is in his hand.



Figure 7: 1 Dendera Light images on the Chapel G - South Wall of the Hathor Temple of Dendera

Translation of the text associated with the Dendera Light image from the South Wall of

Chapel G (Source: Cauville - French):

The text describes:

Words to speak of Har-Sema-Tawy: the great god, consort of Dendera, which rises as the

Living BA from the lotus. The crew of the “Night Barque” form his divine perfect KA, and

raise his sanctified figure (ssm). The couriers of his KA are prestigious. Gold, height: 1 cubit

(≈20.5 inches) .



Figure 8: 1 Dendera Light images on the Interior Wall of the Temple of the

Birth of Isis Iseum of Dendera

Translation of the text associated with the Dendera Light image from the Interior Wall of

The Temple of the Birth of Isis Iseum (Source: Cauville - French):

The text describes:

Words to speak of Har-Sema-Tawy: The Djed raises his body, the primordial carries his

image of worship, the courtiers of his ka bear his prestige.



5. What we Learn from Translations of the Text:

From the translations of the Medu Neter Hieroglyphic text accompanying the “Dendera Light”

reliefs, we learn the following key points relevant to our discussion:

• The Dendera Light reliefs referred to actual Physical objects

• How the Physical Objects depicted in the Dendera Lights images were Used

• The Date the Dendera Light reliefs were carved

• The identity of the components which make up the Dendera Lights

The Dendera Light Relief Reliefs referred to actual Physical Objects: We learn from the

translations of the text accompanying the “Dendera Light” reliefs that the reliefs referred to

actual Physical Objects, because in every translation accompanying the Dendera Light images in

the Hathor Temple of Dendera, the materials and the sizes of the physical objects are

indicated. We know that there was variation in the sizes of the objects which ranged from as

small as 2.25 inches to as large as 82 inches in height. The materials that the physical objects

were composed of included Gold, metal, and “all precious stones”. It is important to note that

the phrase “all precious stones” can be found in the text of various catalogs of objects that the

Ancient Egyptians kept. One such catalog comes from the Tomb of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh

Tutankhamun in the description of the materials used for a "Cloisonné breastplate of Horus"

and a "Scarab pectoral" (shown in Figure 9 below).

Figure 9: Cloisonné breastplate of Horus and Scarab pectoral from the tomb of Tutankhamun showing “all

precious stones” of amber, lapis-lazuli, and faience glass



In the catalog, the amber, lapis-lazuli, and faience glass used on the objects were described as

“all precious stones.” The phrase “all precious stones” also referred to other materials the Ancient

Egyptians were known to work with including alabaster and quartz. Additionally, unlike the

Dendera Light relief images on the walls of the South Crypt Chamber (Figure 4 and Figure 5), the

Dendera Light relief images on the walls in Chapel G (Figure 6 and Figure 7, “Partial Photo”) were

in color. And although the relief images are partially destroyed, it can still be observed that

materials of different colors were used in the depiction, and possibly even construction, of the

physical objects to which the Dendera Light relief images referred. The table below shows a

summary of the sizes and materials used for the physical objects to which the Dendera Light relief

images referred based on the translation of the texts which accompanied the images.

Location Number of

Images/Objects Material(s) Size

South Crypt (SC) Chamber - South

Wall, Image on the Right 1

Gold, All

precious stones 3 hands (≈8.8 inches)

South Crypt (SC) Chamber - South

Wall, Image on the Left 1 Gold, metal 4 hands (≈11.7 inches).

South Crypt (SC) Chamber - North

Wall 1 Gold 4 cubits (≈81.9 inches )

Chapel G - North Wall 2 Gold and all

precious stones 3 fingers (≈2.25 inches)

Chapel G - South Wall 1 Gold 1 cubit (≈20.5 inches)

How the Physical Objects depicted in the Dendera Lights images were Used: We learn from the

translation of the South Crypt Chamber South Wall “Banner Across the Top” that the physical

objects were used for cosmological celebrations of the New Year and the “Night of the Child in

his Nest” festival from the phrase: “Re-Sema-Tawy is alive with gloss in the sky (and) lives at the

day of the New Year celebration. He lights up in its house in “the night of the child in his nest”,

by donating the light to the country from the birth bricks.”

The Date the Dendera Light reliefs were carved: We learn the date the Dendera Light reliefs

were carved (and possibly the physical objects were crafted) from the translations of the South

Crypt Chamber South Wall. The South Crypt Chamber South Wall has two cartouches

containing the name of Ptolemy XII Auletes, who reigned around the year 54 BC.

The identity of the components which make up the Dendera Lights: The translation of the text

accompanying all 7 of the Dendera Lights images provides a consistent description of the

identity of the individual components which came together to create the Dendera Lights physical

objects. The components identified are:

• Seshen – Lotus Flower



• KA – the figure(s) of the person on its knees

• BA – the snake emerging from the Lotus Flower

• Har-Sema-Tawy - the name of the Primordial Serpent emerging from the Lotus Flower

• hn – the protective envelope container around the snake emerging from the Lotus Flower

• Djed Pillar – holding up the vessel containing the snake coming out of the Lotus in the “Day Boat”

• Heh – holding up the vessel containing the snake coming out of the Lotus in the “Night Boat”

As was discussed in the section on “The African Origin of Atomic Philosophy”, in Egyptian

Cosmology, the Lotus flower represented a source of light and corresponded to the point where

energy is converted into subatomic particles in our modern scientific cosmology of the big bang

theory.

The “Ka” is translated variously from Ancient Egyptian language as “divine spark or spirit or

double” and the “Ba” is translated variously as “characteristics or personality or soul”. To the

Ancient Egyptians, the Ka and the Ba could be united by Nehebkau (whose name means

“bringing together the Ka and the Ba” and is mentioned in the translation of the South Crypt

Chamber South Wall “Banner Across the Top”). The result of uniting the Ka and the Ba was the

production of the “Akh” which is translated as meaning “light, radiance, brilliance, shine” in

E.A Wallis Budge Hieroglyphic dictionary. In the Dendera Lights images, the Ba is the snake

coming out of the Lotus and the Ka is the “person on their knees”, and essentially the Ba and Ka

would combine to produce Akh (light).

In Ancient Egyptian symbolism, the Djed Pillar represented “stability” and the Neter (deity)

Heh represented infinity. The Djed Pillar was present in the Dendera Light images of the “Day

Boat” in the primordial waters. Heh was present in the Dendera Light images of the “Night

Boat” in the primordial waters. Since Day and Night are dual opposite concepts, then in this

context it is fair to interpret Heh (infinity) and Djed (stability) as dual opposite concepts like ∞

(infinity, filling) and 0 (stability, vacuum).

The “protective envelope” or “bubble” around the snake emerging from the Lotus is described on

the North Wall of Chapel G and the North Wall of the South Crypt in the Ancient Egyptian

Medu Neter Hieroglyphics as a hn. The word hn can be found on page 447 and 448 of E.A

Wallis Budge’s 1920 Hieroglyphic Dictionary as hen and henu (plural).



Figure 10: hn – hen and henu (plural) from pages 447 and 448 of E.A Wallis Budge’s 1920 Hieroglyphic Dictionary

As one of the Egyptologists who actually translated the text associated with the “Dendera

Lights” images from Medu Neter into French, Zeinab El-Kordy had this to say about the

“bubble” around snake emerging from the Lotus in the Dendera Lights reliefs in the 1982 paper

entitled “The Sunrise at Harsomtous”:

“It is certain that in the text the word hn refers to “the protective envelope surrounding

the snake coming out of the lotus”. This is a new definition to be added in the

dictionaries that define this word as “coffer” or “where manuscripts are kept” or

“where helpful herbs for mummification are stored”.

This means that in the year 1982, the translation of the text accompanying the Dendera Lights

images which described the vessel which contained the serpent emerging from the lotus with the

word “hn” (hen) provided a new definition for the word which was not present in older

dictionaries like E.A Wallis Budge’s 1920 Hieroglyphic Dictionary. In his 2002 paper entitled

“The Birth of Harsomtus from the flower - the significance and function of some cult objects of

the Temple of Dendera,” Wolfgang Waitkus, one of the Egyptologists who actually translated

the text associated with the “Dendera Lights” images from Medu Neter into German, translates

the word hn as “tank, vessel, container, receptacle, canister, jar, box”. In the same paper,

Wolfgang Waitkus also speculates that the container may have been actually transparent

container since it was depicted as transparent in all of the Dendera Light images. Thus, it is quite

possible that this hn (hen) transparent container was made out of a transparent material called a

“precious stone” in the text such as faience glass.



People attempting to “debunk” the

Dendera Lights have speculated that

since the Medu Neter Hieroglyphic

iterty, aterti, /itr.ty/ (in figure 11),

which means “the primordial birth

sanctuary environment in which the

sun is born (i.e. outer space),” looks

like the snake emerging from the lotus

inside of the hn transparent container

in the Dendera Lights images, then the

two must be the same - However, as

the translators of the text Wolfgang

Waitkus and Zeinab El-Kordy have

demonstrated in their discussion, this

is simply incorrect.

Lastly, but most important, the translation of the text

accompanying the Dendera Lights images informs us that the

name of the snake emerging from the lotus inside of the hn

transparent container is Har-Sema-Tawy (which was

mispronounced and referred to as Harsomtous by the Greeks).

Har-Sema-Tawy means “Horus unifier of the two Lands”. The

Medu Neter Hieroglyphic “Sema” which means “to unite” is a

picture of lungs and a windpipe and thus will be used as a

metaphor for hydrodynamics in the discussion in the next section.

In the 1982 paper entitled “Harsomtous, sun god, primordial god, creator god”, One of the

Egyptologists who actually translated the text associated with the “Dendera Lights” images from

Medu Neter into French, Zeinab El-Kordy, discusses other texts related to Har-Sema-Tawy and a

Hymn to Har-Sema-Tawy in the temple of Dendara, at the bottom of a window on the upper part

of the east wall of the Central Hall (labeled Y on the map in Figure 3). In the texts of the

Dendera Lights, as well as the other supporting text, Zeinab El-Kordy shows that Har-Sema-

Tawy has 2 distinct forms (Figure 13):

1. The Solar form of Har-Sema-Tawy is the Hawk

2. The Primordial form of Har-Sema-Tawy is the serpent, or a serpent emerging from the Lotus

Figure 11: iterty, aterti, /itr.ty/, meaning the primordial birth

sanctuary environment in which the sun is born (i.e. outer space)

Figure 12: Sema Hieroglyph, a

picture of lungs and a windpipe



In the “Hymn to Har-

Sema-Tawy” Zeinab El-

Kordy discusses how Har-

Sema-Tawy in his

Primordial form as the

serpent emerging from the

Lotus “made the creation

the first time (Zep Tepi)”

and “came to existence in

the beginning” and shows

that Har-Sema-Tawy in

his serpent form came to

existence before his first

solar form. This is an

extremely important point

and is a variant of Ancient

Egyptian cosmology

consistent with the previous

discussion in the section on

“The African Origin of

Atomic Philosophy”. In the

Har-Sema-Tawy variant of

Egyptian cosmology

(shown in Figure 13), Har-

Sema-Tawy in his serpent form emerges from the lotus and is created prior to Har-Sema-

Tawy in his solar form as the Hawk. This is why on every wall in the Hathor Temple of

Dendera where there is a Dendera Light image, there is also an image of a Hawk. Har-Sema-

Tawy depicted as a serpent emerging from the Lotus does not represent the Sun. Har-

Sema-Tawy as a Hawk represents the sun. Har-Sema-Tawy depicted as a serpent

emerging from the Lotus represents something “Primordial” (first and fundamental) which

came into existence before the sun (i.e. atoms and electrons). The Ancient Egyptians were

intelligent enough to develop a scientific cosmology which united (Sema-Tawy) two principles

with Har-Sema-Tawy: Observational Astronomy (the Sun) and Particle Physics (atoms and

electrons). This means that Har-Sema-Tawy depicted as a serpent emerging from the Lotus

correspond to the point in our modern scientific cosmology of the big bang theory where energy

is converted into subatomic particles and Atoms begin to form. Har-sema-tawy is mentioned as

early as the time of the 11th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt (2061 BC - 2010 BC).

Figure 13: A page from Zeinab El-Kordy’s 1982 paper entitled

“Harsomtous, sun god, primordial god, creator god”



Additionally, one of the Egyptologists who actually translated the text associated with the

“Dendera Lights” images from Medu Neter into French, François Daumas, had this to say about

Har-sema-tawy in the book "Temple Dendara, VI-VIII":

“In the last room, one sees, carefully carved on the Southern wall, a falcon with detailed

feathers, preceded by a snake emerging from a lotus blossom within a boat…These

reliefs are cosmological representations. The snake that comes out of the lotus is

equated with the shining deity Harsamtawy as he appears for the first time out of the

primordial sea. He is again represented near the bottom of the crypt in the form of two

snakes also coming forth, but this time wrapped in lotuses like protective envelopes…”

Figure 14: Har-Sema-Tawy variant of Egyptian cosmology



6. Comparative Analysis From the translations of the text associated with the Dendera Lights, we know that the Dendera

Lights already meets two of our four criteria and stipulations for the Plausibility argument of the

Dendera Lights as a form of Ancient Egyptian Electrical Engineering Technology. We know

that the Dendera Lights we physical objects (technology) which were created around the

year 54 BC, and we know the Ancient Egyptians used the Dendera Lights technology in relation

to their cosmological celebrations uniting observational astronomy and particle physics. The

other two criteria and stipulations for our Plausibility argument are that we are looking for a form

of technology similar to the cathode ray tube, and we would expect the Ancient Egyptians to

describe the technology, and the components of the technology using symbolism associated with

their atomic cosmology and philosophy. Therefore, this section will present a comparative

analysis between the components described in the translation of the text of the Dendera Lights to

the components of a Cathode Ray Tube.

Figure 15: Comparative Analysis between the components described in the translation of the text of the

Dendera Lights to the components and construction of a Cathode Ray Tube. Figure 15 above shows the relationship between the components described in the translation of

the text of the Dendera Lights to the components of a Cathode Ray Tube. We know from the

translation of the Dendera Lights text that the materials which were used to construct the

physical objects were Gold, Metal, and “all precious stones” (possibly amber, lapis-lazuli,

alabaster, quartz, and/or faience glass). Additionally, recall that the Dendera Light images in



Chapel G were in color, and although partially destroyed, we can see from the images that the

entire object was not all one metal, all one color, or all one material. We can see that the hn

(hen) container was indeed transparent. In the Chapel G Dendera Light images, Har-Sema-Tawy

appears as the same color as the arms of the Djed pillar and the Neter Heh and looks like, and is

indicated in the text that, it was made of Gold. Also in the Chapel G Dendera Light images

Lotus flower and horizontal columns of the Djed Pillar appear in a different color, which on the

current partially destroyed image, appears bluish-green. With this addition graphical evidence,

we are able to make the following comparisons and analogies:

• The hn (hen) transparent container of the Dendera Lights is analogous to the

transparent glass container of the Cathode Ray tube.

• Har-Sema-Tawy of the Dendera Lights, made of Gold Metal, the “Ba” of the Lotus

flower inside of the hn transparent container is analogous to the metal Cathode

electrode of the Cathode Ray tube which extends into the glass container. Additionally,

if Har-Sema-Tawy is a Gold tube/pipe, then it can be used like a Hydraulic pump (the

Sema symbol is lungs attached to a windpipe) to remove air to create a vacuum inside

the hn (hen) glass container, or to add inert gas inside of the glass container

• The Arms of the Djed Pillar, or the Arm of the Neter Heh of the Dendera Lights, made

of Gold Metal, are analogous to the metal Anode electrode of the Cathode Ray tube. It

is important to note that regardless if the device is constructed with the anode inside of

the glass container (like the Dendera Light image on the South Crypt Chamber North

Wall), or if the device is constructed with the anode outside-of, yet touching the glass

container (like the Dendera Light images on the Chapel G North and South Walls, the

South Crypt Chamber South Wall, and the interior wall of the Temple of the Birth of Isis

Iseum), the stream of electrons can still be observed traveling through the container from

the cathode to the anode. Additionally, since the Djed Pillar (stability) and the Neter Heh

(infinity) are dual opposite concepts like ∞ (infinity) and 0 (zero), then it is fair to

interpret these symbols as indicators for either creating a vacuum (zero, stability) inside

the transparent container or filling (infinity) the transparent container with inert gas.

Creating a vacuum inside of a glass bulb, or filling the glass bulb with inert gas, are also

two of the criteria needed for incandescent light bulbs to function.

• The Ka on its knees in the Dendera Lights, which represented the “Divine Spark” is

analogous to the Cathode Ray Tube “Power Supply” (source of the spark). The Ka was

connected by the material of the lotus flower to the Djed Pillar/Heh (anode) to Har-

Sema-Tawy (cathode). Additionally, Har-Sema-Tawy is called the “Ba” inside the

Lotus flower, and it is a fact that in Ancient Egyptian symbolism, when the Ba and the

Ka unite, it produces Akh (light).



7. Addressing Misinformation Before concluding this presentation on the Plausibility of the Dendera Lights as a form of Ancient Egyptian Electrical Lighting Technology, it is necessary to specifically address the misinformation which has been disseminated on this topic to date. There are three main perspectives which disseminate information on the subject of the Dendera Lights, and unfortunately to date, all of these perspectives have presented misinformation on the subject of the Dendera Lights in order to support their bias.

The perspective which views the Dendera Lights as an “Ancient Egyptian electrical light source”, was championed by people like Peter Krassa and Rainer Habeck in their book entitled “The Light of the Pharaohs.” What Krassa and Habeck did well which helped their argument was developing a working replica of the Dendera Lights Technology based on their interpretation of it as an electrical light source. However, Krassa and Habeck made several irrelevant and incorrect points which hurt their argument. Krassa and Habeck made a point to talk about the “Absence of Soot inside Ancient Egyptian Tombs” and “the Unavailability of

Oxygen inside Ancient Egyptians Tombs to Light Torches” to suggest that torches and lamps could not have been used to light the inside of Ancient Egyptian temples and Tombs, so the Ancient Egyptians must have used lightbulbs. First of all, it is fallacious to conclude that light bulbs must have been used for lighting just because you think torches were not used for lighting. Additionally, the presence or absence of soot inside of a building, and the use or nonuse of torches inside of a building, are irrelevant to the discussion of whether or not a particular artifact is what you claim it to be. For example, you can still light torches and have soot inside of your house, and also have knowledge of the use of electrical lighting. The “soot and torch” discussion are auxiliary points which are only made to allude to the notion that the use of electrical lighting in Ancient times is as ubiquitous and prevalent as it is now in modern times to the point where “the Ancient Egyptians did not even need torches.” However, it is very simple to show evidence of soot inside of Ancient Egyptian temples, and it is very easy to show Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics and reliefs depicting the Ancient Egyptians carrying torches and fire lamps to prove that the Ancient Egyptians did in fact use torches for lighting. The real

substance of proving that an artifact is what you claim it to be, is showing that what is

written about the components, material, function, and use of the artifact is consistent with

what is being claimed about the artifact. Unfortunately this is another area of shortcoming in the discussion presented by Krassa and Habeck who misidentified several of the objects depicted and described in the text accompanying the Dendera Lights reliefs. Since Krassa and Habeck chose to make these irrelevant auxiliary points and incorrect primary points in their discussion, they left room for their “Dendera Lights Electrical Light Source Hypothesis” to be easily overturned.



The opposing perspective views the Dendera Lights as nothing more than mere fetish statues using for Ancient Egyptian cult ceremonial religious purposes. This perspective is championed by personalities like Frank Döernenburg in his book “Pyramid Mysteries? Whats That?” and on his website www.Doernenburg.alien.de. On his website, Frank Döernenburg presents his argument to “debunk” the Dendera Lights as a form of Electrical Lighting Technology, and many other websites which aim to “debunk” the Dendera Lights have copied and repeated the same information from Döernenburg’s website. Döernenburg is a supporter of the idea that the Mesopotamian Baghdad Battery is a plausible form of Ancient Electrical Technology based on the statement taken from his website in Figure 16a below.

Figure 16a: Above: a Quote from Frank Döernenburg's website www.Doernenburg.alien.de showing his

belief that the Baghdad Battery is a form of Ancient Electrical Technology

Döernenburg also believes that the Ancient Egyptians did not "live in an age of research and

progress" and he asserts that in Ancient Egypt there is "no evidence of a systematic study of

physics or chemistry” based on the statement taken from his website in Figure 16b below.

Figure 16b: Above: a Quote from Frank Döernenburg's website www.Doernenburg.alien.de showing his

thoughts about the Ancient Egyptians not having a “systematic study of Physics or Chemistry”.

Despite his bias, what Döernenburg does well which helps his argument is actually presenting an accurate translation of the text associated with 2 of the 7 Dendera Lights reliefs located on the South Crypt Chamber South Wall. Unfortunately, Döernenburg’s argument fails because he presents an “Argument from fallacy” logical fallacy and also incorrectly misinterprets several of the Ancient Egyptian symbols and misrepresents (or misunderstands) how a Cathode Ray Tube works. Döernenburg’s “Argument from Fallacy” logical fallacy comes from analyzing the argument of Krassa and Habeck, and inferring that since Krassa and Habeck’s argument contains fallacy, then their conclusion must also be false. Döernenburg goes on to present misinformation suggesting that Har-Sema-Tawy (Harsomtous) depicted as a Snake emerging from the Lotus flower shown in the Dendera Lights reliefs represents the “Sun”, but as we have already discussed, the Egyptologists who translated the text of the Dendera Lights say that Har-Sema-



Tawy depicted as a Hawk represents the sun, and Har-Sema-Tawy depicted as a Snake emerging from the Lotus flower represents something “primordial” which existed before the sun. Döernenburg presents more misinformation saying that since the transparent container around the snake emerging from the Lotus in the Dendera Lights reliefs “looks like” the Medu Neter Hieroglyphic iterty, aterti, /itr.ty/ , then the two must be the same. However, as we have already discussed, the text of the Dendera Lights describes the transparent container around the snake emerging from the Lotus as an hn – container. Additionally, Döernenburg suggests that the “bulb” must have been made from gold, which contradicts the Ancient Egyptian’s depiction of the hn – container as transparent. Lastly, Döernenburg misrepresents how a Cathode Ray Tube works in his attack on the replica created by Krassa and Habeck. The Dendera Lights replica developed and described by Krassa and Habeck was a Cathode Ray Tube in which the Anode electrode is inside of the glass container along with the Cathode electrode. Since only 1 of the 7 Dendera Lights images (South Crypt Chamber North Wall) has the arm of the Djed Pillar or Heh (the anode end of the device) reaching into the glass container, then Döernenburg makes a point to suggest that Krassa and Habeck’s replica was not true to the most frequent depiction of the Dendera Lights images which has the arms of the Djed Pillar or Heh on the outside of the glass container. However, even if the Anode Electrode of a Cathode Ray Tube is touching the outside of the Glass container, the cathode ray electron beam can still be observed to travel from the Cathode, through the glass tube, and to the Anode. This can be observed simply by putting a metal paperclip on the outside glass of a Plasma Globe, and watching the discharge travel to the metal paperclip, because Plasma Globe operate on similar principles as Cathode Ray Tubes.

The third perspective which disseminates information on the subject of the Dendera Lights is the perspective which interprets the Dendera Lights as Ancient Electrical Technology, not developed by the Ancient Egyptians, but rather developed and left on the Planet Earth by “Ancient Aliens.” The idea that the Dendera Lights are Ancient Alien Technology is championed by personalities such as Erich von Däniken in 1989 in his book “The eyes of the Sphinx” and on television shows like “Ancient Aliens” (season 4, episode 13). Whereas individuals who have the perspective that the “Dendera Lights were Ancient Egyptian Electrical Light bulbs” may have been naïve in their knowledge of the translation of the text accompanying the Dendera Lights, and individuals who set out to “debunk” the Dendera Lights as Electrical Light bulbs may be biased in thinking there is “no evidence of a systematic study of science on the African

continent”, the individuals who promote the perspective that the Dendera Lights were “Ancient Alien Technology” also tend to have issues with accepting the presence of science on the African continent, and thus reconcile the discrepancy in their mind by jumping to the fallacious conclusion that the technology must have been left in Africa by “Ancient Aliens”. The fallacious arguments presented from this third perspective which views the Dendera Lights as Ancient Alien technology are often built on the “Affirming the consequent” logical fallacy as well as the “Argument from ignorance” logical fallacy.



8. Conclusion In conclusion, the artifacts known as the “Dendera Lights” should be considered historically, as

well as in “Present and Future Practical application”.

For historical considerations, it is indeed Probable (most statistically likely), given the numerous

statues discovered throughout Ancient Egypt’s long storied history, that the physical objects

referred to by the text accompanying the “Dendera Lights” reliefs were also merely statues as

well. However, if the objects were just statues, it is a fact that to the Ancient Egyptians, the

statues represented a Primordial (atom/electron) source of Light other than the sun, which existed

before the sun. If Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings of flying machines, which were merely

“representations” of flight to Leonardo, are noteworthy to be mentioned in the History of

Aeronautical Engineering, then likewise, the Dendera Lights which “represented” primordial

(atom/electron) light, should also be noteworthy to be mentioned in the History of Electrical

Engineering because not only did the Dendera Lights “represent” primordial (atomic) light, but

working replicas can actually be built (unlike Da Vinci’s flying machine drawings).

Also, for historical considerations, it is Plausible (logically argued) that the physical objects

referred to by the text accompanying the “Dendera Lights” reliefs were were electrical lighting

technology given:

• The date in which the objects were created (50 BC) fits in with the timeline of

development based on when the Egyptians had a philosophy of the atom (2400 BC)

• The text of the Dendera Lights mentions components which provide a spark (KA), that

combine with other components (BA), to produce light (Akh)

• The Physical Dendera Light objects contained symbolic components like the primordial

serpent form of Har-Sema-Tawy which is analogous to “electricity” (atoms and

electrons) in our modern Big Bang Theory cosmology.

• Comparative analysis of the components as described in the text of the Dendera Lights

match to Electrical Engineering components which can be used to construct a Cathode

Ray Tube Electrical Lighting device



In considering the artifacts known as the Dendera Lights for “Present and Future Practical

Application”, it is Undeniable that a Cathode Ray Electrical Light source can be constructed

describing the components needed to build the Technology, using the terms as described in the

text accompanying the Dendera Lights reliefs:

1. Light Source (Lotus)

2. Glass Container ( hen )

3. Source of Spark (Ka)

4. Metal Electrode (Har-Sema-Tawy the Ba in the Lotus)

5. Pump to remove or add air (Sema symbol)

6. Vacuum ( 0 ) in container (Djed)

7. Fill ( ∞ ) container with inert Gas (Heh)

In this regard, the Dendera Lights serve as a tool that can be operatively used in the Present, and

on into the Future, to teach certain principles of Electrical Engineering in African Centered

Educational (A.C.E.) settings using African symbology.

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