Priestess of Hathor

Priestess of Hathor or Prophetess of Hathor was the title of the Priestess of the goddess Hathor in the Temple of Dendera in Ancient Egypt.[1]

The office is known during the Old Kingdom of Egypt, and was at that point very powerful and prestigious. The mummies of the priestesses testify that they were decorated with a religious tattoo, covering the stomack around the are of the uterus.[2] After the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, the title was often irregularly awarded the women of the royal family, typically princesses.

References
  1. Gillam, R. (1995). Priestesses of Hathor: Their Function, Decline and Disappearance. Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, 32, 211-237. doi:10.2307/40000840
  2. Robert Bianchi, ‘Tattooing and Skin Painting in the Ancient Nile Valley’, in Celenko, T. (ed.) Egypt in Africa , (1996), Indianapolis University Press
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