Egypten 6.1 :: The priests – Servants of the god
- Object description
The temple was lead by a High Priest, whose power and influence usually extended far beyond the temple walls. A higher priesthood of so-called Servants of the god (hem-netjer) assisted the High Priest.
In addition, every temple had a lay of ‘pure’ (wab) priests. They served on a rotating basis, combining their service at the temple with other tasks. This enabled many people to come into contact with temple activities. There were also other priests with various specialised tasks. During the Old Kingdom, women could hold the title of High Priestess. However, in later periods, women tended to serve as either musicians or dancers.
The temples were also used for teaching and scientific and theological texts were kept in the temple archives. The temples were important economic stakeholders and employers. They owned huge areas of land, some of which were leased out, and employed a large number of people.
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