Door of a Medamud Temple

This monumental door originally marked an entrance to the main sanctuary in Medamud. The classic scene of the king addressing the divinity before entering the temple is depicted in the symmetrical and complementary decoration on the pillars of the façade. On the left, wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt, Ptolemy IV Philopator gestures to the North. On the right, wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt surmounted by the vulture goddess Nekhbet, he repeats his gesture to the South. Soberly dressed in a ceremonial, tailed loin cloth, the pharaoh holds the mace and cane of his office in one hand. With his other arm outstretched, he proceeds toward the door to meet the local god—the mighty bull, Montu. The door's dedication is written beneath his feet. The passageway is simply decorated with friezes of monumental symbols representing the king’s long reign. On the other side, Ptolemy IV is welcomed to the temple by the custodian gods of Medamud. He is depicted on the right wearing the Pschent headdress and receiving the ram-headed sword from Amun. The missing left-hand pillar must have referred to Montu.