Altar

Although small altars or "tables of offerings" appear frequently in the pictures and wall decorations of temples and tombs, only one genuine altar has been found in a temple. It is in a court on the north side of the upper court of the temple of Der el Bahri (Dynasty XVIII.), and is a large stone platform measuring about 16 ft. 8 ins. by 13 ft. 9 ins., and about 5 ft. 8 ins. high. There are steps up to it on the west side by which the priest mounted, and thus faced the east. This altar was discovered by M. Naville during his recent excavations; until then, such a form of altar was only known from the wall-paintings at Tel el Amarna.