The full story of some inscriptions may never come to light.
While gold accents were common features in Egyptian temples, the fragile gilding often decayed or was removed. Many temples today have minimal gold left.
That’s why restorers were surprised to come across large patches of gold in the Temple of Horus. It’s possible the building’s roof helped preserve and protect the remaining traces from decay over the millennia.
“So far, gilding has mainly been found in smaller side temples,” related to the birth of a local child god, Altmann-Wendling said.
In the images, the king’s necklace, crown, and bracelets are gold. Additionally, the gods Horus-Behedety and Harsomtus are entirely gilded. “This corresponds to textual descriptions that the body of the gods was made from gold,” Altmann-Wendling said.
The luster may have symbolized their immortality while also adding “to the mystical aura of the room,” Altmann-Wendling said in a statement.