A house for the gods

Statue of Yuyu, High Priest of Osiris, presenting a chapel

If you had been a member of the ancient Egyptian peasantry or middle class, you would not have had access to temples unless you worked in one. People could only enter the outer courtyards of temples on special occasions.  Egyptian temples were the earthly homes of the divinities to whom they were dedicated, and the abode of the divine.  They housed a statue of the god, the most precious and protected one in the temple. Images of the reigning Pharaoh, in reliefs and statuary, were essential to worship because, in theory, only the king could come face to face with the gods. The statue of Yuyu, High Priest of Osiris, tells us everything we need to know: he holds a chapel containing an image of the god Osiris before him, since he is High Priest. The names of the Pharaoh Ramses II whom he served are engraved on the statue which was placed in the temple of Osiris in Abydos. Whatever temple they come from, stelae and low-relief sculptures show the link between the gods and the reigning Pharaoh.