A comprehensive survey of ancient Egyptian temples and rituals associated with their use. Shafer - a renowned Egyptologist - covers the entire pharaonic era, from the Old Kingdom to the Roman period, and challenges the idea that temples were either 'mortuary' or 'divine', showing instead that their functions were varied. The book demonstrates the huge importance of the temple in religious, political and economic matters throughout Egyptian history, and has rapidly established itself as essential reading for all concerned with the study of ancient Egypt.