Music and Dance Performances in Ancient Egyptian Temples

Since the fourth millennium BCE, music and dance have been attested in ancient Egyptian temples. The number of sources dating to the Old and Middle Kingdoms is smaller than that for the New Kingdom onward. Men and women appear as musicians and dancers, but the acrobatic dancing style with back bending is performed only by women. While several gods are depicted with musical instruments, they do not, except for Bes, occur as dancers. The same applies to the royal family, whose members are documented from time to time with the sistrum but usually not dancing. Nevertheless, as the iconographical, textual, and archaeological evidence shows, music and dance appear in temples at the most important cross points between gods and humans.