Birth house of Nero for Hathor of Dendera, Dendera, Egypt

"When Tiberius had the stone enclosure wall of the temple of Dendera built, the wall cut into the birth house of Nectanebo I. The birth house was replaced by a new building, perhaps under Nero. Although the dedication inscription refers to Trajan, Nero is depicted in the pronaos of the Hathor temple, offering the model of the birth house. The particularly well-designed ground plan of the birth house follows Ptolemaic models. It was surrounded by an ambulatory. The composite capitals of the columns carry high pillars with Bes figure. The frontal ambulatory extends by the addition of three columns into a kind of kiosk, with the front corners formed by L-shaped pillars." [Arnold D., 1999: Temples of the Last Pharaohs. Oxford University Press]. This photograph was taken when Eliot Elisofon was on assignment for American Institute of Architects, directing the Egyptian portion of the documentary on Ancient Egypt, March 1965 and September 1965.