ABSTRACT
In the context of Ancient Near Eastern architecture, this Greek term signifies a container for the cult statue in an Egyptian temple. It probably derived from archaic tent or hut shelters. A naos could be made in wood like a box, or in stone, put together from different slabs. In the late Graeco-Roman period the whole naos was cut from a monolith of hard stone (eg EDFU). It had wooden doors which were kept closed, except for certain limited times when the High Priest opened them. The roof was either flat, sloping, domed, or surmounted by a pyramidion.
