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Aerial view as seen from the roof terrace of the Hathor Temple; 'Sacred lake' is a term for an artificial body of water within ancient Egyptian temple precincts from the Old Kingdom (ca. 2575-ca. 2150 BCE) to the Roman period (ca. 30 BCE-395 CE). Sacred lakes were usually fed by ground-water, differing in this from other kinds of temple waters such as stone-lined canals (connecting the temple with the Nile), and larger than the square or circular wells. The various types of sacred lakes served a number of cultic purposes: at Dendara it was 'the place of appeasement of the lion-goddess'. Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.groveart.com/ (accessed 1/19/2008)