Etiqueta: Luxor

About

The Colossi of Memnon (Arabic: el-Colossat or es-Salamat) are two huge stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III that stand in front of the ruined mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, the largest temple in the Theban necropolis. They stand since 1350 BC. C., and were known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as well as to early travelers and modern Egyptologists. The statues contain 107 Greek and Latin inscriptions from the Roman era, dated between 20 and 250 AD. c.; Many of these inscriptions on the northernmost statue refer to the Greek mythological king Memnon, whom the statue was then mistaken to represent. the entire Theban necropolis as Memnonium.

Description

The Colossi of Memnon (Arabic: el-Colossat or es-Salamat) are two giant stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III that stand in front of the ruined mortuary temple of Amenhotep III, the largest temple in the Theban necropolis. The statues are made of blocks of quartzite sandstone quarried at el-Gabal el-Ahmar (near modern-day Cairo) and transported 675 km (420 miles) overland to Thebes (Luxor). The Colossi’s original function was to stand guard at the entrance to the memorial (or mortuary) temple of Amenhotep: a massive structure built during the Pharaoh’s lifetime, where he resided both before and after his departure from this world as god on earth worshiped.

Roman era inscriptions

The statues contain 107 Greek and Latin inscriptions from Roman times, dated between 20 and 250 AD; These inscriptions have enabled modern travelers to relate the statues to classical Greek and Latin literature.[3] Many of the inscriptions include the name «Memnon». They were first studied in detail by Jean-Antoine Letronne in his 1831 book La statue vocale de Memnon considérée dans ses rapports avec l’Égypte et la Grèce, and later cataloged in the second volume (1848) of his Recueil des inscriptions grecques et Latins de l’ Egypt.

earthquake factors

Shortly after its construction, the temple was destroyed by an earthquake recently estimated by the Armenian Institute of Seismology to be around 1200 BC. was dated. C., who only left the two huge colossi at the entrance. BC, after which they were partially rebuilt by the Roman authorities. These were the subject of extensive restorations and excavations by the Armenian-German archaeologist Hourig Sourouzian, who revealed that the complex consisted of three pylons, each containing colossal statues. while at the other end a rectangular temple complex consisted of a portico with columns.

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Reason of named ?

The modern Arabic name is Kom el-Hatan, but it is commonly known by its Roman name as the Temple of Memnon. Memnon (whose name means ‘firm’ or ‘resolute’) is said to have been the son of Eos, goddess of the dawn, he was associated with colossi built several centuries earlier, due to the reported dawning of the northern ones statue (see below). known as the Colossus of Memnon. In the 19th century William of Wiveleslie Abney remarked that «(the Arabs called these statues ‘Shama’ and ‘Tama’, and when speaking of them together they called them Sanamât or Idols.

About

Deir el-Bahari or Dayr al-Bahri (Arabic: الدير البحري‎, romanized: al-Dayr al-Baḥrī, literally «the northern monastery») is a complex of mortuary temples and tombs on the west bank of the Nile, outside the city of Luxor , Egypt. This is part of the Theban Necropolis. The first monument to be erected on the site was the 11th Dynasty mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II. It was created in the 21st century B.C. built. During the 18th Dynasty, Amenhotep I and Hatshepsut also built extensively on the site.

Mortuary temple of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep

From the eastern part of the Esplanade, an opening called Bab el-Hosan («Horsman’s Gate») leads to an underground passage and an unfinished tomb or cenotaph with a seated statue of the king. The inner part of the temple was actually carved out of the cliff and consists of a peristyle courtyard, a hypostyle hall and an underground passage leading to the tomb itself. The mastaba-like structure on the terrace is surrounded by a colonnade along the western wall where shrines and tombs of various royal wives and daughters have been found. The temple complex also housed six mortuary chapels and shaft tombs built for the pharaoh’s wives and daughters.

Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut

The focal point of the Deir el-Bahari complex is Djeser-Djeseru, meaning «Holy of Holies», Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple. It is a columnar structure designed and implemented by Senenmut, royal administrator and architect. by Hatshepsut (and believed by some to be her lover) to serve her posthumously and honor the glory of Amun. Djeser-Djeseru sits on a series of columned terraces accessed by long ramps that were once adorned with gardens. Today, the terraces of Deir el-Bahari give only a faint impression of Senenmut’s original intentions.

Mortuary Temple of Thutmose III

Thutmose III. built a temple complex here dedicated to Amun. It was discovered in 1961 and said to have been used during the Hermoso del Valle Festival. Not much is known about the complex as it was abandoned after severe damage. during a landslide in the late 20th Dynasty. Afterwards it served as a source of building material and in Christian times as a Coptic burial place.

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Architecture

Hatshepsut used a long terrace of columns that deviated from the centralized volume of Mentuhotep’s model, an anomaly that may reflect the decentralized location of their burial chamber. The temple contains an image shown at right, depicted as a man. Pharaoh making offerings to Horus and on his left an animal skin wrapped around a tall staff which is a symbol of the god Osiris. While the statues and ornaments were stolen or destroyed, the temple once housed two statues of Osiris. , a long avenue lined with sphinxes, as well as many sculptures of Pharaoh Hatshepsut in various poses: standing, sitting or kneeling.

Royal and non-royal tombs

A tomb (TT320) in a hidden hollow in the cliffs south of the temples contained a stash of forty royal mummies brought there from the Valley of the Kings. The tomb was probably originally built for priests of the 21st dynasty. , probably the family of Pinedjem II. In 1891 a larger cache containing 153 buried mummies of the priests themselves was also found in a tomb at the site now known as Bab el-Gasus. He has another tomb not far from Deir el-Bahari, where his body may have been buried but was also vandalized and stolen.

Stone chest

The stone chest contained various items, all covered with linen. A goose skeleton was found in one of them, which was sacrificed for religious purposes. The second contained goose eggs. The third bundle is believed to have contained an ibis egg, which had symbolic meaning to the ancient Egyptians. A small wooden jewelry box was also discovered in the package; the chest is believed to contain the name of Pharaoh Thutmosis II.

It was perfectly camouflaged and looked like an ordinary block of stone. It was only on closer inspection that it turned out to be a chest.

About

The Temple of Ramses III. Medinet Habu was an important New Kingdom temple structure in the West Bank of Luxor in Egypt. Aside from its size and architectural and artistic importance, the mortuary temple is probably best known as the source of relief inscriptions detailing the arrival and defeat of the Sea Peoples during the reign of Ramesses III.

Identification and excavation

The first European to describe the temple in modern literature was Vivant Denon, who visited it between 1799 and 1801, Jean-François Champollion described it in detail in 1829. The first excavations of the temple took place sporadically between 1859 and 1899, under the auspices of the Office of Antiquities. During these decades the main temple was vacated and a large number of buildings from the Greco-Roman period were destroyed, including an important Byzantine church in the second courtyard, without any notes or records being made. Excavation, recording, and preservation of the Temple have been facilitated in large part by the Architectural and Epigraphic Surveys of the University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute in , almost continuously since 1924.

Description

around 300 m (1,000 ft) and contains more than 7,000 m2 (75,347 sq ft) of ornate wall reliefs, Its walls are relatively well preserved and it is surrounded by a huge clay enclosure that may have been fortified. The first pylon leads to an open courtyard flanked on one side by colossal statues of Ramses III. than Osiris and is bordered on the other side by uncarved columns. .The second pylon leads to a peristyle room, also with columns in the shape of Ramses. The third pylon is reached by going up a ramp that leads through a portico and then opens into a large portico (which has lost its roof).

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Little king list

The Medinet Habu King List is a procession celebrating the Min festival with the names of nine pharaohs. It is located in the upper register of the east wall in the second courtyard.