Egypt Art

PYLON OF RAMESSES II

Temple of Amon, Luxor Dynasty XIX, c. 1250 B.C. One of the original two obelisks in front of the pylon (the second was taken in the nineteenth century to the Place de la Concorde, Paris). Colossal statues of Ramesses II flank the entrance. The reliefs and hieroglyphics have mostly worn away....

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COLOSSI OF MEMNON

Western Thebes Dynasty XVIII, c. 1360 B.C. Egyptian sculpture is as monumental as its architecture. These two sculptures, each carved out of a single block of stone, are about seventy feet high. They represent Amenhotep III and were placed at the entrance to his mortuary temple. Notice the small figure of his wife on the left-hand statue; his mot...

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SIDE COLUMNS

Great Hypostyle Hall Temple of Amon, Karnak Dynasty XIX, 1318-1237 B.C. There are side columns with lotus-bud capitals south and north of the central passage. They are shorter than the main columns and set at closer intervals. Light comes in through windows above the taller columns....

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MAIN PYLON RELIEFS

Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III Medinet Habu Dynasty XX, c. 1175 B.C. These brilliant pylon reliefs portray Ramesses III on a chariot drawn by horses as he and his archers hunt bulls at the edge of the river. Notice the contrasting scales between the king and his men and the fish carved at the bottom right....

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ROCK TEMPLE OF RAMESSES II

Formerly at Abu Simbel Dynasty XIX, 1304-1237 B.C. Ramesses II cuts this temple out of the rock mountain at Abu Simbel. Four huge sixty-five foot statues of the king overpower the facade. Little statues of his family are cut between the legs....

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Detail, GREAT WINDOW GRILLE

Great Hypostyle Hall Temple of Amon, Karnak Dynasty XIX, 1318-l237 B.C. The windows are covered with stone grilles which severely limit the amount of light, leaving much of the columned hall in darkness....

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PYLON II OF THE REMEDIES

From "Description de l'Æ'gypte" Paris, 1809-22 This aquatint from a twentieth dynasty relief shows the tall flagpoles which ordinarily stand in front of the pylon. They are wrapped in colorful cloth. The flagpoles next to the obelisks and statues constitute the third essential symbolic element at the entrance to the sacred precinct....

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HYPOSTYLE HALL

Rock Temple of Ramesses II Formerly at Abu Simbel Dynasty XIX, 1304-1237 B.C. Inside the unique temple are the usual complex of rooms. These are two of eight large Osiris sculptures lined up four by four against the pillars in the hypostyle hall. They are placed to catch the morning sunlight coming through the main entrance. The great hall is fift...

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Detail, Overhead Windows

Step into the hushed grandeur of the Great Hypostyle Hall, a colossal testament to human ambition and devotion in the heart of the Temple of Amon at Karnak. Built during Dynasty XIX (1318-1237 B.C.), this awe-inspiring space transports you back to ancient Egypt, where pharaohs sought to honor the god Amon-Re. Imagine towering over 134 massive colum...

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HYPOSTYLE COLONNADE

Temple of Amon, Luxor Dynasty XVIII, c. 1400-1360 B.C. The central colonnade of the long and narrow hypostyle of the temple at Luxor. It was started by Amenhotep III fifty years before the Karnak hypostyle and completed by Tutankhamon....

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