ABE 224 Ancient Egyptian Art and Architecture Part 1 Ancient Egyptian Temples Source: Lorna Oaks and

Lucia Gahlin, 2005. Ancient Egypt: An illustrated reference to the myths, religions, pyramids and temples of the land op the pharaohs. London: Hermes House.

1. Introduction From earliest times, Egypt has been the home of religious thought. There is evidence for belief in the Afterlife in the contents of graves from the Predynastic Period, when gods seem to have been worshipped in portable shrines. The first permanent structures are those at the late Predynastic centre of Hierakonopolis and the early dynastic shrine at Elephantine by the first Cataract. Many ancient sites were built over succeeding generations, so that a whole series of temples may occupy the same site. Very occasionally, as at Elephantine, excavations have revealed a succession of temples dating from the early Dynastic to the Ptolemaic Periods (c. 3100-30 BC).

Figure 1 Excavations at Elephantine

In the Christian era, the ancient temples became churches. The temple of Isis at Philae was converted to use as a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Many Jews settled at Aswan, where there is evidence of a Jewish temple. Egypt was largely converted to Islam in the seventh century AD, although the Christian church continued to flourish in some areas.

Figure 2 Coptic Church in Egypt

2. Temples to the gods The ancient Egyptians built two main types of temple: mortuary temples, where rituals connected with the deceased kings were performed, and cult temples erected is honour of particular gods. Some, like the temple of the Nineteenth Dynasty king Seti I (c. 1294-c. 1279 BC) at Abydos, served for both purposes.

Figure 3 Temple of Seti I at Abydos

Figure 4 Inside of Seti I temple at Abydos

The temples dedicated to the gods were not places of worship in the modern sense, since the Egyptian people did not congregate inside them to take part in religious ritual. Usually, only the priests seem to have been allowed into the temple to carry out the rites, which were centred on the statue of the deity housed in a shrine in the innermost part of the sanctuary. Only the outermost parts of the temple were accessible by the other people, and only then at the time of the great festivals. Most of the temples seen by visitors to Egypt today were built during the New Kingdom (c. 1550-c. 1069 BC) and later. This is generally because one of the most important duties of a king was the erection of temples to the gods, so earlier structures were frequently replaced by the buildings of later rulers. In addition, in the Delta, the earlier temples have disappeared because they were pillaged for building materials.

2.1.

The Mound of creation

Each temple built by the ancient Egyptians represented the Mound of creation, which has risen from the primordial ocean at the beginning of time. In temple architecture, the mound was marked by a gradual rise in ground level between the entrance and the innermost shrine, while the columns of the hypostyle hall represented the first plant life to appear on the mound. Every temple had a sacred lake and was surrounded by an undulating mudbrick wall, it is thought that both of these features were intended to represent the primordial ocean from which he mound arose.

2.2.

The home of the god

The temple built for the worship of a god was regarded as the gods house, quite literally the place where he or she resided. The deity would be represented by a cult statue placed in the innermost part of the temple, in the sanctuary, which was the most secret and sacred area. Although the deities were often thought to have creative powers, to represent parts of the universe and to embody natural forces, they were also seen in human terms, hence the gods need for a house, food and family. In general terms, temple architecture provided the physical needs of the god, and parallels can be drawn with the homes of private individuals. The pylon, or monumental gateway, formed the entrance, with the open court representing the palace where, in an ordinary house, visitor would have been entertained. The hypostyle hall, with its roof supported by tall columns, and the sanctuary were comparable with more private areas in the home such as bedrooms. Only the king, in his capacity as high priest, and other important functionaries would have been allowed to penetrate these inner chambers. Temples did, however, provide dramatic settings for occasions in which the public could take part. These were the festivals of the gods, when sacred boats bearing shrined containing the image of the deities were carries in procession along the banks of the Nile and from temple to temple amid scenes of great rejoicing.

Figure 5 Sacred Boats for the gods

3. The Temple of Luxor Luxor Temple lies in the centre of the modern town to the east bank of the Nile. It is connected by an avenue of sphinxes to the temple complex of Karnak, about 3km to the

north. The ancient Egyptian name of the temple was ipet-resyt, which means southern harem. It was dedicated to the cult of Amun in his fertility aspect. His wife Mut, and son Khonsu. The temples main purpose was to provide a setting for the annual opet-festival, when the cult images of the gods were taken in procession by land and by boat from Karnak to Luxor. Although blocks have been found that show that the temple was begun in the Middle Kingdom (c.2055-c.1650 BC), the building visible today date from the reign of Amenhotep III (c. 1390-c. 1352 BC), the great temple builder of the Eighteen Dynasty (c. 1550-c. 1295 BC), a period when Egypt was very prosperous and powerful.

Figure 6 Temple at Luxor

3.1.

The temple entrance

The complex is entered by the First Pylon (monumental gateway), the great monumental gateway added by Ramesses II. On it is emblazoned the story of Ramesses self -styled great victory over the Hittites at the Battle of Qadesh in 1274 BC. Ramesses is shown heroically taking on the Hittite in the top registers, while scenes of life in the camp and preparation for battle are depicted below. Written accounts of the battle both in prose and poetry accompany the carved reliefs, which would once would have been painted in bright colours. Originally, there were two seated and four standing figures of Ramesses II, as well as two obelisks in front of the pylon. Only the seated statues, one standing statue and one of the obelisks are still in position. The rest are now in Paris, where the obelisk adorns the Place de la Concorde.

Figure 7 The First Pylon at Luxor Temple

Figure 8 The First Pylon at the Luxor Temple

The First Pylon leads to the Peristyle Court (a court surrounded by columns), a large open area surrounded by a colonnade added by Rammeses II. Its squat papyrus-bud columns are in sharp contrast to the much more delicate versions seen in the sacred boat shrined of Amun, Mut and Khonsu in the north-west corner, built by the earlier rulers Tuthmosis III (c.1479-c. 1425 BC0 and Hatshepsut (c. 1473-c. 1458 BC). The court also sports numerous statues of Ramesses II, accompanied mainly by diminutive representations of Nefertari, his chief queen, between the columns. Above the eastern colonnade of the court is the Mosque of Abu el-Hagag, built in the nineteenth century on top of the accumulated debris. Until 1855, when the clearing of the temple was begun, there was also a village there.

Figure 9 Inside of the Luxor Temple

Figure 10 Papyrus-Bud Columns

3.2.

The processional way

The entrance to the Great Colonnade of Amenhotep III is guarded by two further colossal statues of Ramesses II, with Nefertari tenderly embracing his lower leg. Each is seated on a throne decorated with the heraldic motif symbolizing the union of the Two Lands: lotus and papyrus plants tied to a windpipe and lings. The defeated enemies are depicted underneath the feet of Ramesses.

Figure 11 Ramesses II and his wife Nefertari

The Great Colonnade is a processional way composed of 14 hue columns with open papyrus capitals. The sacred boats bearing the images of the gods would have been carried along this way at the time of the opet-festival. The inner walls of the court are decorated with scenes of the festival. The procession is shown leaving Karnak Temple, with the sacred boats carried by priests accompanied by musicians and soldiers carrying standards. Other boats are shown in the water, either rowed by energetic crews or towed by men on the banks. Nubian musicians and female acrobats entertain the crown, and two royal chariots and horses are led by grooms. Finally, King Tutankhamen (c. 1336-c. 1327 BC) is shown making offerings to the gods. On the east wall, the gods are seen returning to Karnak. At the southern end of the processional way there would originally have been a pylon, but today the Great Colonnade leads directly out into the Court of Amenhotep III. This too is surrounded on three sided with a double row of columns with papyrus-bud capitals, but the proportions here are much more harmonious. Originally, the colonnade would have been roofed over.

Figure 12 Columns with open papyrus capitals

Figure 13 Size of Pillars

3.3.

The inner sanctum

Behind the court is the Hypostyle Hall, with its 32 papyrus-bud columns. On the east wall, Amenhotep III is making offerings to Amun, Mut and Khonsu. Near the doors of the small chapels to the south are inscriptions of Ramesses II, indicating that he made some repairs to the temple. The main Sanctuary, which lies behind the Hypostyle Hall, may have fallen into disrepair and was redesigned by Alexander the Great. The columns of one of the smaller rooms were removed to make room for a sacred boat shrine. Alexander is shown making oferings in the traditional manner of the pharaohs. However, in the roman Period (30 BC- AD 395) the temple became a shrine to the imperial cult. An altar has been found dedicated to the Emperor Constantine (AD 312-3370, while the carved reliefs of Amenhotep III in the small court behind the Hypostyle Hall were plastered over and repainted with figures. These were once assumed to represent Jesus and his disciples but are now thought to show the emperor and his court.

A suite of rooms behind the sacred boat shrine represents the bedroom of the god, where the secret rituals of the opet-festival too place. Reliefs in the birth room of Amenhotep III show the impregnation of Amenhoteps mother, Queen Mutemwiya, by the god Amun, while the ram-headed creator god Khnum forms the royal child on his potters wheel. The queen is taken to the birth room by Khnum and Hathor. The last scene shown Amenhotep as an adult blessed by the gods and confirmed in his role as son of the sun god.