The Temple of Millions of Years of the Pharaoh Thutmose III (Luxor). An Update on the Research (original) (raw)
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Études et Travaux, 2020
This paper presents the most up to date discussion on the architecture of the temple of Millions of Years of Thutmose III, which has been investigated by the Spanish-Egyptian joint project since 2008. The first archaeological works took place at the site at the end of the nineteenth century and during the first decades of the twentieth century. Twelve seasons of the resumed research have brought, e.g. some completely new data concerning buildings related to the temple (i.e. the administrative building outside the southern enclosure wall, workshops north of the upper courtyard, and a house of the Ramesside priest called Khonsu at the northeast of the second courtyard), and allowed for the reconstruction of the course of the enclosure wall of the complex, as well as for some architectural restoration works. This paper also offers an overview through some of the most important finds collected so far during our research (e.g. fragments of reliefs, stelae and statues, inscribed and decorated lintels, foundation deposit, stoppers, ostraca, graffiti, and fragments of papyri) and presents the first results of their analysis: how these materials allow us to better understand the history and administration of the temple as well as what data they provide concerning the priests and the rituals which took place there. Full-text PDF available here: http://etudesettravaux.iksiopan.pl/images/etudtrav/EtudTrav\_otwarte/EtudTrav\_33/EtudTrav\_33\_11\_Seco\_Alvarez\_Martinez\_Babon\_compressed.pdf
French-Egyptian Centre for the Study of the Temples of Karnak. Activity Report 2021, Louqsor, 2022., 2022
Epigraphic and architectural study of the Monuments of Amenhotep I (continuation Jean-François Carlotti, Luc Gabolde et alii) 2. MEMORIAL MONUMENT OF KING AY DEDICATED TO THE DECEASED TUTÂNKHAMUN 2.1. Epigraphic survey of the memorial monument of king Ay dedicated to the deceased Tutânkhamun (continuation Marc Gabolde). 3. ATLAS OF THE OBELISKS 3.1. Epigraphic survey continuation (continuation Luc Gabolde, Florence Maruejol, Marc Gabolde) 4. STUDIES OF THE KUSHITE MONUMENTS OF KARNAK 4.1. Taharqo by the Sacred Lake (continuation Jérémy Hourdin) 4.1.1. Continuation of the epigraphic survey, documentation, and publication of the architecture, study of loose blocks 4.2. Studies of the kushite colonades at Karnak (continuation Jérémy Hourdin) 4.2.1. Western Kiosk of Taharqa 4.2.2. Eastern colonnade of Taharqa 4.2.3. Columned monument of Taharqa near Khonsu temple 5. MONUMENT OF AMENHOTEP II BETWEEN THE IX th AND X th PYLONS 5.1. Epigraphic study of the monument of Amenhotep II between the IXth and Xth pylon, continuation (Shaïma Abd es-Sattar). 5.2. Continuation of the photographic survey 5.3. Restoration of the Temple of Amenhotep II rebuilt by Sethy I between the 9th and 10th pylons with a funding grant of the ARCE (M. Gad, A. Oboussier) 6. THE 2 nd PYLON STUDIES 6.1. The gate of the 2 nd Pylon. Publication issued 6.2. Western Façade: Epigraphic survey and study of the blocks from the façade of the 2nd Pylon and study of the remains still in situ (continuation Clémentine Audouit, Elena Panaite). 7. 7 th PYLON EPIGRAPHIC STUDIES 7.1. Epigraphic survey of the Graffitis of the 7th Pylon. (continuation Elizabeth Frood, Sébastien Biston Moulin, Ahmed al-Taher) 7.2. Epigraphic survey of the decoration of the 7th Pylon: in situ remains and loose blocks. (continuation Charlie Labarta). 8. 8 th PYLON EPIGRAPHIC STUDIES 8.1. Epigraphic survey of the 8th Pylon continuation (Sébastien Biston-Moulin, Elizabeth Frood). 9. EASTERN TEMPLE OF RAMSES II 9.1. End of study and publication of the eastern temple of Ramses II (Laetitia Gallet, Jean-François Carlotti) B. MINOR OPERATIONS 22. STELA OF THE PTOLEMAIC DECREE OF CANOPUS 22.1. Paleographic study of the stela of the ptolemaic decree of Canopus in the hypostyle hall (Christophe Thiers) 23. INVENTORY OF THE SEKHMET STATUE OF KARNAK 23.1. Inventory of the sekhmet statue of Karnak (continuation of Kom el Hettan programme by Hourig Sourouzian; Mirette Mohammed Al-Saeed, Abulrahman Salahuldin Nussair et alii) 24. STUDY OF THE GRANARIES AND SED-FESTIVAL BUILDINGS OF AMENHOTEP III 24.1. Achievement of the epigraphic study of the Granaries and sed-festival buildings of Amenhotep III at Karnak (continuation, S. Bickel et alii) 25. FRAGMENTS OF THE STELA OF SIAMUN IN THE CHEIKH LABIB MAGAZINE 25.1. Achievement of the epigraphic study of the fragments of the Stela of Siamun in the cheikh Labib Magazine (continuation, Frederic Payraudeau) 26. PTOLEMAIC PALAEOGRAPHY AT KARNAK 26.1. Ptolemaic palaeography at Karnak in the current documentation process (continuation): gate of the 5th pylon and of the antechambner of the 6 th pylon (René Preys, Martina Minas Nerpel) 26.2. Theological texts at Khonsu and Opet temples (Abraham Ignazio Fernandez) C. CONSERVATION & ANASTYLOSIS 27. CONSERVATION-RESTORATION LABORATORYACTIVITIES 28. CONSERVATION-RESTORATION OPERATIONS AND SCIENTIFIC DISSEMINATION
Frankfurter elektronische Rundschau zur Altertumskunde, 2021
After our preliminary paper concerning the funerary monuments within the 'Neferhotep Complex' in Luxor, which has been presented in this journal a few years ago 2 , it is now necessary to reconsider all the monuments of this architectural complex 3 from a wider perspective, in order to reinterpret the changes of uses and rituals, which are attested in these tombs, as important elements to understand how most of the private funerary monuments of the Theban necropolis are often characterised by an unpredictable complexity and an elaborated cultural stratification. When approaching the study of private tombs at Thebes, often the main emphasis is given to the iconographic and epigraphic apparatuses, to the typologies and chronologies of the finds and to the layout. In general Theban tombs, as suggested by some scholars 4 , are mostly associated with the names of the individuals for whom they were built; they are considered as if they were always and for ever 'pre-planned projects' for a single individual or family. But in this way we lose the developments and the changes to the project which may have occurred even during the early phases of construction; some alterations in accommodation may be due to unexpected reasons which occurred even during the construction of the monument. There are numerous cases of premature deaths of members of the family or of related families which determined a different choice in the layout and in the burials. Possible changes to the original project may have occurred due to an abrupt change in lithotypes to forms which are unsuitable for quarrying, determining therefore the change of orientation of chambers and corridors in order to find more suitable bedrock. Moreover, there was also the need to respect or avoid chambers and sections of close tombs which were earlier in date and may have been unknown because they were no longer in use: in this case the reaching of the chamber of an unknown earlier tomb during the quarrying may have determined the choice to adapt or change the project or even re-use earlier burials. The partial use or reuse of sections or chambers of other tombs may certainly happened in later phases, but it could also belong to the early phases, in case the original project have reached nearby tombs. Therefore the study of use, reuse and later developments of these tombs, in order to properly understand the chronology and the stratification of the architectural and planimetric phases, needs to take into account, together with iconographic, epigraphic, ritual and anthropological studies, also the geomorphology of the area, the topography of the surrounding monuments, the study of lithotypes and sub-lithotypes, the micro-1 CAAM (Centro di Ateneo di Archeometria e Microanalisi), University G.d'Annunzio of Chieti-Pescara. 2 PEREYRA ET ALII 2015. 3 My acknowledgments, as well as of all the team working in this splendid monumental funerary complex, go to the offices and officers in Cairo and in Luxor of the Ministry of Antiquities and to the inspectors of Luxor always collaborating and supporting fruitfully this project. Moreover, a special thank goes to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, to the Italian Embassy and Consulate in Cairo, to the Istituto Italiano di Cultura and Centro Archeologico Italiano, for their support and contributions. 4 For instance DORMAN 2003, in part p.30.
J Kosciuk, LATE ROMAN HOUSING IN THE AREA OF THE LUXOR TEMPLE; BSAC 2011-text & plan
This paper discusses the remains of late Roman houses located on the eastern side of the Sphinx-Avenue which connected once the Luxor temple with the Karnak complex. The author had a chance to undertake a survey and architectural studies of a small part of this settlement in the early spring 1983, joining the Mission of the German Institute of Archaeology in Cairo occupied at that time with the excavation of the sanctuary of the church in front of the Luxor-temple. Since that time the various buildings disappeared nearly entirely and this short description might be the only data available for further studies.
The Fate of the Temples in Late Antique Egypt
As elsewhere the fate of the temples in late antique Egypt has often been perceived through the lens of the (Christian) literary works, which tell dramatic stories of the destruction of temples and their conversion into churches. When one looks at the other types of sources available from Egypt—inscriptions, papyri and archaeological remains—however, it becomes abundantly clear that the story of what happened to the temples was usually much less dramatic. This article argues that, in order to get a more reliable and complex picture of the fate of the temples, it is best to study them within a local or regional context and from a variety of sources, especially material remains since they can provide the most detailed picture of a whole range of methods of reuse, if the building was reused at all. A case study (of the First Cataract region, Southern Egypt) confirms that violence against temples and their reuse as churches were indeed exceptional and but two aspects in the complex process of the changing sacred landscape of Late Antiquity.
Études et Travaux, 2020
The Temple of Millions of Years of Thutmose III called Henket-ankh, located on the West Bank of Thebes, was probably an important and impressive monument of which very little remains nowadays. Previous work at the site, which started already in the first half of the nineteenth century, contributed greatly to the understanding and identification of this complex. The Spanish-Egyptian project that resumed the archaeological works at the site in 2008 improved our knowledge about the temple architectural and decorative features. This paper will focus on the characteristics and decoration of the vertical architectural elements with support function, that is to say columns and pillars, may have had in this temple. The fragments and blocks examined and the few architectural elements preserved in situ have allowed ascertaining of the existence in the temple of polygonal columns with sixteen sides, squared pillars, some of which were of Osiride type, and circular columns that were most likely crowned by Hathoric capitals. Full-text PDF available here: http://etudesettravaux.iksiopan.pl/images/etudtrav/EtudTrav\_otwarte/EtudTrav\_33/EtudTrav\_33\_04\_Chapon\_compressed.pdf
«Another Reading of the Egyptian Temple: Towards Architecture»
Methodik und Didaktik in der Ägyptologie. Herausforderungen eines kulturwissenschaftlichen Paradigmenwechsels in den Altertumswissenschaften. Ägyptologie und Kulturwissenschaft IV, A. Verbovsek, B. Backes, C. Jones (ed.), Munich, p. 227-252, 2011
Gedruckt mit freundlicher Unterstützung der Ägyptologischen Forschungsstätte für Kulturwissenschaft (ÄFKW) der Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg, der Exzellenzinitiative der LMU München (Mentoring-Programm für exzellente Nachwuchswissenschaftlerinnen) und des Deutschen Akademikerinnenbundes e.V. Bibliografische Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. Alle Rechte, auch die des auszugsweisen Nachdrucks, der fotomechanischen Wiedergabe und der Übersetzung, vorbehalten. Dies betrifft auch die Vervielfältigung und Übertragung einzelner Textabschnitte, Zeichnungen oder Bilder durch alle Verfahren wie Speicherung und Übertragung auf Papier, Transparente, Filme, Bänder, Platten und andere Medien, soweit es nicht § § 53 und 54 UrhG ausdrücklich gestatten.
The chapter provides an overview of the ostraca and papyrus fragments from the Temple of Millions of Years ofThutmose III. Most of these come from the rubbish dumps outside the enclosure wall, but a small number where also found inside the temple itself. The material includes both administrative and literary texts. The administrative texts relate to the building and running of the temple, including offering accounts and the celebration of various festivals. These papyrus fragments mainly come from the day-book of the temple, and so constitute the only surviving temple archive of the New Kingdom. The literary texts on ostraca include many of the classics that are known to have been copied during scribal training (Kemit, The Instruction of Amenemhat I, The Instruction of Khety, etc.), while several of the papyrus fragments are from of cultic or ritual rolls, occasionally in several different versions (e.g. The Opening of the Mouth in both a regular hieratic and an illustrated version).