The 's Luxor Temple And The 250 Statues

The "art for art" remained unknown in ancient Egypt; all creation was a practical purpose: the prosperity and triumph of Egypt, providing the survival of rulers and notables. The beautiful had no value in itself; we would say in modern terms, that the supreme intention was magical action. According to our book (art history by Marilyn Stokstad and Michael W. Cothren): “The architecture is religious or funeral destination; only temples and tombs were built of sustainable materials, although we also know some palaces and fortresses. The statuary, too, funeral (the statue is considered the repository of the soul of the deceased) or divine (the royal statues represent the pharaoh, god on earth or in the hereafter). The reliefs are dependent on strict religious patterns; one painting, especially that found in the tombs of the notables of the New Kingdom, manifest a spontaneity and a certain naturalism, but it was only a substitute art to replace cheaply the painted relief. This liveliness is reflected in the minor arts, and fard for spoons or pots ointments; but the jewels themselves usually hold conventions of religious symbolism”. Although, the step pyramid and sham buildings, funerary complex of djoser would perfectly help to illustrate the image of the art of the ancient Egypt. The Djoser funerary complex, built during the reign of Pharaoh Djoser in Saqqara is located in Egypt. It’s the first of this magnitude and the

Nonetheless, during the 12th Dynasty, there was a temple built for Amun’s worship and toward the end of the 18th Dynasty, Amun’s status increased even more and he became known as “…the great royal deity who was “Father of the Gods” and ruler of Egypt and the people of its empire (Rosalie 104).

The thirty-eight-year reign of the Egyptian Pharaoh, Amenhotep III was a period of unparalleled stability and wealth in the history of the New Kingdom. During the reign of Amenhotep III, Egypt grew to be the world’s “Super Power,” and had great influence on a large scale. The key features of his reign included:

Peace between the Mitanni and Egypt was secured during the reign of Amenhotep II’s reign, while Amenhotep III ensured that the peace would continue between the two kingdoms for generations. In year ten of his reign as evident from the Amarna letters and translations by historian J.H Breasted, Amenhotep III married Gilukhepa, a daughter of the Mitannian King. The Amarna letters also reflect that Egyptian-Hittite relations were friendly during this time, while further evidence also reveals that Amenhotep subsequently maintained friendly relations with Egypt’s neighbours by marrying Babylonian and Syrian princesses as well as one from Arzawa. This helped to ensure alliances between Egypt’s neighbours as relations between Egypt and other foreign powers prospered with the exchanging of gifts and diplomatic negotiations. Amenhotep’s policy of diplomacy was also important to Egyptian trade and income. The Amarna letters reflect how trade prospered during this period. Worked and raw materials were traded or brought to Egypt such as hard timber, cattle, horses, copper and ivory while Egyptian gold was highly sort after by foreign powers. Furthermore, inscriptions on statue bases during his reign also attest to Egyptian trade with Aegean

Tutankhamun is one of the most famous and instantly recognisable Pharaohs of the modern world even though he lived and reigned over 3,000 years ago. The boy King was born in the 11th year of his father’s reign in 1345 BCE and died in 1327 BCE at the age of just 17 or 18 after only being in power for 8 years. Until archaeologist Howard Carter discovered his almost fully-intact tomb in the Valley of the Kings in 1922 CE, the pharaoh was almost unheard of due to the common belief that he was a minor ruler, whose reign was of little consequence. However after this discovery and subsequent discoveries due to excavations, analysis of his mummy and other historical evidence, opinions changed, so much so that today Tutankhamun is recognized as an important

Akhenaten, a pharaoh of ancient Egypt, had big shoes to fill when he stepped up to the throne. His father, Amenhotep III, had helped restore their country to its former glory by being a diplomat. Amenhotep negotiated with bordering nations to provide stable political alliances, and trade routes. Egypt,

The temple was originally carved out of the mountainside next to the Nile during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II in the 13th century BC. It was to serve as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari, to commemorate his victory at the Battle of Kadesh. He also wanted to intimidate Egypt's neighbors, the Nubians. It was Ramses' way of trying to make an impression upon Egypt's neighbors, as well as to force Egypt's religion upon them. Propaganda in Egyptian art was common. Art can attempt to persuade, publicize and influence the people’s attitudes. Their art work includes paintings, stone carvings, statues, and sculpture and funeral artifacts. Daily life such as field work, special events, political and social hierarchy, battles

Amenhotep III’s reign is often referred to the “Golden Age”, a time of political stability and economic prosperity for Egypt. With an abundance of tribute, booty, and access/exploitation of natural resources in conquered areas of Nubia, and its sphere of influence in Syria-Palestine; Egypt’s affluence only flourished. This enabled Amenhotep’s expanse/magnificent building programs, also resulting to advances in art and religion. Furthermore, changes in the importance and role of the queen progressed in this period; to the extent of Tiye’s deification, as evident in the temple at Sedeinga, built in dedication to her worship. Despite Amenhotep III’s reputation as a great diplomat, the effectiveness of his

One of the most famous pharaoh of that time was Thutmose I who was the son of unknown warrior and queen Ahhotep’s daughter. He earned control over the Nubians’ gold mines by sending them to the south and penetrated deeper into Palestine and Syria. Thutmose I during his leadership expanded Egypt territory; the country prospered.

Amenhotep IV known as the rebel pharaoh suddenly emerge, whose radical worldview would shake the empire to its foundation. Amenhotep IV’s unquenchable thirst for absolute power, spawn the construction of a new capitol city, and to engineered to position him as the center of the universe. Amenhotep IV wanted to be in control of everything, this started the classic struggle between church and state. During a journey north in the 50 years of his reign, Amenhotep came upon a barren patch of desert. Sheltered by towering limestone cliffs, something spoke to Amenhotep IV saying “this was where creation began.” Deeply moved by Amenhotep’s spiritual encounter, he changed his name to Akhenaten. Amenhotep/Akhenaten decided to abandon Egypt’s capitol, modern day Luxor to

In the late 19th century, the Seated Statue of Ramesses II was uncovered in the Temple of Harsaphes, Heracleopolis, by Sir William Flinders Petrie (Horne 1985, 22). Currently, it rests in the Mummies Gallery in the Egyptian section of the Penn Museum. The king sits heroically with his hands resting on his lap and wears the nemes headdress on his head. Made of quartzite sandstone, the statue sits at an impressive height of 226 cm, with a width of 74 cm and length of 149 cm. On his arms, there are faint traces of red and the nemes headdress has touches of blue and yellow. When it was originally crafted, the statue’s colors would have been more prominent than they currently are; there also would have been a false beard inset that has been lost to history.

Amenhotep IV was the first pharaoh to challenge the Egyptian culture and religious beliefs. His decision to make Aten, “The God of the Sun Disk”, the only god, took power away from the temple priests. Before Amenhotep IV made the changes, Egypt practiced polytheism not only worshiping the Sun Disk God, but around 12 other gods with roles such as fertility, the sky, the Nile River, childbirth, etc. With Egypt practicing monotheisms the temple priest have lost control of any political or religious gain they once held. This will be the first time Egypt practices monotheism. In making this change Amenhotep IV became known as Akhenaten, “Shining Spirit of Aten”. Becoming Akhenaten was not the only changes reflected from his reign as pharaoh.

The two sculptures presented for this assignment are the Statue of Gudea, which dates back to 2090 B.C. (“Statue of Gudea,” 2000) and The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu, which dates back to 2575–2465 B.C. (“The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu,” 2000). Both statues represent people; however, they depict different types of people from completely different time periods and cultural backgrounds. The Statue of Gudea shows the ruler of southern Mesopotamian, Gudea, whose reign was from 2144-2124 B.C. (“The votive statue of Gudea: A formal analysis,” 2011) sitting in a praying position with his hands locked and his eyes forward. He is dressed in what appears to be a lavish robe with an inscription that clearly depicts what Gudea thought of himself and his successes during his time as ruler. The Royal Acquaintances Memi and Sabu represent what is thought to be a married ancient Egyptian couple who are lovingly embracing each other. Aside from looking at

Amenhotep IV was not the eldest son which allowed him to be educated in diverse areas. In comparison, his elder brother, Prince Tuthmosis, had been schooled and trained in militarism, diplomacy, and other factors perceived to be of the upmost importance for a successful and great Pharaoh. Amenhotep IV, as a result was permitted to read, brood, and ponder his

The Luxor Temple is located in the ancient capital of Egypt the city of Thebes on the east bank of the Nile River. The ancient city Thebes is located in the Upper end of Egypt. The temple Luxor is also a mile away from another temple the Karnak Temple. The temple is dedicated to the ancient Egyptian gods Amun: the god of the air, Mut: the mother goddess of Thebes and Khonsu: the god of the moon and time. Scholars believe that the pharaohs first started constructing the temple before the New Kingdom Period when Amenhotep III was in reign. The Luxor Temple is made of sandstone blocks and mud-brick walls surrounding the temple. The first modern European archaeologist to identify Thebes and document their exploration of Luxor was Claude