Gilukhepa, Tadukhepa and Other Foreign Wives of Amenhotep III

Pictures: Queen Tiy

Queen Tiy, consort of Amenhotep III, was born a commoner yet her sons were acknowledged as heirs to the Egypt throne. In this Theban relief she wears a complicated crown decorated with multiple uraei which link the queen both with the kingship and with the goddess Hathor, daughter and Eye of Ra. The double snakes on her brow wear the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt, but the tall feathers that once completed Tiy's crown have been lost. Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels.

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• Pictures: Tiy or Nefertiti (ancient-egypt-history.com)
• Pictures: Queen Isis (ancient-egypt-history.com)
• Picture: Nefertari at the Lesser Temple of Abu Simbel as Hathor. (ancient-egypt-history.com)
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The Commemorative Scarabs of Amenhotep III. 18th Dynasty.

Amenhotep III. 18th Dynasty

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(18th Dynasty, part XIII)

Amenhotep III's long reign of almost 40 years was one of the most pros­perous and stable in Egyptian history. His great-grandfather, Tuthmosis III, had laid the foundations of the Egyptian empire by his campaigns into Syria, Nubia and Libya. Hardly any military activity was called for under Amenhotep III, and such little as there was, in Nubia, was directed by his son and viceroy of Kush, Merymose.
Amenhotep III was the son of Tuthmosis IV by one of his chief wives, Queen Mutemwiya. It is possible [though now doubted by some) that she was the daughter of the Mitannian king, Artatama, sent to the Egyptian court as part of a diplomatic arrangement to cement the alliance between the strong militarist state of Mitanni in Syria and
Egypt. The king's royal birth is depicted in a series of reliefs in a room on the east side of the temple of Luxor which Amenhotep III built for Amon. The creator god, the ramheaded Khnum of Elephantine, is seen fashioning the young king and his ka (spirit double) on a potter's wheel, watched by the goddess Isis. The god Amun is then led to his meeting with the queen by ibis-headed Thoth, god of wisdom. Subsequently, Amun is shown standing in the presence of the goddesses Hathor and Mut and nursing the child created by Khnum.

The early years of Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III's reign falls essentially into two unequal parts. The first decade reflected a young and vigorous king, promoting the sportsman image laid down by his predecessors and with some minor military activity. In Year 5 there was an expedition to Nubia, recorded on rock inscriptions near Aswan and at Konosso in Nubia. Although couched in the usual laudatory manner, the event recorded seems to have been rather low key. An undated stele from Semna (now in the British Museum) also records a Nubian campaign, but whether it is the same one or a later one is uncertain. A rebellion at Ibhet is reported as having been heavily crushed by the viceroy of Nubia, "King's Son of Kush", Merymose. Although the king, 'mighty bull, strong in might, the fierce-eyed lion' is noted as having made great slaughter within the space of a single hour, he was probably not present; nevertheless, 150 Nubian men, 250 women, 175 children, 110 archers, and 55 servan a total of 740 - were said to have been captured, to which was added the 312 right hands of the slain.

The opulent years of Amenhotep III
The last 25 years of Amenhotep III's reign seem to have been a period of great building works and luxury at court and in the arts. The laudatory epithets that accompany the king's name are more grandiose metaphen than records of fact: he took the Horus name 'Great of Strength who Smites the Asiatics', when there is little evidence of such a campaign, similarly, 'Plunderer of Shinar' and 'Crusher of Naharin' seem singularly inappropriate, particularly the latter since one of his wives, Gilukhepa, was a princess of Naharin.

The wealth of Egypt at this period came not from the spoils of con­quest, as it had under Tuthmosis III, but from international trade and an abundant supply of gold (from mines in the Wadi Hammamat and from panning gold dust far south into the land of Kush). It was this great wealth and booming economy that led to such an outpouring of artistic talent in all aspects of the arts.
Since the houses or palaces of the living were regarded as ephemeral, we unfortunately have little evidence of the magnificence of a palace such as Amenhotep's Malkata palace. Fragments of the building, how­ever, indicate that the walls were once plastered and painted with lively scenes from nature. Many of the temples he built have been destroyed too. At Karnak he embellished the already large temple to Amun and at Luxor he built a new one to the same god, of which the still standing colonnaded court is a masterpiece of elegance and design. Particular credit is owed to his master architect: Amenhotep son of Hapu.
On the west bank, his mortuary temple was destroyed in the next (19th) dynasty when it, like many of its predecessors, was used as a quarry. All that now remains of this temple are the two imposing stat­ues of the king known as the Colossi of Memnon. (This is in fact a com­plete misnomer, arising from the classical recognition of the statues as the Ethiopian prince, Memnon, who fought at Troy.) Of the two, the southern statue is the best preserved. Standing beside the king's legs, dwarfed by his stature, are the two important women in his life: his mother Mutemwiya and his wife, Queen Tiy. A quarter of a mile behind the Colossi stands a great repaired stele that was once in the sanctuary and around are fragments of sculptures, the best of which, lying in a pit and found in recent years, is a crocodile-tailed sphinx. 

A peak of artistic achievement of Amenhotep III
Some magnificent statuary dates from the reign of Amenhotep III such as the two outstanding couchant rose granite lions originally set before the temple at Soleb in Nubia (but subsequently removed to the temple at Gebel Barlzal further south in the Sudan). There is also a proliferation of private statues, particularly of the architect Amenhotep son of Hapu, but also of many other nobles and dignitaries.
It is in the great series of royal portraits, however, that the sculptor's art is truly seen. Largest of them all (after the Colossi of Memnon) is the huge limestone statue of the king and queen with three small standing princesses from Medinet Habu. There are many other representations of the king, all of which project the contemplative, almost ethereal, aspect of the king's features. Magnificently worked black granite seated statues of Amenhotep wearing the nemes headdress have come from excavations behind the Colossi of Memnon (by Belzoni) and from Tanis in the Delta. A number of statues of the king were reworked by later rulers, often by simply adding their cartouches, or occasionally altering the features or aspects of the body, as with the huge red granite head hitherto identified as being Tuthmosis III from Karnak (also found by Belzoni) and reworked by Ramesses II [now in the British Museum). Several portraits in statues, reliefs and wall paintings show the king wearing the helmet-like khepresh, the so-called Blue or War Crown.
One of the most incredible finds of statuary in recent years was made in the courtyard of the Amenhotep III colonnade of the Luxor temple in 1989. It included a superb 6-ft (1.83-m) high pink quartzite statue of the king standing on a sledge and wearing the Double Crown. The only damage the statue had sustained was under Akhenaten when, very carefully, the hated name of Amon was removed from the cartouch when it appeared as part of the king's name. The inscriptions on the statue and its iconography suggest that it is a work from late in the despite the idealized youthful features of the king. It may possibly have been a cult statue.

The two most widely known portraits of Queen Tiy are the small ebony head in Berlin which, in the past, caused many authorities to sug­gest that she came from south of Aswan, and the petite-faced and crowned head found by Petrie at the temple of Serabit el-Khadim in Sinai which is identified as the queen by her cartouch on the front of her crown. Other fine reliefs of her come from the tombs of some of the courtiers in her service such as Userhet (TT 47) and Kheruef (TT 192). 

Death and burial of Amenhotep III
Inscribed clay dockets from the Malkata palace carry dates into at least Year 38 of Amenhotep's reign, implying that he may have died in his 39th regnal year when he would have been about 45 years old. 

His robbed tomb was rediscovered by the French expedition in 1799 in the western Valley of the Kings (KV 22). Amongst the debris, they found a large number of ushabtis of the king, some complete but most­ly broken, made of black and red granite, alabaster and cedar wood. Some were considerably larger than normal. Excavations and clearance by Howard Carter in 1915 revealed foundation deposits of Tuthmosis IV, showing that the tomb had been originally intended for that king. Despite this, the tomb was eventually used for Amenhotep III, and also for Queen Tiy to judge from the fragments found of several different ushabtis of the queen.
Queen Tiy survived her husband by several years - possibly by as many as 12, since she is shown with her youngest daughter, Beket­ Aten, in a relief in one of the Amarna tombs that is dated between Years 9 and 12 of her son's reign. (Beket-Aten is shown as a very young child and must have been born shortly before Amenhotep died, or even posthumously.) We know from polite enquiries about Tiy's health in the Amarna Letters (p. 126) that she lived for a while at Akhetaten (modern el-Amarna), the new capital of her son Akhenaten. It has been suggested that there was a period of co-regency between the old king and his successor, but the argument is not proved either way. An inter­esting painted sandstone stele found in a private household shrine at el-Amarna shows an elderly, rather obese Amenhotep III, seated with Queen Tiy. Whether he actually lived for a time in this city is a matter of conjecture; Tiy certainly did and may well have died there, to be taken back to Thebes for burial.
Amenhotep III's mummy was probably one of those found by Loret in 1898 in the tomb of Amenhotep II (KV 35), although recently it has been suggested that this body was wrongly identified by the ancient priests
when it was transferred to the new tomb. On biological grounds, profes­sors Ed Wente and John Harris have proposed it to be the body of Akhenaten, or possibly Ay. A previously unidentified female mummy (the Elder Woman) from the same cache has been tentatively identified as Queen Tiy, based on the examination of her hair and a lock of hair in a small coffin from the tomb of Tutankhamun inscriptionally identified as Tiy's.

Amenhotep III Names and Burial

Birth name: Amen-hotep (heqa-waset) (Amun is Pleased, Ruler of Thebes)

Throne name: Nub-maat-re (Lord of Tuth is Ra)

Burial: Tomb KV 22, Valley of the Kings, Thebes

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Tomb of Ramose Plan - Tombs of the Nobles - Luxor, Egypt. Part III

Tombs of the Nobles, Luxor, Egypt.

This tomb belongs to the vizier in the reigns of Amenhotep III and Amenhotep IV (later Akhenaten). It comprises a main hall with thirty-two rather squat papyrus columns (1), an inner hall (2) containing eight clustered columns of smaller dimension (all destroyed) and the shrine (3).

Ramose was one of the earliest converts to the sun-worship and his tomb is therefore of historical significance as one of the few standing monuments in Thebes of the period between the two faiths. It is moreover of artistic significance since it gives a unique opportunity to see conventional relief representations alongside the new realism which has become known as the Amarna period.

Before we describe the tomb of Ramose a word should be said about Akhenaten's sun-worship and the art it heralded. The movement was not the isolated act of a rebellious Pharaoh who established a new capital in Tel el Amarna with a set of original ideas and a new outlook. The sun-worship of Akhenaten was introduced in Thebes over a number of years. The formation of a new capital, rendering Amon no more than a local deity, was really only the final step in a continuing process.

Light is still being shed on the transition period from one worship to another. There is considerable evidence to support the theory that Amenhotep III and his son (Akhenaten) shared a co-regency for many years at Thebes, and that, while the father was too disabled by ill-health and his son too young for the responsibility, Queen Tiy laid the foundations for the new thought that her son (Akhenaten) was to bring to fruition. Among the first steps taken were the 'enlightenment' of certain Theban noblemen to the 'truth of monotheism', and a breakaway from the traditional forms of art. The tomb of Ramose dates from this period. It was started in the traditional style, continued in the new and left unfinished when Ramose followed his master to Tel el Amarna.

On both the left and right eastern walls of the main chamber, the murals are in unpainted, stylized relief. This was the conventional mural form typical of Amenhotep III's last years when his son (Akhenaten) may have been co-regent. On the southern half (a) Ramose the deceased vizier sits with his relatives. The men and women of his household are depicted in the traditional manner with regular faces, clothes and elaborate wigs, the details of which were carried out with faultless precision; the only paintwork is on the eyes. On the northern wall (b) are scenes of worship, offerings and religious ceremonies. The representation that most fully shows the stylized, unemotional, traditional treatment of the mural is that on the left-hand rear wall (c) by the central doorway. It is a portrayal of Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), as he was then still called, seated below a canopy with Maat. Ramose himself is twice represented before the throne. This scene probably dates from the period of the building of the first temple to the sun at Thebes, a time when Amon was not yet openly challenged but the worship of Aton (or Aten) was nevertheless taking root.

However on the right-hand rear wall (d) we see a quite new mood. Now the young Pharaoh, who changed his name to Akhenaten only after he setup the new capital, stands with his royal consort Nefretiti (Nefertiti) on a.balcony, while Ramose, depicted in Amarna style and attitude, is being decorated with chams. Though it is still in relief, one can easily recognize the new realism, especially in the portrayal of the Pharaoh and his wife. Compared with the divine incarnation of Amon at (c), here at (d) we see the Pharaoh with belly extended in unflattering truth. Above is the life-giving sun with fourteen rays. Four of them hold symbols of life and happiness. Two support his outstretched arm. Another offers the symbol of life to the nostrils of the queen. Behind is the royal bodyguard. This mural probably dates from the period just before the departure from Thebes and already the thick loins of the Amarna period are apparent, though some of the innovations such

as the higher relief of the attendants in comparison with the rest of the sculpture, has not yet matured. It is a preview of art movement taking shape.

Let us ponder a moment about this so-called 'freedom of artistic expression' under Akhenaten. It does not imply individualism since the state artists worked in teams on approved themes inherited from the early dynasties. They were now freed from this traditionalism, which was encouraged by the priesthood, to do free poses encouraged by the Pharaoh. A swinging walk, relaxed comfort, tender relationships, predominate in the new art.

One theory is that the Amarna period was one of artistic degeneration. But degeneration does not take place overnight, and here in the tomb of Ramose the two art forms coexist. One may compare the stiff, unpainted, precise relief work of the earlier period with the first stages of the new realism. It is a unique opportunity to see the Pharaoh on one wall in perfect, divine immobility and, on the other, as the relaxed and physically imperfect man.

On the upper part of.the left-hand wall (e) is a peculiar juxtaposition of old and new in the group of mourners one of the most expressive and delightful drawings to be found in any tomb. Grief comes down the centuries in a heart-rending funerary convoy. The men carry boxes covered with cooling foliage, a jar of water and

flowers. A group of grieving women turn towards the funeral bier fling their arms about and throw dust in their hair, tears streaming down their cheeks. One woman is supported by a sympathetic attendant. One is so young as to be unclothed. Most of the figures are individual, expressing vaned movements and degrees of grief and are even of different sizes. But the group of five mourners at the center of the group of women are shown as a series of parallel lines behind the front figure. Traditions are not easily broken! Further along the wall women beat their breasts and thighs in grief or squat to gather dust to scatter on their heads.

Another theory about the representations of the Amarna period is that the young Pharaoh reverted to the archaic forms of art that he held so dear. He believed that Amon was but a usurper of the true sun-worship of Ra at Heliopolis and accordingly the proportions of pre-dynastic times were recaptured. The art he encouraged, in the words of Arthur Weigall, was 'a kind of renaissance - return to the classical period of archaic days."

In the doorway leading to the second, unfinished, chamber Ramose appears standing (on the left-hand side) and praying (on the right).

Pictures from the Tomb of Ramose, Luxor Egypt. from the Tombs of the Nobles.

The Complete Tombs of the Nobles

Egypt: Tomb of Amenhotep II Plan - Valley of the Kings part IV

Valley of the Kings, Luxor, Egypt.

This tomb was excavated in1898. The attention of Loret, the French archeologist, was drawn to it by local farmers. It was a remarkable find. For one thing it was the first tomb ever opened in which the Pharaoh was found where he had been laid. Secondly, there was a windfall of mummies in a sealed-off chamber, including nine of royalty. Thirdly, the burial chamber proved to be one of the most beautiful, certainly the most original, in the entire Valley of the Kings. But more important, the tomb was nearly complete and contained a complete and unspoiled set of texts from the Book of the Dead.
The first corridors are rough and undecorated. They lead to a shaft (now bridged), a false burial chamber (J) created to confuse robbers, and finally to the actual tomb chamber (2). This is supported by six pillars and the sarcophagus of the Pharaoh lay in the crypt-like section at the rear. The mummy was festooned and garlanded and the sandstone sarcophagus was all that the grave-robbers had left . Everything else had been ruthlessly plundered.

As one enters the tomb chamber one is immediately struck by the originality and beauty of the decorations. The figures on the columns -for the most part depicting Amenhotep and the gods of the underworld - are outlined in black with only his crown, jewelery, belt and the surrounding decorations in color. The drawing is exquisitely fine and the blue roof is covered with stars. The walls are painted yellow and the traditional religious formulas are so drawn as to give the impression of papyrus texts having been pinned to the walls. There is not too much detail and the use of the pigment is beneficially restrained. As already explained, the Book of the Dead was a development of the magical formulas inscribed on the inside of the coffins of the Middle Kingdom. With the aid of these formulas the deceased would overcome the foes to his eternal
triumph in the underworld. Only with the magic inscriptions could he hope to make his heart (conscience) acceptable in the awesome presence of Osiris when it was weighed against the feather of truth; and only thus could he hope to live securely forever.
On each side of the chamber are two small rooms. Three mummies lay in the first to the right (3), and in the second (4) were nine royal mummies including Thutmose IV, Amenhotep III, Seti II and Ramses IV, Ramses V and Ramses VI. All have been taken to Cairo Museum. Not surprisingly this quickly became known as the
Safety Tomb and this is undoubtedly what the priests had intended it for. When they found that Amenhotep II's tomb had been violated they reasoned that the robbers would not return to its ravaged corridors. In fact they never did. The royal personages remained in peace for centuries.
When Loret excavated the tomb quite a controversy arose as to whether the mummy should be left on site or whether it should be removed with the others to the museum. It was finally agreed that it should remain on site but with an armed guard. Nearly three years later the tomb was rifled when, deliberately or otherwise, the backs of the guards were turned. The mummy of Amenhotep was found on the floor, in a very much poorer condition as a result of delving and prying hands in search of overlooked treasures in the folds of the cloth. There was now no question about it. The mummy of the Pharaoh was placed in Cairo Museum. The marvellous sandstone sarcophagus stands on site.

Egypt: Medinet Habu (Ramses III temple) Plan - Luxor Egypt

Luxor, Egypt 

Medinet Habu Overview: 

Medinet Habu (Ramses III Temple)

Medinet Habu is the name given by the early Christians to a group of buildings dating from the beginning of the 18th Dynasty and continuing right through to Roman times. The original structure was built by Amenhotep
I and was added to by Hatshepsut and Thutmose III who formed it into a small, graceful temple (Plan 14A) . Ramses III built an unusual entrance structure (B) which took the place of the regular entrance pylon and portals of stone. This structure is known as the Pavilion, the name given by the French scholars accompanying Napoleon. Ramses III also built a splendid mortuary temple (C) which is one of the best examples of the smaller type of sanctuaries of the time. Under the Ptolemies and the Romans the temple was enlarged and the complex elaborated. Much of it came to grief following the rise of Christianity. A church was in fact built in the main court. We enter Medinet Habu complex through the pavilion. In front of it are two small watch-towers and a battlement of elevated masonry. It has two upper stories containing several small apartments. Passing through the end gateway we enter an outer court. The 18th Dynasty Temple, begun by Amenhotep I and added to by Hatshepsut and Thutmose III during their co-regency, lies to the right. It was completed during the latter's sole monarchy and bears traces of drastic alteration by both Thutmose II and III, who scraped of fall the queen's original reliefs, especially in the inner chambers. Restorations were made by Haremhab and Seti I to the figures of the deities defaced by Akhenaten. The ancient ground plan was drastically altered in Ptolemaic and Roman times and little of it is distinguishable today.

Medinet Habu Plan

To the left is a small shrine of Amenertais (D) , the mother-in-law of Psemmetikh I,and further back is the main temple of Ramses III.
The mortuary temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu was built on exactly the same plan as the Ramesseum. The paint on the reliefs is well preserved, in some places in nearly perfect condition. This temple grew through successive years and, as the campaigns of Ramses were graphically recorded with its growth, his military exploits can be followed step by step from the rear, or in other words from his last military campaign on the foremost pylon, backwards in time.



First Pylon and First Court of Medinet Habu
The first pylon (Plan) is covered on both sides with representations and inscriptions recording Ramses III's victory over the Libyans in the 11th year of his reign . On the right-hand tower (a) the Pharaoh stands before Amon (to the right) in the traditional pose of dangling enemies by the hair whilst smiting them with a club. The captured lands - circular forts inscribed with the name of the city and mounted on bound enemies - are handed to him by the hawk-headed Montu. Between the grooves for the flagstaffs (to the left) is a similar scene on a smaller scale, and below it is a long poetic description in exaggerated language of the great victory. At the foot of the pylon Amon is seated (to the left) with Ptah standing behind him inscribing the Pharaoh's name on a palm-leaf. The Pharaoh kneels before Amon and receives from him the hieroglyphs for 'jubilee of the reign' suspended on a palm-branch. Thoth writes the kings years on the leaves of the tree.
The left-hand tower of the entrance pylon repeats these scenes and inscriptions.

Passing through the central portal, which is embellished with representations of Ramses III worshiping the various deities, we enter the first court (A) and view an interesting representation on the inner side of the first pylon (b). This is also of the Libyan campaign. The mercenaries who took part are recognizable by their round helmets ornamented with horns. The charioted Pharaoh charges and overthrows the enemy. This court is flanked by covered colonnades, those to the right with colossal statues of the king as Osiris in front of each. The scenes on the side walls repeat the victorious war themes and the triumphant return of the king with his captives to attend the Great Feast of Amon.

Second Pylon and Second Court of Medinet Habu



At the back of the court is the second pylon recording the Pharaoh's battles in the eighth year of his reign, On the left -hand tower (c) he leads three rows of prisoners to Amon and Mut. These prisoners do not have beards, which usually denote Asian peoples, but wear caps adorned with feathers and aprons decorated with
tassels. The right-hand tower (d) has a long series of inscriptions recording Ramses' military triumph over 'the Great League of Sea-Peoples'.
An inclined plane leads us through the granite gateway of the second pylon and into the second court (B), which was the area converted into a church. It was fully cleared of remnants of the Christian period in 1895 and this proved to be one instance where we can thank the early Christians for preserving rather than destroying. For it is due to their having covered the original representations with mud, to avoid distracting the congregation no doubt, that they are in such good condition today. This court is an almost exact replica of the second court of the Ramesseum, both in architectural layout and in the relief drawings. On the back walls of the colonnades are scenes from the life of the Pharaoh including important festivals and warlike deeds.

On the right-hand side of the court (upper rows) are scenes from the Great Festival of the God Min. As in the mural of the Ramesseum, there is a lovely representation including trumpeters, drummers and castanet players. At (e) the Pharaoh is borne on a richly-decorated litter with a canopy from the palace, led by priests and soldiers and followed by his sons and courtiers. At the head of the line (upper row) area trumpeter and a drummer and in the lower row castanet players. At (j) the king sacrifices before the image of Min and offers incense. Then comes a scene of the sacred procession : it starts on the right-hand wall at (g) and continues
around the corner to (11) . Studying the scene from left to right, we see priests, flanked by fan-hearers ; the priests carry the image of Min on a litter. Next more priests with the sacred caskets. Then come the Pharaoh, the sacred white bull of Min, priests, the queen and a procession of priests in two rows carrying standards and images of the Pharaoh and his ancestors. Further to the right the Pharaoh awaits the procession and the priests allow four birds to fly to the four corners of the earth to carry the royal tidings. At (i) the Pharaoh cuts a sheaf of corn with his sickle in the presence of priests and his queen (above). The white bull again appears in front of the Pharaoh and beneath is a series of images of royal ancestors. At (j) the Pharaoh is shown offering incense to the god Min as he stands beneath a canopy.

The colonnade on the left-hand side of the court has scenes from the Festival of Ptah-Sokaris in the upper rows, and the much more interesting war reliefs in the lower divisions on the wall, starting with the inner wall of the second pylon (k) . The first scene shows the Pharaoh attacking the Libyans with his charioteers as he shoots with his bow and the infantry flee in all directions. The mercenaries are in the lower row. The second scene shows him returning from battle with three rows of fettered Libyans before him and two fan-bearers behind. The third scene show's him leading his prisoners of war before Amon and Mut. These are themes we have met before, particularly on the first pylon of Ramses III's little temple in the court of Karnak, but with the addition of an interesting scene in the corner (I). This shows the Pharaoh turning in his chariot to receive four rows of prisoners of war from, amongst other notables, his own sons. Hands and phalluses (uncircumcised) of
the slain are counted.
The rear walls of the terrace (m) and (n) have three rows of representations. In the two upper rows the Pharaoh is shown worshiping various deities. The lowest row depicts the royal princes and princesses.


Great Hypostyle Hall of Medinet Habu

The Great Hypostyle Hall follows . The roof: was originally supported by twenty-four columns in six rows of four, with the eight columns forming the double central row considerably thicker than the others. The wall reliefs show Ramses III in the presence of various deities. Adjoining each side of the hypostyle hall are a series of chambers which stored costly jewels, musical instruments, etc.. Ramses III was the last of the great Pharaohs and also the wealthiest. As he offers the fruits of earlier conquests, coupled with his own, to Arnon one can see that this is no exaggeration. In chamber (o) he presents Amon with papyrus-holders in the form of lions with the Pharaoh's head or kneeling figures of the Pharaoh. In chamber (p) costly vessels, with lids of rams', hawks' ,or Pharaohs' heads, are handed to Amon. Chamber (q) shows the Pharaoh handing Amon
sacks of precious stones and in (r) costly table-services, harps, silver lead and ornaments. Again, in chamber (s) he offers heaps of gold and other precious metals toAmon. The chambers to the right of the hypostyle hall contain mostly sacrificial scenes before the various deities.
Beyond the hypostyle hall are three smaller chambers (C, D and F). The first two have eight columns each and the third has four pillars. The surrounding chambers are dedicated to different deities.

Exterior of Medinet Habu

On the outside of the temple there are important historical reliefs commemorating the wars of Ramses III. Those on the western wall (t) have scenes of the Pharaoh's battle against the Nubians. The actual battle scene, the triumphal procession with captives and the presentation to Amon, are shown. The northern wall has ten scenes from the wars against the Libyans and a naval victory over a northern people. The naval battle (at u) is an extremely animated representation : having alighted from his chariot the Pharaoh shoots against the hostile fleet. Before him are archers. Above him, in the form of a vulture, hovers the goddess of Lower Egypt. One
enemy ship has capsized and the Egyptian vessels -distinguishable by a lion's head on the prow-- are steered by men with large oars whilst the rest of the crew row from benches. There are bound captives inside the ship. Others appear in the lower row. The northern wall (at v) has scenes from the Syrian wars including the storming of a fortress and the presentation of prisoners to Amon and Khonsu.
There is little doubt that these reliefs show a decline in artistic ability . The pain staking detail of Seti I's reliefs is lost. These are cruder in execution and the composition is somewhat lackadaisical compared to the relief work of the 18th Dynasty. There is, however, one relief that reflects artistic inheritance from earlier times. This
is the hunt for deer, wild bull and wild asses in a marshy area,and it can be seen on the southern wall on the back of the first pylon (w). The Pharaoh has already slain one bull which lies on the ground. Others escape into the thicket and the artist has endeavored to create depth by showing the bull hiding between the rushes. As a three-dimensional approach it is extremely effective. On the southern wall (at x) is a festival calendar which includes a list of appointed sacrifices dating from Ramses III's accession to the throne.


Colossi of Memnon at Medinet Habu
Two massive statues, sadly weathered by time and now of no artistic merit, sit in stately isolation in the fertile lower valley of the necropolis. They once formed an impressive entrance to the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III and are solitary relics of his golden era. The mortuary temple itself was probably destroyed by
royal vandals of the 19th Dynasty: Ramses II and his son Merneptah
apparently had no scruples about pillaging the most awe-inspiring temple on the necropolis in order to build one for themselves.
These two statues rise to a height of twenty meters above the plain. They were made of sandstone under the supervision of the Pharaoh's chief architect, Amenhotep son of Hapu, who transported them from the quarries on eight barges along the Nile during the annual flood. The one on the left is in a better stateof repair and shows Amenhotep III seated and flanked by his mother Metamwa and his wife Tiy. A third figure between the legs has been destroyed. On each side of the seat are representations of two Nile-gods winding the papyrus and lotus, symbols of Lower and Upper Egypt, round the hieroglyph for 'unite'.
The Colossi of Memnon were so named by the Romans who believed them to be statues of the legendary son of Aurora, goddess of the dawn. Memnon had slain Antilochus during the Trojan War the latter being the valiant son of Nestor - and had himself finally fallen at the hand of Achilles. The first visitors to the necropolis during the Roman epoch interpreted the strange sounds theyheard emerging fromthe statues at dawn each day as Memnon greeting his mother Aurora.
The myth grew and tourists flocked to see and hear for themselves. The number of Greek and Latin inscriptions, in both prose and verse, on the legs of the statues, attest to each having heard the sound for himself. Some said it was a musical note, others a trumpet blast. Others still said that they could hear voices chanting, or the sound of an angry god. It was a great tourist attraction. The curious were subsequently followed by the eminent. Physicists came-and exploded the myth utterly. It was, they said, the contracting of the stone during the cool nights following expansion during the day that caused a splitting off of particles from the surface.
Be that as it may the sound completely stopped when, in the time of Septimius Severus, the Colossi were repaired and some of the holes were filled in. It has never been heard since.

Egypt : Third Pylon, Pavilion of Sesostris I, Central Court - Complex of Karnak part VI

Karnak Complex, Luxor, Egypt

At the rear of the hypostyle hall is the reconstructed third pylon buill by Amenhotep III.It certainly needs more than a little imagination to reconstruct in the mind's eye the gold and silver inlay, the flagstaffs and splendour of this one-time entrance to the temple. When Amenhotep III was constructing it he was simultaneously finalizing plans for the colonnaded hall at the Luxor temple. Together they formed his most impressive architectural

achievements. Some years ago when soil drain age was being checked to avoid the crumbling of columns from undermining, the pylon was found to contain in its core the ruins of temples and shrines of earlier periods. The task of extracting the inscribed or painted blocks deep in the pylon's foundation , whilst propping up existing walls prior to reconstruction, was and still is, an exacting one. And the matching of the extracted pieces with their partners in pattern and history has been extremely time-consuming. But with the successful removal and complete reconstruction of some of the lost master-pieces, these labors have received their supreme reward. The Pavilion of Sesotris I, a 12th Dynasty structure erected for the Jubilec of the Pharaoh, is the earliest structure at Karnak today. Its blocks were rescued from obscurity and reassembled just north of the main temple to Amon within the girdle-wall, where it can be seen by special permission. The walls of the pavilion are made of fine limestone, and the reliefs, minutely and precisely carved in high relief, are amongst the finest to be found in Luxor. They show the restraint and austerity typical of the Middle Kingdom when the work was unencumbered by too much detail.The simple shrine consists of twenty-four columns and the pedestal on which the Amon barge was placed to let the priestly bearers rest. It has been decided that the original site was on one side of the paved thorough-fare leading from Karnak temple to Luxor temple.A shrine which can be traced to the reigns of Amenhotep I, Thutmose II and Thutmose IV was also found in the third pylon and has been reconstructed immediately to the north of the Pavilion of Sesostris. It is made of alabaster. Since this was a medium used mainly for statues and offering-tables it is not often that we find a shrine or temple in alabaster. It is small, simple, of beautiful proportions and in nearly perfect condition. On the right-hand of the inner wall is a particularly lovely representation of the Pharaoh kneeling before a table of offerings.
Also extracted from Amenhotep's third pylon are finely inscribed granite blocks that must once have been a dramatic structure in red and black, built by Queen Hatschepsut. Her figure, carved in low relief, has not been defaced.

One cannot help wondering why temples and shrines were dismantled and used for new constructions. Akhenaten's temple to Aten is easily explained because with his passing the worship of Amon was reinstated and reference to sun-worship was obliterated. But why should the exquisite temple of Sesostris have been hidden in a pylon? And the temple of Hatschcpsut? Because she was a woman and not recognized as a Pharaoh of Egypt, despite her beard, male dress and attempts to prove her divine origin? Then why should the small and exquisite alabaster shrine have been destined for the same fate? The illustrious Amenhotep the Magnificent could hardly have been short of raw material.
In the Central Court of the temple is the last survivor of four obelisks erected in pairs by Thutmose I under the faithful guidance of his chief architect, Ineni, who brought them from the granite quarries of Aswan. There are three vertical inscriptions on each face of this obelisk: the central one dedicated by Thutmose I himself, the other two additions by Ramses IV and VI.

The Temple of Luxor- Part VI, Birth Room

Luxor, Egypt.

Several small chambers surround the sanctuary, including what has become known as the Birth Room. Though in poor condition the murals are of special interest because they depict the birth of Amenhotep III.

The Egyptian Pharaoh was the embodiment of Horus, the son of Ra or Amon. But he had, in addition,to be of direct royal lineage through his father and royal consort. If, as in the case of Amenhotep III , whose mother was not of royal Egyptian blood, his accession was not considered legitimate, he could overcome this difficulty by marrying a sister of royal lineage. Amenhotep did not do this. It was necessary for him therefore to consolidate his monarchy in other respects . Queen Hatschepsut had already shown him how. In her mortuary temple she depicted how she ruled by divine right of Amon and was,in fact, a direct descendant of the Sun God Amon-Ra. In his temple at Luxor Amenhotep also showed that he was the son of the divine, begotten of Amon and born under the protection of the gods.

The story of the birth room is depicted in three rows on the left hand wall. From left to right in the lower row the god Khnum moulds two infants,Amenhotep and his guardian spirit or ka, and fashions them on a potter's wheel. The goddess Isis sits opposite.

Amenhotep's mother is embraced by Isis in the presence of Amon.

In the center row Amon is led by the ibis-headed god of wisdom to the queen's bedchamber where he approaches her to beget the child already molded by Khnum. The pregnancy and confinement are attended by Bes and Thoueris, the patron deities of childbirth.After the delivery Amon stands with the child in his arms in the presence of Hathor and Mut. On the much-damaged top row are the suckling of the infant king, his guardian spirits, and his presentation to Amon by Horus who promises him 'millions of years like Ra ' . In the corner the grown Amenhotep stands as king.

In all other reliefs of this chamber Amenhotep is blessed by the various deities.

The Temple of Luxor - Part V, Hypostyle Hall

Luxor, Egypt.
Adjoining the court to the south is the Hypostyle Hall, comprising gigantic columns arranged in four rows of eight columns each. The hall stands today as a somewhat cheerless ruin, though the walls still have reliefs of Amenhotep III before the Theban deities. The columns bear the cartouches of Ramses IV, Ramscs VI, Ramses II and SetiI, mentioning the repairs carried out in their respective reigns.
To the left of the hypo-style hall stands an altar bearing Latin inscriptions dedicated to the Emperor Augustus . Adjoining the rear wall(to left and right) are two small shrines, one to Mut and one to Khonsu. The section leading off the rear originally had eight columns, which were removed when the area was converted into a church. The doorway to the sanctuary was walled into a curved recess flanked by two granite Corinthian columns,and the exquisite 18th Dynasty reliefs were plastered over and painted with Christian themes. In places where the stucco has fallen off one can see the reliefs of Amenhotepbeneath.

The Temple of Luxor - Part IV, Court of Amenhotep III

Luxor, Egypt.

South of the colonnade is theCourt of Amenhotep III (C). To the left of the entrance are three seared statues of Ramses II ,Amon and Mut. The court has a double row of columns on each side and is a fine example of the architecture of Egypt's golden age. The columns arc of exquisite pro portion. They have clustered papyrus bud capitals and are in a good state of repair. The doorway through which we have just passed was the entrance to the temple in Amenhotep lll's reign and the sphinx-lined avenue commenced from this point.

Temple of Luxor Part I

Amenhotep III , the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh and great-grandson of the military genius Thutmose III ,built the temple of Luxor close to the banks of the Ni1e just south of the city. Though by this time Egyptian military power was past its peak, economic conditions within the capital were sound. Trade was flourishing with wealth pouring in from the distant provinces of the empire, which comprised almost all West Asia including Palestine, Syria, Phoenicia and the western part of the Euphrates, Nubia and Libya. Extravagant caravans brought gold and silver, metal ware, ivory and timber, spices for the royal taste and strange and exotic animals to roam in private gardens. The temples were bursting with tributes, walls and columns were encrusted with richness and colour, feasts and festivals were bountiful, the pace was brisk, the mood content. Amenhotep ruled in splendour with relatively little to concern him politically apart from a Nubian revolt which was quickly quelled. His Asian supremacy was unchallenged and he was confident that his armies were strong enough to maintain his foreign empire. At home his viziers took care of all matters of state and held the reins of power in their able hands.
Advantage was taken of slave labour from Nuubia and Asia, and Amenhotep imbued traditional architecture with new lite both by enlarging and embellishing existing temples and also by building new ones. Apart from the Luxor temple he completed the temple to Mut, in the great Karnak triad, which had been begun by his ancestors, giving it grace and elegance. Size was no deterrent, as can be gauged from the statues at the entrance to his mortuary temple on the necropolis, now known as the Colossi of Memnon.
This was perhaps the most trouble-free time in Egyptian history. Egypt was united , the nightmare rule of the Hyksos was no more than a bad memory. The empire was expansive, slave labor cheap, wealth abundant and Amenhotep had every reason to be the most carefree of Pharaohs. He raised his bow to beasts and fowl on his native soil where his ancestors had raised theirs to the enerny on alien lands . His wife, Queen Tiy, was very beautiful and c1early loved by the Pharaoh, as she is depicted in name or person a always at his side and far more frequently than was usual for royal wives of earlier rulers.
In the circumstances it is not surprising that Amenhotep, architecturally active and emotionally content, should have developed an interest in horticulture. Near his palace on the necropolis his enormous artificial lake,over 1, 7 00 meters long and 500wide,was surrounded by luxuriant foliage. Between the temple of Luxor and that of Karnak he laid out beautiful gardens, lining the avenue with rams carved in stone,each with a statue of himself between its forepaws. The effect must have been one of overwhelming grandeur as solemn processions and dazzling ceremonies passed along this splendid avenue.
At Karnak Amenhotep III continued the new theme in architecture: the pylon, a huge stone tower sloping inwards from the base. A pylon stood on each side of the entrance to the temple. Thebes was never to know berter; bigger, maybe, but never better.
Because the temple of Luxor, like that of Karnak and in fact like most other temples throughout Egypt, was built nor by a single architect or according to a uniform plan, but reflected the ideas and whims of many successive rulers, it is necessary before describing the first pylon, which was actually the last addition to the temple, to have some idea of how it developed, underwent alteration, appropriation, calculated destruction and , finally, excavation.
The temple was constructed on the site of as mall temple to Arnon built by the Pharaohs of the 12th Dynasty. Amenhotep III had his architects rebuild the modest original sanctuary which was as always the first part of the temple to be built, renovate the surrounding chambers and design a forecourt of fine, slender colonnades. It is this court, with its clustered papyrus bud columns, that can be seen from the Nile and that gives the temple its special character.
It was planned along traditional lines. Like all Egyptian temples it had a sanctuary or Holy of Holies with surrounding chambers, a large colonnaded hall- the hypostyle hall -and an open court. A second court was also planned but only the huge columns of the nave were erected before the death of the Pharaoh. His son Amenhotep IV, who later became known as Akhenaten and transferred the roval residence to Tel el Amarna, was far too hostile towards. Amon to complete the work. At his time the temple was only 190 metres long and 55metres wide at its greatest span. Three small granite shrines, which had been erected by Thutmose III, stood opposite the entrance.
And then came the first of a long series of changes. During the religious revolution under Amenhotep IV the temple was stripped of the images and names of the ancient deities, especially those relating to Amon, who even disappeared from the divine sign that included the name of the Pharaoh , the oval cartouch.
Akhenaten's successor, Tutankhamun, transferred the royal residence back to Thebes. The wall reliefs of the Luxor temple were inscribed with his name only to be changed again to that of his successor Harmhab. It was probably Tutankhamun who had the walls erected on each side of the columns of the unfinished court. and had the inner surfaces inscribed with reliefs. In the 19th Dynasty Seti I made a concerted effort to continue the restoration of the worship of Amon but added nothing to the temple's architecture. The major alterations were left to that great Pharaonic builder and most celebrated of Egyptian kings, Ramses II . His large colonnaded court was placed before the temple of his ancestors and he usurped the shrines of Thutmose III, altering the reliefs to bear his own name . He also erected a massive pylon , two obelisks and six colossal statues of himself at the northern end of the temple. Thus forming an impressive entrance to the whole complex. The temple was now 260 meters long.
Few further alterations took place until the advent of Christianity, when the entire area between the sanctuary and the hypo-style hall was converted into a church complete with altar in one of the enclosed chambers at the further end. The wall re presentations were plastered over and where the plaster has fallen off we can see a jig-saw of Christian saints and ancient gods.
One of the chambers adjoining the sanctuary,which was restored by Alexander the Great, was inhabited by the engineer who supervised the transportation of the pink granite obelisk from the entrance of the temple to the Place de la Concorde in Paris.