Ancient Art And Architecture

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Temple architecture : There are two kinds of temple architecture, cult temples, and funerary or mortuary temples. They accomedated the images of dieties, the recipients of the daily cult ; the latter was the shrines for the funerary of the dead kings.

Cult temples : It is generally thought that the Egyptian temple of the Dynastic Period owed most to the cult of the sun god Re at Heliopolis. The temple of Re was probably open to plan and lacked a shrine. Sun temples were unique among cult temples ; worship was centered on a cult object, the benbenwhich was a squat obelisk place in full sunlight. A reception pavilion at the desert edge was connected by a covered corridor on a causeway to the open court of the temple hight on the desert, within that stood the benben of limestone and a huge alabaster alter.

Temple at Luxor : The most satifying and certainly the most beautiful is the Luxor Temple started by Amenhotep III of the 18th dynasty the origional design consists of an imposing open court w/ columnades of graceful lotus columes, a smaller offering hall, a shrine for the cerimonial boat of the god, an inner sanctuary for the cult image, and a room in which the devine birth of the king was celebrated.

The approach to the temple was made by a columnadeof huge columes with open papyrus-flower capitals, planned by Amenhotep III but decorated with fascinating processional reliefs under Tutankhamen and horemheb.in addition there were storage chambers for the temple equipment, and sometimes a crypt. Outside the temples were lakes or at least wells for the water needed in rituals.

Temple of Abu Simbel : The most remarkable monument of Ramsey II, the great builder, is undoubtedly the Temple of Abu Simbel. Although activated...