More than 700 photographs and line illustrations documenting the ancient Egyptian temples of Karnak • A magnificent excursion that explores the monuments, ruins, statues, and bas-reliefs from the ancient and highly developed civilization of Egypt • The only complete photographic record available of this important acheological treasure • Contains 600 photographs by two top French award-winning photographers This book is a magnificent excursion led by R. A. Schwaller de Lubicz to the monuments, ruins, statues, and bas-reliefs of the temples of Karnak. With nearly 600 photographs by Georges and Valentine de Mire, more than 450 of which are full-page plates, this volume is the only complete photographic record of this important historic site. Because of recent vandalism many of the artifacts are no longer intact, and it is no longer possible to see many of the details captured in these images. This promenade through the temples of Karnak reveals the remains of a world devoted to an unimpeachable faith in the afterlife, a faith whose conviction seems to have exalted its builders and artists, as was the case for several brief centuries with those who constructed the cathedrals of the Middle Ages. One did not work at fashioning these stones, nor were these works sculpted under someone's strict authority; here it was necessary to act out of the heart. Every gesture in the depictions, every arrangement in the buildings, is a hieroglyph from the symbolic language of the sages who spoke to spirit and consciousness.
The first publication in English to provide an in-depth examination including illustrations of the historical developments of the famous temple site Karnak, from its early shrine to the greatest state temple of Ancient Eygpt's mighty empire.
Temple of Karnak: The Majestic Architecture of Ancient Kemet, published (2011) by SuMon Publishers is an updated and expanded version of an earlier issue offering readers a comprehensive artistic, historical and esoteric insight into this important religious structure instrumental in the history of imperial Egypt/Kemet. The Temple of Karnak is a full-length English language book on the ancient world's grandest home of a deity, still standing despite its many man-made and natural challenges. Insightfully, it depicts the historical, pictographic, architectural and archaeological adventures of a temple 2000 years in the making; that today, 2000 years later, still exudes and evokes much of the ancient mysticism, spirituality and awe-inspiring esotericism. Together with more than 400 photographs, illustrations and plans highlighting the more salient features of this divinely inspired complex of temples, readers are treated to an extensive bibliography in English to encourage further research on this architectural museum, making it an indispensible read and therefore a welcome addition to any library collection. It supplies readers with both photographic imagery and textual survey of a quintessential Middle and New Kingdom temple, home of the national God Amon-Ra, 'King of the Gods, ' 'Father of the Gods, ' ancient Egyptians considered the 'Throne of the World.' Encompassing two poems to Amon-Ra and the temple itself; a 'Why and Wherefore' of the philosophy of ancient Egyptian religion manifesting at Karnak; a compendium of famous writers' insights; a detailed description of the principal features of the temple in the ascent towards the 'holy of holies' and beyond; including a selection of some of the choicest pieces of 'talatat art' from the Open Air Museum; making it "a book you can take to the temple!" As such, it highlights important features before and beyond the entrance pylon; provides a photographic depiction of the Hypostyle Hall's temple ritual and its architectural columnar majesty; depicts the Wars of Seti I; points to Thutmose III's Festival Temple the Akh Menu's tent pole columns; features Rameses II's "Girdle Wall" illustrations; and includes images highlighting points of principal interest, viz., sphinxes, pylons, colonnades, obelisks, statues, the sacred lake, courts, axes, temples, walls, decorations, etc., and includes names of people associated with the site, all making The Temple of Karnak, a fact-filled and useful work. A "second take" on principal segments of the monuments with separate bibliography that extends the source of reference; contributes to further understanding of this magnificent and complex piece of religious architecture. All in all, it's not simply a historic description of the structure but also an indispensable Travel Guide heightening the adventure and significantly complementing any visit to the temple. Photos enliven the experience and reinforce the rich heritage of the monuments while including items the casual visitor never sees. Finally, the traveler, the specialist, student and lay person, can all benefit from this work that should be in any library collection on Ancient Kemet/Egypt. Frederick Monderson, an African historian and Egyptologist, has written extensively on ancient Egypt. He can be reached at SuMon Publishers PO Box 160347, Brooklyn, New York 11216, or, [email protected][email protected][email protected][email protected]
Most of the "wonders" of our ancient past have come down to us unencumbered by written information. In particular, this is the case of the Great Pyramid of Giza and of many other ancient Egyptian monuments. However, there is no doubt as to the interest of their builders in the celestial cycles: the "cosmic order" was indeed the true basis of the pharaoh's power. This book takes the reader on a chronological journey through ancient Egypt to explore the relationship between astronomy, landscape, and power during the most flourishing periods of ancient Egyptian civilization. Using the lens of archaeoastronomy, Giulio Magli reexamines the key monuments and turning points of Egyptian architecture and history, such as the solar deification of King Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid, the Hatshepsut reign, and the Amarna revolution.
"After reviewing the topography of the site, the Strudwicks recount the history of Thebes from the city's rise in the late Old Kingdom to the peak of its power in the New Kingdom and to its gradual decline in the Graeco-Roman period.
This book contains the first published results of Schwaller's 12 years of research at the temple of Luxor and its implications for interpreting the symbolic and mathematical processes of the Egyptians through their sacred architecture.
The royal necropolis of New Kingdom Egypt, known as the Valley of the Kings (KV), is one of the most important--and celebrated--archaeological sites in the world. Located on the west bank of the Nile river, about three miles west of modern Luxor, the valley is home to more than sixty tombs, all dating to the second millennium BCE. The most famous of these is the tomb of Tutankhamun, first discovered by Howard Carter in 1922. Other famous pharaoh's interred here include Hatshepsut, the only queen found in the valley, and Ramesses II, ancient Egypt's greatest ruler. Much has transpired in the study and exploration of the Valley of the Kings over the last few years. Several major discoveries have been made, notably the many-chambered KV5 (tomb of the sons of Ramesses II) and KV 63, a previously unknown tomb found in the heart of the valley. Many areas of the royal valley have been explored for the first time using new technologies, revealing ancient huts, shrines, and stelae. New studies of the DNA, filiation, cranio-facial reconstructions, and other aspects of the royal mummies have produced important and sometimes controversial results. The Oxford Handbook of the Valley of the Kings provides an up-to-date and thorough reference designed to fill a very real gap in the literature of Egyptology. It will be an invaluable resource for scholars, teachers, and researchers with an interest in this key area of Egyptian archaeology. First, introductory chapters locate the Valley of the Kings in space and time. Subsequent chapters offer focused examinations of individual tombs: their construction, content, development, and significance. Finally, the book discusses the current status of ongoing issues of preservation and archaeology, such as conservation, tourism, and site management. In addition to recent work mentioned above, aerial imaging, remote sensing, studies of the tombs' architectural and decorative symbolism, problems of conservation management, and studies of KV-related temples are just some of the aspects not covered in any other work on the Valley of the Kings. This volume promises to become the primary scholarly reference work on this important World Heritage Site.
Egyptologist Jack A. Josephson, a writer and researcher in the tradition of the gentleman scholar, has achieved broad recognition as an authority in Egyptian art history. His lucid investigative analyses have probed and redefined the limits of inquiry, expanded research parameters, and broadened perspectives, emphasizing the undeniable contributions of art history in an intra-disciplinary framework. This volume of collected essays is dedicated to Josephson by distinguished friends and colleagues, a select roster including eminent, established scholars in the field of Egyptology and rising stars of the younger generation. Josephson views Egyptian art history as a critical but neglected area of study, and is a strong proponent of its reinstatement in the academic curriculum as an essential component in the formation of new cadres. The quality of the articles in this Egyptological medley is a tribute to the honoree and an affirmation of the esteem of his peers, while the range of subjects and variety of themes addressed reflect the degree to which he has, in his own scholarship, undertaken to implement his ideal.
