History of Western Architecture | W 03

Introduction

Egyptian Temple Types

• History of their development
• Beliefs and Rituals
• Materials and Techniques

Examples for the session

• Temples of Khons, Karnak
• The temple of Abu Simbel
 Egyptian History | Timeline
EARLY FIRST SECOND
DYNASTIC INTERMEDIATE INTERMEDIAT
PERIOD E PERIOD
King Den's Sandal Stela of Kamose: flat
Jasper weight with
Label (1st Dynesty) stone slab with texts
the cartouche of
& images inscribed, in
Nebkaure Khety
which Kamose taunts
the Hyksos King, Ipepi

1630 - 1539/1523
4300-3000 B.C.E. 3000 - 2675 B.C.E. 2675 - 2130 B.C.E 2130 - 1980 B.C.E. 1980 - 1630 B.C.E. B.C.E) 1539 - 1075 B.C.E.
PRE DYNASTIC OLD KINGDOM MIDDLE NEW
KINGDOM KINGDOM

Egyptian clay vessel The Blunted, Bent, Guardian Figure : Head of Amenhotep
False, or Rhomboidal Amenemhat II or II, from the cachette
Sphinx temple Giza Pyramid, built by King Senwosret II figure of Karnak temples,
(2575–c. 2465 BCE) Snefru in the 4th
wearing the red crown Egypt.
dynasty.
of Lower Egypt.
 Egyptian History | Timeline
LATE PERIOD LATE PERIOD–
PTOLEMAIC
PERIOD
King Den's Sandal
Inlays and Shrine
Label (1st Dynasty)
Elements: In temples,
statues of Egyptian
gods were housed in
small shrines

1075 - 656 B.C.E. 664 - 332 B.C.E. 332 - 305 B.C.E. 305 - 30 B.C.E. 30 B.C.E. - 642 C.E.

THIRD MACEDONIAN ROMAN & BYZANTINE EMPIRE

INTERMEDIAT PERIOD
E PERIOD
Ram-headed Amun- Alexander the Great
Ra, Ashmolean, and his successors
Oxford
Egyptian Religion

Egyptian religion was a combination of beliefs and practices

DK Publishing Inc & Smithsonian Institution. (2020), p. 26

which, in the modern day, would include Egyptian
mythology, science, medicine, psychiatry, magic,
spiritualism, herbology, as well as the modern
understanding of 'religion' as belief in a higher power and a
life after death.

The tomb of the astronomer and scribe Nakht, who lived

around 1400 BCE, is decorated with magnificent paintings
depicting scenes from life at that time. Here he hunts birds
in a papyrus thicket, watched by his wife and three children.

Ancient Egyptian Religion: How were the Ancient Egyptian

Gods and Goddesses Worshipped? Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvZxqD4e4iU&t=26s
function

https://royalhistsoc.org/grants/pp/50-ancient-egyptian-frieze/
Temples were seen as dwellings for deities. They also fulfilled many other functions making them a
centre of daily life of the city or town and thus the heart of the community!

Egyptian tomb wall-painting, British Library |

Commercial Meeting place for Centre for learning Public place to gather,
centres part of Government scriptures and to linger and to ‘dwell’
daily trade conducting business education
egypt.org/history/old-kingdom/5th-dynasty/niuserre/solar-temple-of-

Egyptian temple typology

Solar Temple of Niuserre at Abu Gorab | http://www.ancient-

Two principal kinds of temples—cult temples and funerary or mortuary temples. The
former accommodated the images of deities, the recipients of the daily cult; the latter
were the shrines for the funerary cults of dead kings.

“mansions of Gods”

“mansions of millions of years”

niuserre.html

Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut in Egypt |

https://www.istockphoto.com/illustrations/temple-of-hatshepsut
creation myth

The sun rises from the mound of creation at the

beginning of time. The central circle represents the
mound, and the three orange circles are the sun in
different stages of its rising. At the top is the
“horizon” hieroglyph with the sun appearing atop
it. At either side are the goddesses of the north
and south, pouring out the waters that surround
the mound. The eight stick figures are the gods of
the Ogdoad, hoeing the soil. “The Creation of the
World,” detail in the Book of the Dead of
Khensumose, c. 1075–945 B.C.E., Twenty-first
Dynasty (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)
materials & techniques

Large temples built of stone for longer life. Brick may have
been used for smaller temples with limestone. There is
evidence in the remaining old empire structures that wood
may have been preferred material earlier.
The boundary wall was built with brick (crude)
The pylons were in stone or plastered
All interior surfaces were decorated, often with painted
murals
The form of the building resonates a rising mound section
(the mound of creation)
Temple complexes were developed over a long period of
time, added on and expanded by successive Pharaohs,
regular maintenance also performed
 Temple of Khons, Karnak

Khonsu (Also known as Khons Khensu, Khuns).

• Khonsu was the son of Amun and Mut, with whom he formed the
Theban triad.
• A moon God, believed to have the ability to drive out evil spirits.
• One of the most important temples of the New Empire (the great
temple, the southern or temple of Khonsu), showing the ideal or
popular layout
• Temple at Karnak built by Ramesses III of the 12th dynasty: (1186-
1155 BC)
• Modest size: approximately 70 by 30 meters
Temple of Khonsu
Components of Egyptian Temple
an approach avenue of sphinxes
Pylon
Peristyle Hall/ Court
Hypostyle Hall
Offering chamber
Shrine: the benben, a squat obelisk
placed in full sunlight or ceremonial
boat/ other cult image
a number of chapels (including one at
roof level)
Maybe storage & crypt (later
examples)
 Temple of Khonsu

https://arce.org/project/conservation-field-school-temple-khonsu/
Barque Shrine Obelisk (Thutmose III) Pylon

Chapel 6 east wall Polychrome relief in Chapel 12 Chapel 12

Karnak & Khonsu

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beautiful_Festival_of_the_Vall
• Rise of priests of Amun to power, depicted in murals
and polychromes inside the chapels: The priests of
Amun were responsible for the worship and
maintenance of the temple complex at Karnak, and

ey#/media/File:Tomb_of_Nakht_(6).jpg
they wielded significant political and economic
influence as a result of their close association with
the pharaohs.
• Beautiful Festival of the Valley: held annually to
honor the god Amun and his consort Mut. Involved
a procession of the Theban Triad (Amun, Mut, and
Khonsu) from Karnak to the Valley of the Kings,
where the spirits of the deceased pharaohs were
believed to reside. The festival allowed the living to
commune with their loved ones in the afterworld.
The Beautiful Festival of the Valley depicted in the
Tomb of Nakht
 Temples of Abu Simbel, Aswan

Rock cut, subterranean or grotto temple type

• Carved out of a sandstone cliff on the west bank of the Nile
• dedicated to the sun gods Amon-Re and Re-Horakhte
• Sculptures: 20-metre seated figures of Ramses are set against the recessed
face of the cliff, two on either side of the entrance to the main temple.
Carved around their feet are small figures representing Ramses’ children,
his queen, Nefertari, and his mother, Muttuy (Mut-tuy, or Queen Ti).
• Temple reproduces in the native rock, the main features of structural
temples
• Significantly vast façade with very little usable interior space behind it
• On two days of the year (about February 22 and October 22), the first rays
of the morning sun penetrate the whole length of the temple and
illuminate the shrine in its innermost sanctuary.
Temples of Abu Simbel,

https://etc.usf.edu/clipart/59100/59164/59164_abu_simbelhs.htm
Aswan
an approach avenue of sphinxes
Pylon
Peristyle Hall/ Court
Hypostyle Hall
Offering chamber
Shrine
a number of chapels
storage & crypt
 Temples of Abu Simbel, Aswan

https://etc.usf.edu/clipart/59100/59162/59162_abu_simbelcs.htm In most rock-temples a court, which is sometimes hewn out of the

rock, or a covered vestibule forms the entrance, which opens into an
entrance-hall, with smaller chamber beyond, in which pillars or
columns are introduced according to the exigencies of the case.
 Temples of Abu Simbel, Aswan

https://etc.usf.edu/clipart/59100/59164/59164_abu_simbelhs.htm
middle passage is made more imposing by the arrangement of elevating the columns in the
middle, and how at the same time a means is contrived of lighting the whole hall by the raised
side-lights.
 https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15454/abu-simbel-interior-of-the-temple-of-
Temples of Abu Simbel,
Aswan
The hypostyle hall of the Temple of Ramesses II at Abu
Simbel is 18 m (59 ft) long and 16.7 m (55 ft) wide and is
supported by eight massive pillars depicting the deified
Ramesses linked to the god Osiris.

The temple's interior is decorated with engravings showing

Ramesses and Nefertari paying homage to the gods and
bas-reliefs depicting the Battle of Kadesh in which the
Egyptian king fought against the Hittites.

In the sanctuary inside the Temple of Ramesses II (Great

Temple) at Abu Simbel are rock-cut sculptures of four seated
figures: Ra-Horakhty, the deified king Ramesses, and the

ramesses-ii/
gods Amun Ra and Ptah.
 Temples of Abu Simbel, Aswan

https://www.worldhistory.org/image/15452/abu-simbel-interior-of-the-temple-
The Temple of Hathor or "Small Temple" was constructed during the reign of Ramesses II (c.
1279 - c. 1213 BCE). It was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Queen Nefertari, Ramesses'
favourite wife.

of-hathor/
 Temples of Abu Simbel, Aswan

https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9379/bas-relief-inscriptions-at-abu-simbel-
Details of bas-relief and inscriptions of one of the holes of the Great Temple.

great-temple/
 objects & symbols

Find one object (for rituals), symbol of religion, architectural element or a

particular painting/ wall mural to conduct in-depth study of the Temple
culture in Egypt. No repetition among the students allowed.
Resources
• University of Memphis (n.d.). Timeline of Ancient Egypt, Dating Egyptian History.
https://www.memphis.edu/egypt/resources/timeline.php
• Department of Egyptian Art. “List of Rulers of Ancient Egypt and Nubia.” In Heilbrunn Timeline of
Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/phar/hd_phar.htm (October 2002)
• World History Encyclopedia. (2020, Sep 29). Ancient Egyptian Religion: How were the Ancient
Egyptian Gods and Goddesses Worshipped? [Video] YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvZxqD4e4iU&t=26s
• DK Publishing Inc & Smithsonian Institution. (2020). History of the world in 1 000 objects (Second
American). DK Publishing.
• Calvert, A. Dr. (2022, Apr 15). "Creation myths and form(s) of the gods in ancient Egypt," in
Smarthistory, accessed July 26, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/creation-myths-and-forms-of-the-
gods-in-ancient-egypt/.
• http://wayback.archive-
it.org/7877/20160919172016/http://dlib.etc.ucla.edu/projects/Karnak/experience/ConstructionM
ethodsAndBuildingMaterials/1
Resources
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/ancient-Egyptian-religion/The-cult
• https://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-met/collection-areas/egyptian-art
• https://socks-studio.com/2015/02/21/simmetry-and-alignments-the-temple-of-horus-in-edfu/
• Wilson J. A. (1971). The culture of ancient Egypt. Chicago and London: The University of Chicago
Press. https://isac.uchicago.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/shared/docs/culture.pdf
• Mark, J. J. (2016, January 20). Ancient Egyptian Religion. World History Encyclopedia. Retrieved
from https://www.worldhistory.org/Egyptian_Religion/
• Florida Center for Instructional Technology. (n.d.). Egyptian Architecture.
https://etc.usf.edu/clipart/galleries/99-egyptian-architecture
• Britannica. (n.d.). Egyptian Art and Architecture: Temple architecture.
https://www.britannica.com/art/Egyptian-art/Temple-architecture
• Facts and Details. (September 2018). Ancient Egyptian Temples: Components, Construction,
Materials and Decorations.
https://factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub403/item1950.html#chapter-4
Resources
• http://www.historyshistories.com/egypt-temples.html
• https://www.worldhistory.org/Abu_Simbel/
• http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/festival.htm
• Britannica. (n.d.). Explore the ancient ruins of the Karnak Temple Complex in Egypt.
https://www.britannica.com/video/179813/Overview-temple-complex-Karnak-Egypt
• https://discoveringegypt.com/karnak-temple/karnak-temple-of-khonsu/
• https://discoveringegypt.com/rebuilding-ancient-egyptian-temples-in-3d/3d-reconstruction-of-
luxor-temple/
• https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/exploringarchitectureandlandscape/chapter/temple-of-khons/