Temple of Amun, Jebel Barkal
Northern State, Sudan | |
Region | Nubia |
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Coordinates | 18°32′7″N 31°49′50″E / 18.53528°N 31.83056°E |
Type | Sanctuary |
Part of | Jebel Barkal |
History | |
Builder | Probably Thutmose III |
Founded | 13th century BC |
Arab States |
The Temple of Amun is an archaeological site at
History
Construction of the temple occurred in the 13th century BC.
Architecture and fittings
The first Amun temple at this location, built under the rule of Thutmose III, was a mud brick structure. The earliest mention of this temple is in Thutmose III Jebel Barkal
After the death of Akhenaten, the temple was once again redone, this time under the rule of Tutankhamun and Horemheb. Increasing the length of the original temple, the old pylon was replaced with a white sandstone talatat block pylon with an additional open court. Another notable improvement to the temple was the green glazed titles that were added to the roof and floor under the portico in front of the pylon. These tiles highlight the importance this temple had and how important the cult of Amun was.
During the Nineteenth Dynasty reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, the structure included the Second and Third Pylons, a hypostyle court, a hall with annexes, a chapel, and a pronaos and naos complex.[4] Additions included a second temple behind a pylon, another courtyard, probably without pillars, and several chapels. Ramesses II father, Seti I, is believed to have started these additions to the temple, and was also responsible for the 10 columns that replaced the porticos.
A notable temple renovation and enlargement, attributed to Piye, occurred in three stages. First, the old temple was strengthened by a wall and another small portico. For the second step, a large hall with 50 columns, was built. Only the pillars, foundation walls, and entrances were made of sandstone, the remaining walls were of unbaked bricks. Lastly, Piye built a large farm, which was also decorated with columns. The court and the portico each had its own pylon. The whole temple complex became over 150 metres (490 ft) long. The expansion of the temple was to show the success of his conquest of Egypt around 740 BCE. North of the First Pylon, a cache of statues was excavated, which included the headless statue of Tantamani (known also by his Amon name, "Tenutamon"), Taharqa's successor.[citation needed]
Many rulers built additional stele, decorated walls or put up statues in the temple. As the religious center was important to both Egyptians and Nubians, Thutmose III stele contains the inscription, "Home of Amun and the Throne of the Two Lands";[10] found at the Amun temple, it is now at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. There are stelea attributed to Horemheb and Seti I. Taharqa built ten colossal figures. Tantamani erected a small shrine in the portico. In the first courtyard, there are pillars attributed to Piye and Harsiotef.
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Map from the 1916 Harvard-Boston Museum Expedition at Jabel Barkal
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Ground plan of the Temple of Amun.
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Ruins of the Temple of Amun at Jebel Barkal.
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Amun temple of Jebel Barkal, originally built during the Egyptian New Kingdom but greatly enhanced by Piye
Artifacts in museums
Many major artifacts were excavated in 1916 by the
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Barkal statues excavated in 1916
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Colossal statue of KingBoston Museum of Fine Arts.[13]
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Stela of pharaoh Thutmose III, found at Amun Temple at Barkal, now at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
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QueenAmanimalil, discovered in 1916
References
- ^ UNESCO/CLT/WHC. "Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region". UNESCO. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ISBN 9780856689277. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ White, Jamila. "Wonders: City of Jebel Barkal - BLACK KINGDOMS OF THE NILE EPISODE". PBS. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-90-04-12306-9. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ Smith, Stuart Tyson. "The Cities". University of California, Santa Barbara. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ Lockyer, Sir Norman (1911). Nature (Public domain ed.). Macmillan Journals Limited. pp. 517–. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-4259-4496-4. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ^ Nederhof, Mark-Jan (June 8, 2009). "Gebel Barkal stela of Tuthmosis III" (PDF). Egyptian Readingbook. Ares Publishers.
- ^ needs citation
- ISBN 978-1-4381-3180-1. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-135-01457-5.
- ^ "Statue of King Aspelta". collections.mfa.org.
- ^ "Statue of King Aspelta". collections.mfa.org.
Further reading
- Dunham, Dows: The Barkal Temples. Excavated by George Andrew Reisner. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, 1970.
- Kendall, Timothy: "Excavations at Gebel Barkal, 1996. Report of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Sudan Mission". In: Kush. 17, 1997, ISSN 0075-7349, pp. 320–354.
Sources
- Kendall, Timothy. A Visitor's Guide to The Jebel Barkal Temples (PDF).