|
Egypt Art and Architecture in the New Kingdom
As historian Cyril Aldred has said, the civilization of the
New Kingdom seems the most golden of all the epochs of Egyptian
history, perhaps because so much of its wealth remains. The rich
store of treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamen (1347-1337 B.C.)
gives us a glimpse of the dazzling court art of the period and
the skills of the artisans of the day.
One of the innovations of the period was the construction of
rock tombs for the pharaohs and the elite. Around 1500 B.C.,
Pharaoh Amenophis I abandoned the pyramid in favor of a rock-hewn
tomb in the crags of western Thebes (present-day Luxor). His
example was followed by his successors, who for the next four
centuries cut their tombs in the Valley of the Kings and built
their mortuary temples on the plain below. Other wadis or river
valleys were subsequently used for the tombs of queens and
princes.
Another New Kingdom innovation was temple building, which
began with Queen Hatshepsut, who as the heiress queen seized
power in default of male claimants to the throne. She was
particularly devoted to the worship of the god Amun, whose cult
was centered at Thebes. She built a splendid temple dedicated to
him and to her own funerary cult at Dayr al Bahri in western
Thebes.
One of the greatest temples still standing is that of Pharaoh
Amenophis III at Thebes. With Amenophis III, statuary on an
enormous scale makes its appearance. The most notable is the pair
of colossi, the so-called Colossi of Memnon, which still dominate
the Theban plain before the vanished portal of his funerary
temple.
Ramesses II was the most vigorous builder to wear the double
crown of Egypt. Nearly half the temples remaining in Egypt date
from his reign. Some of his constructions include his mortuary
temple at Thebes, popularly known as the Ramesseum; the huge
hypostyle hall at Karnak, the rock-hewn temple at Abu Simbel (Abu
Sunbul); and his new capital city of Pi Ramesses.
Data as of December 1990
|
