Carved in dark granodiorite, this commanding head of Amun bears features closely aligned with those of Tutankhamun, marking it as a royal commission of his reign. Though acquired in Cairo in 1907, the sculpture was almost certainly created for Karnak, Amun’s great temple at Thebes. The head belongs to the young king’s programme of restoration,...
At the very core of the vast Karnak temple complex lies one of the most restrained yet theologically potent spaces in Ancient Egypt: the Sanctuary of Amun-Re. Hidden deep within layers of pylons, courts, and hypostyle halls, this inner chamber was conceived not for public display, but for divine presence. Karnak was never a single...
This sandstone relief comes from the early reign of Amenhotep IV (later known as Akhenaten) and based upon the style it is believed this relief was from Karnak Temple, prior to the founding of the experimental capital of Akhetaten (Amarna). Early in his reign, Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten), like many kings before him, undertook ambitious building...
The concept of the Sacred Lake (Ancient Egyptian: “She-netjer”) dates back to the earliest phases of Ancient Egyptian religious architecture, likely as far back as the Old Kingdom, c. 2686–2181 B.C., though surviving examples are predominantly from the Middle Kingdom onward. These man-made bodies of water were typically constructed within temple precincts, mirroring the primordial...
