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Abu Simbel, Interior of the Temple of Hathor
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. The temple's hypostyle hall is supported by six pillars with the head of the goddess Hathor and decorated scenes with Ramesses II and Nefertari presenting offerings to different gods and the goddesses. Among the several scenes on the walls, we see Ramesses II, accompagnied by Nefertari, as he is about to kill a Nubian prisoner.
Questions & Answers
When did ancient Egyptian architecture begin and end?
- Ancient Egyptian architecture developed during the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) and continued through the Ptolemaic Dynasty (323-30 BCE) and then, sporadically, during the Roman Period of Egypt (30 BCE-646 CE).
What is the first pyramid built in Egypt?
- The first pyramid built in ancient Egypt is Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara c. 2670 BCE.
What inspired ancient Egyptian architecture?
- Ancient Egyptian architecture was inspired and informed by the concept of ma'at (balance, harmony) and stability. Buildings were designed to represent the order established by the gods.
What is the most famous architecture in Egypt?
- The Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx are the most famous pieces of architecture from ancient Egypt.
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License & Copyright
This image was first published on Flickr.
Original image by Carole Raddato. Uploaded by Carole Raddato, published on 15 March 2022. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.
