Medinet Habu

For at least ten thousand years, the Nile valley has been the site of one of the most influential civilizations in the world. Even today, its architectural monuments, which include Great Pyramid and the Great Sphinx, are among the largest and most famous buildings in the world. Ancient Egyptian architecture - Characteristics. Due to the scarcity of wood, the two predominant building materials used in ancient Egypt were unbaked mud brick and stone. From the Old Kingdom onward, stone was generally reserved for tombs ...

Including:

• Ancient Egyptian architecture - Characteristics
• Ancient Egyptian architecture - The Giza pyramid complex
• Ancient Egyptian architecture - Karnak
• Ancient Egyptian architecture - Luxor

Read more here: » Ancient Egyptian architecture: Encyclopedia - Ancient Egyptian architecture

Due to the scarcity of wood, the two predominant building materials used in ancient Egypt were unbaked mud brick and stone. From the Old Kingdom onward, stone was generally reserved for tombs and temples, while bricks were used even for royal palaces, fortresses, the walls of temple precincts and towns, and for subsidiary buildings in temple complexes. Most ancient Egyptian towns have been lost because they were situated in the cultivated and flooded area of the Nile Valley, although the dry, hot climate of Egypt preserved some mud br ...

See also:

Ancient Egyptian architecture, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Characteristics, Ancient Egyptian architecture - The Giza pyramid complex, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Karnak, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Luxor

Read more here: » Ancient Egyptian architecture: Encyclopedia II - Ancient Egyptian architecture - Characteristics

The historic Philistines (פלשתים) (see "other uses" below) were a people who inhabited the southern coast of Canaan around the time of the arrival of the Israelites, their territory being named Philistia in later contexts. Their origin has been debated among scholars, but modern archaeology has suggested early cultural links with the Mycenean world in mainland Greece. Though the Philistines adopted local Canaanite culture and language before leaving any written texts, an Indo-European origin has been suggested for a handf ...

Including:

• Philistines - History
• Philistines - Origin of the Philistines
• Philistines - Other uses of the term 'Philistine'

Read more here: » Philistines: Encyclopedia - Philistines

The Colossi of Memnon (known to locals as el-Colossat, or es-Salamat) are two massive stone statues of Pharaoh Amenhotep III. For the past 3400 years they have stood in the Theban necropolis, across the River Nile from the modern city of Luxor. The twin statues depict Amenhotep III (fl. 14th century BC) in a seated position. his hands resting on his knees and his gaze turned eastward toward the river and the rising sun. Two shorter figures are carved into the front throne alongside his legs: these are his wife Tiy and mo ...

Read more here: » Colossi of Memnon: Encyclopedia - Colossi of Memnon

In compiling the history of ancient Israel and Judah, there are many available sources, including the Jewish Tanakh (partially the Old Testament, it also consists of the book of the prophets, and the five books of Moses) and other Jewish texts such as the Talmud, the Ethiopian book of history known as the Kebra Nagast, the writings of historians such as Nicolaus of Damascus, Artapanas, Philo of Alexandria and Josephus, other writings, and archaeological e ...

Including:

• History of ancient Israel and Judah - Early history
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - The patriarchal period
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - Egyptian domination
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - Period of the Judges
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - The United Monarchy
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - The period of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - The period of captivity
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - Rebuilding the Temple
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - The legacy of Alexander the Great and the dawn of Rabbinic Judaism
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - Roman conquests
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - Notable people
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - Partial list of kings of Israel
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - Partial list of kings of Judah
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - Notable places
• History of ancient Israel and Judah - Religious places and objects

Read more here: » History of ancient Israel and Judah: Encyclopedia - History of ancient Israel and Judah

Luxor (Arabic: الأقصر ) is a city in Upper (southern) Egypt. It has often been called the "world's greatest open air museum", with the ruins of the temple complex at Karnak, Luxor Temple, and the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank of the Nile, including the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens. Luxor is an excellent base for touring Upper Egypt, and is a popular holiday destination, both in its own right and as a starting or fini ...

Including:

• Luxor - Four thousand years of tourism
• Luxor - Sights of modern-day Luxor
• Luxor - External link

Read more here: » Luxor: Encyclopedia - Luxor

Image:Pyramids at giza 01.jpg The Giza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt. This complex of ancient monuments is located some eight km inland into the desert from the old town of Giza on the Nile, some 20 km southwest of Cairo city centre. This Ancient Egyptian necropolis consists of the Pyramid of Khufu (also known as the Great Pyramid and the Pyramid of Cheops), the somewhat smaller Pyramid of Khafre (or Kephren), and the relatively modest-sized Pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinus), along with a number of sma ...

See also:

Ancient Egyptian architecture, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Characteristics, Ancient Egyptian architecture - The Giza pyramid complex, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Karnak, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Luxor

Read more here: » Ancient Egyptian architecture: Encyclopedia II - Ancient Egyptian architecture - The Giza pyramid complex

The temple complex of Karnak is located on the banks of the River Nile some 2.5 km north of Luxor. It consists of four main parts, the Precinct of Amon-Re, the Precinct of Montu, the Precinct of Mut and the Temple of Amenhotep IV (dismantled), as well as a few smaller temples and sanctuaries located outside the enclosing walls of the four main parts, and several avenues of ram-headed sphinxes connecting the Pr ...

See also:

Ancient Egyptian architecture, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Characteristics, Ancient Egyptian architecture - The Giza pyramid complex, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Karnak, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Luxor

Read more here: » Ancient Egyptian architecture: Encyclopedia II - Ancient Egyptian architecture - Karnak

Luxor Temple is a large Ancient Egyptian temple complex located on the east bank of the River Nile in the city today known as Luxor (ancient Thebes). Construction work on the temple began during the reign of Amenhotep III in the 14th century BC. Horemheb and Tutankhamun added columns, statues, and friezes – and Akhenaten had earlier obliterated his father's cartouches and installed a shrine to the Aten – but the only major expansion effort took place under Ramesses II some 100 years after the first stones were put in place. Luxor is thus unique among the main Egyptian temple complexes in having only two ph ...

See also:

Ancient Egyptian architecture, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Characteristics, Ancient Egyptian architecture - The Giza pyramid complex, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Karnak, Ancient Egyptian architecture - Luxor

Read more here: » Ancient Egyptian architecture: Encyclopedia II - Ancient Egyptian architecture - Luxor

Egyptian mythology or Egyptian religion is the succession of tentative beliefs held by the people of Egypt for over three thousand years, prior to major exposure to Christianity and Islam. Egyptian mythology - Gods. Early beliefs can be split into 5 distinct localized groups, the Ennead of Heliopolis, whose chief god was Atum the Ogdoad of Hermopolis, where the chief god was Ra the Chnum-Satet-Anuket triad of Elephantine, where the chief god was Chnum th ...

Including:

• Egyptian mythology - Gods
• Egyptian mythology - Death
• Egyptian mythology - The monotheistic period
• Egyptian mythology - Temples
• Egyptian mythology - External influences
• Egyptian mythology - Notes on pronunciation

Read more here: » Egyptian mythology: Encyclopedia - Egyptian mythology

Thebes Egypt - East Bank. Karnak Temple Luxor Temple Thebes Egypt - West Bank. Valley of the Kings Valley of the Queens Medinet Habu (mortuary temple of Ramesses III) The Ramesseum (mortuary temple of Ramesses II) Deir al-Madinah (workers' village) Tombs of the Nobles Deir el-Bahri (temples of Montuhotep II, Hatshepsut, etc.) Malkata (palace of Amenhotep III) ...

See also:

Thebes Egypt, Thebes Egypt - Major archaeological sites in Thebes, Thebes Egypt - East Bank, Thebes Egypt - West Bank, Thebes Egypt - Sources

Read more here: » Thebes Egypt: Encyclopedia II - Thebes Egypt - Major archaeological sites in Thebes

List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Northern Upper Egypt. Abydos (Ancient: "Abedju") el-'Araba el Madfuna Kom el-Sultan Umm el-Qa'ab Shunet ez Zebib Apollinopolis Parva (Modern: "Qus", Ancient: "Gesa" or "Gesy") Qus Necropolis Antaeopolis (Modern: "Qaw el-Kebir", Ancient: "Tjebu" or "Djew-Qa") Athribis (Modern: "Wannina", Ancient: "Hut-Repyt") B ...

See also:

List of Ancient Egyptian sites, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Lower Egypt The Nile Delta, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Middle Egypt, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Upper Egypt, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Northern Upper Egypt, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Southern Upper Egypt, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Lower Nubia, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Upper Nubia, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - The Oases, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Sinai, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Eastern Desert, List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Reference

Read more here: » List of Ancient Egyptian sites: Encyclopedia II - List of Ancient Egyptian sites - Upper Egypt

Early beliefs can be split into 5 distinct localized groups, the Ennead of Heliopolis, whose chief god was Atum the Ogdoad of Hermopolis, where the chief god was Ra the Chnum-Satet-Anuket triad of Elephantine, where the chief god was Chnum the Amun-Mut-Chons triad of Thebes, where the chief god was Amun the Ptah-Sekhmet-Nefertem triad of Memphis, unusual in that the gods were unconnected before the triad was form ...

See also:

Egyptian mythology, Egyptian mythology - Gods, Egyptian mythology - Death, Egyptian mythology - The monotheistic period, Egyptian mythology - Temples, Egyptian mythology - External influences, Egyptian mythology - Notes on pronunciation

Read more here: » Egyptian mythology: Encyclopedia II - Egyptian mythology - Gods

Ramesses III was the second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty and is considered to be the last great New Kingdom king to wield any substantial authority over Egypt. He reigned from 1183 to 1152 BC (alternate dates are 1187/1186 to 1156/1155 BC). His name is sometimes rendered as Ramses or Rameses; the Ancient Greeks knew him as Rhampsinitus. During his long tenure in the midst of the surrounding political chaos of the Greek Dark Ages, Egypt was beset by foreign invaders (including the so-called Sea Peoples and the ...

See also:

Ramesses III, Ramesses III - Background, Ramesses III - Conspiracy against the king, Ramesses III - Legacy

Read more here: » Ramesses III: Encyclopedia II - Ramesses III - Background

There are various structures in the desert, consisting of several residential palaces, a temple of Amen, a festival hall, elite villas, houses for the relatives of the Royal Family, apartments for attendants, and a desert altar termed the Kom al-Samak, all of which were constructed by mud bricks. Originally the palace was known as the Palace of the Dazzling Aten. and was constructed mostly out of mud-brick, the palace was Amenhotep's residence throughout most the later part of his reign. Begun around year 11 of his reign and continued until the king moved here permanently around year 29. Once com ...

See also:

Malkata, Malkata - Palace of Amenhotep III, Malkata - Excavations, Malkata - Deir el-Shelwit, Malkata - Temple of Isis, Malkata - Roman settlement and cemetery, Malkata - Malkata today

Read more here: » Malkata: Encyclopedia II - Malkata - Palace of Amenhotep III

The Mousterian Neanderthals were the earliest inhabitants of the area known to archaeologists, and have been carbon-dated to c. 200,000 BCE. The first anatomically modern humans to live in the area were the Kebarans (conventionally c. 18,000 - 10,500 BCE, but recent paleoanthropological evidence suggests that Kebarans may have arrived as early as 75,000 BCE and shared the region with the Neanderthals for millennia before the latter died out). They were followed by the Natufian culture (c. 10,500 BCE - 8500 BCE), the Yarmukians (c. 8500 - 430 ...

See also:

History of ancient Israel and Judah, History of ancient Israel and Judah - Early history, History of ancient Israel and Judah - The patriarchal period, History of ancient Israel and Judah - Egyptian domination, History of ancient Israel and Judah - Period of the Judges, History of ancient Israel and Judah - The United Monarchy, History of ancient Israel and Judah - The period of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, History of ancient Israel and Judah - The period of captivity, History of ancient Israel and Judah - Rebuilding the Temple, History of ancient Israel and Judah - The legacy of Alexander the Great and the dawn of Rabbinic Judaism, History of ancient Israel and Judah - Roman conquests, History of ancient Israel and Judah - Notable people, History of ancient Israel and Judah - Partial list of kings of Israel, History of ancient Israel and Judah - Partial list of kings of Judah, History of ancient Israel and Judah - Notable places, History of ancient Israel and Judah - Religious places and objects

Read more here: » History of ancient Israel and Judah: Encyclopedia II - History of ancient Israel and Judah - Early history

Waset, as it was then known, was for the ancient Egyptians of the 2nd and the 1st millennia BCE, "the city" par excellence. To its visitors, the town was almost the center of their known world. The palatial district, Deba — a name subsequently altered by Greek visitors into Thebai, whence Thebes — enjoyed an unprecedented high position of luxury, imperial authority, knowledge and wisdom, religious and political supremacy, artistic work and grandiose plans. Several of these plans never ...

See also:

Luxor, Luxor - Four thousand years of tourism, Luxor - Sights of modern-day Luxor, Luxor - External link

Read more here: » Luxor: Encyclopedia II - Luxor - Four thousand years of tourism

It has been suggested that the Philistines formed part of the great naval confederacy, the "Sea Peoples", who had wandered, at the beginning of the 12th century BCE, from their homeland in southern Greece and the Aegean islands to the shores of the Mediterranean and repeatedly attacked Egypt during the later Nineteenth Dynasty. Though eventually repulsed by Ramesses III, he was, according to the theory, apparently ...

See also:

Philistines, Philistines - History, Philistines - Origin of the Philistines, Philistines - Other uses of the term 'Philistine'

Read more here: » Philistines: Encyclopedia II - Philistines - Origin of the Philistines

Despite some scholarly debate, Horemheb's Highest Year date is likely attested in a hieratic graffito carved on the shoulder of a now fragmented statue from his mortuary temple in Karnak which mentions the appearance of the king himself, or from a royal cult statue representing the king for a religious feast. The inscription reads "Year 27, I Shemu day 9, the day Horemheb LPH, beloved of Amun, he who hates his enemies and loves [his friends]..." entered the temple presumably for this event. Donald Redford, in a BASOR 211(1973) #37 foo ...

See also:

Horemheb, Horemheb - Internal Reform, Horemheb - Reign Length, Horemheb - Succession

Read more here: » Horemheb: Encyclopedia II - Horemheb - Reign Length

Most splendid of these, in accordance with New Kingdom Royal burial practices, would have been his memorial temple – a place of worship dedicated to pharaoh, god on earth, where his memory would have been kept alive after his passing from this world. Surviving records indicate that work on the project began shortly after the start of his reign and continued for 20 years. The design of Ramesses's mortuary temple abides by the standard canons of New Kingdom temple architecture. The main building, dedicated to the funerary cult, compri ...

See also:

Ramesseum, Ramesseum - Ramesses II, Ramesseum - Description, Ramesseum - Remains, Ramesseum - Excavation and Studies

Read more here: » Ramesseum: Encyclopedia II - Ramesseum - Description