Luxor in Toronto! Documenting 16,000 Talatat Blocks

Submitted by owenjarus on Fri, 06/18/2010 - 09:25

If you are an Egypt fan, living in the Toronto Area, mark your calendar for Monday June 28.

Dr. Andrew Bednarski, of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), will be in town to talk about work that ARCE is doing in Luxor.

“Recent ARCE work in Luxor includes the ground water lowering project on the East Bank, a project to document 16,000 talatat blocks in a magazine in Karnak Temple, excavations of the area of the surviving Roman bastion in Luxor Temple, and conservation initiatives in Karnak's Khonsu Temple,” reads the preview.

The Talatat block project struck me as being of particular interest. These blocks measure exactly 55 x 25 x 25 cm. They were only used by one pharaoh – Akhenaten. Sometimes called the “heretic king” he focussed Egyptian religion around the worship of the Aten, the sun disc. His built an entirely new capital – Amarna – out in the desert. His reforms didn’t last. Shortly after his death Amarna was abandoned and Egypt went back to its traditional religious beliefs.

It seems that he created these standardized “Talatat blocks” so that his construction projects could proceed faster. Some of these blocks have decoration on them. In March 2009 it was announced that a Talatat block, bearing the image of Nefertiti, had been found at Sheikh Ibada – a Christian Church of all places! It turned out that the block had been re-used.

A Roman Bastion

Luxor also holds important remains from Roman times. ARCE has been doing excavation and conservation work at a Roman legionary fortress built during the reign of Diocletian (AD 284-305). Part of it was built with mud brick.

The fortress was so massive that it actually enclosed Luxor Temple. It would have been quite a site for an enemy. A Roman fortress surrounding a temple filled with oversized statues!

I’m interested to know why Diocletian’s forces would do this. Was it because the temple stood on strategic ground? Or was there something about it that may have made people think twice about attacking? Kind of like how modern day armed forces are very hesitant to order a strike on a religious site.

The talk takes place at June 28, 7 pm, rm 142, Bancroft Hall, University of Toronto Campus.

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About The Author

Owen Jarus (follow me: e-mail or

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Last three pieces by this author:

19 New Objects from King Tutankhamun's Tomb Discovered in New York | 'Unique' astronomical object reveals Ancient Egyptians kept close tabs on the Big Dipper | King Tut suffered 'massive' chest injury, new research reveals

Owen Jarus is a freelance writer based in Toronto ,Canada. He has written articles on archaeology for a variety of media outlets including The Canadian Press newswire (CP), U of T Magazine, The Mississauga News and The Guelph Mercury. Education: BA from the University of Toronto in History, Geography and Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations.

Comments

Kohls:

It never ceases to amaze me how ancient people can built something so extraordinary.

Tue, 13-09-2011 21:46

link wheel:

<p>"<a href="http://www.dominateseo.net/customer/index.php?linkwheel-link-wheel-service&cid=236">""</a>The amount of detail which is shown, where the colour had been preserved, it's just amazing,"" said Dr. Joceyln Gohary. ""Some of the most striking details are in the clothing particularly of the queen, Nefertiti details of the dress and jewellery that she's wearing,"" she said. Dr. Gohary is leading an American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) project that is documenting, cleaning and conserving them. Talatat blocks were used by the pharaoh Akhenaten nearly 3,400 years ago. They were constructed in a standardized size - 55 cm x 25 cm x 25 cm. This standardization probably would have made it easier for temples to be built. The blocks are in a storage area in Luxor. Almost all of them are decorated. Back in antiquity each block would have been part of a larger scene. Another key find is that the Aten, the sun disc which the pharaoh Akhenaten focussed Egyptian religion around, radiates light in two colours. ""We have red sun rays and yellow sun rays,"" said Gohary. It's a mystery why the Aten was depicted this way. One idea is that maybe the red sun rays are sunrise or sunset or something like that,"" he added. This find raises the question of whether the sun disc itself was depicted in different colours. ""They all seem to be more or less the same shade of red."" How did the blocks come to Luxor? How the blocks came to be in a storage area in Luxor is a long story. It's important to understand that when Akhenaten became pharaoh of Egypt, nearly 3,400 years ago, he brought dramatic changes to his kingdom. Before he came to power Ancient Egypt was a polytheistic society, with numerous deities. Akhenaten changed this, focussing religion around the worship of one god the Aten, represented in art by a sun disc with rays."</p>

Thu, 20-10-2011 09:26

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