This Colossal granite head of Amenhotep III was found in the temple of Mut which was the sanctuary of the principal god Amun. King Amenhotep III was the 9th pharaoh during the 18th dynasty, reigning for 1390 - 1352 BC. The King commissioned a number of statues to be constructed of himself which were found in his temple of the West Bank, known as the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III. In this statue, King Amenhotep III is shown wearing the double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt with his stylistic characteristics of big lips and almond shaped eyes.
Submitted by Roger Kean on Mon, 02/15/2010 - 19:05
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Charlotte Booth lectures at Birbeck (University of London) and is a well-known Egyptologist, particularly in the Hyksos period of ancient Egypt, approximately 1660-1570 BC – although few Egyptologists agree on any dates until the Late Period. The dating system established by Dr William J. Murnane gives Horemheb’s reign as 1321-1293, 28 years. Booth goes along with the first date but makes his reign 15 years, and that he died in 1306. Contemporary propaganda suggests Horemheb dated his first year from the death of Amenhotep III (1349 BC), thus erasing from the record the Amarna period of Akhenaten’s ‘heretical’ reign and the confusion of the reigns of Smenkhkare, Tutankhamun and Ay which briefly followed. Booth devotes several pages to examining the many debates and suggests a shorter reign, backed by convincing arguments for it.
Egypt's Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni and Dr. Zahi Hawass returned a piece of red granite belonging to an ancient Egyptian temple to its rightful place - the base of Amenemhat I's naos. Both officials are on an inspection tour along the Avenue of Sphinxes that connects the Temple of Luxor with that of Karnak, home to the Ptah temple where the naos is to be found.
Dr. Hawass described the Metropolitan Museum's action as "a great deed," as it is the first time a museum has bought an object for the purpose of returning it to its country of origin.
The Restoration Stela is an important artefact, discovered in the Temple of Karnak, outlining the thoughts and actions of Tutankhamun that caused him to become deified by the people of Egypt in his short lifetime. Engraved into red granite with traces of blue and yellow paste, it describes how Tut thought the policy of Akhenaten (who might have been his father) in banning the worship of all gods and godesses except the sun deity Aten had brought misery upon the land:
"The temples of the gods and goddesses ... were in ruins. Their shrines were deserted and overgrown. Their sanctuaries were as non-existent and their courts were used as roads ... the gods turned their backs upon this land ... If anyone made a prayer to a god for advice he would never respond – and the same applied to a goddess."
He therefore decided to reverse Akhenaten's ruling and lift the ban on the old pantheon of deities and their temples. The stela goes on to describe how this brought prosperity and happiness back to his kingdom:
"Now the gods and goddesses of the land are rejoicing in their hearts...the provinces all rejoice and celebrate throughout this whole land because good has come back into existence."
Karnak is home to several temples and ruined chapels, and is the largest ancient site in the world. Within the site is the Great Hypostyle Hall, Karnak, which is a popular tourism hotspot. Located in the Precinct of Amun-Re, the hall covers an area of 5 square kilometres, and is composed of 134 columns divided within 16 rows.
The composition and angle of this fantastic photograph by ktildsley inside the Great Hypostyle Hall is captivating, giving a sense of how high up the roof would have been. The tall columns appear almost intimidating, closing in the shot tightly and the glow of the stone contrasting against the cloudless blue sky.
One does have to wonder how Zahi Hawass actually finds time to partake in any archaeology. The Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities is one of the world’s leading archaeologists, as well as one of its most famous. When he’s not travelling the world promoting Egypt’s wonders (Dr. Hawass will be in London on the 8th of December) or grabbing headlines demanding them back, he must surely find himself tied to his desk, busily tinkering away at his keyboard. How else would Hawass manage to become one of archaeology’s most prolific authors?
The statue of Amenhotep IV, better known as Akhenaten, is on display in Toronto until April 18, 2010 at the exhibit King Tut and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs. The pharaoh is well known for building a short-lived capital at Amarna. He is also known for his attempt to focus Egyptian religion on the Aten sun-disc.
Made out of sandstone, it is believed that this statue was originally displayed - along with many other statues of the king - at the temple to Aten in East Karnak. It can be seen that he wears a double crown on top of his Nemes headdress. His egg shaped face is a clear break from the more formal look that previous pharaohs had.
This statue likely dates to early in his reign. As Akhenaten’s rule went on humans (in Egyptian art) would be depicted with an unnatural oval skull and thin, stick-like, limbs.
Egypt's Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni and Dr. Zahi Hawass returned a piece of red granite belonging to an ancient Egyptian temple to its rightful place - the base of Amenemhat I's naos. Both officials are 
One does have to wonder how 
