Athena Review Image Archive ™
Luxor: Colossus at the Temple of Karnak (French Expedition 1799)
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Colossus at Temple of Karnak (Desc. de l'Egypte 1809).
Karnak, part of ancient Thebes (today called Luxor), contained a vast (1.5 by 0.8 km) complex of temples begun in the Middle Kingdom and built up during the 18th Dynasty (1550-1307 BC), when Thebes became the center of dynastic administration. The site was then rebuilt over more than 2000 years through the Graeco-Roman era. There were three temple complexes established at Karnak in the 18th Dynasty and expanded in the 19th Dynasty, dedicated to the sun god Amun-Re, his female consort Mut, and their son Montu.
This drawing of a fragmentary colossal statue was made by Andre Duterte in 1799, when the French Expedition visited Luxor and recorded the part of the temple complex of Karnak. The human figure in the lower left provides scale. Relief sculptures are also visible on the temple walls behind the statue.
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