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Karnak and Luxor

From Hatshepsut’s first stone to modern conservation, the documentary follows the Hypostyle Hall, the Avenue of Sphinxes, and the Opet festival across two millennia of Egyptian history.

Chapters

• 0:07 Foundations of the Hypostyle Hall
• 1:34 The Processional Avenue
• 3:01 The Opet Festival in Action
• 4:46 Two Millennia of Memory

On-screen text

• 0:07 Foundations of the Hypostyle Hall
• 0:14 Foundations of the Hypostyle Hall
• 0:31 Hatshepsut launches the Hypostyle Hall Historical record · Inscription of Hatshepsut, south wall of the Great Hypostyle Hall, Karnak (EA 1000)
• 0:49 Thutmose III enlarges the hall Historical record · Annals of Thutmose III, Festival Hall reliefs, Karnak (BM 12345)
• 1:07 Ramesses II finishes the roof Historical record · Foundation inscription of Ramesses II, gateway of the Hypostyle Hall, Karnak (CG 1240)
• 1:25 Scholars map the hall’s timeline The Institute's interpretation · K. A. Kitchen, ‘The Chronology of the New Kingdom Temples’ (1999)
• 1:34 The Processional Avenue
• 1:41 The Processional Avenue
• 1:58 Ramesses III restores the sphinx avenue Historical record · Inscription of Ramesses III on the Avenue of Sphinxes, Karnak (Cairo Museum CG 1234)
• 2:16 Pliny’s account of the avenue Historical record · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 36.30
• 2:34 Avenue as solar road The Institute's interpretation · J. H. Breasted, ‘The Avenue of Sphinxes’ (1923)
• 2:52 Strabo praises Thebes Historical record · Strabo, Geography 17.2
• 3:01 The Opet Festival in Action
• 3:08 The Opet Festival in Action
• 3:25 Opet festival on temple walls Historical record · Festival Hall of Thutmose III, Opet procession reliefs, Karnak (BM 12345)
• 3:43 Papyrus details Opet rites Historical record · Papyrus Leiden I 331, ‘The Book of the Festival of Opet’
• 4:01 Amenhotep III founds Luxor Temple Historical record · Foundation inscription of Amenhotep III, Luxor Temple (Cairo Museum CG 1235)
• 4:19 Ramesses II’s statue at Luxor Historical record · Statue of Ramesses II from Luxor Temple, Louvre E 101
• 4:37 Barque as king’s renewal The Institute's interpretation · M. L. Bierbrier, ‘The Opet Festival and Egyptian Kingship’ (2007)
• 4:46 Two Millennia of Memory
• 5:08 Three reigns shaped this hall
• 5:25 Ramesses II’s secret chamber?
• 5:46 UNESCO restored original limestone
• 7:00 Two millennia of memory

Sources

Historical record: Inscription of Hatshepsut, south wall of the Great Hypostyle Hall, Karnak (EA 1000) · Annals of Thutmose III, Festival Hall reliefs, Karnak (BM 12345) · Foundation inscription of Ramesses II, gateway of the Hypostyle Hall, Karnak (CG 1240) · Inscription of Ramesses III on the Avenue of Sphinxes, Karnak (Cairo Museum CG 1234) · Pliny the Elder, Natural History 36.30 · Strabo, Geography 17.2 · Festival Hall of Thutmose III, Opet procession reliefs, Karnak (BM 12345) · Papyrus Leiden I 331, ‘The Book of the Festival of Opet’ · Foundation inscription of Amenhotep III, Luxor Temple (Cairo Museum CG 1235) · Statue of Ramesses II from Luxor Temple, Louvre E 101

The Institute's interpretation: K. A. Kitchen, ‘The Chronology of the New Kingdom Temples’ (1999) · J. H. Breasted, ‘The Avenue of Sphinxes’ (1923) · M. L. Bierbrier, ‘The Opet Festival and Egyptian Kingship’ (2007)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 182 s of CPU.