ARCE
Luxor Temple Block Fragments
Project Directors: Hiroko Kariya and John Stewart
Historic Era: New Kingdom
Project Location: Luxor
Project Duration: 1995 - 2001
During the New Kingdom reigns of Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun, and Seti I, a large collection of sandstone block reliefs were carved for Luxor Temple. The Epigraphic Survey would later discover that a majority of these fragments composed scenes from the Colonnade Hall and the Sun Court of Amenhotep III of the Luxor Temple. The Colonnade Hall in particular depicted the Opet celebration, an ancient Egyptian celebration affirming the Pharaoh’s possession of the royal Ka, and “the site of [Amun-Re]’s annual regeneration and rebirth through the medium of the king” (Art of Empire, 48). “Both god and king were rejuvenated in the process, and Amun-Re returned to Karnak youthful and renewed...The culmination of the king’s first coronation also took place here, when he united with Amun-Re during the Opet ritual and was thenceforth Amun’s son and thus the legitimate ruler of Egypt” (Art of Empire, 56). Many of these fragments “depict the divine barge of the moon-god Khonsu in the first register Opet festival water procession” (Preserving Egypt’s Cultural Heritage, 42). Over the years, these fragments have repeatedly been reused for the foundations of structures. The practice is dated to late antiquity, the medieval period and extended to the 19th century. In the 1800s, French and Egyptian excavators cleared the monument and most likely reused the fragmentary blocks for the Corniche Boulevard built along the river parallel to the temple.
During the 1970’s, the Epigraphic Survey attempted to conserve, document, piece together, and reinstate these fragments. Ultimately, the aim was to restore these blocks to their original locations. Many of the fragments were rejoined, for the first time in centuries reillustrating the reliefs of the Collonade Hall and the Sun Court of Amenhotep III. The Epigraphic Survey found that years of contact with salt laden groundwater had initiated a rapid deterioration process. In the 80’s, these block fragments were conserved two separate times by the Epigraphic Survey, mitigating a significant degree of deterioration into the future. The first time, emergency consolidation for some blocks in danger of losing important surface information was carried out, using vinamul polyvinyl acetate (PVAC) emulsion on some, and Acryloid B-72 (or Paraloid B-71) on others. The second time, blocks were treated with Wacker Stone Strengthener OH (ethyl silicate). During this second campaign, a number of the blocks belonging to the east wall of the Sun Court of Amenhotep III were reintegrated into the wall in order to test “the feasibility of replacement” (Kariya & Stewart, 2004). Between 1995 and 2001, a third iteration of conservation and documentation efforts by the Epigraphic Survey in partnership with the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) took place, led by Hiroko Kariya and John Stewart; The Luxor Temple Block Fragments Conservation project. "The main focus of the project was to stabilize deteriorating fragments, to determine the most effective conservation method, and to reduce deteriorating agents through environmental control” (1997-1998 Report: Part I).
The Luxor Temple Block Fragments Conservation project took place over seven seasons (1995 - 2002) and commenced with a thorough evaluation of the condition of the block fragments, as well as the efficacy of previous conservation efforts. Many of the fragments had suffered extensive damage due to several reasons such as movement of latent soluble salts within them, harsh weather conditions, and poor storage. Due to its past success, consolidation using Wacker OH continued, with several trials of other consolidants, poultices, and desalination taking place. Cyclododecane was found to be an effective temporary consolidant, successful at protecting fragments during transportation.
The project was expanded in the 1998-99 season to include all decorated fragments at the temple. New mastabas were built and assigned identification numbers. The new mastabas housed fragments which had previously been placed on the ground and therefore damaged by this placement, as well as facilitating an “open-air museum” for fragments that had been reunited (Kariya & Stewart, 2004).
All of these fragments were surveyed and recorded on a database of Kariya’s development using the Filemaker Pro software.
Statement of Responsibility
The conservation efforts of this project were conducted and overseen by conservators John Stewart and Hiroko Kariya. Dr. Peter Dorman and Dr. W. Raymond Johnson of the Epigraphic Survey provided invaluable management and planning. Dr. Taha Abdallah of the Engineering Center for Archaeology and Environment at Cairo University conducted scientific analysis of stone samples. Photography was conducted by Kariya, Johnson, Yarko Kobylecky, Sue Lezon, and David Ray. This undertaking could not have succeeded without the support of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (formerly the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities).
Funding
The Luxor Temple Block Fragments project was made possible with the funding provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Grant No. 263-G-00-93-0089-00 (formerly 263-000-G-00-3089-00) and administered by the Egyptian Antiquities Project (EAP) of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE).
Additonal Resources
The Epigraphic Survey at Luxor Temple
Luxor Temple: The Southern Opet and the Place of the First Occasion
Luxor Temple: The Epigraphic Survey at Chicago House
The Epigraphic Survey, Chicago House
Luxor Temple and the Cult of the Royal Ka
Luxor Temple as a Reactivated Holy Site: Sacred Architecture Between Cosmology and Authority