Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Monday, December 26, 2005
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Photographs by ambient_1
(Except as noted, material in this journal is copyright © 1990-2005. All rights reserved. It may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without express written permission.)
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Sunday, December 11, 2005
Step back in time to 45 B.C.
The Place is a public bath in the acncient city of Pompeii - the year is 45 B.C.
Pillars of Edfu
Pillars of Edfu 35mm by ambient_1
Dedicated to Horus, the falcon headed god, it was built during the reigns of six Ptolemies. We have a great deal of information about its construction from reliefs on outer areas. It was begun in 237 BC by Ptolemy III Euergetes I and was finished in 57 BC. Most of the work continued throughout this period with a brief interlude of 20 years while there was unrest during the period of Ptolemy IV and Ptolemy V Epiphanes.
This is not only the best preserved ancient temple in Egypt, but the second largest after Karnak. It was believed that the temple was built on the site of the great battle between Horus and Seth. Hence, the current temple was but the last in a long series of temples build on this location. It is said that the original structure housing a statue of Horus was a grass hut built in prehistoric times. At any rate, there is an earlier and smaller pylon of Ramesses II which sits in a 90 degree angle to the current building.
Erection - Queen Hatchepsut's Obelisk
35mm by ambient_1 copyright © 1999 all rights reserved.
Leave it to a powerful woman to create an erection like this one. This is one solid piece of granite, it was quarried on the Island Sehel, in Aswan and floated down the Nile to Luxor and erected in the Temple of Amun in Karnak. This is one of many wonders that Queen Hatchepsut erected. in my opinion, she was one of the first feminists. Likewise, she was the only female to actually be considered a Pharaoh; which is probably one of the reasons why most of her temples and monuments were defaced after her death. The reliefs in temples bearing her image have had the heads carved off, the faces ground out... and her statues were buried in various locations throughout Egypt. One such location, was recently found in Luxor, uncovering many headless statues of the Queen/Goddess.
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