Historical period help (1 Viewer)

[sly_skittle]

Can anyone tell me what the significance of building programs were other then as a sign of pharaoh performing his religious duties and to demonstrate the power and wealth of the Empire? Also is their any significance of mortuary temples like the Ramesseum or should I leave them out if I have to takl about building programs?

And does anyone know anything about Horemheb's military campaign, other then what he did while he was commander-in-chief for Ay?

i'm completely stuffed with these things cause I teacher only gave us the Bradley book and left us to do everything else.

 

[xeuyrawp]

Can anyone tell me what the significance of building programs were other then as a sign of pharaoh performing his religious duties and to demonstrate the power and wealth of the Empire?

Well the buildings had a practical function, as well.

You need to remember that the temple complex in Ancient Egypt was different to a modern place of worship. When we say temple, there are two parts, the divine and the profane.

Profane: Think of a temple complex as a small city in itself - they had barracks for the hundreds of priests, storage rooms for massive amounts of food and resources, production areas, etc. This was the part of the temple where the ordinary man could take part, in things like processions, public feasts, parts of schooling perhaps, etc. The temple complex represents Egypt as a group of people, and is such profane.

Divine: The temple itself, which was a holy site, was the more religious part. We know that different people had access to different levels of the temple - it's most likely that the ordinary person could not get past the first pylon / gate of a temple. The temple represents the cosmos as a place for the gods, and is such divine.

Also is their any significance of mortuary temples like the Ramesseum or should I leave them out if I have to takl about building programs?

The mortuary temple is still a temple. Just to clarify, there are two types of Egyptian temples: mortuary, and cult. A cult temple was built for a god, and a mortuary temple was built for a (dead) king. They're both pretty much the same in practical function.

Mortuary temples are a must in the HSC exam. The Ramesseum was hugely important in Ramses' divine function (upholding Maat), but also look at this picture here. On the photo, you can clearly see the 'magazines', basically storage rooms of the temple.

And does anyone know anything about Horemheb's military campaign, other then what he did while he was commander-in-chief for Ay?

I think one of the 2003 HSC questions was about Horemheb's military activities. Try to dig up a past paper somewhere, I'll have a look for you.

Hope that helps.

 

[sly_skittle]

Thanks for that!
I hadn't even thought to connect the economic function of the temple to the significance of building programs- i have a problem of learning one aspect of the syllabus and completely forgetting about it when I talk about another aspect.

Do you have any idea about what I could write when pharaoh adds to a temple? like the two pylons that Ramesses added to the Temple of Luxor- or would you just say that they were flanked by colossal statues of the ruler therefore acting as a form of propaganda and again as a sign of their divinity?

-sorry i have so many questions- i think i've just hit panic mode for the exam