Posted on 05/23/2022 8:12:27 AM PDT by SunkenCiv
Two millennia's worth of soot and dirt covered the ceiling frescoes in the temple of Khnum in the Egyptian city of Esna, protecting the colors underneath. Now, painstaking restoration work from archeologists has brought these incredible pieces of art back to life.
The frescoes have 46 images of vultures, representing, in turn, the Upper-Egyptian vulture goddess Nekhbet and the Lower-Egyptian serpent goddess Wadjet, who is also depicted as a vulture with open wings, although keeping the head of a cobra and the crown of Lower Egypt. Nekhbet is wearing the Upper Egypt crown...
Construction of the religious building had begun during Ptolemaic time but most of the remaining parts are from the Roman era, probably around the time of Emperor Claudius (41-54 CE). The temple began to attract the interest of archeologists in Napoleonic times, but it was in the latter part of the last century that a more detailed study of it began in earnest.
“From the 1950s, the French Egyptologist Serge Sauneron systematically documented the Temple of Khnum at Esna and the paintings that were visible at that time,” said Tübingen scientist Dr. Daniel von Recklinghausen, “The temple’s complete range of images is unique in its wealth of figures and the state of preservation of the colors.”
“For the first time we can see all the decorative elements in relation to one another,” said Leitz. “This was impossible simply with Sauneron’s publication.”
The whole restoration was funded by the American Research Center in Egypt, the Ancient Egypt Foundation, and the Gerda Henkel Foundation. The team is now planning to translate all of the Esna inscriptions, as well as study the connection between all the images and writing in the temple. This upcoming work has been funded by the German research foundation.
(Excerpt) Read more at iflscience.com ...
And so??
So what?
Bkmk
Absolutely stunning!
And all of it done with primitive tools and methods.
And its significance!
Most paint you buy nowadays has a 5 year warranty.
I'm reminded of what the Taliban Muslims did to the Buddha statues in Afghanistan, and how Islam is down on pre-Islamic art. The collectors probably saved a lot from destruction.
Absolutely wonderful. So glad you found this.
That is amazingly well preserved - and beautiful.
Btt
Amazing
Thanks, my pleasure.
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