The restoration work was not just on the ceiling.Image credit: Ahmed Emam / MoTA
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 ...
The restoration work was not just on the ceiling.Image credit: Ahmed Emam / MoTA
Beautiful.
Beautiful.
That’s amazing.
Amazing.
The Swedes, Germans, French and Americans looted boatloads of Frescoes and wall paintings from ancient Buddhist temples in buried and forgotten cities along the Silk Road in Central Asia back in the early part of the 20th century.
Incredible work ...
Snakes !!! I hate snakes !!!
Kamala Harris: To reach the ceiling, one must work while on their back:
They did nice work back then. :^)
Amy ruins Sheldon's favorite movie by pointing out that Indiana Jones was not needed in Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Episode 7.04 - The Raiders Minimization (German Subtitles)
For entertainment only. I Own Nothing.
"The Big Bang Theory (2007-)-The Big Bang Theory (2013) REFERENCE Full Episode Master - The Raiders Minimization".The Big Bang Theory - Amy ruins the Indiana Jones franchise
November 2, 2013 | ThePayneism
This proves the passage of time!
And I can't mention Hopkirk's name without referencing his book Mission to Tashkent which tells the story of FM Baily, a British agent trapped in Central Asia by the Russian Civil War. This guy was James Bond when Flannery O'Connell was in diapers. He was so good at spycraft and disguise that the Cheka hired him to capture himself. Great firsthand insight into the depredation and brutality of the Bolsheviks.
Oops, I meant Ian Flemming, not Flannery O’Connell.
Thanks.
Snakes? Why’d it have to be SNAKES!!
Apps! Very dangerous. You go first!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
