Gloria Rosati, together with Prof. Michele Coppola of the Department of Architecture, is completing the publication of the current state of the temple of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC) at the village of El Sheikh Abada in Middle Egypt, on the edge of the city of Antinoupolis founded by Emperor Hadrian in 130 AD.
After excavations conducted for the Papyrological Institute ‘G. Vitelli' by the young Sergio Donadoni in 1939-40, and then in 1965-67 for the University of Rome La Sapienza, the Papyrological Institute started the architectural study of the temple in the 2000s, of which all the elements, in situ and scattered, have been catalogued: it was therefore possible to correct the first reconstructions of the plan, and to confirm that it consisted, after the now destroyed pylon, of a porticoed court with 6 columns on each side but in a double row on the eastern terrace, and a hypostyle hall with 4 + 4 columns.
We are now able to hypothesise the original arrangement of the large number of fragments of the architraves, which, together with the decorative programme of the columns, constitute one of the most significant aspects. Moreover, what Donadoni has already observed since the first interventions has been further confirmed: it cannot be excluded that the entire temple, or at least a very large part of it, was built with material from the destruction of Tell el-Amarna, the Akhetaten of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. Numerous blocks of limestone, but - most interestingly - many of sandstone, retain decorations in the style so recognisable that, in the fury of damnatio, they had often been hammered out and carefully concealed from view: these too will be documented and offered for research.
Last update
11.10.2024