Thèbes. Medinet-Abou. Temple de Rhamsès III

Accession Number
1980/1.206

Title
Thèbes. Medinet-Abou. Temple de Rhamsès III

Artist(s)
Pascal Sebah

Artist Nationality
Turkish (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
circa 1880

Medium & Support
albumen print on paper

Dimensions
16 15/16 in x 14 in (43.02 cm x 35.56 cm)

Credit Line
Transfer from the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

Subject matter
In this photograph, Sébah shows the mortuary temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu—one of the main temples in the vicinity of ancient Thebes—as a cluster of decaying stone structures. Low-relief scenes of victorious pharaohs—likely all Ramses III himself—accompanied by various deities adorn the walls of the central structure. Gravel and stone fragments pepper the mostly empty foreground in front of the temple.   

Physical Description
A conglomerate of polygonal structures in a state of ruin, some covered in low-relief carvings, stand amid rocky and uneven terrain. 

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
Ramses
Ruins
Thebes
hieroglyphics
relief (sculpture techniques)
rubble
ruins
temples (buildings)
travel photography

5 Related Resources

Egypt in 19th Century Photography
(Part of 3 Learning Collections)
Monuments and Memorials
(Part of 4 Learning Collections)
Religious Buildings
(Part of 2 Learning Collections)
Ruins
(Part of 3 Learning Collections)
Victorian Studies
(Part of 2 Learning Collections)

& Author Notes

Web Use Permitted