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(1929– )
Vassos Karageorghis dominated Cypriot archaeology in the latter half of the twentieth century. He studied archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology at London University (Ph.D. awarded in 1957). Shortly after cyprus gained independence from Great Britain, he became director of the Department of Antiquities, and after retiring from that position, he established the Archaeological Research Unit of the newly founded University of Cyprus. He has been a visiting scholar at a variety of universities in Europe and the Americas and is currently director of the Leventis Foundation. His primary field of research has been on the Iron Age and the late Bronze Age of Cyprus, with major, large-scale excavations at Salamis, Kition, Maa-Palaekastro, and Pyla-Kokkinokremnos; the results of all have been efficiently and comprehensively published. He has written widely on specific Cypriot issues as well as on the relationship between Cyprus and surrounding regions. Among his major contributions is a series of monographs on Cypriot terracotta models. Through the Leventis Foundation he has provided funds to several major museums to develop new displays of their Cypriot material, and he has done much to establish the place of Cyprus internationally, in part by encouraging foreign excavators to work on the island. His activities in repatriating looted antiquities have also been of particular significance.
The temples of Karnak and Luxor are located on the east bank of the Nile at the modern city of Luxor (ancient Thebes) in southern Egypt. The two temples formed the religious heart of the city of Thebes. The urban remains of ancient Thebes cluster around Karnak extending southwards toward Luxor temple. Much of the standing remains of these great stone temples were exposed through unscientific excavation during the nineteenth century. However, modern archaeological excavation and epigraphic recording of scenes and texts, as well as the analysis and interpretation of these massive buildings, is likely to continue for the foreseeable future. Conservation and reconstruction of the Karnak and Luxor temples continues to be a major activity of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and numerous foreign projects conducting work at Luxor.
The majority of the visible architecture of the Karnak and Luxor temples dates to the New Kingdom (Dynasties 18–20, ca. 1550–1070 b.c.) and later periods. Alterations and additions to Karnak and Luxor temples did not cease until the beginning of the Christian Periodin the first century a.d. Karnak and Luxor temples are among the best-preserved temple sites in Egypt. Profusely decorated with scenes and texts, the temples provide an unparalleled glimpse into the religious life of ancient Egyptian society.
The main temple at Karnak (known in ancient Egyptian as Ipet-Sut) was dedicated to the god Amun(-Re), a deity who rose to prominence in the Middle Kingdom (ca. 2050–1750 b.c.) and who became the premier state god during the New Kingdom. Flanking the Karnak precinct of Amun-Re on its south and north side respectively are satellite precincts dedicated to Mut (the consort of Amun-Re) and Montu (a falcon god associated with warfare). Shrines and subsidiary temples dedicated to many additional gods (including Khonsu, Osiris, Maat, and others) are located within these three main precincts. The Luxor temple (which was known as Ipet-Resyt) is located two kilometers south of Karnak. The temple was dedicated to a form of the god Amun known as Amenope. In ancient times, the Luxor and Karnak temples were linked by a processional route that is still lined today with human-headed sphinxes added by the Late Period king Nectanebo I. An annual religious festival known as the Opet Festival was the most significant religious ceremony in the life of ancient Thebes. During this festival a statue of Amun was carried out of the Karnak temple to Luxor temple for the enactment of religious rites that celebrated the association between the pharaoh and Amun.
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