The Egyptian Temple Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pylon

The architecture of the pylon was highly symbolic. Built to look like the hieroglyphic symbol for "horizon", it was a likeness of two hills where the sun rose and set. Rituals to Amon, the sun god, were performed by priests on the top of the pylons; some even contained stairways and other rooms.

The pylon in the picture is from the entrance to Luxor Temple, which was built near the ancient city of Thebes. Built in 1400 BC, it is believed that the Luxor Temple was dedicated to Amon, his wife, Mut, and their son, Khonsu, and was the focus of the annual Opet festival.

Answer: Bas Relief

The facade of the pylon was really the only part of the temple that the public was able to view on a regular basis. Many times it was decorated with scenes that demonstrated pharaoh's power.

The Isis Temple at Philae was originally located at the first cataract near Aswan. One of the burial places of Osiris, only priests were allowed to live there. It was moved by UNESCO to Agilkia Island in anticipation of the completion of the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

Answer: Obelisk

The outside of the temple was normally decorated with two obelisks, which stood in front. Obelisks were tall, four-sided, tapered stone pillars, which usually ended with a pyramid shape on top. Although the Egyptians called them "tekhenu", the term "obelisk" is derived from the name given by the Greek, Herodotus, who was one of the first to describe them. Sadly, less than half of the ancient obelisks are still in Egypt today.

There were originally two obelisks that guarded the entrance to the Luxor temple in ancient times. One of them was removed by Muhammed Ali, the Khedive of Egypt in 1833, and sent to King Louis-Phillipe of France as a gift. Today it can be found in the Place de la Concorde in Paris, France.

Answer: Courtyard

Having a transitional purpose, the courtyard in an Egyptian temple separated the deeply religious inner temple and the outside world. Many Egyptian courtyards were decorated with scenes of the pharaoh making offerings to the gods. There were some religious festival days when the ordinary citizens were allowed to congregate in the courtyard; however, it was generally closed off from view. Sometimes there was even a second pylon that led from the courtyard into the inner temple.

The Temple of Edfu is considered to be one of the best preserved temples in Egypt today. Built between 237 and 57 BC, it was dedicated to the gods Horus and Hathor, and was the center of many festivals.

Answer: Hypostyle Hall

The hypostyle hall was pretty dark except for the central aisle that was lit by small windows cut from the roof of the room. Considered the reception area for the god, the area was used for religious rituals and represented a primordial marsh.

The building of the Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak began during the reign of Seti I, the father of the Great Ramses II, during the Nineteenth Dynasty. Although the roof has fallen, it was once supported by 134 columns in 16 rows.

Answer: Cavetto

The concave molding, which was really decorative architecture used by the Egyptians, commonly depicted decorated leaves or reeds. Pylons were decorated with this type of trim.

Built during the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the Temple of Kom Ombo is called a "double design temple" because all of its features were duplicated for two sets of gods. The northern part is dedicated to the falcon god Haroeris, along with Tasenetnofret and Panebtawy. The southern half is dedicated to the crocodile god, Sobeck, with Hathor and Khonsu.

Answer: Papyrus Column

In a colonnaded hall that was to be reminiscent of a primordial marsh, the columns that were in the darker areas looked like papyrus plants with closed flowers. The columns closer to the lighted aisle looked like the papyrus plants blooming in the sun.

The papyrus columns in the picture are from the Temple of Khonsu near modern-day Luxor, Egypt. Originally constructed by Ramses III on the site of an earlier temple, the pylon to the temple is at the end of an avenue of sphinxes.

Answer: Post and Lintel

Also called a prop and lintel or a trabeated system, the post and lintel allowed builders to support the weight of the structure above the openings for windows and doors in a bearing wall. This type of architecture dates all the way back to the Neolithic Age as demonstrated with the construction of Stonehenge.

Located at Karnak near the main Temple of Amon, the Temple of Ptah was originally constructed by the great military leader, Thutmose III, during the Eighteenth Dynasty. Ptah, the god of architects and craftsmen, created the universe.

Answer: Naos

The sanctuary, considered to be the most important room of the temple, was relatively small and dark. In the middle of the room stood the naos, which contained a statue of the deity. It was normally made of wood with doors that were kept closed and locked at all times except for the sacred rituals. Only the high priest and the pharaoh could enter the sanctuary. Egyptians believed that during the sacred rituals the god could enter the statue that was kept in the naos.

This naos in the picture is located at the Qubbetel-Hawa, a site of rock-cut tombs, near Aswan, Egypt.

Answer: Talatat

It makes sense that standardized blocks could make construction simpler. The blocks were smaller and lighter, so they could be handled with more ease. Many Egyptians viewed the monotheistic Akhetaten, who was pharaoh during the Amarna Period, as a heretic. When he died, the old gods were quickly reinstated; likewise, the idea of using standard sized blocks for temple construction was also pushed aside. Many of the talatats were then used as filler for other buildings.

The Temple of Amenhotep IV was constructed on the Karnak site by Akhetaten before he changed his name. The reconstructed talatats in the picture are called the Gempaaten, which means "The Sun Disc is Found in the Estate of the God Aten".