The Temple of Thutmose III at Deir el-Bahari

The discovery of the remains of the temple of Thutmose III in Deir el-Bahari in the year 1962 by the Polish mission and subsequent excavations initiated years of research into the architecture and decoration of the temple. It was based on preserved shattered fragments of the ornamented limestone and sandstone blocks that once constituted its walls, as well as on partially preserved elements in situ, such as pavement fragments with incised guide lines. This made it possible to recognize the layout of temple walls, rooms and columns as well as the arrangement of most of the wall decoration. The temple, which was destroyed by an earthquake at the beginning of the 21st Dynasty, then plundered by stonemasons and finally covered with rock piles, has largely preserved its original polychromy, which determines its exceptional value for the history of wall painting.
The Temple of Thutmose III at Deir el-Bahari is the first volume of the publication on the temple. It covers three rooms connected with the royal cult. A brief introduction describing the architecture of the whole temple complex is followed by a detailed description of the function and decoration of the three rooms, with a focus on the preserved colors. All scenes and accompanying texts are partially reconstructed, as the state of preservation is usually very poor. Color plates and appendices with a description of the standard decorative elements, the decoration of the “serekhs”, a list of members of the mission and a list of publications concerning the temple are included. The volume is accompanied by 15 large-format drawings (scale 1:10 or in four cases 1:11) – one for each wall and three for the niche – as well as a plan of the temple.