Page:A History of Art in Ancient Egypt Vol 1.djvu/465

The Temple under the New Empire. ZT^ athletes, under Amenophis III. and Rameses II. In later periods it underwent some insignificant re- touches, and that is all. It is narrower than its great neighbour, and covers a very much less space of ground, neither has it so many chambers, and yet we are in some respects more at a loss in attempt- ing to assign their proper uses to its apartments and in finding some equivalent for them in the elementary type from which we started, than we were in the larger temple. It is true that the proper character of the naos is better marked at Luxor than elsewhere. The sanctuary may be determined at a glance. It consists of a rectangular chamber standing in the middle of a large square hall ; it is the only chamber in the whole building for which granite has been used ; it has two doors, one in each end, exactly upon the major axis of the building. The hall in which it is placed is preceded by a vestibule, and surrounded by those small chambers which are always found in this part of a temple. So far, then, there is nothing to embarrass us ; every- thing is in conformity with the principles which have been laid down. The real difficulty begins when we look round us for the p7'o- naos, and examine the hypostyle halls. Here, as elsewhere, there is a hall of modest dimen- sions beyond the sanctuary. It to 43 20 Fig. 217. — Plan of the Temple of Luxor.