View source for Pylon (architecture)

{{Short description|Monumental gateway of an Egyptian temple}}
{{Other uses|Pylon (disambiguation){{!}}Pylon}}
[[File:Insel Philae.JPG|thumb|260px|Temple of Isis first pylon, [[Philae]]]]
{{wikt | pylon}}
In [[ancient Egyptian architecture]], a '''pylon''' is a [[monument]]al [[gate]] of an [[Egyptian temple]] (Egyptian: ''bxn.t'' in the [[Manuel de Codage]] transliteration<ref>Ermann & Grapow, ''Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache'', vol.1, 471.9–11</ref>). The English word "pylon" comes from the [[Greek language|Greek]] term {{Lang|el|πυλών}} 'gate'. The Egyptian pylon consists of two [[pyramid]]al towers, each tapered and surmounted by a [[cornice]], joined by a less elevated section enclosing the entrance between them.<ref name="Wilkinson_195">Toby Wilkinson, ''The Thames and Hudson Dictionary of Ancient Egypt'', Thames & Hudson, 2005. p.195</ref> The gate was generally about half the height of the towers. Contemporary paintings of pylons show them with long poles flying banners.

==Egyptian architecture==
{{Hiero|''Akhet'' 'horizon')|<hiero>N27</hiero>|align=right|era=egypt}} 
In [[ancient Egyptian religion]], the pylon mirrored the [[Egyptian hieroglyphs|hieroglyph]] [[akhet (hieroglyph and season)|''akhet'']] 'horizon', which was a depiction of two hills "between which the sun rose and set".<ref name="Wilkinson_195"/> Consequently, it played a critical role in the symbolic architecture of a building associated with the place of re-creation and rebirth.

[[File:Pylons and obelisk Luxor temple.JPG|thumb|left|The [[Luxor Temple]]]]
Pylons were often decorated with scenes emphasizing a king's authority since it was the public face of a building.<ref name="Wilkinson_195"/> On the first pylon of the temple of [[Isis]] at [[Philae]], the [[pharaoh]] is shown slaying his enemies while Isis, [[Horus]] and [[Hathor]] look on. Other examples of pylons can be seen in [[Karnak]], [[Luxor Temple]] and [[Edfu]]. Rituals to the god [[Amun]] were often carried out on the top of temple pylons. A pair of [[obelisks]] usually stood in front of a pylon.

In addition to standard vertical grooves on the exterior face of a pylon wall which were designed to hold flag poles, some pylons also contained internal stairways and rooms.<ref name="Wilkinson_195"/> The oldest intact pylons belong to mortuary temples from the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|Ramesside period]] in the 13th and 12th centuries BCE.<ref name="Wilkinson_195"/>

==Revival architecture==
[[File:Sydney harbour bridge new south wales.jpg|thumb|The [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]]]]

Both [[Neoclassical architecture|Neoclassical]] and [[Egyptian Revival architecture]] employ the pylon form, with [[Boodle's|Boodle's gentlemen's club]] in London being an example of the Neoclassical style. 

The 19th and 20th centuries saw pylon architecture employed for bridges such as the [[Sydney Harbour Bridge]] and as stand-alone monuments such as the [[Patcham Pylon]] in [[Brighton and Hove]], England.
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== Gallery ==
<gallery class="center">
File:Luxor-Tempel Pylon 02.jpg|Entrance of the [[Luxor Temple]], western façade; a pair of [[obelisks]] usually stood in front of a pylon; the 2nd obelisk (the [[Luxor Obelisk]], 23 metres (75&nbsp;ft) high, not shown) was moved in the 1830s to the [[Place de la Concorde]] in France.
File:Second Pylon (14284182329).jpg|Temple of Isis second pylon, Philae, western façade
File:Templo de Karnak, Luxor, Egipto, 2022-04-03, DD 138.jpg|One of the pylon entrances of the [[Karnak|Karnak Temple Complex]], with a surviving obelisk
File:The Temple of Edfu معبد ادفو.jpg|Pylon of [[Temple of Edfu]]
File:Karnak Khonsu Temple R01.jpg|[[Temple of Khonsu]] in Karnak
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Ancient Egyptian architecture]]
* [[Column]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Pylons (architecture)}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Architectural elements]]
[[Category:Gates]]