Au XVIe siècle avant J.-C., Thoutmosis III fit construire un sanctuaire en granit rose dans le temple d’Amon, à Karnak. Cet édifice, nommé Outjes-khâou, « (celui qui) exalte les apparitions d’Amon », servait d’abri principal à la barque du dieu, qui était portée en procession lors des grandes fêtes thébaines. Remplaçant la chapelle Rouge d’Hatshepsout, il resta debout jusqu’à ce que Philippe Arrhidée, le découvrant « ruiné », ordonne sa reconstruction. C’est son sanctuaire de barque en granit qui se dresse actuellement au même emplacement. La première tâche de ce travail a consisté à rechercher les blocs épars qui composaient le sanctuaire thoutmoside. Dispersés sur les 25 hectares du site de Karnak, parfois remployés dans des monuments postérieurs, ces fragments ont été identifiés, photographiés, documentés et leurs décors, dessiné. Les fonds photographiques, les journaux et rapports de fouilles des premiers directeurs des travaux de Karnak ont été dépouillés afin de déterminer la provenance de ces blocs et l’histoire de leur découverte. L’étude architecturale a ensuite été effectuée. L’analyse du décor reconstitué a fourni des données sur les aspects religieux, cultuels et politiques du règne de Thoutmosis III et permis d’identifier certaines de ses constructions. L’élément clé de cette étude est la proposition d’une nouvelle date du remplacement de la chapelle Rouge par Outjes-khâou, pour l’an 30, à l’occasion de la première fête-sed du roi. Suivant cette hypothèse, de nouvelles séquences chronologiques ont été proposées pour la construction et la décoration d’Outjes-khâou et des édifices qui l’entouraient, au cœur de Karnak. / In the 16th century BC, Thutmose III built a red granite sanctuary in the center of the temple of Amun in Karnak. This monument, named Utjes-khau “(the one who) exalts Amun’s appearances”, was used as the main resting place for the sacred bark which was carried in procession during the great Theban feasts. Replacing Hatshepsut’s Red Chapel, the shrine of Thutmose III remained standing until Philip Arrhidaeus, finding it “ruined”, ordered it to be constructed anew. Today, Arrhidaeus’ own granite bark shrine remains in situ. The first task of this research was to look for the blocks of the Thutmosid bark shrine, which were scattered across the 25 hectare area of the Karnak temples and sometimes were reused in later monuments. They were photographed, documented and drawn. The photographic collections, excavation journals and reports of the earlier field directors of Karnak have been analyzed in order to find out the find spot and the history of these blocks’ discovery. Following this, the architectural study of the bark shrine could be made. The analysis of reconstituted decoration allowed the identification of some of Thutmose III’s monuments and provided new data on religious, cultic and political aspects of his reign. The key issue of this study is the proposal of a new date for the replacement of the Red Chapel by Utjes-khau for the king’s first sed-festival in year 30. According to this hypothesis, new chronological sequences are proposed for the building and decoration of Utjes-khau and the monuments surrounding it at the center of Karnak.

The focus of this thesis is on the most commonly used types of stone, the methods of quarrying stone, stone working, the tools developed and used for that purpose, and the ways in which stone was transported and hoisted into place. This is starting from the earliest times in which large temples or buildings were constructed, namely the Neolithic, up till the time of the Roman Empire. Besides being a kind of compendium of most aspects of stone working, which could be found, also attention is given to the ideal conditions under which the construction of a large temple or monument could take place. The framework, which is developed from the description of the construction of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem in I Kings 5 and I Chronicles 28, is used to analyse the construction of a number of other temples in different times, places and settings, and with the use of different materials, to test if the framework is applicable in all these situations. Moreover, also other aspects of stone working, such as mosaics and the manufacturing of stone vessels in Jerusalem are described and analysed as to their origins and uses. The intention is to give an overview of the many ways in which stone has been used, so that the reader can get an idea of how large temples and monuments were built and to gain an understanding of what kind of technical know-how and ingenuity existed in antiquity. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Phil. (Religious Studies (Biblical Archaeology))