There are five key divisions in Egyptian chronology, which are separated by dissolutions, and periods of warfare after which Egypt always managed to renew and restore her. One of those periods is the New Kingdom during which Ramses 2 built the Abu Simbel temple and introduced the pylon form, architectural characteristic in the temples.
Egypt has a rich history of art and architecture most of which is learned through the ruins, tombs and temples. This signifies a time when Egypt had the most civilization in the world. These ruins present an indisputable record of the evolution of Egyptian life. The Egyptian culture was deeply religious, and the belief of life after death had its roots in this culture. The Egyptians had the belief that in order for the spirit of the dead to continue living, the physical body of the dead had to be under preservation. The preparations for the afterlife depended on the social status of the dead person and the higher they ranked the more extensive the preparations (Kamil 56).
In order to understand the architecture and art in Abu Simbel, there has to be an understanding of the evolution of the Egyptian civilization. Civilization started in the old kingdom forged between 2650-2150 B.C. this was the time King Zoser had his rule in Egypt. In the history of civilization, the step pyramid was the first stone building. It was a design that had seven rectangles the one beneath bigger than the one above it. This design was a predecessor to the other pyramids constructed in Egypt. During this time, the sculpturing and painting began in preparation of the pyramid for the king’s burial.
In the middle age, there was a significant improvement of art, and for the first time, king is represented as mortal men. The pyramids during this period were poorly designed. therefore, the rich and noble Egyptians had their tombs cut out of solid stone.