These decorated jambs come from an entrance to a palace complex of pharaoh Merenptah of the 19th Dynasty. Ruling between 1213 and 1204 BC, Merenptah built a magnificent palace at Memphis, the traditional capital of the country, and a city sacred to the god Ptah. Imagine the size of this gateway. The smaller sections on the far sides fit onto the top of the two larger pieces in the middle. Bridging the top of these two pieces there would have been a massive limestone lintel capped with a decorative cornice. The entire doorway probably reached 35 to 40 feet high. Two gigantic wooden doors were held together with bronze bands stamped with the name of Merenptah. If you could swing open these gates you would see inside the two columns that stand disassembled into two parts behind you. This gateway and the columns together form the "South Portal" - a ceremonial entrance into Merenptah's palace. Beyond, you could approach the actual palace building., which consisted of a series of pillared hallways. At the inner end, beyond a veritable forest of columns, stood Merenptah’s throne room. Scenes on the gateway of the South Portal show Merenptah as pharaoh. In the upper scenes we see images of the great creator gods, Atum*, Amun-Re* and Ptah, conferring kingship on Merenptah. Notice for example the scene on the two blocks on the far left and right. These show Merenptah receiving the sacred scepters of kingship.