An Egyptologist interprets Boise' Egyptian Theatre

IdahoStatesman.com (Anna Webb)

Boise's Egyptian Theatre, built in 1927 in Egyptian Revival style, reveals a mix of accurate historical imagery, much of it funereal, and shiny kitsch suited for a Hollywood sound stage. Armed with a score of photographs of the Egyptian Theatre's exterior and interior, we met up with Harvey in New York City and got him to sort out some of the Egyptian's architectural fact from its fiction.

Until recently, Harvey was director of the Oriental Institute Abydos Project at the University of Chicago. He has published numerous articles on Egypt's iconography and architecture and was interviewed for the series "Egypt's Golden Empire" on public television. . . .

The structure's basic form is that of a temple, not of a tomb, Harvey said. Tombs — like that of King Tut, which that inspired a wave of Egyptophilia in the '20s — didn't have imposing facades, but were hidden sanctuaries cut into hillsides, Harvey said.
Study the theater's corner "pylon" or tower. It's an historically accurate temple detail in shape and color, Harvey said, complete with winged sun disc, an element common over entrances.

Two cobras protect the sun on either side. The Egyptians had two ideas about how the sun traveled across the sky. One, shown here, was that it traveled on wings.

The piece is accompanied by some lovely photographs.