“semitisches pantheon”. eine “männliche tyche” - MOSAIKjournal.com

SPACE AND SCENERY | 281
5. 6) 3 and on the south-east wall of the upper terrace in her mortuary
temple at Deir el-Bahari 4 (figs. 3. 7). Thutmose III depicted the
Opet Festival on the north-south wall of the so-called Festival Hall
at the Akhmenu temple 5, located behind the main temple of Karnak
(fig. 4).
The scenes of the Red Chapel and Akhmenu depict the main
participants of the festival (pharaoh, priests, musicians) and do not
show other people (noblemen, soldiers, rowers) pictured in the
Deir el-Bahari temple (fig. 7). This fact could be explained by the
purpose of these buildings. The Red Chapel was a sanctuary placed
in the centre of the temple and was inaccessible to the profanes 6; so
was the so-called Festival Hall at Akhmenu. On the contrary, the
upper terrace of the Deir el-Bahari temple was the true Festival
Hall (wsxt-Hb(y)t) accessible to common people. 7 This circumstance
probably determined the subject and the differences in representation
of the Opet Festival: In the first case the figures are
carved strictly in accordance with the canonical rules, while in the
second they are more realistic.
Let us now pass on to the discussion of the orientation of the
temple structures and the Opet Festival scenes. Attention should
be paid to the fact that the Red Chapel was oriented on an eastwest
axis, according to the path of the sun-god who came out of
3 PORTER – MOSS (1972) 66–68; see also LACAU – CHEVRIER
(1977–1979); the color photos of the Chapel’s blocks see on the website
of K. Leser http://www.maat-ka-ra.de/english/start_e.htm (30th July 2010). Soon after the death of Hatshepsut the Red Chapel had
been dismantled by Thutmose III who built the VIth pylon and the
Granite Sanctuary on its place: Porter – Moss (1972) 98. Now the
original building of the Red Chapel is reconstructed in the Open Air
Museum at Karnak: see MATHIEU (2000) 13–14; LARCHÉ (2000) 15–
22.
4 PORTER – MOSS (1972) 357 (79–81) plan XXXV; NAVILLE (1906)
4–5, pl. 123–126.
5 PORTER – MOSS (1972) 110 (335–336); PÉCOIL (2000) pl. 80–81;
CARLOTTI (2001) pl. 17.
6 CARLOTTI (1995) 155–156; HEGAZY – MARTINEZ (1993)
55.
7 On the function of temple rooms see ARNOLD (1962).