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

SPACE AND SCENERY | 289
set the course of the procession inside the temple to the south,
where the Chapel of Enthronement was located (fig. 4 [Nr. 6]). 42
Probably, before the bark of Amun-Re finally stopped in the Bark
Sanctuary (the so-called Granite Sanctuary of Thutmose III built
behind the VI th pylon 43) the ritual repetition of the coronation rites
was performed in the Chapel of Enthronement. On the other
hand, while orienting the relief scenes towards the south, the architects
of Thutmose III “pointed” to the path leading to his own
Akhmenu temple. It is remarkable that the entrance to the building
was located to the south of the main east-west axis of the Karnak
temple; thus, Akhmenu was separated from the main part of the
temple of Amun-Re, and only by the long and narrow passage
connected with the hypostyle hall located between the IV th and the
V th pylons. 44 This place was called “Hall of Crowns” (nTri xawy, or
nTri sxmty); 45 and there, according to the temple texts, the coronation
of Thutmose III was performed. 46 Significantly, there we find
statues of Thutmose I, Thutmose III’s grandfather; 47 thus the
southern route helped to establish a symbolic relationship between
the Akhmenu temple, the cults of pharaoh and his ancestors. Besides,
the same route connected the Karnak temple complex with
the temple of Luxor dedicated to the cult of the Royal Ka. 48
The southern axis was not only used as route for the divine
bark, but was also directly related to the royal cult. 49 The great importance
that Thutmose III attached to the southern direction
permits to suggest that during the reign of this pharaoh significant
changes occurred in the nature of some festive routes. To clarify
this issue one should turn to the decorations of the Karnak buildings
located on the south-north path. Among them, we will con-
42 PORTER – MOSS (1972) plan X; BARGUET (1962) 114.
43 PORTER – MOSS (1972) 98–99, plan XII (1).
44 BARGUET (1962) 158.
45 BARGUET (1962) 313, n. 2.
46 Urk. IV, 573 (4); BARGUET (1962) 313.
47 PORTER – MOSS (1972) 80, plan X.
48 BELL (1985) 251–294. The Royal Ka (kA nswt) was the expression
of the divine nature of the pharaoh.
49 see about this respecting Hatshepsut’s buildings in the
southern Karnak: HEGAZY – MARTINEZ (1993) 71.