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

SPACE AND SCENERY | 291
was similar to the Heb-sed run 58 and was intended to demonstrate
the king’s power and force to the people. Judging by the Opet Festival
images from the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut, the Sed Festival
ceremonies were performed in Karnak after the arrival of the procession
from Luxor (fig. 6). 59 Most likely, the same took place under
Thutmose III, who conducted these rites before his alabaster
chapel.
Following the ceremonies in the court of the VII th pylon, the
festive procession moved towards the main temple of Amun-Re,
and entered the court of the IV th pylon. There, another chapel of
Thutmose III 60 was erected to celebrate one of the pharaoh’s jubilees
or his military victories in Syria (fig.4 [Nr. 5]). 61 Perhaps this
chapel was a simple structure of calcite, aligned on a south-north
axis. 62 Does this mean that the building could be used when the
procession arrived at Karnak? An analysis of the chapel’s relief
scenes orientation answers this question: The pharaoh’s images
face the northern part of the sanctuary, where it was faced by the
altar for Amun-Re’s bark, oriented southwards. 63 Thus, during any
ceremony the bark was placed on the altar and its stern faced the
temple’s east-west axis. This position implies that the processional
path of Amun-Re’s festivals (including the Opet Festival) laid in the
southern part of the temple, opposite the god’s altar. 64 So the par-
58 KEES (1967) 65.
59 Red Chapel, blocks 66. 102. 176.
60 GRIMAL – LARCHÉ (1993) 5–20; ARNAUDIÈS-
MONTÉLIMARD (2003) 159–217. Later the sanctuary was demolished
by Amenhotep III (1402–1365 BC).
61 This evidence comes from the chapel’s decoration, containing
the scene of the Sed-Festival character and fragmentary inscription
which reads: „Men-kheper-Re (i. e. Thutmose III) my
majesty, arrived from Syria (...), his hostile country” (Mn-xpr-Ra
ii.n Hm.i m Rtnw (…) xAst.f sbyt): ARNAUDIÈS-MONTÉLIMARD
(2003) 195.
62 ARNAUDIÈS-MONTÉLIMARD (2003) 213. 216.
63 ARNAUDIÈS-MONTÉLIMARD (2003) 179–212, pl. I–VII.
64 Proceeding from these considerations, we prefer not to accept
the view of Arnaudiès-Montélimard that the bark chapel was
only used on the way from Karnak: ARNAUDIÈS-MONTÉLIMARD
(2003) 214. Meanwhile, Hatshepsut’s Red Chapel gives an example
of a construction with a passage where the bark of Amun-Re was