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

SPACE AND SCENERY | 295
brought in the New Year’s Eve. 72 At the dawn of New Year sun
rays penetrated into the sanctuary and illuminated the effigies: This
was the so-called rite Xnm Itn (“union with the solar disk”) intended
to restore the gods’ energy and power. 73 Since the monuments
of Thutmose III were directly connected with the cult of Amun-
Re, it can be assumed that the effigy of this god took part in the
rite Xnm Itn held on the “solar altar”.
These semantic parallels between the “solar altar” of
Akhmenu and the Granite Sanctuary lead to the conclusion that the
rite Xnm Itn was held in the latter building during various Theban
festivals, such as the Opet Festival and the Feast of the Valley.
Besides, it can be seen that the Granite Sanctuary was placed along
the temple`s east-west axis and was oriented to the sunrise at the
winter solstice. 74 According to R. Wells, this time was named by the
Egyptians mswt-Ra (“Birth of Re”). 75 Perhaps the term mswt-Ra
was also applied to I Axt 1, i. e. the beginning of New Year, which
would thus have a solar character 76. And indeed, the New Year
Festival commemorated the myth of Nut giving birth to Re at
dawn when the sun completed its overnight journey in the body of
the sky-goddess (fig. 10). 77 This event – the rebirth of the sun-god
– was the final point of the New Year Festival celebrations, as well
as probably the Amun-Re’s Festivals, e. g. the Opet Festival and
the Feast of the Valley.
Quite possibly, the final ceremonies of the Opet Festival involved,
inter alia, the rite Xnm Itn during which the effigy of the
main temple god (in this case Amun-Re) received the energy of
sunlight and then passed it to the world. This idea has another
proof. As we said above, at the end of the Opet Festival the priests
carried Amun-Re’s bark inside the Granite Sanctuary. The relief
scenes from Akhmenu, which depict participants of the festival
72 KEES (1949) 427–442; DAUMAS (1982) 471.
73 DAUMAS (1982). For the visual presentation of the rite Xnm
Itn, see the scene from the Dendera temple which depicts the
morning sun throwing rays on the Hathor-head: PORTER – MOSS
(1939) 61, chapel XIII. fig. 10.
74 GABOLDE (1998) 163.
75 WELLS (1994) 5–23.
76 PARKER (1950) 47; GARDINER (1906) 142.
77 DAUMAS (1982) 468–469; CAUVILLE (1995) 61.