Through the Eras

Architecture and DesignTHEBES AND THE ESTATE OF AMUNPRAISE OF THEBESINTRODUCTION: The following anonymously written text,composed during the Nineteenth Dynasty(1292–1190 B.C.E.), illustrates Egyptian thinkingabout towns. It is preserved on a papyrus now inthe Royal Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, TheNetherlands.Thebes is the pattern for every city. Both waterand earth were within her from the beginning oftime. There came the sands to furnish land, to createher ground as a mound when the earth came intobeing. And so mankind also came into being withinher, with the propose of founding every city in herproper name. For all are called “City” after the exampleof Thebes.SOURCE: Charles F. Nims, Thebes of the Pharaohs: Patternfor Every City (London: Elek Books, 1965): 69. Text revisedby Edward Bleiberg.NAME AND LOCATION OF THEBES. Thebes, locatedon the east and west banks of the Nile River aroundmodern Luxor, was known as Waset in Egyptian, capitalof the fourth Upper Egyptian nome (province). TheGreeks called it Thebes, identifying it with one of theirown cities after they conquered Egypt in the fourth centuryB.C.E. Some scholars believe that the name Thebeswas a Greek pronunciation of Egyptian ta-ipet, meaning“The Harem,” that Egyptians used to describe the Luxortemple. In addition to the Luxor temple, the Karnaktemple, the temple of Medinet Habu, and the temple ofHatshepsut at Deir el Bahri form the major monumentsthat scholars have identified as the Estate of Amun duringthe New Kingdom. Each of them played an importantrole in the major festivals of the god Amun, chiefof the Egyptian pantheon.KARNAK TEMPLE: AMUN’S HOME. The Karnaktemple was the god Amun’s home. It is the largestEgyptian temple ever built. It stands inside an enclosurewall that surrounds 16,000 square meters (172,222square feet). Scholars have worked to excavate andrecord Karnak since the late nineteenth century and stillhave not nearly completed this task. The kings of theTwelfth Dynasty built the first structure on the site, butthe present plan originates in the Eighteenth-dynasty remodelingof the site. At this time the government evacuatedand leveled the whole town surrounding Karnakto provide a platform for the new temple. Essentiallythe plan established a temple perpendicular to the riverwith an axis that ran east/west. The kings of the Eighteenth,Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties continuedto expand the temple, adding a north/south axis. In totalthere are ten pylons at Karnak, reflecting the numerousadditions to the building continuing into thesecond century C.E. Within the temple complex areprecincts dedicated to the god’s wife, Mut, and theirson, Khonsu. There are also smaller chapels dedicatedto Egypt’s other important gods, including Montu, thewar god; Osiris, king of the dead; and Ptah, the chiefgod of Egypt’s northern capital, Memphis. The mass ofthe people went to the eastern gate of the temple wherethe shrine of “Amun of the Hearing Ear” allowed ordinarypeople to approach the god with requests. Royalstatues in the temple and at least two festival templesdedicated to the royal ancestors emphasized the connectionbetween Amun and the king. Egyptian religionwas clearly part of Egyptian politics. North of the maintemple was an additional temple dedicated to the wargod,Montu. South of the main structures was the Templeof Mut, the mother goddess. Though the temple asa whole was dedicated to the chief god of the Egyptianpantheon, Amun (also called Amun-Re), one of themost important buildings in it was the “Festival Hall ofThutmose III.” At the entrance to the building standfour colossal statues of Thutmose III dressed and posedas the god Osiris. These statues established for the ancientviewer the connection between the temple and theoffice of king. Osiris was the first king of Egypt, accordingto Egyptian myth. When he died, his son Horusbecame rightful king while Osiris became king ofthe dead. All living kings of Egypt identified themselvesas Horus while the deceased king was Osiris. Inside thislimestone building, the columns resembled the poles ofa military tent, recalling Thutmose III’s numerous militaryexpeditions. Recalling these expeditions also emphasizedthe king’s role as Egypt’s protector. Thedecoration of the interior also established the king’s roleas ruler of the universe. Relief sculpture includes a seriesof scenes depicting the underworld god Sokar, thesolar god Re, the procreative form of the god Amun, theJubilee Festival called sed, and the king’s ancestors. Reand Sokar associated the king with all that is above andbelow the earth. The procreative Amun helped the kingassure the fertility of the earth. The Jubilee Festival—perhaps the most ancient of all Egyptian festivals as wasdemonstrated in the architectural layout of the Step Pyramidcomplex at Saqqara—renewed the king’s power in aArts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.) 49