Karnak, Amun-Re: the genesis of a temple, the birth of a God. BiEtud 167.
IFAO| N° d'inventaire | 21132 |
| Format | |
| Détails | 744 p., paperback. |
| Publication | Cairo, 2018 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | |
The antiquity of the Karnak temple and the genesis of the cult of Amun have long been the subject of debate with uncertain conclusions, due to the lack of decisive evidence, but it is now possible to propose new hypotheses on the development of the site and the rise of the cult of Amun. The Nile underwent significant changes in its course and it seems that the site of Karnak, originally located on the left bank, became an uninhabited island during the Old Kingdom. Under the 11th Dynasty, after the island was attached to the right bank, the new Theban dynasts took advantage of the land to build a sanctuary, dedicated to Amun-Re, guaranteeing their legitimacy. This divinity, although new, was not developed ex nihilo: it synthesizes the Memphito-Heliopolitan concept of Imn, "hidden", the solar dimension borrowed from Re-Atum of Heliopolis, the Coptic iconography and liturgies of the god Min. Amon-Re thus became, for these sovereigns from the South, the god that they had revealed and that the previous kings had not been able to recognize.
The antiquity of the Karnak temple and the genesis of the cult of Amun have long been the subject of debate with uncertain conclusions, due to the lack of decisive evidence, but it is now possible to propose new hypotheses on the development of the site and the rise of the cult of Amun. The Nile underwent significant changes in its course and it seems that the site of Karnak, originally located on the left bank, became an uninhabited island during the Old Kingdom. Under the 11th Dynasty, after the island was attached to the right bank, the new Theban dynasts took advantage of the land to build a sanctuary, dedicated to Amun-Re, guaranteeing their legitimacy. This divinity, although new, was not developed ex nihilo: it synthesizes the Memphito-Heliopolitan concept of Imn, "hidden", the solar dimension borrowed from Re-Atum of Heliopolis, the Coptic iconography and liturgies of the god Min. Amon-Re thus became, for these sovereigns from the South, the god that they had revealed and that the previous kings had not been able to recognize.