Akino Ogawa
Explain the importance of Amun and other gods in Pre-Amarna New Kingdom society.
Egyptian society was based around religion and the worshiping and devotion to their gods. Religion was divided between state and personal. Throughout Egyptian history gods have played an important role within different aspects of society. Certain gods were given significance for various reasons. During the Early New Kingdom of Egypt, great emphasis was placed by the pre-Amarna Pharaohs on the god Amun. However, the polytheistic Egyptians worshipped many gods depending on their class and status within society; other gods such as Montu,Seth, Horus, Hathor, Ptah, Bes and Osiris were not neglected.
Amun became known as ‘the king of the gods’ and ‘Lord of the Thrones’ and had a cult centre established in Egypts capital at the time, Thebes. He was the central of the state religion of the New Kingdom. The Hymn of Victory describes how Amun assisted the pharaoh in ruling the land and maintained ma’at I gave you valor and victory over all lands…For I bestowed on you the Earth, its length and breadth, Westerners and Easterners are under your control[1].The entrance of the Karnak temple is lined with ram headed sphinxes. These sphinxes are a symbol of the god Amun and show the pharaoh standing between its paws, being protected by them.
The idea of the ‘warrior pharaoh’ began when Ahmose successfully campaigned against the Hyksos. The image of ‘warrior pharaoh’ became an important part of the depiction of kingship during the New Kingdom of Egypt and each pharaoh conformed to the figure to different degrees.The gods Seth and Montu were given great importance by the pharaohs of this period. This image is best displayed during the reign of Thutmose III, when Egypt was at its height; as well as Thutmose I.A relief from Karnak in the temple of Amun depicts the god Seth instructing Thutmose III in archery. The seventh Pylon at Karnak was built by Thutmose III and has inscriptions of his victories as pharaoh inscribed on the front and rear faces.
Great emphasis was placed on Montu, who was the most prominent god of war during this time. The Gebel Barkal Stele of Tuthmosis III describes him as ‘a valiant Montu on the battlefield’. Also, when kings were referred to as “mighty bulls” during their reign, they are associating Montu as their father.
Montu also had a connection with Egyptian households in association with the happiness of the home. One document found in Deir el-Medina shows the anger of a husband towards his unfaithful wife ‘it is the abomination of Montu’[2]. Four main sites (cult centers) have been found within the capital, Thebes. Amenhotep III carried out the most significant construction in monuments for Montu during the early New Kingdom. A hymn from an Armant stele describes Montu as ‘the raging one who prevails over the serpent-demon Nik’[3]and the one ‘who causes Re to sail in his park and overthrows his serpent enemy’[4]. The ancient Egyptian warships contained figures of Montu striding and holding maces or spears.
Found in Queen Ahhoteps’ treasure was an axe depicting the pharaoh Ahmose. The king is shown killing an enemy of Egypt and is wearing a war crown. A griffin is shown on the axe showing the king is ‘beloved of Montu’[5].
Building programs showed the way in which religion was used to approve support of the military activities of the pharaoh. The chief object of these temples were to Amun, however there are also images of other gods.Kemp believes building programs during this period were about sending out a message to the public. Reasons to support this include; large temples, great obelisks towering above the temple walls (with the pyramidians covered in electrum), grand statues of the pharaoh at the entrance of important temples and buildings being constructed in accordance with processional routes (the bark shrines were taken out and beyond the temples). Temples were a visual expression of the new ‘warrior pharaoh’ image, demonstrating the power of Amun – Re and his son (the pharaoh at the time).
The reign of Hatshepsut was greatly influenced by her relationship with Amun. She reinforced her position by enhancing the fact that Amun was her ‘father’ and that he gave her all the important things in her life. Propaganda as well as reliefs and recordings found in her mortuary temple say she does everything with Amun’s guidance and on his command. She looks to him for advice and believes she was chosen by him to rule as king. However much Hatshepsut reinforced the fact that Amun was her father, it was just a way kings made their reign seem legitimate. Being Amun’s child gives a ruler greater importance as king. Like all kings of ancient Egypt, Hatshepsut ruled by trying to maintain Ma’at. Also, as Hatshepsut was a female on the throne, saying Amun had ‘chosen’ her to be king would have helped her reign seem more legitimate. Although Amun was not the only god supported by Hatshepsut during her reign, there is only great emphasis of her relationship with him. Many other gods were worshipped by Hatshepsut however; they aren’t given the same importance as Amun.
A series of reliefs on the middle colonnade at Hatshepsuts’ mortuary temple (Deir el-Bahari) depict scenes of her divine birth, showing the different stages. Amun impregnates the Queen (Hatshepsuts’ mother, Ahmose) Khnemet –Amon-Hatshepsut shall be the name of this my daughter, whom I have placed in thy body…she shall exercise the excellent kingship in this whole land…my crown is hers[6]
The early new kingdom of Egypt saw the renewal of many religious festivals. These festivals celebrated the god which meant the statue of the god was carried in procession to different temples. Thepurpose of these festivals was to involve the common people in a religious ritual. The Feast of Opet was a major festival of Amun held annually during the inundation of Egypt. The statue of Amun was carried by boat up stream to the temple at Luxor to visit Mut (his consort).A relief from Karnak shows procession of the barque of Amum being carried to Luxor by officials.There is not any significant detail known on this festival prior to the 18th Dynasty as it was perhaps not as celebrated prior to the New Kingdom.
Bes was the god of music and dance as well as a protector of children. He was the Egyptian household god who protected mother and child during childbirth; and was predominantly worshipped by the people of Egypt. Bes offered protection for the common folk, royalty and deities. The purpose of his rough appearance was to frighten away evil spirits. In the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut Bes is shown in the relief depicting the birth of the Queen. Bes was an important god for women and children during this time as he was associated with the protection and support of the feminine aspects of society (creativity, women and children)
Another god associated with women, fertility, childbirth and children was Hathor; a goddess of love, music and beauty. She was the goddess associated with the living Queen as well as the after life.
Osiris was known as the god of the dead and the underworld; he was also thought to have been an aspect of Ra during the hours of darkness.It is believed that when the sun set in the evening Ra entered the underworld, during this time he was rejuvenated and was reborn. The Egyptians strongly believed that without death there could not be new life and that to be reborn into a better life the dead traveled through this daily journey with RA.
Ptah was considered the god of craftsmen especially stone craft, he was highly regarded by craftsmen and was said to control their destiny and hence came to be worshiped by the population as a whole as the god of craft and reincarnation. It is also considered that Ptah manifested himself as an Apis bull. Hence a live bull was kept in the temple of Ptah and was extremely popular in Egyptian history, as he was seen as a manifestation of the primary god who could be experienced in daily life, and the movements of the bull became interpreted as oracular response by the god. To most people the complexity of interpreting the response must have been too abstract however the average Egyptian felt much comfort in the fact that the bull represented a god they could see and touch.
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[1] M. Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, Vol. II, p. 36
[2]
Taylor Ray Ellison.1999-2005 by InterCity Oz, Inc.
[3] ibid
[4] ibid
[5] Ahmose’s gold ceremonial axe
[6] J.H. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, Vol. II, pp. 80-1