Karnak in the Third Intermediate and Late Periods

The blog post for this week has been written by Terri Natale, who has a BA in English Literature and an MA in Victorian Studies. She also received a Certificate and Diploma in Egyptology from Birkbeck College. Terri has previously worked as a volunteer on the South Asasif Conservation Project for five seasons.

I won’t attempt to copy Dr Ken Griffin’s comprehensive survey of the changes at Karnak during the Third Intermediate and Late Periods. Instead, I will only look at some highlights of the changes in the religious and political effects these had at Karnak and the country. The Third Intermediate Period was a time of fragmentation of the Egyptian state. It was a time when local rulers once more came into prominence. For much of this time, Egypt was no longer a country under the control of one king.

In the Twenty-first Dynasty, the king had control of Lower Egypt at Tanis. Herihor, the High Priest of Amun under Ramesses XI, was the de facto ruler at Karnak and possibly the greater Theban region. He is viewed as a bridge between the Twentieth and Twenty-first dynasties. In a significant departure from tradition, he was depicted wearing the regalia of Pharaoh and his name was enclosed in a cartouche. Additionally, within the temple of Khonsu at Karnak, he is depicted presenting maat to the gods (fig. 1).

Fig. 1: Herihor presenting maat to Amun

His successor, the High Priest of Amun Pinedjem, adopted the five-fold titulary of the king in year 15/16 of Smendes. He usurped the colossal statue of Ramesses II (or Amenhotep III?) at the entrance to the Second Pylon, while also adding the avenue of sphinxes in front of Karnak (fig. 2). At the entrance to the Khonsu Temple, he was depicted offering to the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut and Khonsu. His son, Menkheperre, carried out an inspection of all the Theban temples and built a mudbrick enclosure wall around Karnak.

Fig. 2: Colossal statue of Pinedjem

The Twenty-second Dynasty started with Sheshonq I, the first first foreign ruler of Egypt in 600 years. He was a Libyan military commander whose family had lived in the Delta region at Bubastis for generations. He appointed his son, Iwput, as the High Priest of Amun, thus tightening control of this important office (fig. 3). Sheshonq I undertook a range of building projects at Karnak, one of which was the Bubastis Portal. Its southern wall depicted his victory over Israel and Judea. He was the first pharaoh to be identified by name (Shishak) in the Old Testament, although some scholars dispute this association. This is significant as it became possible to view the military victories of the Egyptians from other contemporary sources.

Fig. 3: Sheshonq I, accompanied by Iwput, being suckled by Hathor

The influence and power of the God’s Wife of Amun increased during the Twenty-second/Twenty-third dynasties, reaching its height during the Kushite (Twenty-fifth Dynasty) and Saite (Twenty-sixth Dynasty) periods. This also coincided with the increase in the worship of Osiris. Karnak had always been dedicated to multiple gods, with Osiris now having numerous chapels built for him. In total, there are close to 20 Osiris chapels at Karnak. The earliest chapel is that of Osiris Wep-ished, which was decorated during the reign of Osorkon II under the High Priest of Amun, Takelot (fig. 4).

Fig. 4: Chapel of Osiris Wep-ished

In the early Twenty-third Dynasty, the God’s Wife of Amun Shepenwepet was depicted more times in the Chapel of Osiris Heqa-Djet than the kings. This is a clear indication of how important this position had become. In the New Kingdom, the God’s Wife of Amun was the wife or daughter of the ruler. By the Twenty-third Dynasty, she was celibate. It is significant that as the power and influence of the God’s Wife of Amun increased, the power of the High Priest of Amun decreased. In the Twenty-fifth Dynasty, God’s Wife is shown in roles previously allotted to the king. She was shown presenting maat to the gods, receiving the ankh from the gods, and intimately embracing the gods (fig. 5). The God’s Wife was his consort, who is even shown being suckled by Hathor in some scenes. The title of God’s Wife became synonymous with that of the Divine Adoratrice, with the office having a large personnel of attendants and a Chief Steward.

Fig. 5: The God’s Wife Amenirdis embracing Amun

The Twenty-fifth Dynasty heralded the arrival of the Kushites. Shabataka (Shebitqo) was the first Kushite ruler to add to Karnak, including decorating the exterior parts of the Chapel of Osiris Heqa-Djet. He wears a double uraeus on his crown, which symbolised his rule over the two lands (Egypt and Kush). However, since the Kushite ruler were content to govern from Kush, it was the God’s Wife of Amun who was the de facto ruler at Thebes. Shabataka was succeeded by Shabaka, who was responsible for renewing a gateway of the Fourth Pylon.  He also built a treasury (fig. 6) and the “House of Gold”. He constructed two Osiris chapels. Osiris Neb-Ankh and Osiris Coptos. His successor, Taharqa, embarked on an impressive building programme at Karnak. He constructed the so-called Edifice of Taharqa, which is located next to the Sacred Lake. He built and decorated at least three Osiris chapels.

 

Fig. 6: The Treasury of Shabaka

The Third Intermediate Period saw the fragmentation of the Egyptian state and the arrival of foreign rulers. It witnessed the rise in power of the God’s Wife of Amun and the change to Osiris as a major god at Karnak. This was a big departure from the stability of the New Kingdom and was to be the precursor of future change in later dynasties.

Bibliography:

Anonymous 1981. The Temple of Khonsu, volume 2: scenes and inscriptions in the Court and the First Hypostyle Hall, with translations of texts and glossary for volumes 1 and 2. Oriental Institute Publications 103. Chicago, IL: The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.

Ayad, Mariam F. 2009. God’s Wife, God’s Servant: the God’s Wife of Amun (ca.740–525 BC). London; New York: Routledge.

Cooney, Kathlyn M. 2000. The edifice of Taharqa by the Sacred Lake: ritual function and the role of the king. Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 37, 15–47.

Coulon, Laurent, Aleksandra Hallmann, and Frédéric Payraudeau 2018. The Osirian chapels at Karnak: an historical and art historical overview based on recent fieldwork and studies. In Pischikova, Elena, Julia Budka, and Kenneth Griffin (eds), Thebes in the first millennium BC: art and archaeology of the Kushite period and beyond, 271–293. London: Golden House Publications.

Epigraphic Survey, The 1954. Reliefs and inscriptions at Karnak, volume 3: the Bubastite portal. Oriental Institute Publications 74. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Gregory, Steven R. W. 2014. Herihor in art and iconography: kingship and the gods in the ritual landscape of Late New Kingdom Thebes. London: Golden House Publications.