originally with Horus. These three quite separate tribal gods of the peoples of the Theban district were now formed into a definite trinity. Amen-Ra became the father, "the king of the gods"; Mut, the mother, was his wife; and Khonsu, soon identified with the moon since Amen-Ra was the sun, became their offspring. When the great kings of Dynasty XII. came to the throne about B.C. 2000, and Thebes became the mighty capital of a nation once more united and consolidated after generations of internal strife, a large temple was erected to this trinity, and traces of it have been found at Karnak. It is probable that Karnak at this time was the actual site of the city, and that Luxor was a suburb. This temple of Dynasty XII. seems to have stood not far from where now stands the sanctuary of Philip Aridaeus (p. 99), for just to the south of that building a pedestal was found bearing the name of Amenemhat Ist, the founder of the dynasty; while Amenhotep, the high priest under Rameses IXth (p. 109), states that a sanctuary was built in the time of Senusert Ist. Fragments of Nubian ("pan-grave") pottery of this date have been found to the east of the temple, and suggest that a Nubian garrison was stationed here, or that Nubian slaves were in residence. Statues and other remains of the succeeding dynasties have been found; and the temple seems to have existed throughout the troubled times of the Hyksos rule which followed. When, with Dynasty XVIII., the power of Thebes was restored, the great temple once more began to flourish. An inscription in the quarry of Ma'sara near Cairo records the fact that Aahmes Ist in his twenty-first year (B.C. 1559) was cutting stone for one of the temples of Thebes; and another inscription records his splendid gifts to Karnak. Amenhotep Ist erected some beautiful buildings of white limestone, of which many blocks have been recently unearthed. Thothmes Ist, the next king, also built here; and Anena, the noble whose tomb (No. 81) is to be seen at Shêkh abd'el Gûrneh (p. 133), records the erection of two great pylons still existing (p. 99), a doorway named "Amenmighty-in-wealth," of which the door was of Asiatic copper inlaid with gold, and two obelisks, one of which still stands (p. 98). Thothmes IInd continued the work at Karnak, and a statue of this king has recently been found (p. 99). Thothmes IIIrd and Hatshepsut (B.C. 1501-1447) both built here, and the former Pharaoh undertook such extensive works that the temples now began to assume something of their present form. The temple in general was now called "the Throne of the World" or "the Glorious Building." At this time the reader must remember that

the Great Hypostyle Hall, the Forecourt, and the huge pylons which now stand at the entrance of the main temple, did not exist; and if he will lay his hand over these buildings upon the general plan of the temple he will be able the more readily to understand the appearance of the site in Dynasty XVIII. It is possible that the river ran through what is now the Forecourt, and that the buildings were pushed westward as it receded. Το Thothmes IIIrd is due the Festival Hall at the east of the main temple, the temple of Ptah and Hathor, and other buildings. Amenhotep IInd and Thothmes IVth, the succeeding Pharaohs, both added to the now glorious temple, and Amenhotep IIIrd (B.C. 14111375) also built extensively, erecting, amongst other buildings, two pylons which now form the east wall of the Great Hypostyle Hall. The temple of Mut (p. 111) was built for the most part by this king, and a small temple of Mentu to the north of the main buildings was also erected by him. Then followed the great religious revolution of Akhnaton (B.C. 1375-1358) and the temporary downfall of Amen-Ra. Previous to the revolution Akhnaton set up a small temple to Ra-Horakhti Aton, the new god, at Karnak; and after his death this was utterly destroyed by the once more triumphant priests of Amen-Ra, and the fragments were used by Horemheb (B.C. 1350–1315) in the building of his pylons. When Amen-Ra had thus returned to power, the priests decided that his glory should be made known to the world by the erection of the largest temple in his honour in existence. The Great Hypostyle Hall was therefore planned, which was to be a vast portico or pronaos in front of the temple of Dynasty XVIII. Built almost entirely in the reign of Horemheb, it was so far finished by the reign of Rameses Ist (who held the throne only from B.C. 1315 to 1314) that that king was able to inscribe his name upon one of the pillars and upon the doorway through the front pylons. Horemheb also connected the temple of Mut with the main temple by means of two pylons and an avenue of sphinxes (p. 111). Sety Ist (B.C. 1313-1292) and his successor Rameses IInd (B.C. 1292-1225) undertook the decoration of the Great Hypostyle Hall, but neither of these two kings built extensively at Karnak, though many reliefs and inscriptions date from their reigns. At this time the front pylons and Forecourt did not exist, and the temple began with the Hypostyle Hall. In the open space in front of it Sety IInd (B.C. 1209-1205) erected a small temple (p. 92) and also a quay (p. 92) at the edge of the Nile. The river, however, has now receded 500 or 600 yards, and the quay stands in the midst of the

dry land. Rameses IIIrd (B.C. 1198-1167) erected a temple in this open space where the Forecourt was later laid out (p. 94), and another temple was placed by him close to that of Mut (p. 113). He also began the temple of Khonsu (p. 88) upon the site of an earlier edifice. Under the later Ramesside kings little building was undertaken, but in the reign of Herhor (B.C. 1090–1085) the temple of Khonsu was completed. From this time onwards for many years no great works were undertaken at Karnak. It already composed such an enormous mass of buildings that no attempt was made to increase its size at all considerably. The Bubastite kings (B.C. 945–745) added a doorway here and there, and a few reliefs and inscriptions were carved upon the walls. The Ethiopian Pharaohs (B.C. 712–663) added some columns in front of the Great Hypostyle Hall, and erected one or two small shrines. The Assyrian invasions at this time stripped Karnak of much of its wealth; but, thanks to the energies of the governor of Thebes, Mentuemhat, the wrecked buildings were restored. In the succeeding dynasty the Forecourt appears to have been planned, but the building of the great pylons which now form the front entrance of the main temple does not seem to have been undertaken until Ptolemaic times (B.C. 300 onwards). The Ptolemies restored and added to the various temples, and their handiwork is to be seen in all directions, though nothing very large was undertaken by them. The Roman emperors do not seem to have carried on any works of importance at Karnak, and the place must have largely fallen into ruins. The early Christians converted many of the temples into churches, and their rude paintings are to be seen on many of the walls (as, for example, p. 104). The village soon spread over the ruins, which gradually became buried beneath the debris. Excavations during the last half century have cleared most of the buildings, and these works are now being carried on with energy by the Department of Antiquities, under the superintendence of Monsieur Legrain.

THE TEMPLE OF KHONSU

The first temple which one reaches when approaching Karnak from Luxor is that of Khonsu, begun by Rameses IIIrd (B.C. 1198), on the site of an earlier temple. Khonsu, god of the moon, was the son of Amen and Mut, and was the third member of the Theban trinity. He is generally represented as a young man wearing the side-lock of hair which generally denotes a youth of

princely rank. The temple stands on the left of the main road, and the great gateway which rises before its pylons forms the terminus of the famous avenue of sphinxes. These sphinxes will have been observed on either side of the modern road for some distance back, though originally they ran all the way from the temple of Luxor. The isolated gateway in front of the temple of

W.

N.
O

Khonsu was erected by Ptolemy
IIIrd Euergetes (B.C. 247-222), and
originally walls ran from right and
left of it enclosing the temple;
but these have been entirely de-
stroyed. Upon the gateway we
see Ptolemy IIIrd offering to his
ancestors and to the various gods,
in company with Queen Berenice.

Passing across the open court The Forebeyond this gateway, we enter the court. temple through a doorway between E. the pylons, and so reach the Forecourt, on the west, east, and north sides of which there are two rows of heavy columns, those on the north side being raised on a low terrace. The inscriptions and reliefs on the columns and walls of this hall were made during the reign of Herhor (B.C. 1090-1085). At the south end of the west wall, above the doorway, we see (1) two galleys being rowed up-stream to Luxor, and towing behind them the sacred barque (2), now somewhat difficult to distinguish. Between the second and third columns (3) the king is shown standing on board the galley upon which the portable sacred barque has been placed. Above the second doorway (4) other galleys are shown. At the end of the wall (5) more barques are seen, and behind them is a row of princes. This procession of galleys from Karnak to Luxor formed the main incident of the great yearly festival, at which the image of Amen was conveyed from its sanctuary at Karnak in order that the god might behold his temple at Luxor. The festival is

S.

The Hypo

style Hall.

The

and inner

shown in greater detail on the walls of the Luxor temple (p. 78). At the west end of the north wall (6) we see priests bearing along the barques of Mut, Khonsu, and Amen (the Theban trinity); and above this the king is shown praying before Ptah, dancing before Harmachis, and worshipping various other gods. On the east wall, over the first doorway (7), the king kneels before Khonsu, and higher up worships other gods. An interesting representation of the gateway and pylons of this temple (8) is next shown. Eight flagstaffs are seen in front of the pylons, heavily clamped with bronze. Next (9) the king is seen worshipping before the large sacred barque of Amen-Ra, and the smaller ones of Mut and Khonsu. At the end of the wall are priests carrying upon their shoulders a standing figure of the god Min (10), to whom the king offers flowers. Priests carrying standards march before the god. At the east end of the north wall (11) the barque of Amen is again shown, carried on the shoulders of the priests; while in the corner (12) the king receives jubilee gifts from the hawk-headed Khonsu. The doorway leading into the Hypostyle Hall was erected by Nectanebo Ist (B.C. 382-364).

The Hypostyle Hall is not a building of great size. Four large and four small columns support the roof, and one may still see how the hall was lighted by grated windows above the side architraves. There were several statues of the sacred apes of the moon in the hall, but only two are now left. These date from the reign of Sety Ist (B.C. 1313-1292), and therefore belonged to the earlier temple which stood on this site before Rameses IIIrd erected the existing edifice. The reliefs and inscriptions upon the walls of the hall date from the reign of Rameses XIIth (B.C. 1118–1090), the last of the Ramesside Pharaohs, whose throne was seized by the high priest of Amen, Herhor. Above the doorway at the west end of the south wall (13) we see him purified by Thoth and Horus of Edfu before Amen-Ra and the goddess Ament. At the west end of the north wall (14) the king burns incense before the barques (15), which are carried on the shoulders of the priests. On the south wall, at the east side of the doorway (16), he makes offering to Amen-Ra, Mut, and Khonsu, who are seated in a shrine. The doorway leading into the next hall was built by Herhor and restored by Nectanebo Ist.

One now passes into a hall in the middle of which are the ruins Sanctuary of the red granite sanctuary originally built by Amenhotep IInd chambers. (B.C. 1448-1420), incorporated in the new temple by Rameses IIIrd, and reinscribed by Rameses IVth, but very little of it now remains.