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Analysis of the Changes of the Opet Festival Procession –Between the Regents Hatshepsut and Tutankhamun

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Analysis of the Changes of the Opet Festival Procession –Between the Regents Hatshepsut and Tutankhamun The Institution for Archaeology and Ancient History Analysis of the Changes of the Opet Festival Procession –Between the Regents Hatshepsut and Tutankhamun Emma Lennander Karlsson BA thesis 15 credits in Egyptology Spring term 2020 Supervisor: Angus Graham Abstract English Lennander Karlsson, E. 2020. Analysis of the Changes of the Opet Festival Procession: Between the Regents Hatshepsut and Tutankhamun. The essay analyses the changes of the Opet festival procession between the regents Hatshepsut and Tutankhamun, as some changes of the procession occur during this period. The purpose of this study is to fill in some of the knowledge gaps that exist and to combine different areas that have been researched with areas where little research has been done. The purpose is to provide an insight into how the environment and politics played a role in the religious contexts of the Opet festival. The approach uses the reliefs of the Opet festival found in Luxor Temple and in Karnak Temple to see how the festival changed. By examining how the festival procession evolved and analysing what the changes were due to, one can answer the main question: Why did the processions in the Opet festival change? The focus will be to analyse Hatshepsut (1479–1457 B.C.), Amenhotep III (1388–1351 B.C.) and Tutankhamun's (1341–1323 B.C.) political and religious position, and to investigate whether it affected the development of the procession of the Opet Festival and if so, how it affected the change. Furthermore, by analysing the landscape through the study of the movement of the Nile and the annual cycle of the river and using the concepts of "constructed landscapes" and "ideational landscapes" as a starting point for analysing the temples and processional ways. This study also provides something for future projects to build on, as there are currently not many studies on the processions of the Opet Festival, more research is needed in this area. Since this is an approach that has not been done before, by looking at the political and historical aspects as well as the environmental aspects and how they affect the processions of the Opet festival, will this fill some of the knowledge gaps currently present. Keywords: Opet, Festival, Procession, Hatshepsut, Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun, Landscape, Nile, Karnak, Luxor, Temple, Thebes. 2 Svenska Lennander Karlsson, E. 2020. Analys av förändringarna av Opet festivalens procession: mellan regenterna Hatshepsut och Tutankhamun. Uppsatsen analyserar förändringarna i Opet festivalens processioner mellan regenterna Hatshepsut och Tutankhamun, då många förändringar i processionen skedde under denna period. Syftet med denna studie är att fylla några av de kunskapsluckor som finns genom att kombinera olika områden som det har forskats mycket om för att analysera ett område som det inte har forskats lika mycket om. Syftet är att ge en inblick i hur miljön och politiken spela en roll i de religiösa sammanhangen som fanns i forntida Egypten. Tillvägagångsättet kommer vara att använda relieferna av Opet festivalen som finna i Luxortemplet och i Karnaktemplet för att se hur festivalen förändrades. Genom att undersöka och redovisa hur processionen under festivalen utvecklades och analysera vad de förändringarna berodde på, kan studien besvara huvudfrågan: Varför förändrades processionerna i Opet festivalen? Fokuset kommer vara att analysera Hatshepsut (1479–1457 f.v.t.), Amenhotep III (1388–1351 f.v.t.) och Tutankhamuns (1341–1323 f.v.t.) politiska och religiösa ståndpunkt, samt undersöka om det påverkade utvecklingen av Opet festivalens procession och i så fall hur det påverka förändringen. Samt analysera landskapet genom att studera Nilens rörelse och översvämning och även använda begreppen konstruerat - och idémässigt landskap som startpunkt för att analysera templen och processionsvägarna. Denna studie kan också ge något för framtida projekt att bygga på, då det i nuläget inte finns många undersökningar om Opet festivalens processioner, behövs det mer forskning inom detta område. Då det här är en infallsvinkel som inte gjorts tidigare, genom att kolla på de politiska och historiska aspekterna samt miljöaspekterna och hur de påverka processionerna av Opet festivalen, kommer detta fylla några av de kunskapsluckor som finns i nuläget. Nyckelord: Opet, Festival, Procession, Hatshepsut, Amenhotep III, Tutankhamun, Landskap, Nilen, Karnak, Luxor, Tempel, Thebe. BA thesis in Egyptology 15 hp. Supervisor: Angus Graham. Defended and passed 2020-06- 15. © Emma Lennander Karlsson Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Uppsala University, Box 626, 75126 Uppsala, Sweden 3 Acknowledgements I would like to thank the members of the EEF (Egyptologists' Electronic Forum), who have helped me to access literature for my study. Due to the current circumstances with covid-19 pandemic, I did not have access to the university's library and had trouble finding texts I needed for my study on the internet. I would also like to thank my supervisor Angus Graham who helped me during this study and who has done his utmost to help when the current situation has become a problem for the study. Without the help of the members of the EEF and my supervisor, this study would probably not have been complete. The lack of available sources would have made it necessary to exclude certain areas which would not have been investigated. 4 Table of Contents 1. Introduction ..................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Background, Research Aim and Research Question ................................... 6 1.2 Research Background ................................................................................... 7 1.3 Source Materials and Method ...................................................................... 8 1.4 Theoretical Perspective ................................................................................ 9 2. Analysis of Primary Sources ......................................................................... 10 2.1 Red Chapel, Karnak Temple ...................................................................... 10 2.2 Third pylon, Karnak Temple ...................................................................... 11 2.3 Colonnade hall in the Luxor Temple ......................................................... 11 3. Analysis of Historical Factors ....................................................................... 13 3.1 Hatshepsut .................................................................................................. 13 3.2 Amenhotep III ............................................................................................ 15 3.3 Tutankhamun .............................................................................................. 16 4. Analysis of Environmental Factors ............................................................... 19 4.1 The Migration of the Nile .......................................................................... 19 4.2 Timing of the festival and the Nile Water Level ....................................... 20 4.3 Constructed -and Ideational Landscape ..................................................... 21 4.3.1 Constructed Landscape ........................................................................ 21 4.3.2 Ideational Landscape............................................................................ 23 5. Conclusion and Discussion ........................................................................... 25 References ........................................................................................................... 29 Literature Sources ............................................................................................ 29 Electronical Sources ......................................................................................... 32 Appendix 1 .......................................................................................................... 33 5 1. Introduction 1.1 Background, Research Aim and Research Question The Opet festival was celebrated in Egypt every year during the New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.) in Thebes (modern day Luxor) and it was one of the few festivals that the king personally attended. The Opet festival had a great cosmic significance, it was important to the creator, the god Amun, who would be reborn with the king so that the cosmos could in turn be reborn and prevent destruction.1 The festival was celebrated in Thebes because of the city's mythological connection to creation, the Egyptians believed that Thebes was the cradle of creation,2 that this is where the first god (Amun) came into being. The Opet Festival was the longest and most important festival celebrated in Thebes,3 it was celebrated during the second month of akhet because it was the time when the Nile flooded and the flood was, like Opet, linked to rebirth.4 The festival was conducted so that the god statue/statues was taken from the Karnak Temple via a procession road on either land and/or the Nile to Luxor Temple which is 3.5 km southwest of the Karnak Temple.5 The processions were the highlight of the festivals for the people of Thebes, since it was the only time the people had close contact with the gods.6 Processions had a clear political interference, for example by legitimizing kings through oracles.7 During the New Kingdom, the processions were a demonstration of royal power.8 The purpose of the festival was to give the king new energy and be reborn. The rebirth occurred when the king's ka (part of
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