Little is known about the original character of this deity. Then Amon was close to Ming - the god of earth and fertility.
In the ancient era of the Middle Kingdom, which at that time was ruled by the pharaohs of the XI dynasty (the approximate period of their rule is 21-20 centuries BC), there was a fairly close connection between Amun and the god of war, Montu.
But after the rapid rise of the XII dynasty, which took place in the 20-18 centuries BC, Amon began to be identified with Montu and received the name Amon-Ra-Montu.
Starting from the epoch of the XVIII (Theban) dynasty of the New Kingdom, whose reign lasted for 2 centuries, from the 16th to the 14th centuries BC, the cult of Amun acquires a mass and national character, from now on it begins to actively spread across throughout Egypt.
From this moment, Amon begins to identify with the god Rao (better known as the god Ra) and bears a more familiar nickname - Amon Ra (separately, the name Amon is used less often).
For the first time this nickname was found in the recently found "Pyramid Texts", dated around 23-21 centuries BC. In addition, historians believe that the cult of Amun could also spread in the city of Kush - the capital of Ancient Nubia.
There, the cult of Amun, most likely, also had a state character. It is confirmed that Amun had several hypostases in Kush, but the main one belonged to Amun of the revered temple of Napata.
According to the rules, the King of Nubia was elected only by the oracles of the Napata temple, and after the solemn coronation, which took place in the temple itself, he visited the sanctuaries of the god Amun in Gempaton, and soon in Pnubs, where the truth of his election was confirmed.
In addition, the cult of Amun was widely known even in faraway Asia, for which there are surviving confirmations in the form of ancient texts. In the well-known story "Travels of Unu-Amon to Byblos" (dated to the 11th century BC), describing the wanderings of the messenger of Amun, the obedient priest of Unu-Amon, the following phrases are captured:
“Amon created all that is vital,” says the ruler of the city of Bybla, while addressing the priest Unu-Amon. - It was he who created them, but the Egyptian land, from which you came to us, he created before other lands. From her came art to reach the place where I am, and great knowledge came from there to reach the place where I live. "
Since the time of the massive spread of the cult of Amun throughout the land of Egypt and adjacent territories, he has been elevated as the head of the so-called Heliopolis Ennead (divine union) - the nine supreme gods of the city of Heliopolis and the Hermopolis ogdoad - the eight primordial gods of the city of Hermopolis (Hermopolis).
As before, Amon Ra continues to be considered among the local population as a creator god who created everything. In addition, Amon Ra is also revered as a king over all gods: in Greek he is nicknamed Amon-Ra-Sonter, and in Egyptian - Amon-Ra-nesut-necher.
Do not confuse the names and nicknames of the gods, since the name of Amun is the same, but the number of his nicknames has not yet been precisely established.
Amon is associated with the myths known in Egypt about the origin of the ogdoad, headed by Amun in Thebes. During the Ptolemaic era, a rather interesting myth arose about the significant journey of Amun down the Nile River, in order to establish universally the truth of the existence of the ogdoad of Theban gods.
Amun, like most other gods, had a goddess-wife. It was believed that this was the goddess of the sky Mut (in Egyptian mythology there is no single statement about who was the real wife of Amun), the son is the god of the moon Khonsu (in different sources the ending of the name may differ).
According to some sources, originally the place of the son was taken by the previously mentioned god of war Montu.
Sometimes the goddess Amaunet, or Ament (Amente), was called the wife of Amon, although Professor D.P. Chapteny de la Saussay believes that “this is nothing more than a theological abstraction, and the name itself is just the feminine gender of the word Amon”, since in different parts of Egypt, people pronounce the same words in different ways.
Amon, Khonsu and Moon constituted the Theban triad - a very revered trio of gods. Amon was portrayed, as a rule, in the form of a strong man with a crown and two high feathers, over which the sun disk hovered.
There are also images of Amun Ra in the image of a man with the head of an animal, a special ram, which was considered the sacred animal of all Egypt.
The deification of the Pharaoh is closely connected with the cult of Amon Ra. It was believed that all pharaohs are born after the night spent by the queen-mother with the deity of Amun, to which he appeared only in the form of her earthly husband.
Therefore, Pharaoh himself was revered as the earthly and mortal son of Amun, thanks to this, the inhabitants of Egyptian cities very often in dry seasons visited the places where the Pharaoh was, so that he asked his father to bring Egyptian rains to the land.
Amon Ra as a deity (idol) played a huge role in the mysteries dedicated to the coronation. For example, in history there is a famous case when, at the coronation, a priest proclaimed Rameses II as Pharaoh on behalf of Amun-Ra: This is my son in my flesh, called to be the ruler of Egypt and its protector.
Amon and Pharaoh were considered one: both of them were called to be the rulers of the world, its caring rulers.
Amon is the sun god in ancient Egyptian mythology ("hidden", "hidden").
The sacred animals of Amun are the goose and the ram (both are symbols of wisdom). God was depicted in the form of a man, sometimes with a ram's head, wearing a crown and a scepter, with a sun disk and two high feathers.
You are an excellent diplomat who knows how to act cunningly, surreptitiously. But, oddly enough, it is difficult for you in a love relationship to fully open your soul to your partner. Amon is the sun god in ancient Egyptian mythology ("hidden", "hidden").
The sacred animals of Amun are the goose and the ram (both are symbols of wisdom). God was depicted in the form of a man, sometimes with a ram's head, wearing a crown and a scepter, with a sun disk and two high feathers.
The cult of Amun originated in Thebes, then spread throughout Egypt. The goddess of the sky Mut is the wife of Amun, and the god of the moon Khonsu is his son, together with him they constituted the Theban triad. Amon began to be called Amon-Ra during the Middle Kingdom, when the cults of two deities united and acquired a state character.
Later, Amon became the beloved and especially revered god of the pharaohs and was declared the head of all Egyptian gods during the reign of the Eighteenth Dynasty of the pharaohs. This god was considered the father of Pharaoh and granted him victories.
Amon was also revered as an omniscient, wise god, heavenly intercessor, "king of all gods", protector of the oppressed. Amon-Ra absorbed the characters of many gods: Mina (the god of reproduction and creation), Ra (the sun god), the warlike god Montu.
When the time expires, Amon-Ra becomes a protector. He is already represented as a man with a ram's head. Sometimes the head remains human, but is decorated with ram's horns and a sun disc. Amon-Ra was the consort of the Mother Goddess Nut.
His charges are whole and wise natures. Among other things, one of their most important qualities is sunny optimism.
Born under the sign of Amon-Ra, in a team, as a rule, they play their own role of a leader. Among the professions, only those are chosen that will allow them to demonstrate their personal talents. It is very important for them to perceive themselves above others, and it is also important how they look in other people's eyes.
They have a desire for fame in their blood. It is enough to praise the wards of Amon-Ra, as they will be ready to move mountains. A supernatural feature is the ability to see the future, which is why there are so many predictors among the representatives of this sign.
Your character, boundless charisma and your integrity attract people. You do not need to learn to convince, oratorical talent is in your blood. But very often it happens that due to your popularity among colleagues, girlfriends and friends, there is absolutely no time for a loved one.
Your allies are cheerfulness and courage. Calming people is also your gift. Everyone feels at their best if they are next to you. It often happens that this can even go beyond the boundaries, since you are not a dictator, but a leader.
You are an excellent diplomat who knows how to act cunningly, surreptitiously. But, oddly enough, it is difficult for you in a love relationship to fully open your soul to your partner.
Pharaohs), and then - in Thebes (XII dynasty). At the same time, the previously insignificant gods of these southern cities - first the Germont Montu, then - the Theban Amon, moved to the first place in the religious life of the country. (See the article The Gods of Ancient Egypt.)
The founder of the XII (Theban) dynasty Amenemhat I (1991 - 1962 BC) already bore a name derived from Amun. Amenemhat in translation means "Amon at the head". There is no doubt that the clan of Amenemhat I was especially devoted to the cult of Amun, which, in turn, owes a lot to this clan: without his energetic support, Amon could not have driven away the old local god Montu so quickly.
The religious policy of the kings of the XII dynasty made the cult of Amun nationwide. Several centuries later, in the era of the New Kingdom, this line was followed by the XVIII dynasty and its closest successors. The greatest temples of Amun in Thebes were Karnak and Luxor.
Ancient Egyptian god Amon
The question of whether the cult of Amun originated in Thebes itself or was borrowed from another nome is the subject of fierce scholarly controversy. Egyptologists Lefebure, Erman, Max Muller, Gaultier believed that Amon was the Theban version of God Mine, revered in the city of Koptos. K. Zete in a special monograph tried to prove that the worship of Amun was "brought" to Thebes from Hermopolis. This point of view was very skillfully refuted by the English Egyptologist Wenwright, who believed that the inclusion of Amun in the Hermopolis ogdoad (Eight of the Gods) was the result of theological speculation of the priests and that Amon was “exported” not from Hermopolis to Thebes, but, on the contrary, from Thebes to Hermopolis. Wenwright showed that Amon, like his Coptosan prototype, the god Ming, is basically the god of the sky and the storm.
Amon very early was compared with the Heliopolis Ra, the supreme god and demiurge (creator of the world). Through this comparison, Amon also began to turn into the supreme cosmic deity. The found stone statuette of the Pharaoh of the VI dynasty Pepi I with the epithet carved on the back: "beloved Amun-Ra, lord of Thebes" shows that the cult of Theban Amun-Ra existed already at the end of the era of the Old Kingdom.
The Leiden papyrus No. 1350 of the 19th dynasty (XIII century BC) contains a hymn to Amun, which reflected certain moments of Theban theogony and cosmogony. It is stated here that Amon was not created by anyone, he created himself, other gods appeared after him (IV, 9 - 11). Appearing in the guise of a goose, "the great gagotun", he "began to speak in the midst of silence." " Enneada was in your [Amun's] members ... all the gods were parts of your body. " “He [Amon] created creatures to live, he showed the way for people, and their hearts live when they see him” (IV, 1 - 8).
And in another text, in papyrus Bulak No. 17, dating back to approximately the same time, we read about Amon: "You are the one who created everything, you are the only one who created living things, from whose eyes people appeared, from whose mouths the gods originated." About Thebes in the Leiden papyrus No. 1350 it is said that it was here, in the middle of the eternal watery space, that a hill first appeared from the land suitable for cultivation. In Karnak, at the entrance to the famous "hypostyle hall", a hieroglyphic inscription is inscribed, stating that Karnak is the initial microcosm and the basis of the macrocosm.
So, Amon is the creator of the gods and the whole world, and Thebes is the beginning of the world.
Amun was considered the omnipresent deity of the air and wind, filling the entire visible world, giving the breath of life to all living things. This idea evolved from his original worship of the deity of the sky and the storm. The very name "Amon" means "hidden", "invisible" (like air and wind). In many Egyptian texts, Amon is called "the great soul", "the innermost soul", "the great living soul that is above all the gods." The idea of Amun as a spirit giving life, perhaps, did not remain without influence on Christianity and Islam... Chapter one biblical Genesis starts like this:
1. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2. The earth was formless and empty, and dark over the abyss, and the spirit of God was hovering over the water. "
These verses are very close to the main provisions of the Egyptian cosmogonies.
The spread of the worship of Amun, as already noted, was associated with the rise of the first XII dynasty, and then, after Second transition period, the period of the fragmentation of Egypt and the capture of its northern part by the Hyksos, - XVIII dynasty, who drove out the Hyksos and created the Egyptian empire. Military victories were seen as a gift from the Theban god to the conquering pharaohs. The text written in the 15th century speaks about this most clearly and vividly. BC on a magnificent stele that stood at Karnak, and is now kept in the Cairo Museum. It contains the speech of the god Amun himself, addressed to his royal son, the conqueror pharaoh:
“Says Amon-Ra, the lord of Karnak ... I give you power and victory over all foreign countries ... I subvert your enemies under your sandals ... I give you the land in all its length and breadth, the inhabitants of the West and East under your rule ... I am your guide , so you overtake them ... "and so on.
Thus, Amon-Ra is not only a demiurge, the creator of gods and people, but also the creator of the Egyptian empire, giving victories and conquests to the Egyptian king, the lord of the pharaoh and his army.
The motives of a victorious war on behalf of and for the glory of Amun-Ra are heard in a variety of texts. The famous "Poem of Pentaura" describes the military prowess of Ramses II in the fight against the Hittites (Battle of Kadesh). Pharaoh is surrounded by countless enemies, he is threatened with inevitable death. And so he turns with a prayer to his divine father, Amon-Ra: “Should a father neglect his son? Have I done anything significant without you? I have not disobeyed any of your orders. How great is the great ruler of Egypt, who allows foreigners to approach him, ”and so on. Having finished the prayer, Ramses II sees Amon-Ra himself next to him. “I am with you, I am your father, my hand is with you, I [alone] are more useful than hundreds of thousands of people. I am the master of victories, loving valor, ”he says. This is followed by the words of Ramses II - he likens himself to the god Mont (the king does not dare to compare himself with the "father" Amon).
At the time of Ramses II in the ancient Egyptian army, there were four divisions of troops (regiments, divisions), which bore the names of four great deities: Amun, Ra, Ptah and Sutekh ( Seth).
Temple of Amun at Karnak. Video
The cult of Amun became not only state, but also deeply popular. Many requests and prayers of ordinary people addressed to Amon were found. They sound notes of suffering, a plea for help, a call to a merciful and just "king of all gods." These texts are reminiscent of biblical psalms. Samples of prayers addressed to Amun are even contained in school records, according to which future scribes studied in ancient times. Amon acts here as a defender of the oppressed and disadvantaged.
If we summarize everything that has been said about Amon (the god-demiurge, who created himself, all gods, people, everything that exists and the earth itself, starting from Thebes; the father of Pharaoh, the patron and protector of his army, who subjugated the lands of foreigners to Egypt), then it becomes clear that this is almost universal deity.
There were several large sanctuaries of Amun in Thebes. They were also in other cities of Egypt. In Thebes, several hypostases of Amun were worshiped: for example, Amon of Luxor (Amanapet), in Karnak - Amon the Great. The British Museum Papyrus # 10335 names three different Theban incarnations of Amun. This can be compared with various images of the Mother of God in Russia (Kazan, Iverskaya, etc.).
Amon was depicted as a humanoid god, painted most often in blue (the color of the sky), and only in his Luxor hypostasis (Amanapet) did he appear, like Ming Coptos, an ityphallic god (with emphasized male sexual characteristics). Amun's sacred animals were the goose and the ram.
God Amon-Ra. Relief from a temple at Deir el-Medina. The ityphallic character of Amun, as the father of all life, is emphasized
For centuries, Amon (or Amon-Ra) was the main god in Egypt, standing above all other gods. A significant part of the booty captured in victorious wars and campaigns was brought by the king as a gift to this god, that is, it became the property of temples. The greatness and importance of Amun was based on the political power of Thebes. When the hegemony of Thebes in Egypt ended, and the country disintegrated again in the 11th century BC, in the south, in Thebes, the high priests of Amun began to rule, and in Lower (northern) Egypt - the pharaohs XXI dynasty, whose residence was Tanis.
The closest deities to Amun were members of the "Theban triad": the wife of Amun is a goddess Mut and the son is the moon god Khonsu.
Mut was the goddess of Lake Asheru, just south of Karnak. She was usually depicted as a woman with the head of a kite and was often identified with Sekhmet, the goddess of Memphis, then with Bastet, by the goddess Bubasta. Sometimes it was not she who acted as the wife of Amun, but the goddess Amaunet, mentioned together with Amun in the "Pyramid Texts" and who entered the Hermopolitan ogdoada with him.
The Theban Amun, in addition to the triad, had its own Ennead (Nine Gods), like the Heliopolis Ra. The Leiden hymn to Amun says: "The Ennead was part of your members ... all the gods were united with your body" (IV, 1-8). The Theban Ennead (“Great Ennead of Karnak), in addition to the Heliopolis deities, included Hathor and Chorus and some of the deities of Armant.
The name Amon is translated from the ancient Egyptian language as "hidden, mysterious." But since in Egypt there was already the sun god - Ra, the priests decided to unite their two deities. And both religious cults merged into one, becoming the state religion. His name was included in the names of the pharaohs, for example, Tutankhamun.
At first, Amon was the local deity of the city of Thebes or Vaset, which were Upper Egypt. The city was located 700 km south of the Mediterranean Sea, on the southern coast of the Nile.
The more ancient name of Thebes is No-Amon or simply Ale. During the 11th Dynasty of the Pharaohs, when the so-called Middle Kingdom existed, Thebes became the capital of the whole of Egypt, until the 22nd and 23rd Dynasties came to power in the 10th century BC.
In Egyptian mythology, Amun is the sun god. The sacred animals of Amun in ancient Egypt were considered a ram and a goose, which were symbols of wisdom.
On the hieroglyphs of Amun, Amen is often called, hence the name of Thebes - the city of Amen, which the Greeks called Diopolis.
On numerous cult statues, drawings and frescoes, Amon-Ra was depicted in the guise of a man with a ram's head and in a crown with two large feathers and a sun disk. In his hand Amon-Ra held a scepter as a symbol of the power of the pharaohs.
By the way, the Greeks portrayed Amun-Ra somewhat similar to their Zeus, but only with ram's horns on his head.
The cult temples of Amun-Ra existed not only in Egypt, but also in Nubia, Libya, and also far beyond the borders of Egypt: in Sparta and Rome.
Amon-Ra also had a family. His wife, Mut, was the goddess of the sky, and their son Khonsu was the god of the moon. Together they created the Theban triad.
At first, Mut was revered by the Egyptians as the goddess of the sky, who gave birth to the Sun and created the world, as evidenced by Mut - “The Great Mother of the Gods”. Mut was portrayed in the guise of a woman. A cow was considered her sacred animal. The Mut Temple was located on the shores of Lake Asher near Thebes.
The son of Amun-Ra and Mut in the ancient Egyptian religion, he was considered not only the god of the moon, but also the ruler of time, the patron of medicine, was an approximate of Thoth - the god of time, wisdom and culture. Khonsu was portrayed as a boy with a moon on his head or a boy with a "lock of youth" - a symbol of minority.
It was believed that it was Amon-Ra who presented all his victories to the Pharaoh and was considered his father.
They revered the god Amon-Ra as a wise, omniscient god, who was "the king of all gods." At the same time, Amon-Ra was the protector and intercessor of the oppressed.
Egyptian god Amon at first he was revered as one of the patrons of the city of Thebes, the deity of the air and harvest. However, the period of the XII dynasty (20-18 centuries BC), he ousted (replaced) as the main patron of the city of Montu.
As the power of Thebes grew, so did the influence of Amun. The goddess of the sky, Mut, began to be considered the spouse of the deity.
The divine couple had one child - Khonsu, the deity of the moon. Together they formed the Theban triad: Amon - Mut - Khonsu.
During the period of the Middle Kingdom, the deity of fertility Ming was identified with him. In this case, Amon is depicted with an erect phallus, characteristic of Ming's images.
In the epoch of the XVIII dynasty of the New Kingdom (16-14 centuries BC), he merged with the sun god Ra into a single deity, receiving the name Amon-Ra that first meets « Pyramid texts » , that is, even in the days of the Old Kingdom.
God Amon-Ra becomes the head of the entire Egyptian divine pantheon under the pharaohs of the New Kingdom, who were sure that it was this deity that helped them gain military victories (in particular, helped Ahmose I to expel the Hyksos from Egypt) and in every possible way supported. In it invisibly (as follows from its very name) all deities, people and objects exist.
During this period, the image of Amun is identified and merged with the images of other divine beings: Horus, Hapi, Nun, Ptah, Khepri, Sebek, Khnum and others. He was also revered as a wise, omniscient, "king of all gods", heavenly protector, defender of the oppressed, creator of the world.
The deification of the pharaoh is inextricably linked with his cult, since the pharaoh was revered as his son in the flesh (the pharaoh is born from the marriage of the deity and the queen-mother, to whom he appears in the form of her husband).
Pharaohs sometimes bore names that include the name of their divine father - Amenemhet, Amenhotep. He provided great protection and protection to the Pharaoh.
Numerous temples were built in his honor, the most grandiose ones in Luxor and Karnak. The majestic remains of these temples still boggle the imagination. For example, temple of Amun in Karnak covers an area of 260,000 sq. meters! During the "wonderful festival of the valley" - a holiday dedicated to this deity, a statue of the deity, installed on a boat, was solemnly brought out of this temple with a large crowd of people (only in the temple could fit 80,000 people!). Egyptian god Amon Ra with the help of the priests, he uttered his will that day, predicted the future, made decisions on difficult issues.
His sacred animals are the ram and the goose (both are symbols of wisdom). In front of the temple in Karnak there is a whole alley, along which are located in a row huge statues with a lion's body, but with a ram's head, guarding the pharaohs, standing between their front paws.
Usually he was depicted as a man (sometimes with a ram's head), with a scepter and in a crown, with two high feathers and a sun disk. Its flesh was often stained with lapis lazuli, which gave the body a blue color. On the one hand, such a coloring emphasized his heavenly status, on the other, the Egyptians believed that it was precisely such an expensive paint, which was brought to Egypt from afar, worthy of decorating such a great deity.
Each of the two feathers on the headdress is vertically divided into two sections. This duality reflects the balance of opposites characteristic of the Egyptians' worldview, for example, Upper and Lower Egypt, etc. Also, each feather was divided by horizontal stripes into segments. Their number was not random. Most often, there are seven segments, since this figure is one of the most significant in the religious worldview of the ancient Egyptians.
