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== History and Function ==

== History and Function ==

The oldest surviving artefact from the temple dates to the 11th Dynasty, though the complex expanded most rapidly during the [[New Kingdom]] period, particularly the 18th and 19th Dynasties, though embellishments took place over a period of more than 2,000 years, with current excavations having recently uncovered a bath house added by the [[Romans]] during their occupation of [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]]. The temple was at the heart of the cult of Amun-Ra, and at it’s height his estates claimed a workforce of tens of thousands of men, hundreds of thousands of cattle and a private fleet of trading ships with a trading network spanning the Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. The estates lay at the economic heart of Egypt and it’s main temple, Karnak, has been described at it’s height as a “Powerhouse of Imperialism”. In many ways it functioned both as an expression for the Egyptian view of the cosmos, the role of gods, the state and the individual, and also as a “holding company” for state assets. Later in the New Kingdom, during times of inflation and industrial unrest, the vizier was authorised to use funds and resources from the Estate of Amun-Ra to pay state workers in the Royal Necropolis.  

The oldest surviving artefact from the temple dates to the 11th Dynasty, though the complex expanded most rapidly during the [[New Kingdom]] period, particularly the 18th and 19th Dynasties, though embellishments took place over a period of more than 2,000 years, with current excavations having recently uncovered a bath house added by the [[Romans]] during their occupation of [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]]. The temple was at the heart of the cult of Amun-Ra, and at its height his estates claimed a workforce of tens of thousands of men, hundreds of thousands of cattle and a private fleet of trading ships with a trading network spanning the Red Sea and Eastern Mediterranean. The estates lay at the economic heart of Egypt and it’s main temple, Karnak, has been described at its height as a “Powerhouse of Imperialism”. In many ways it functioned both as an expression for the Egyptian view of the cosmos, the role of gods, the state and the individual, and also as a “holding company” for state assets. Later in the New Kingdom, during times of inflation and industrial unrest, the vizier was authorised to use funds and resources from the Estate of Amun-Ra to pay state workers in the Royal Necropolis.  

== Architectural Overview ==

== Architectural Overview ==

The complex comprises three main temples, or precincts. The precinct of Amun-Ra is the largest, and the only one that is visited by most modern visitors. It was connected directly the Nile waterway by a canal and it’s own harbour, featuring two docks, allowing ships to berth both in the inundation and at other times.  It is connected to [[Luxor Temple]], 2.5 km to the south by a processional avenue (currently being excavated, as of 2009) and also to the precinct of Mut, immediately to the south. The temple is unusual in that it feature two main axis, the East-West Axis, leading to the river, First Pylon, Hypostyle Hall and Sanctuary. The North South Axis extends mostly to the south from the temple core, though a series of pylons and open courts. The temple expanded outward from the core. Thus, the First Pylon is also the newest, being built in the Late Period, most likely by [[Nectanebo I]].  

The complex comprises three main temples, or precincts. The precinct of Amun-Ra is the largest, and the only one that is visited by most modern visitors. It was connected directly the Nile waterway by a canal and its own harbour, featuring two docks, allowing ships to berth both in the inundation and at other times.  It is connected to [[Luxor Temple]], 2.5 km to the south by a processional avenue (currently being excavated, as of 2009) and also to the precinct of Mut, immediately to the south. The temple is unusual in that it feature two main axis, the East-West Axis, leading to the river, First Pylon, Hypostyle Hall and Sanctuary. The North South Axis extends mostly to the south from the temple core, though a series of pylons and open courts. The temple expanded outward from the core. Thus, the First Pylon is also the newest, being built in the Late Period, most likely by [[Nectanebo I]].  

The precinct of [[Mut]], is the southernmost of the three, and is currently being excavated by a team from the [[Brooklyn Museum]], New York. It features a large, crescent shaped Sacred Lake. It is linked to the prescient of Amun-Ra by a processional avenue lined with sphinxes.

The precinct of [[Mut]], is the southernmost of the three, and is currently being excavated by a team from the [[Brooklyn Museum]], New York. It features a large, crescent shaped Sacred Lake. It is linked to the prescient of Amun-Ra by a processional avenue lined with sphinxes.