B 800 | temple, ruins

 temple, ruins

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A temple surely dedicated to Amun of Karnak at Thebes. Badly ruined today, it lay parallel to and southwest (downstream = “north”) of B 500 and was initially built to be about the same size as B 500. With the addition of court B 501 later in the reign of Piankhy, however, B 800 became significantly smaller than B 500. The temple was founded early in the Napatan period, probably by Alara (ca. 780-760 BCE) or Kashta (ca. 760-740 BCE), who built its first phase largely of mud-brick. It was then rebuilt in stone by Piankhy (ca. 740-712 BCE), restored again by Anlamani (ca. 620-600 BCE) and finally by Harsiotef (ca. 400-370 BCE). Given the temple’s connection to the Theban Amun, its presence suggests that close ties between Napata and Thebes had been established in the early eighth century BCE. The disposition of B 500 and B 800 suggest that during Dynasty 25, when the Kushites controlled both Thebes and Napata, they conducted local rituals here that involved carrying the bark of Amun from B 500 to B 800 and back, thus magically allowing the god of Napata to visit his alter-ego in faraway Thebes. The Opet Festival at Thebes was a similar ceremony, allowing Amun of Karnak to visit his southern alter-ego at Luxor Temple. These ritual journeys simulated what would have been real Nile journeys of six to eight weeks duration, or even longer. When the Kushites lost control of Egypt, however, Amun of Thebes at Karnak was suddenly placed beyond their reach, which may have nullified the significance of B 800. It is at this time that we see the sudden construction of B 700 by Atlanersa. B 700 appears to honor the gods between Thebes and Napata who still dwelt within the bounds of the Kushite kingdom. The former bark journey between B 500 and B 800 (symbolizing a real Nile voyage between Napata and Thebes) probably had to be reconceived after the Kushite expulsion from Egypt. It was now a ritual bark-carry from B 500 to B 700 to B 800 and back again, which would have symbolized a real voyage only between Napata and Semna and back www.jebelbarkal.org/