THE SOLAR TEMPLE OF AMEN-RĀ AT KARNAK.
So much having been premised concerning the early temple-worship of
the sun in Egypt and the adjacent countries, and the survival of some
of the ideas connected with it down to our own day, I next propose to
describe the finest Egyptian solar temple which remains open to our
examination--that of Amen-Rā at Karnak.
Of the chief solar temples referred to in a previous chapter, two
have passed away; even the orientation of the one at Heliopolis I was
only able to determine by the mounds, assuming them to bear the same
relation to the temple as other mounds do, and the remaining obelisk.
The temple at Abydos is also a mound; but in the case of the temple of
Amen-Rā at Thebes the case is different: instead of being a mere heap,
the orientation of which is obtainable only by the general lie of the
remains, this temple is still in such preservation that Lepsius in the
year 1844 could give us a large number of details about it, and locate
the position of the innumerable courts. Its orientation to the solstice
we can claim, as I hope to be able to show, as an early astronomical
observation. So it is quite fair to say that, many thousand years
ago at all events, the Egyptians were perfectly familiar with the
solstices, and therefore more or less fully with the yearly path of the
sun.
[Illustration: AXIS OF THE TEMPLE OF AMEN-RĀ FROM THE WESTERN PYLON,
LOOKING SOUTH-EAST.]
This temple of Amen-Rā is beyond all question the most majestic ruin
in the world. There is a sort of stone avenue in the centre, giving
a view towards the north-west, and this axis is something like five
hundred yards in length. The whole object of the builder of the great
temple at Karnak--one of the most soul-stirring temples which have ever
been conceived or built by man--was to preserve that axis absolutely
open; and all the wonderful halls of columns and the like, as seen on
one side or other of the axis, are merely details; the point being
that the axis should be absolutely open, straight, and true. The axis
was directed towards the hills on the west side of the Nile, in which
are the tombs of the kings. From the external pylon the South-eastern
outlook through the ruins shows the whole length of the temple, and
we see at the very extremity of the central line a gateway nearly
six hundred yards away. This belonged to a temple pointing towards
the south-east. There were really two temples in the same line back
to back, the chief one facing the sunset at the summer solstice, the
other probably the sunrise at the winter solstice. The distance which
separates the outside entrances of both these temples is greater than
that from Pall Mall to Piccadilly; the great temple covers about twice
the area covered by St. Peter's at Rome, so that the whole structure
was of a vastness absolutely unapproached in the modern ecclesiastical
world.
[Illustration: PLAN OF THE TEMPLE OF AMEN-RĀ AND SOME OF ITS
SURROUNDINGS, INCLUDING THE SACRED LAKE.
II. Original Sanctuary.
III. Obelisks.
IV. Hall of Columns.
V. Interior Pylon.
VI. Outer Court.
VII. External Western Pylon.
VIII. Sphinxes.
1 Temple M. of Lepsius.
2 Temple of Seti II.
3 Side Entrance.
4 South Wall.
5 } Pylons of South
6 } Courts.
7 }
8 } Inner Courts near
9 } the Sanctuary.
10 }
_a_ } N. Wall.
_b_ }
_c_ } Columns in Outer
_d_ } Court, N. Side.
_e_ } Columns in Outer
_f_ } Court, S. Side.
_g_ Taharqa's Columns.]
Some Egyptian temples took many tens of years to build; the obelisks,
all in single blocks, were brought for hundreds of miles down the
Nile. The building of a solar temple like that of Amen-Rā meant to the
Egyptians a very serious undertaking indeed.
Some of the structural details are of a very curious nature, while the
general arrangement of the temple itself is no less extraordinary.
First, with regard to the temple axis. It seems to be a general rule
that from the entrance-pylon the temple stretches through various halls
of different sizes and details, until at last, at the extreme end, what
is called the Sanctuary, Naos, Adytum, or Holy of Holies, is reached.
The end of the temple at which the pylons are situated is open, the
other is closed. These lofty pylons, and even the walls, are sometimes
covered with the most wonderful drawings and hieroglyphic figures and
records. Stretching in front of the pylons, extending sometimes very
far in front, are rows of sphinxes. This principle is carried to such
an extent that in some cases separate isolated gates have been built
right in front and exactly in the alignment of the temple.
From one end of the temple to the other we find the axis marked out
by narrow apertures in the various pylons, and many walls with doors
crossing the axis.
[Illustration: VIEW TO THE SOUTH-WEST FROM THE SACRED LAKE OF AMEN-RĀ.]
[Illustration: RUINS OF DOOR AT ENTRANCE OF THE SANCTUARY.]
In the temple of Amen-Rā there are 17 or 18 of these apertures,
limiting the light which falls into the Holy of Holies or the
Sanctuary. This construction gives one a very definite impression that
every part of the temple was built to subserve a special object, viz.,
to limit the light which fell on its front into a narrow beam, and to
carry it to the other extremity of the temple--into the sanctuary, so
that once a year when the sun set at the solstice the light passed
without interruption along the whole length of the temple, finally
illuminating the Sanctuary in most resplendent fashion and striking the
Sanctuary wall. The wall of the Sanctuary opposite to the entrance of
the temple was always blocked. There is no case in which the beam of
light can pass absolutely through the temple.
[Illustration: THE OBELISKS NEAR THE OLDEST PART OF THE TEMPLE OF
AMEN-RĀ AT KARNAK.]
The point was to provide an axis open at one end and absolutely closed
at the other, the open courts being only found towards that end towards
which the temple opened, the other end being all but absolutely dark
and quite blocked up at the extremity.
These sunlight effects were fully appreciated. Referring to the
obelisks erected by Queen Hāt-shepset as a monument to her father Amen,
an inscription at the base of one of these says, "They are seen an
endless number of miles off: _it is a flood of shining splendour when
the sun shines between the two_;"[27] and again, "The sun's disc shines
between them as when it rises from the horizon of heaven."[28]
Passing from the temple at Karnak to others in a better state of
preservation, we can gather that the part of the axis furthest from the
entrance was covered, so that in the _penetralia_ there was only a dim
religious light. The entrance is also, as it were, guarded by a massive
exterior pylon, as in the more or less modern temple of Edfû. This,
again, reduces the light in the interior.
It is easy to recognise that these arrangements bear out the idea of an
astronomical use of the temple.
[Illustration: INNER COURT AND SANCTUARY AT EDFÛ.
(_From a Photograph by the Author._)]
First of all we know that the temple was directed to the place of the
sun's setting; and if the Egyptians wished to lead the narrow shaft
of light which was bound to enter the temple, since it was directed
to the sunset, they would have contrived the very system of gradually
narrowing doors which we have found to be one of the special features
of the temple.
The doors were considered as very important--and no wonder. In the
account given of Thothmes III.'s restoration of the temple of Amen-Rā,
we read that after the building had been constructed in a "position
corresponding to the four quarters of heaven" the great stone gateways
were erected.
"The first had doors of real acacia wood covered with plates of gold,
fastened with black bronze and iron."
Then came a propylon (Bekhen) with three other gates connected with it
covered with plates of copper, and the sacrifices were brought through
these.[29]
This idea is strengthened by considering the construction of the
astronomical telescope. Although the Egyptians knew nothing about
telescopes, it would seem that they had the same problem before them
which we solve by a special arrangement in the modern telescope--they
wanted to keep the light pure, and to lead it into their sanctuary as
we lead it to the eyepiece. To keep the light that passes into the
eyepiece of a modern telescope pure, we have between the object-glass
and the eyepiece a series of what are called diaphragms; that is, a
series of rings right along the tube, the inner diameters of the rings
being greatest close to the object-glass, and smallest close to the
eyepiece; these diaphragms must so be made that all the light from the
object-glass shall fall upon the eyepiece, without loss or reflection
by the tube.
These apertures in the pylons and separating walls of Egyptian temples
exactly represent the diaphragms in the modern telescope.
What then was the real use of these pylons and these diaphragms? It
was to keep all stray light out of the carefully roofed and darkened
Sanctuary; but why was the Sanctuary to be kept in darkness?
The first point that I wish to make is that these temples--whatever
view may be entertained with regard to their worship or the ceremonial
in them--were undoubtedly constructed among other reasons for the
purpose of obtaining an exact observation of the precise time of the
solstice. The priests having this power at their disposal, would not be
likely to neglect it, for they ruled by knowledge. The temples were,
then, astronomical observatories, and the first observatories that we
know of in the world.
If we consider them as horizontal telescopes used for the purpose I
have suggested, we at once understand the long axis, and the series of
gradually narrowing diaphragms, for the longer the beam of light used
the greater is the accuracy that can be obtained.
Independently of ceremonial reasons--there is a good deal to be said
under that head--it is quite clear that the darker the sanctuary the
more obvious will be the patch of light on the end wall, and the more
easily can its position be located. It was important to do this on the
two or three days near the solstice, in order to get an idea of the
exact time at which the solstice took place. We find that a narrow beam
of sunlight coming through a narrow entrance some 500 yards away from
the door of the Holy of Holies would, provided the temple were properly
orientated to the solstice, and provided the solstice occurred at the
absolute moment of sunrise or sunset according to which the temple was
being utilised, practically flash into the sanctuary and remain there
for about a couple of minutes, and then pass away. The flash would be
a crescendo and diminuendo, but the whole thing would not last above
two minutes or thereabouts, and might be considerably reduced by an
arrangement of curtains. Supposing the solstice did not occur at the
precise moment of sunrise or sunset, and provided the Egyptians by any
means whatever were able to divide the days and the nights into more
or less equal intervals of time, two or three observations of the sun
rising at the solstice on three different mornings, or of the sunset
at the solstice on three different evenings, would enable a careful
observer to say whether the solstice had occurred at the exact moment
of sunrise or sunset, or at some interval between two successive
sunrises or sunsets, and what that interval was.
We may conclude that there was some purpose of utility to be served,
and the solar temples could have been used undoubtedly, among other
things, for determining the exact length of the solar year.
I now come to my next point, which is that here we have the true origin
of our present means of measuring time; that our year as we know it
was first determined in these Egyptian temples and by the Egyptians.
The magnificent burst of the light at sunset into the sanctuary would
show that a new true solar year was beginning. It so happens that the
summer solstice was the time when the Nile began, and still begins,
to rise; so that in Egypt the priests were enabled to determine, year
after year, not only the length of the year, but the exact time of its
commencement. This, however, they apparently kept to themselves, for
the year in use, called the vague year, began at different times of the
true year through a long cycle, as I shall show in subsequent chapters.
If the Egyptians wished to use the temple for ceremonial purposes, the
magnificent beam of light thrown into the temple at the sunset hour
would give them opportunities and even suggestions for so doing; for
instance, they might place an image of the god in the sanctuary and
allow the light to Hash upon it. We should have a "manifestation of
Rā" with a vengeance during the brief time the white flood of sunlight
fell on it; be it remembered that in the dry and clear air of Egypt the
sun casts a shadow five seconds after the first little point of it has
been seen above the horizon. So that at sunrise and sunset in Egypt the
light is very strong, and not tempered as with us. They did this: we
not only find the exact allocation of words "the manifestation of Rā,"
but what happened is described. One of the inscriptions relating to the
manifestation of Rā has been translated by De Rougé as follows:--
"Il vint en passant vers le temple de Rā; il entra dans le temple
en adorant (deux fois). Le χer-heb [celebrant] invoqua (celui qui)
repousse les plaies du roi; il remplit les rites de la porte; il prit
le seteb, il se purifia par l'encens; il fit une libation; il apporta
les fleurs de _Habenben_ [a part of the temple]; il apporta le parfum
(?). Il monta les degrés vers l'adytum grand, pour voir Rā dans
Habenben; lui-même se tint seul; il poussa le verrou; il ouvrit les
portes; il vit son père Rā dans Habenben; il vénéra la barque de Rā
et la barque de Tum. Il tira les portes, et posa la terre sigillaire
(qu'il) scella avec le sceau du roi. Lui-même ordonne aux prêtres,
'J'ai placé le sceau; que n'entre pas quelqu'un dedans de tout roi qui
se tiendra (là).'"[30]
In the quotation the apparatus of doors is referred to, and it is not
difficult to understand that by a particular arrangement of them it
would be easily possible to allow the hash which lighted up the image
of the god to be of very brief duration. Remember that the sanctuary
was dark, that the king stood with his back to the pylon (and therefore
to the sun). Under these circumstances, to an excited imagination it
would be the god himself and not his image which appeared. Maspero[31]
adduces much evidence to show that the priests were not above pious
frauds even in the worship connected with the Holy of Holies:--
"The shrines [in the sanctuary] are little chapels of wood or stone,
in which the spirit of the deity was supposed at all times to dwell,
and which on ceremonial occasions contained his image. The sacred
barks were built after the model of the Bari, or boat in which the
sun performed his daily course. The shrine was placed amidships of
the boat and covered with a veil or curtain, to conceal its contents
from all spectators.... We have not as yet discovered any of the
statues employed in the ceremonial, but we know what they were like,
what part they played, and of what materials they were made. They
were animated.... They spoke, moved, acted--not metaphorically, but
actually.... Interminable avenues of sphinxes, gigantic obelisks,
massive pylons, halls of a hundred columns, mysterious chambers
of perpetual night--in a word, the whole Egyptian Temple and its
dependencies were built by way of a hiding-place for a performing
puppet, of which the wires were worked by a priest."
In an inscription which covers, according to Brugsch, an entire wall
near the Holy of Holies in the temple of Amen-Rā it is stated that
a beautiful harp, inlaid with silver and gold and precious stones,
on which to sing the praises of the god, statues of the god himself,
and numerous gates (Selkhet) with locks of copper and dark bronze, to
protect the Holy of Holies from intrusion, were among the gifts to the
priests.[32]
Thothmes III., in his account of his embellishments at Karnak, says of
the statues of the gods and of their secret place (possibly the Adytum)
that they were "more glorious than what is created in heaven, more
secret than the place of the abyss, and more [invisible] than what is
in the ocean."[33]