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Statuette of Amun 7th-1st centuries B.C. Cast bronze Height: 21.5 cm Before the New Kingdom (16th-11th centuries B.C.), Amun, the local god of Thebes, was very little known. His name means "the Hidden One" and originally he was evidently considered a god of the air. When in the New Kingdom Thebes became the capital of Egypt, Amun's role abruptly expanded. He was identified with Ra and turned into the solar god Amun-Ra, who was called the king of the gods. Gradually, he did indeed begin to acquire features of a universal god, something furthered by his hidden nature, which was associated with particular power. No other god ever had such enormous temples and such wealthy cults as Amun-Ra in the New Kingdom. He was the protector of the ruler in times of peace and on the field of battle, "more useful than hundreds of thousands of men". At the same time he was considered the defender of the poor and unfortunate, prayed to for healing from diseases and for protection from injustice. When the New Kingdom came to an end, a theocratic state emerged in southern Egypt with Amun-Ra at its head and his priests occupying key posts. Amun was depicted as a man with two tall feathers on his crown, as a man with a ram's head, or in the guise of a ram or goose.
Copyright © 2011 State Hermitage Museum
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