History Hit’s ancient history expert, Tristan Hughes, digs deep into one of Ancient Egypt's greatest treasures, a site that ranks among the world’s most impressive religious sanctuaries in both its size, splendour and importance.
But there is another, fascinating side to exploring Karnak beyond the monumental structures - one that requires close analysis of its buildings and countless hieroglyphs. In the company of the director of Karnak, El Tayeb Gharieb Mahmoud, Tristan discovers that you can only really understand this enormous temple complex if you know how to decode the devotion to the local Theban god: Amun - a deity who was venerated here by pharaoh after pharaoh for well over a thousand years.
Tayeb helps translate the hieroglyphs that reveal this story, from Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom to Hatshepsut, Seti I and Ramesses II in the New Kingdom. We discover a shape-shifting god who represented everything from fertility to the cosmos.
We also find out how Karnak was a vast pharaonic notice board - revealing stories of war with its huge reliefs of military triumphs; and peace, with the first peace treaty in the world, agreed between Egypt and the Hittites after the Battle of Kadesh. Tayeb translates this massive treaty written in stone, possibly Ancient Egypt’s most important contribution to the modern world.
Up Next in Digging up History
-
Swordfish: World War II's Surprising ...
Dan Snow flies on a mission to explore one of the most daring and dangerous aerial attacks of World War 2
On 11th November 1940, 21 antiquated Swordfish aircraft took off from the aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious. They were embarking on one of the most extraordinary raids of the Second World Wa...
-
The Ryedale Hoard: Yorkshire's Roman ...
History Hit's Tristan Hughes has special access to the Ryedale Hoard: A Roman Mystery exhibition at the Yorkshire Museum to speak to the people responsible for its discovery and investigate these incredible artefacts.
Featuring the remarkable 1,800 year old bust of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, ...
-
George Washington: The First Battle
Dan Snow goes to Pittsburgh to explore the extraordinary story of how an over-ambitious young George Washington fought for the British and helped to fire the shots that started the Seven Years War, the world’s first global conflict.
32 Comments