Amun Priesthood

The Amun Priesthood played an active role in initiating and supporting the many religious and political innovations of Hatshepsut. Throughout Hatshepsut’s reign, she intensely highlighted her close relationship and devotion to the God Amun and members of the priesthood, using particular activities such as the expedition to Punt to both politically and economically boost her reputation. During the first half of the 18th century, Amun evolved from a singular warrior God into an imperial God due to Hatshepsut’s devotion to him in which she raised the status of Amun above all other gods and goddesses. She also promoted the God as her father, father legitimizing her claim to the throne and firm association to the priesthood. Thus, it was crucial
Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple, more formally known as Djeser-Djeseru, is clearly evidence of propaganda used to justify her claim to the throne and her devotion to Amun. Not only did she devote the top level of her temple to Amun, but also had a detailed relief of her Divine Birth inscribed on the Middle Colonnade. This relief explains how the god Amun came to Hatshepsut’s mother and, taking the physical form of Thutmose I, impregnated her, thus suggesting the god Amun was her heavenly father, which is highlighted in Breasted’s translation, “Khnemet-Amun-Hatshepsut shall be the name of this my daughter”. By placing so much emphasis on this divine conception, Hatshepsut further affiliated herself with Amun and according to modern historian, Robins, “legitimized her claim to the throne”. At the time of Hatshepsut’s reign, Karnak was the religious epicentre, and so maintaining it was an important feature of Hatshepsut’s building program, through which Breastsed comments “She made them as her monuments to her father, Amun, Lord of Thebes, preside over Karnak”. The Red Chapel is one example of the importance Hatshepsut’s relationship to Amun. The sanctuary was built in honour of Amun and used as a
During Year 9 of Hatshepsut’s rule, she conducted a trade expedition to Punt which according to Hurley (provided) explains that the “Beneficiary of the expedition was Amun and his priesthood”, Hatshepsut being fully “aware of its political and economic value”. Modern Historian, Bradley reinforces this by saying, “Amun gave her directions and everything she did, she did according to his command”. The expedition brought back mainly Myrrah trees in baskets of soil, situating them to adorn her mortuary temple Deir el-Bahri that was dedicated to her heavenly father, Amun. A great wall relief in Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple (provided) exhibits the importance of her expedition to Punt and it’s contribution to the success of her reign. The image depicts baskets of items such as baboons and trees being carried aboard a boat, which we know is accurate due to another relief that translates “Never were brought such things to any King, since the world was”. By claiming that Amun had sent her to complete this exotic trading expedition, Hatshepsut was able to justify her vision of economic, political, and religious growth. An inscription (provided) found at Deir el-Bahri quotes Amun stating “I will give thee Punt, the whole of it, as far as the Divine Lands”, further validating