Montu was a falcon-god of war in the ancient Egyptian religion, an embodiment of the conquering vitality of the pharaoh.[Hart, George, A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, Routledge, 1986, . p. 126.] He was particularly worshipped in Upper Egypt and in the district of Thebes.[Rachet, Guy (1994). Dizionario della civiltà egizia. Rome: Gremese Editore. . p. 208.]
Name
Montu's name, shown in Egyptian hieroglyphs to the right, is technically transcribed as
mntw (meaning "Nomad"
). Because of the difficulty in transcribing Egyptian vowels, it is often realized as
Mont,
Monthu,
Montju,
Ment or
Menthu.
Role and characteristics
A very ancient god, Montu was originally a manifestation of the scorching effect of Ra, the sun – and as such often appeared under the epithet
Montu-Ra. The destructiveness of this characteristic led to him gaining characteristics of a warrior, and eventually becoming a widely revered war-god. The Egyptians thought that Montu would attack the enemies of
Maat (that is, of the
truth, of the cosmic order) while inspiring, at the same time, glorious warlike exploits.
[Geraldine Pinch. Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press, 2004. . p. 165.] It is possible that Montu-Ra and
Atum symbolized the two kingships, respectively, of Upper and Lower Egypt.
[Pinch 2004, p. 166.] When linked with
Horus, Montu's epithet was "Horus of the Strong Arm".
Because of the association of raging with strength and war, the Egyptians also believed that Montu manifested himself as a white, black-snouted bull named Buchis (hellenization of the original Bakha: a living bull revered in Armant) — to the point that, in the Late Period (7th-4th centuries BC), Montu was depicted with a bull's head too.
Montu had several consorts, including the little-known Theban goddesses Tjenenyet[Wilkinson 2003, p. 168.] and Iunit,[Wilkinson 2003, p. 150.] and a female form of Ra, Raet-Tawy.[Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames & Hudson. pp. 203–4.] He was also revered as one of the patrons of the city of Thebes and its fortresses. The sovereigns of the 11th Dynasty (c. 2134–1991 BC) chose Montu as a protective and dynastic deity, inserting references to him in their own names. For example, four pharaohs of the 11th Dynasty were called Mentuhotep, which means "Montu (Mentu) is satisfied":
The Ancient Greece associated Montu with their god of war Ares – although that did not prevent his assimilation to Apollo, probably due to the solar radiance that distinguished him.
Montu and the pharaohs at war
The cult of this military god enjoyed great prestige under the pharaohs of the 11th Dynasty,
whose expansionism and military successes led, around 2055 BC, to the reunification of Egypt, the end of a period of chaos known today as the First Intermediate Period, and a new era of greatness for the country. This part of Egyptian history, known as the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1650 BC),
[Gae Callender: The Middle Kingdom Renaissance, In: Ian Shaw (ed): The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000, , pp. 148-183.] was a period in which Montu assumed the role of supreme god — before then gradually being surpassed by the other Theban god
Amun, destined to become the most important deity of the Egyptian pantheon.
From the 11th Dynasty onward, Montu was considered the symbol of the pharaohs as rulers, conquerors and winners, as well as their inspirer on the battlefield. The Egyptian armies were surmounted by the insignia of the "four Montu" (Montu of Thebes, of Armant, of
Medamud, and of
El-Tod: the main cult centers of the god), all represented while trampling and piercing enemies with a spear in a classic pugnacious pose.
A ceremonial battle ax, belonging to the funeral kit of Queen
Ahhotep II, Great Royal Wife of the warlike pharaoh Kamose (c. 1555–1550 BC), who lived between the 17th and 18th Dynasty, represents Montu as a proud winged
griffin: an iconography clearly influenced by the same Syriac origin which inspired
Minoan art.
[Hart 1986, p. 127.]
Egypt's greatest general-kings called themselves "Mighty Bull", "Son Of Montu", "Montu Is with His Strong/Right Arm" ( Montuherkhepeshef: which was also the given name of a son of Ramesses II, of one of Ramesses III and one of Ramesses IX). Thutmose III (c. 1479—1425 BC), "the Napoleon of Egypt",[J.H. Breasted, Ancient Times: A History of the Early World; An Introduction to the Study of Ancient History and the Career of Early Man. Outlines of European History 1. Boston: Ginn and Company, 1914, p. 85.] was described in ancient times as a "Valiant Montu on the Battlefield".[, pp 69-70] In the narrative of the Battle of Kadesh (c. 1274 BC), Ramesses II — who proudly called himself "Montu of the Two Lands"
Temples
Medamud
The Temple complex of Montu in
Medamud, the ancient Medu, less than five kilometers north-east of today's
Luxor,
[Joann Fletcher. (2011) Cleopatra the Great: The Woman Behind the Legend. HarperCollins, . pp. 114ss.] was built by the great Pharaoh
Senusret III (c. 1878–1839 BC) of the 12th Dynasty, probably on a pre-existing sacred site of the Old Kingdom. The temple courtyard was used as a dwelling for the living
Buchis bull, revered as an incarnation of Montu.
The main entrance was to the north-east, while a
sacred lake was probably on the west side of the sanctuary. The building consisted of two distinct adjoining sections, perhaps a temple to the north and a temple to the south (houses of the priests). It was built in raw bricks, while the innermost
cella of the deity was built of carved stone. The templar complex of Medamud underwent important restorations and renovations during the New Kingdom, and in the Ptolemaic and Roman period.
Armant
At Armant, the ancient Iuni, there was an impressive Temple of Montu at least since the 11th Dynasty, which may have been native of Armant. King Mentuhotep II is its first known builder, but the original complex was enlarged and embellished during the 12th Dynasty, the less well-known 13th Dynasty (c. 1803–1649 BC), and later in the New Kingdom (especially under King
Thutmose III).
(1279–1213 BC) and his son
Merneptah (1213–1203 BC) of the 19th Dynasty added colossi and statues.
It was dismantled, except for a pylon, in the Late Period (7th/4th century BC) — but a new temple was begun by King
Nectanebo II (360–342 BC), the last native pharaoh of Egypt, and continued by the Ptolemies. In the 1st century BC,
Cleopatra (51–30 BC) built a
mammisi and a sacred lake there in honour of her son, the very young
Caesarion.
The building remained visible until 1861, when it was demolished to reuse its material in the construction of a sugar factory; however,
, prints and previous studies (for example the Napoleonic
Description de l'Égypte) show its appearance. Only the remains of the pylon of Thutmose III are still visible — in addition to the ruins of two entrances, one of which was built under the 2nd century AD
Roman emperor/Pharaoh
Antoninus Pius. In the large Armant complex, moreover, there was the
Bucheum, necropolis of the
Buchis sacred bulls. The first burial of a Buchis in this special necropolis dates back to the reign of Nectanebo II (c. 340 BC), while the final one took place at the time of the Emperor/Pharaoh
Diocletian (c. 300 AD).
Karnak and Uronarti
In the great Karnak Temple Complex, north of the monumental Temple of Amun, King
Amenhotep III built a
sacred enclosure to Montu.
Another temple had been dedicated to him at the little-known fortress of
Uronarti (near the Second Cataract of the Nile, specifically to the south of it) during the Middle Kingdom.
Gallery
File:Menthu in Medamud.jpg|Relief of Menthu in Medamud
File:Montu-AF 588-IMG 7976-gradient.jpg|Statue of Montu, 664-332 BCE.
File:El-Tod 16.jpg|Relief on the back wall of the Ptolemaic Pronaos of the Month Temple of el-Tod
File:Stele CG 20702 Lange.png|A coarse Stele representing the warrior-Pharaoh Senusret III (1878–1839 BC) in the presence of Montu. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.
File:Ceremonial axe of Ahmose I (both sides).jpg|Montu, as a griffin, on a ceremonial ax representing the warrior-Pharaoh Ahmose I (c. 1549–1524 BC) trampling an enemy.
File:Neferhotep I Konosso.png|Drawing of a petroglyph in Konosso with the goddess Satis, the Phallus god Min, Montu and the cartouche of King Neferhotep I (c. 1747–1736 BC).
File:P1060225 Louvre linteau temple de Montou à Tôd rwk.JPG|Fragmentary lintel from the Temple of Montu in El-Tod, mentioning Montu, King Mentuhotep II and the goddess Satis. Louvre, Paris.
File:Ruins of Erment, ancient Hermontis, Egypt. Coloured lithogra Wellcome V0049357.jpg|Ruins of the Temple of Montu in Armant, published in The Holy Land, Syria, Idumea, Arabia, Egypt, and Nubia — after a watercolour by David Roberts (1849).
File:Temple of El-Madamud 1 P1030654.jpg|Ruins of the Temple of Montu in Medamud.
Bibliography
-
Hart, George (1986), A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, London: Routledge, .
-
Guy Rachet (1994). Dizionario della civiltà egizia. Rome: Gremese Editore. .
-
Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003), The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, Thames & Hudson, .
