death but only transformed into forms that will accom-
modate the environment of eternity. The Liturgy of the
Funerary Offerings was revised in several periods but
remained popular throughout Egypt’s history.
London Papyrus This is a parchment or palimpsest
dating to the Fourth Dynasty, being a copy of a document
belonging to KHUFU(Cheops; r. 2551–2528 B.C.E.). Sev-
eral texts were originally written on this papyrus and
then erased and rewritten. Scribes used papyri for prac-
tice as well as for permanent records or documents.
lotus The symbol of rebirth or creation in Egypt, called
the sheshen,the lotus was sacred to the god NEFERTEM
and was a cosmological symbol of the god RÉ. The flower
signified Ré’s birth and power. The types of lotus native
to Egypt were the nymphaea,the white, and nymphaea
cerula,the blue. The lotus was also a symbol of Upper
Egypt, as the papyrus epitomized Lower Egypt’s domain.
The Lotus Offeringwas a hymn popular in Edfu and in
other shrines, honoring Ré’s emergence from the primeval
waters at the moment of creation. The flower was also
used as bouquets and tributes at festivals and held at ban-
quets by guests.
Lower Egypt See EGYPT.
Loyalist Instruction See SEHETEPIBRÉ.
Luxor This is the modern Arabic name for Southern
OPET, the area of THEBESin Upper Egypt that was dedi-
cated to the god AMUN during the New Kingdom
(1550–1070 B.C.E.). The modern name is derived from
the Arabic el-Aqsur,the Castles, an obvious reference to
the vast ruined complexes in the area.
One of the major structures in Luxor was a temple
used for religious processions. Erected by AMENHOTEP III
(r. 1391–1353 B.C.E.) of the Eighteenth Dynasty, the tem-
ple honored the Theban god Amun. The first PYLONof
the Luxor temple and the colonnaded court of the temple
were constructed by RAMESSES II(r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.) of
the Nineteenth Dynasty. This section enclosed a sanctu-
ary that was probably built by TUTHMOSIS III (r.
1479–1425 B.C.E.). Tuthmosis III personally directed the
construction of the sanctuary during his reign in the
Eighteenth Dynasty to accommodate the famous bark of
Amun. The bark was part of the elaborate festival cere-
monies and was refurbished periodically and protected in
a safe storage area when not in use. AMENHOTEP III, a suc-
cessor of Tuthmosis III, erected an actual temple on the
site, beginning the complex.
Six colossal statues and two obelisks adorned the
area leading to the second pylon, which was also built
by Amenhotep III. The court of Ramesses II is located
nearby, with colossal statues and double bud columns.
In the same area, a colonnade and two rows of papyrus
capital columns were fashioned, bordered by papyrus-
bundle pillars in the same area. A transverse HYPOSTYLE
HALL, with 32 more columns arranged in four rows of
eight, opened onto the inner temple area. Additional
hypostyle halls were surrounded by ritual chapels and
led to the original sanctuary. Amenhotep III adorned the
walls of the temple with reliefs depicting his birth and
his royal parentage, an affectation used frequently by the
rulers of the New Kingdom. TUT’ANKHAMUN(r. 1333–
1323 B.C.E.), newly converted to the worship of Amun
after the fall of ’AMARNA and AKHENATEN’s heretical
cult of ATEN, provided the temple with more reliefs,
depicting the ceremonies being conducted in the sanctu-
ary to honor Amun. It is not certain if these reliefs
were actually the original ones of Amenhotep III or
added to placate the priests of Amun and the Theban
people. HOREMHAB, at the close of the Eighteenth
Dynasty, attempted to use the same inscriptions to
announce his own achievements and honors. Many stat-
ues and two red granite obelisks, one now in the Place
de la Concorde in Paris, adorned the Luxor Temple. The
barks of MUT, KHONS(1), and other deities rested as well
in the temple area, which was linked to the massive KAR-
NAKcomplex by a double row of sphinxes. The rulers of
later eras, including the Late Period (712–332 B.C.E.)
and the Ptolemaic Period (304–30 B.C.E.), added to
Luxor temple, which also has an archway erected by the
Romans.
The deity Amun was carried to the Luxor Temple
once a year to visit his particular manifestation there. The
god Amun adored at Luxor was a vibrant, ithyphallic form
of the god, a patron of fertility and involved with the218 London PapyrusThe great temple pylon gates of Luxor, flanked by an avenue
of sphinxes. (Courtesy Steve Beikirch.)