1

canonical Compositions (Egyptian) 1.14

55

DAILY RITUAL OF TIlE TEMPLE OF AMUN-RE AT KARNAK (1.34)

P. Berlin 3055 - A Selection
Robert K. Ritner
Dating from the 22nd Dynasty, this Theban ritual papyrus is one of the best sources for the standardized morning
liturgy used for divine and royal cults throughout Egypt from the New Kingdom until Roman times. The Seti
temple at Abydos depicts thirty-six chapters or "spells," with nineteen represented at the Ptolemaic temple of
Edfu and six at the contemporary temple of Dendera. In contrast, this Berlin papyrus adapted for Amon (together
with P. Berlin 3014 + 3053 designed for his consort Mut), contains sixty-six recitations. No single source pro
vides the complete ritual, but the constituent elements are easily reconstructed. The royal representative enters
the chapel, censes and opens the naos to reveal the cult image. Thereafter follow spells of prostration, praise and
offerings, after which the cult statue is removed, salved, clothed, adorned, and provided with unguent and eye
paint. In the concluding rites, fresh sand is strewn on the chapel floor, and the god is purified by water and
natron and replaced in the naos. On exiting, the priest sweeps away his footprints, banishing impurities and
demonic forces.
.
BEGINNING OF TI:IE SPELLS' of the divine ritual
enacted in the temple of Amon-Re, king of the
gods, in the course of every day by the chief
wah-priest2 who is in his daily service.
SPELL FOR striking the fire.
WORDS TO BE SAID: "Come, come in peace, Eye

of Horus, luminous, sound, rejuvenated in peace!

May it shrine like Re in the two horizons, since
the power of Seth has hidden himself before the
Eye of Horus, who took it and brought it to put
in its place for Horus. Concerning his Eye,
Horus is triumphant, while the Eye of Horus
repels the enemies of Amun-Re, Lord of the
Thrones of the Two Lands, in all their places.
May the King give an offering! I am pure."
SPELL FOR taking the censer.
WORDS TO BE SAID: "Hail to you, [censer of the

gods] who are in the following of Thoth; my

arms are upon you as (those of) Horus, my hands
upon you like (those of) Thoth, my fmgers on
you like (those of) Anubis, foremost of the divine
booth. 3 I am the living servant of Re. I am a
wah-priest, since I aiD pure (wab). The purity of
the gods is my purity. May the King give an
offering! I am pure. "
[SPELL FOR] PLACING the incense-bowl on the

censer arm.
WORDS TO BE SAID: "Hail to you, incense-bowl of

[...] the field in Mendes, the. clay in Abydos. I

am purified by the Eye of Horus so that I might
perform the rites with you, they being pure for
Amon-Re, Lord of the Thrones of the Two
Lands, and his Ennead. May the King give an of-

fering! I am pure ...

SPELL FOR putting incense on the flame.
WORDS TO BE SAID: "To the ba-soul of the East,

to Horus of the East, to Kamutef' within the solar

disk, to the Terrible One who shines with his two
Sound Eyes, to Re-harakhti,' the great god, the
winged power, foremost of the two' southern
conclaves of heaven. "
SPELL FOR advancing [to) the sacred place. 6
WORDS TO BE SAID: "0 ba-souls of Heliopolis, as

you are sound, so I am sound, and vice-versa.

Your ka-spirits are sound precisely because my
ka-spirit is sound before all the ka-spirits of the
living. As all live, so I live. The two jugs of
Atum are the protection of my body. For me
Sakhmet the great, beloved of Ptah, placed life,
stability and dominion around all my flesh by an
oath of Thoth. I am Horus the chief, beautiful of
respect, lord of terror, great of respect, high of
plumage, great in Abydos. May the King give an
offering! I am pure. "
.
ANO'niER SPELL.

"Awake happily in peace, Karnak, mistress of the

temples of the gods and goddesses who are in
her! 0 gods and goddesses who are in Karnak,
gods and goddesses who are in Thebes, gods and
goddesses who are in Heliopolis, gods and
goddesses who are in Memphis, gods and god
desses who are in heaven, gods and goddesses
who are in the earth, gods and goddesses who are
in the South, North, West and East, the kings of
Upper and Lower Egypt, children of kings, who
took the White Crown, who made monuments for

I The translation "spell" has been adopted to conform with the rendering of the same Eg. term in so-called Mmagical" texts. One could as
easily adopt "recitation" or "utterance" for all contexts. There is no distinction in Eg. terminology - or theology - between official cultic
"recitations" and private magical "spells"; see Ritner 1993:41-42.
1 Lit.. "pure priest...
3 The embalming booth.
4 "Bull of His Mother." an epithet of Min-Amun.
I A fusion of Re and "Horus of the Two Horizons. "
6 The holy of holies or naos in which the divine image resides.

The Context of Scripture, I

56

Amun in Karnak, may you awaken, may you be

in peace. May you awaken happily in peace. "
the cord.7
"The cord is broken, the seal
is loosened. Bringing to you the Eye of Horus, I
have come. You have your Eye, 0 Horus."

SPEll. fOR breaking

WORDS TO DE SAID:

SPElJ. fOR breaking the clay

seal.

"The clay seal is broken, the

waters are breached, the vessels of Osiris are
drained. I have come not to drive the god away
from his throne.' It is to put the god upon his
throne that I have come. May you be established
upon your great throne, 0 Amun-Re, Lord of the
Thrones of the Two Lands. I am the one whom
the gods initiated.9 May the King give an
offering! I am pure."
WORDS TO DE SAID:

SPELL FOR unfastening the

naos.

IO

WORDS TO DE SAID: "The finger of Seth is

withdrawn from the Eye of Horus so that it be
well. The finger of Seth is released from the Eye
of Horus so that it be well. The hide is loosened
from the back of the god. II 0 Amun-Re, Lord of
the Thrones of the Two Lands, receive for
yourself your two plumes and your White Crown
as the Eye of Horus, the right (plume) being the
right Eye. the left (Plume) beIng the left Eye.
You have your beauty, 0 Amun-Re,Lord of the
Thrones of the Two Lands. Naked one, be cloth
ed. Dressed one, be dressed, though I am but a
prophet. It is, the king who sent me to see the
god. ,,12

SPElJ. fOR revealing the god.

WORDS TO DB SAID:

"The doors of heaven are

opened. The doors of the earth are opened. Hail

to Oeb, as, the gods have said, established on
their thrones. The doors of heaven are opened so

that the Ennead might shine. As Amun-Re, Lord

of the Thrones of the Two' Lands, is exalted, so
the great Ennead is exalted upon their thrones.
You have your beauty, 0 Amun-Re, Lord of the
Thrones of the Two Lands. Naked one, be cloth

ed. Dressed one, be dressed. "

SPELL FOR seeing the god.

"My face is protected from l3

the god and vice-versa. 0 gods, make way for

me so that 1 might pass. It ill the king who bas

sent me to see the god."

WORDS TO DE SAID:

SPElJ. fOR kissing the ground.

"I have kissed the ground; I

have embraced Geb. For Amun-Re, Lord of the

Thrones of the Two Lands, have 1 performed the

chants {by which} 14 I am purified for him. You

have your sweat, 0 gods. You have your per

fumes, 0 goddesses'. You have the perfumes of

your bodies." My kiss is life for Pbaraoh, praise

for the Lord of the Two Lands. "16

WORDS TO DE SAID:

SPELL FOR prostratingP

"Hail to you, Amon-Re,

Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands, enduring

upon your great throne. I have prostrated (my

self) through fear of you, fearful of your dignity.

I have embraced Geb and Hathor so that she

might cause that I be great. I shall not fall to the

slaughter of this day."

WORDS TO DE SAID:

SPELL FOR prostrating and for rising.

"Hail to you, Amun-Re,

Lord of the Thrones of the Two Lands. I have

not acted with your secretions; I have not

removed your dignity ,19 I have not conflated your

appearance with that of another god.:IO 1 have

prostrated myself through fear of you, so that 1

might perceive what you desire. You shall not

fall to your enemies on this day. Your enemies

whom you hate, may you overthrow them as

your enemies of this day. 21 There is no wretched

ness for the one who adores his lord. "

WORDS TO DB SAID:

SPElJ. fOR kissing the ground with the face

bowed.

"I have kissed the ground

with my face bowed; I have caused Truth to

ascend to you. There is no god who bas done

WORDS TO DE SAID:

, Tbe knotted aDd sealed cord securina the door of the IUlOJ.
As noted by WUson. the breatm, of the seal is symbolized by the opening of a clay dam. Tbe term "vessels designates the arteries aDd
veins of the god, from which flow the waters of the NUe.
, Moret ttarllllates: "who enters (to) the gods.
10 Tbe parallel rilUal for the goddess Mut reads "drawing back the bolt ...
II Pemaps a reference to a shroud placed over the statue at night.

12 In theol)'. only the kina should be able to confront the statue of the god. Of necessity. this privUele was delegated to local biBh priests
as royal represemadvcs.
U Moret translates "protection for the god. "
14 Restored from the Abydos variant.
I' Tbe "sweat" aDd "secretions" of the gods are perfume.
If Moret ttarllllates: ". have smelled (these things) so that Pharaoh live and the Lord of the Two Lands be adored ...
17 Lit., "placing (oneself) upon the belly."
All fluids are restored to the gods to avoid potential misuse as in "Tbe Legend of.sis aDd the Name of at" (text 1.22 above).
I' See above, n. 14.
211 Ur., ". have not caused your color to resemble another god. "
21 Probably the enemies included in the daily execration rite; see text 1.32 above.

I'

Canonical Compositions (Egyptian) 1.34

primordial one of the Two Lands, He of the

Sacred Arm,22 Amun-Re, Lord of the two
plumes, great one with the crown of greatness on
your head, king of the gods resident in Karnak,
image of Amun,23 enduring in all things in your
name of 'Amun, more powerful than all the
gods.' They will not tum their backs on you in
their name of 'Ennead.'"24

what I have done. I have not lifted up my face. I

have not inflicted impurities. I have not conflated
your appearance with that of another god."
.. , (col. S, 3)

SPELL FOR adoring Amun.

WORDS TO BE SAID: "Into your presence

Pharaoh has come, 0 male one of the gods,

12
23

l4

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The epithets describe the standard posrure of the male, ithyphallic creator with upraised ann.

Contra Assmann, who translates: Myou are Amun. "

A pun on ps!l Mback" and ps!l.t Mennead."

REFERENCES
Text: KOniglichen Museen zu Berlin (1901: pis. I-XXXVII). Translations: Moret 1902; Roeder 1960:72-141; ANET 325-326; Assmann
1975:260-273; and Barta 1980: cols. 841-45.