Amon

Also spelled Amun; the chief god of Egypt in the New Kingdom. At fi rst Amon was only the god of a small place. Around 2000 B.C.E. his cult was brought to Thebes, the capital of Egypt. He became identifi ed with Re, the sun god. When the New Kingdom began in 1570 B.C.E. Amon-Re became the god of the kings and the king of the gods. Egyptian gods are sometimes shown with the heads of animals; Amon had the head of a ram. His major temples sat on the east bank of the Nile at Karnak and Luxor near Thebes. During festivals Amon went visiting. During one festival a procession carried him from Karnak to Luxor. During another he visited the tombs on the west bank of the Nile. As Egypt's wealth grew, Amon's temples became immense, and his priests became extremely powerful. Amon had a consort, Mut (mother), and a son, Khonsu (the moon). Some later thinkers claimed that all the gods were his manifestations. Others claimed that he was JUPITER. Ruins of Amon's temples still stand at Karnak and Luxor. They attract hundreds of thousands of tourists each year.