Montu's name, shown in Egyptian hieroglyphs to the right, is technically transcribed as mntw. 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 while inspiring, at the same time, glorious warlike exploits. It is possible that Montu-Ra and Atum-Ra symbolized the two kingships, respectively, of Upper and Lower Egypt. When linked with Horus, Montu's epithet was "Horus of the Strong Arm". Because of the association of raging bulls with strength and war, the Egyptians also believed that Montu manifested himself as a white, black-snouted bull named Buchis — to the point that, in the Late Period, Montu was depicted with a bull's head too. This special sacred bull had dozens of servants and wore precious crowns and bibs. as Montu — in the Temple of Khonsu at Karnak. In Egyptian art, Montu was depicted as a falcon-headed or bull-headed man, with his head surmounted by the solar disk and two feathers. The falcon was a symbol of the sky and the bull was a symbol of strength and war. He could also wield various weapons, such as a curved sword, a spear, bow and arrows, or knives: such military iconography was widespread in the New Kingdom. Montu had several consorts, including the little-known Theban goddesses Tjenenyet and Iunit, and a female form of Ra, Raet-Tawy. He was also revered as one of the patrons of the city of Thebes and its fortresses. The sovereigns of the 11th Dynasty 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 is satisfied":
The Greeks associated Montu with their god of warAres — 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, 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. ., Paris. 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", 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, 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. Egypt's greatest general-kings called themselves "Mighty Bull", "Son Of Montu", "Montu Is with His Strong/Right Arm". Thutmose III, "the Napoleon of Egypt", was described in ancient times as a "Valiant Montu on the Battlefield". An inscription from his sonAmenhotep II recalls that the eighteen-year-old pharaoh was able to shoot arrows through copper targets while driving a war chariot, commenting that he had the skill and strength of Montu. The latter's grandson, Amenhotep III the Magnificent, called himself "Montu of the Rulers" in spite of his own peaceful reign. In the narrative of the Battle of Kadesh, Ramesses II the Great — who proudly called himself "Montu of the Two Lands" — was said to have seen the enemy and "raged at them like Montu, Lord of Thebes".
The Temple complex of Montu in Medamud, the ancient Medu, less than five kilometers north-east of today's Luxor, was built by the great Pharaoh Senusret III 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. 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.
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, and later in the New Kingdom. Ramesses II and his son Merneptah of the 19th Dynasty added colossi and statues. It was dismantled, except for a pylon, in the Late Period — but a new temple was begun by King Nectanebo II, the last native pharaoh of Egypt, and continued by the Ptolemies. In the 1st century BC, Cleopatra VII built a mammisi and a sacred lake there in honour of her son, the very young Ptolemy XV Caesarion. The building remained visible until 1861, when it was demolished to reuse its material in the construction of a sugar factory; however, etchings, prints and previous studies 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, while the final one took place at the time of the Emperor/Pharaoh Diocletian.
