Editing Montu

{{short description|Ancient Egyptian god of war}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox deity
| type = Egyptian
| name = Montu
| image = Montu.svg
| hiero = <hiero>mn:n:T-w</hiero>
| cult_center = [[Armant, Egypt|Hermonthis]], [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]], [[Medamud]], [[El-Tod]]
| consort = [[Raet-Tawy]], [[Tjenenyet]], [[Iunit]], or [[Satis (goddess)|Satet]]
| caption = Montu is usually depicted as a falcon-headed man, adorned with two tall plumes on a [[solar symbol|sun disk]].
}}

'''Montu''' was a [[falcon]]-god of [[war]] in the [[ancient Egyptian religion]], an embodiment of the conquering vitality of the [[pharaoh]].<ref name=":2">Hart, George, ''A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses'', Routledge, 1986, {{ISBN|0-415-05909-7}}. p. 126.</ref> He was particularly worshipped in [[Upper Egypt]] and in the district of [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]].<ref name=":0">Rachet, Guy (1994). ''Dizionario della civiltà egizia''. Rome: Gremese Editore. {{ISBN|88-7605-818-4}}. p. 208.</ref>

== Name ==
Montu's name, shown in [[Egyptian hieroglyph]]s to the right, is technically transcribed as ''mn<u>t</u>w'' (meaning "Nomad"<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/montu.html|title=Gods of Ancient Egypt: Montu|website=www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk|language=en|access-date=2018-05-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/spiritofanciente0000ruiz|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/spiritofanciente0000ruiz/page/115 115]|quote=montu nomad.|title=The Spirit of Ancient Egypt|last=Ruiz|first=Ana|date=2001|publisher=Algora Publishing|isbn=9781892941688|language=en}}</ref>). Because of the difficulty in transcribing Egyptian vowels, it is often realized as '''Mont''', '''Monthu''', '''Montju''', '''Ment''' or '''Menthu'''.<ref name=":1" />

== Role and characteristics ==
{{Ancient Egyptian religion}}
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.<ref name=":4">[[Geraldine Pinch|Pinch, Geraldine]]. ''Egyptian Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Goddesses, and Traditions of Ancient Egypt''. Oxford University Press, 2004. {{ISBN|978-0-19-517024-5}}. p. 165.</ref> It is possible that Montu-Ra and [[Atum|Atum-Ra]] symbolized the two kingships, respectively, of [[Upper and Lower Egypt]].<ref name=":3">Pinch 2004, p. 166.</ref> When linked with [[Horus]], Montu's epithet was "Horus of the Strong Arm".<ref name=":5" />

Because of the association of raging [[bull]]s 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, Egypt|Armant]]) — to the point that, in the [[Late Period of ancient Egypt|Late Period]] (7th-4th centuries BC), Montu was depicted with a bull's head too.<ref name=":0" /> This special sacred bull had dozens of servants and wore precious crowns and bibs.<ref name=":3" /> 
[[File:KhonsuTemple-Karnak-Khonsu-3.jpg|thumb|227x227px|A peculiar representation of the god [[Khonsu]] as Montu – in the [[Temple of Khonsu]] at [[Karnak]].]]
In [[Art of ancient Egypt|Egyptian art]], Montu was depicted as a [[falcon]]-headed or bull-headed man, with his head surmounted by the solar disk (because of his conceptual link with Ra<ref name=":0" />) with either a double or singular [[uraeus]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Montu {{!}} Description & Story {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mont-Egyptian-god |access-date=2023-05-30 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Egypt: Montu, Solar and Warrior God |url=http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/montu.htm |access-date=2023-05-30 |website=www.touregypt.net}}</ref> 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 [[Khopesh|curved sword]], a spear, bow and arrows, or knives: such military iconography was widespread in the [[New Kingdom of Egypt|New Kingdom]] (16th-11th centuries BC).<ref name=":1" />

Montu had several consorts, including the little-known Theban goddesses [[Tjenenyet]]<ref>Wilkinson 2003, p. 168.</ref> and [[Iunit]],<ref>Wilkinson 2003, p. 150.</ref> and a female form of Ra, [[Raet-Tawy]].<ref name=":5">Wilkinson, Richard H. (2003). ''The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt''. Thames & Hudson. pp. 203–4.</ref> He was also revered as one of the patrons of the city of [[Thebes, Egypt|Thebes]] and its fortresses. The sovereigns of the [[11th dynasty|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":

* [[Mentuhotep I]] (c. 2135 BC) — maybe a fictional figure; 
* [[Mentuhotep II|Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II]] (c. 2061–2010 BC); 
* [[Mentuhotep III|Sankhkare Mentuhotep III]] (c. 2010–1998 BC); 
* [[Mentuhotep IV|Nebtawyre Mentuhotep IV]] (c. 1998–1991 BC).<ref name=":2" />

The [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]] 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.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":5" />

== Montu and the pharaohs at war ==
The cult of this military god enjoyed great prestige under the pharaohs of the 11th Dynasty,<ref name=":2" /> 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 of Egypt|First Intermediate Period]], and a new era of greatness for the country. This part of Egyptian history, known as the [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt|Middle Kingdom]] (c. 2055–1650 BC),<ref>Gae Callender: ''The Middle Kingdom Renaissance'', In: Ian Shaw (ed): ''The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt'', Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2000, {{ISBN|0-19-815034-2}}, pp. 148-183.</ref> 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.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Mentuhotep II Deir el Bahri.jpg|left|thumb|187x187px|Mentuhotep II, devotee of Montu – from [[Mortuary Temple of Mentuhotep|his mortuary temple]] in [[Deir el-Bahari]].]][[File:Montu Ptolemaic Period Louvre.JPG|thumb|411x411px|[[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Ptolemaic]] (4th/1st century BC) statue of Montu with bull's head, symbol of military valour. [[Louvre]], [[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" (Montu of Thebes, of [[Armant, Egypt|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.<ref name=":4" /> 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 [[Seventeenth Dynasty of Egypt|17th]] and [[Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt|18th Dynasty]], represents Montu as a proud winged [[griffin]]: an iconography clearly influenced by the same [[History of Syria|Syriac]] origin which inspired [[Minoan art]].<ref name=":6">Hart 1986, p. 127.</ref>

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 [[List of children of Ramesses II|son]] of [[Ramesses II]], of [[Montuherkhopshef (son of Ramesses III)|one]] of [[Ramesses III]] and [[Mentuherkhepeshef (son of Ramesses IX)|one]] of [[Ramesses IX]]). [[Thutmose III]] (c. 1479—1425 BC), "the [[Napoleon]] of Egypt",<ref>[[James Henry Breasted|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.</ref> was described in ancient times as a "Valiant Montu on the Battlefield".<ref name=":1" /> An inscription from his son [[Amenhotep II]] (1427–1401 BC) recalls that the eighteen-year-old pharaoh was able to shoot arrows through [[copper]] targets while driving a [[Chariot|war chariot]], commenting that he had the skill and strength of Montu.<ref name=":3" /> The latter's grandson, [[Amenhotep III|Amenhotep III the Magnificent]] (c.1388–1350 BC), called himself "Montu of the Rulers" in spite of his own peaceful reign.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MzVszHxO3JoC&q=amenophis+iii+montu&pg=PR13|title=Amenhotep III: Perspectives on His Reign|last1=O'Connor|first1=David|last2=Cline|first2=Eric H.|date=2001|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=978-0472088331|language=en}}, pp 69-70</ref> In [[Kadesh inscriptions|the narrative]] of the [[Battle of Kadesh]] (c. 1274 BC), [[Ramesses II|Ramesses II the Great]] — who proudly called himself "Montu of the [[Upper and Lower Egypt|Two Lands]]"<ref name=":1" /> — was said to have seen the enemy and "raged at them like Montu, Lord of Thebes".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/kadeshaccounts.htm|title=Egyptian Accounts of the Battle of Kadesh|website=www.reshafim.org.il|access-date=2018-05-04}}</ref>

{{Quote|text=[...] his majesty passed the [[Tjaru|fortress of Tjaru]], like Montu when he goes forth. Every country trembled before him, fear was in their hearts [...] The goodly watch in [[Ankh wedja seneb|life, prosperity and health]], in the tent of his majesty, was on the highland south of Kadesh. When his majesty appeared like the rising of Re, he assumed the adornments of his father, Montu. [...]|sign=[[Kadesh inscriptions]]<ref>[http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/kadeshaccounts.htm Egyptian Accounts of the Battle of Kadesh]</ref>|source=}}

== Temples ==
[[File:Menthu and Ptolemy IV.jpg|left|thumb|310x310px|Pharaoh [[Ptolemy IV Philopator]] (222–204 BC) adoring Montu — in the "Place Of Truth" of [[Deir el-Medina]].]]

=== Medamud ===
{{Further|Temple of Montu (Medamud)}}
The Temple complex of Montu in [[Medamud]], the ancient Medu, less than five kilometers north-east of today's [[Luxor]],<ref>[[Joann Fletcher|Fletcher, Joann]]. (2011) ''Cleopatra the Great: The Woman Behind the Legend''. HarperCollins, {{ISBN|978-0-06-210605-6}}. pp. 114ss.</ref> was built by the great Pharaoh [[Senusret III]] (c. 1878–1839 BC) of the [[Twelfth Dynasty of Egypt|12th Dynasty]], probably on a pre-existing sacred site of the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt|Old Kingdom]]. The temple courtyard was used as a dwelling for the living [[Buchis]] bull, revered as an incarnation of Montu.<ref name=":3" /> 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 of Egypt|New Kingdom]], and in the [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Ptolemaic]] and [[Egypt (Roman province)|Roman period]].<ref name=":6" />

=== Armant ===
[[File:Frith, Francis (1822-1898) - Views in Egypt and Nubia - n. 357 - The Temple of Erment.jpg|thumb|180x180px|Ruins of the Temple of Armant in a 19th-century photography.]]
At [[Armant, Egypt|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 [[Thirteenth Dynasty of Egypt|13th Dynasty]] (c. 1803–1649 BC), and later in the New Kingdom (especially under King [[Thutmose III]]).<ref name=":7">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AWSGAgAAQBAJ&q=11th+dynasty+armant&pg=PA144|title=Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt|last=Bard|first=Kathryn A.|author-link=Kathryn A. Bard |date=2005-11-03|publisher=Routledge|isbn=9781134665259|language=en}}</ref> [[Ramesses II]] (1279–1213 BC) and his son [[Merneptah]] (1213–1203 BC) of the [[Nineteenth Dynasty of Egypt|19th Dynasty]] added colossi and statues.<ref name=":7" /> It was dismantled, except for a [[Pylon (architecture)|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 [[Ptolemaic dynasty|Ptolemies]]. In the 1st century BC, [[Cleopatra|Cleopatra VII]] (51–30 BC) built a [[mammisi]] and a sacred lake there in honour of her son, the very young [[Caesarion|Ptolemy XV Caesarion]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/institutions/mammisi.htm|title=The mammisi|website=www.reshafim.org.il|access-date=2018-05-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180415124744/http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/institutions/mammisi.htm|archive-date=2018-04-15|url-status=dead}}</ref> The building remained visible until 1861, when it was demolished to reuse its material in the construction of a sugar factory; however, [[etching]]s, 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).<ref name=":6" />

=== 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.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":6" /> Another temple had been dedicated to him at the little-known fortress of [[Uronarti]] (near the [[Cataracts of the Nile|Second Cataract of the Nile]], specifically to the south of it) during the Middle Kingdom.

== Gallery ==
<gallery widths="145" heights="145">
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|stela]] 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 (goddess)|Satis]], the [[Phallus|ithyphallic]] god [[Min (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 (painter)|David Roberts]] (1849).
File:Temple of El-Madamud 1 P1030654.jpg|Ruins of the [[Temple of Montu (Medamud)|Temple of Montu]] in Medamud. 
</gallery>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* Hart, George (1986), A Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, London: Routledge, {{ISBN|0-415-05909-7}}.
* [[Guy Rachet|Rachet, Guy]] (1994). ''Dizionario della civiltà egizia''. Rome: Gremese Editore. {{ISBN|88-7605-818-4}}.
* [[Richard H. Wilkinson|Wilkinson, Richard H.]] (2003), The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, Thames & Hudson, {{ISBN|0-500-05120-8}}.

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[[Category:Egyptian gods]]
[[Category:War gods]]
[[Category:Falcon deities]]
[[Category:Animal gods]]
[[Category:Cattle deities]]