Analysis of the Changes of the Opet Festival Procession : Between the Regents Hatshepsut and Tutankhamun

Abstract: The essay analyses the changes of the Opet festival procession between the regents Hatshepsut and Tutankhamun, as some changes of the procession occur during this period. The purpose of this study is to fill in some of the knowledge gaps that exist and to combine different areas that have been researched with areas ​​where little research has been done. The purpose is to provide an insight into how the environment and politics played a role in the religious contexts of the Opet festival. The approach uses the reliefs of the Opet festival found in Luxor Temple and in Karnak Temple to see how the festival changed. By examining how the festival procession evolved and analysing what the changes were due to, one can answer the main question: Why did the processions in the Opet festival change? The focus will be to analyse Hatshepsut (1479–1457 B.C.), Amenhotep III (1388–1351 B.C.) and Tutankhamun's (1341–1323 B.C.) political and religious position, and to investigate whether it affected the development of the procession of the Opet Festival and if so, how it affected the change. Furthermore, by analysing the landscape through the study of the movement of the Nile and the annual cycle of the river and using the concepts of "constructed landscapes" and "ideational landscapes" as a starting point for analysing the temples and processional ways. This study also provides something for future projects to build on, as there are currently not many studies on the processions of the Opet Festival, more research is needed in this area. Since this is an approach that has not been done before, by looking at the political and historical aspects as well as the environmental aspects and how they affect the processions of the Opet festival, will this fill some of the knowledge gaps currently present.