The Southern Room of Amun in the Temple of Hatshepsut

The Southern Room of Amun in the Temple of Hatshepsut is the second and final volume of studies devoted to the location referred to in the title. It adresses specific research topics identified through analysis of the decoration, and offers a detailed discussion of the ideological message encoded in the various elements of the decoration program, which determines the unique function of this space. In her study, Katazyna Kapiec takes an in-depth look at the developmental history of individual motifs and compares them with analogous representations from the reign of Hatshepsut and examples of their presence in the decoration programs of earlier and later edifices and objects. The frieze of ritual objects is meticulously examined, with the focus on the repertoire of oils and textiles depicted in the room decoration as symbols of a clear ideological message. A detailed commentary is also dedicated to the god Amun-(Ra)-Kamutef and the goddess Amunet, who was particularly emphasized during Hatshepsut's reign. An important contribution to the research on royal ideology is the analysis of the royal ka in the context of the ongoing international discussion. The search for the fundamental theological concept encoded in the decoration of the Southern Room of Amun is complemented by a discussion of the symbolism of royal crowns and an analysis of the coronation scene above the entrance to the room under investigation. The conclusions drawn from these detailed, extensive analyses, which indicate the ideological coherence of the decoration program, are summarized in a chapter discussing the room's function in the context of temple rituals.