The god Amun and his female counterpart Amunet were part of the Ogdoad of Hermopolis - Khmunu (ḫmnyw) -, eight premodial deities. Their origins go back to the times of the Old Kingdom.
With the political changes and the decentralization that happened during the First Intermediate Period, a tendency developed to revert to worshipping of local gods instead of the state cult of Ra.
Amenemhet I of the 12th dynasty was the one who promoted the worship of Amun. He gradually became the chief god of the Theban area and was given Mut as his consort and Khonsu as his son.
The name Amun means hidden and unlike other gods imagined to be living at a distant realm, he was everywhere, always near, although unseen. By the time of the New Kingdom, his cult and that of Ra, the creator sun were entwined and Amun-Ra was worshipped as the creator god and king of the gods.
This wonderful limestone statue of Amun shows the facial features of Tutankhamun, under whose reign the sculpture was made. It's place was in the Karnak Temple and is now displayed in the Luxor Museum.
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