English summary: The age of the Karnak temple and the genesis of the
cult of Amon have been the subject of debate and inconsistent
conclusions for years, due to the lack of decisive elements, but it is
now possible to present some new hypotheses on the development of the
site and the rise of the cult of Amon. The course of the Nile clearly
endured some major changes and it appears that the site of Karnak, that
was originally located on the left bank, became a desert island during
the Old Kingdom. In the XIth Dynasty, after the island became part of
the right bank, the new Theban kings took advantage of the emerged land
to build a sanctuary, dedicated to a new divinity, which was supposed to
guarantee their legitimacy. The divinity, Amon-Re, though a new one, was
not created ex nihilo. Amon-Re summarizes the Memphite Heliopolitan
concept of Imn, hidden, and the solar dimension that is a feature of
Re-Item of Heliopolis, as well as the iconography and the Coptite
liturgies of Min. For those sovereigns coming from the South, Amon-Re
became the god that they contributed to reveal, to the contrary of the
previous kings, who did not rightly appreciate it. French
description: L'anciennete du temple de Karnak et la genese du culte
d'Amon ont longtemps fait l'objet de debats aux conclusions incertaines,
faute d'indices determinants, mais il est desormais possible de proposer
de nouvelles hypotheses sur le developpement du site et l'essor du culte
d'Amon. Le Nil a connu des changements importants de son cours et il
semble que le site de Karnak, primitivement situe rive gauche, soit
devenu une ile inhabitee durant l'Ancien Empire. Sous la XIe dynastie,
apres le rattachement de l'ile a la rive droite, les nouveaux dynastes
thebains mirent a profit les terres emergees pour edifier un sanctuaire,
consacre a Amon-Re, garant de leur legitimite. Cette divinite, quoique
nouvelle, n'a pas ete elaboree ex nihilo: elle synthetise le concept
memphito-heliopolitain d'Imn, cache, la dimension solaire empruntee a
Re-Atoum d'Heliopolis, l'iconographie et les liturgies coptites du dieu
Min. Amon-Re devint ainsi, pour ces souverains originaires du Sud, le
dieu qu'ils avaient revele et que les rois precedents n'avaient pas su
reconnaitre.
