Karnak is the name of a long-used Egyptian temple near Luxor, the largest of the religious sanctuaries in Thebes. The earliest form of Karnak dates to the Middle Kingdom; it was dedicated to the deity Amun-Re during the rule of 12th dynasty (c. 2000 BC) Pharaoh Senwosert I. Expansions to the site continued throughout Egyptian dynastic history, including extensive additions during the 18th and 19th dynasties of the New Kingdom. The temple fell into disuse during the Ptolemaic period.
Archaeological investigations at Karnak have been conduced by the Univesity of Chicago and the Centre Franco-Egyptien. Archaeologists associated with the earliest investigations at Karnak, in the 18th and 19th centuries, include Giuseppe Belzoni, Jean-Jacques Rifaud, David Roberts, Francis Frith, and Jean-François Champollion.
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See the stunning Digital Karnak for fascinating glimpses of the structures over time.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Sources for the term include the references listed on the front page of the Dictionary, and the websites listed in the sidebar.
