The Servants of Khonsu in Thebes Neferhotep and its Hierarchy of ḥm-nṯr Priests during the Twenty-First Dynasty

Abstract

Considered as the legitimate son and heir of Amun, Khonsu gained importance during the Ramesside Period in parallel with the birth of the Renaissance doctrine. This prominence is reflected in the biographical and genealogical information, which documents a substantial increase in the number of individuals performing administrative and religious functions for the different forms of Khonsu by the Twenty-First Dynasty.The complete prosopography of the personnel relating to the cult of Khonsu in Thebes Neferhotep presents new insights into a collective, subordinated to the clergy of Amun and active in more than one cult throughout the Karnak complex, but which fulfilled a significant role at Thebes. In this regard, the title of Third ḥm-nṯr priest of Khonsu must be highlighted; the contextualization of the emergence of this office and the study of its holders builds solid foundations for a better understanding of the Theban cultic and administrative domains leading up to and during the Twenty-First Dynasty.