Priests of the god Amun-Ra of Heliopolis

Priests of the god Amun-Ra of Heliopolis

The priests of Amun were the most powerful and wealthiest individuals in ancient Egypt. They controlled sacred rituals and oversaw temples holding power equal to or even surpassing that of the pharaohs in some periods. Their ability to interpret and proclaim Amun's prophecies strengthened the cult of Amun. During the late New Kingdom the High Priest of Amun in Thebes ruled Upper Egypt. The priests of Amun-Ra later became independent from the pharaohs in the north until conflicts arose with Akhenaten over his vast wealth acquired through conquests. Akhenaten attempted to diminish their power by abolishing the worship of Amun and instead focusing on the worship of the sun god Aten. 

This black granite statue of the influential Vizier Paser of ancient Egypt is currently on display at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilizations (NMEC) in Cairo Egypt. The statue dates from the New Kingdom specifically the 19th Dynasty.

The priest of Amun representing the pharaoh's powerful life force was worshipped in Upper Egypt as the guardian of the seal and protector of the golden lands. He is depicted in significant New Kingdom Egyptian art shown in a crouching posture as the king's chief attendant encased in a block-like form with a granite torso. This image depicts the chief attendant and priest Sennefer during the reign of Amenhotep II from the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt approximately 1,427-1,400 BC. The sculpture depicts a kneeling figure wrapped in a long robe covered in hieroglyphic inscriptions that identify the name position and prayers to the Old Kingdom god. 

The priest Djed Khonsu Iou.ef Ankh a black granite block statue depicts him in a squatting posture with his arms resting on his raised knees the entire surface of the statue elevated. This object is on display at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina Antiquities Museum in Egypt.

This practice was popular only among the sun priests before the cult grew to its peak of power. The name of Amun appears on pyramid walls dating from 2,400-2,300 BC. The central priestly structure in Heliopolis constructed open-air temples to receive direct sunlight maintaining the balance of the solar system. Ancient Egyptian priests had primary duties in caring for the gods including singing Amun's songs crucial to important rituals playing percussion instruments or sistrums and performing dances in processions. Amun and Ra the gods responsible for maintaining cosmic balance and their singers were buried in elaborately decorated sarcophagi in important tombs.