Mystery of the Origins of Ancient Egypt’s Karnak Temple Solved

The Great Hypostyle Hall of Karnak Temple. Credit: René Hourdry / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

A squad of planetary researchers has uncovered the long-debated origins of Egypt’s Karnak Temple, revealing however 1 of the past world’s largest spiritual complexes roseate from the waters of the Nile much than 4,000 years ago.

The caller study, published Oct. 6 successful Antiquity, is the astir broad geoarchaeological survey ever conducted astatine Karnak. It sheds caller airy connected erstwhile the temple was archetypal built, however its scenery evolved, and wherefore its ineffable determination whitethorn person been chosen.

Researchers recovered that the sprawling complex—now a UNESCO World Heritage tract that attracts millions of visitors each year—began connected what was erstwhile a tiny land wrong the Nile floodplain. Over centuries, this land grew into the monumental bosom of past Thebes, the spiritual superior of Egypt.

“This caller probe provides unprecedented item connected the improvement of Karnak Temple, from a tiny land to 1 of the defining institutions of Ancient Egypt,” said Dr. Ben Pennington, pb writer of the survey and visiting chap successful geoarchaeology astatine the University of Southampton.

Study reveals the temple’s existent property and earliest settlement

The task was led by Dr. Angus Graham of Uppsala University, with contributions from researchers astatine the University of Southampton. The squad analyzed 61 sediment cores taken from wrong and astir the temple and examined tens of thousands of ceramic fragments to reconstruct the site’s aboriginal history.

Their findings uncover that, earlier astir 2520 B.C., the area was often submerged by the Nile’s almighty floods, rendering it unsuitable for imperishable settlement. The earliest concern began during Egypt’s Old Kingdom (c. 2591–2152 B.C.), arsenic the floodwaters gradually receded and caller onshore emerged. Pottery fragments dating betwixt 2305 and 1980 B.C. enactment this timeline.

The the columns of the Great Hypostyle Hall successful Karnak Temple analyzable successful Luxor, Egypt 🇪🇬

The Karnak Temple analyzable was a large spiritual halfway successful past Thebes, which was the superior of past Egypt. Construction connected the analyzable began astir 2000 BC, and continued for… pic.twitter.com/RazAOFgFvT

— Dr. M.F. Khan (@Dr_TheHistories) October 6, 2025

“The property of Karnak Temple has been hotly contested successful archaeological circles, but our caller grounds places a temporal constraint connected its earliest concern and construction,” said Dr. Kristian Strutt, a co-author from the University of Southampton.

River channels shaped the emergence of Karnak

The study shows that shifting stream channels carved retired paths to the westbound and east, creating a earthy land of precocious ground—an perfect instauration for the temple’s archetypal structures. Over time, the channels drifted apart, allowing the immense analyzable to expand.

Abu Simbel – The Great Temple of Ramses II (r. 1279–13 BC), present located successful Aswān muḥāfaẓah (governorate), southern Egypt 🇪🇬

The four colossal  statues of Ramses successful beforehand of the main temple are spectacular examples of ancient Egyptian art. Carved retired of a sandstone cliff connected the… pic.twitter.com/KIcqEcbZy4

— Sarahh (@Sarahhuniverse) October 4, 2025

Researchers were peculiarly amazed to observe that the eastbound stream channel, agelong dismissed arsenic hypothetical, was not lone existent but perchance larger than the occidental one, which had been the main absorption of earlier studies.

“The stream channels surrounding the tract shaped however the temple could make and where,” said Dr. Dominic Barker, different co-author from Southampton. “We besides spot however Ancient Egyptians shaped the stream itself, done the dumping of sands from the godforsaken into channels, perchance to supply caller onshore for building, for example.”

Myth and scenery intertwined successful the temple’s design

This reimagined scenery bears striking similarities to Egyptian instauration myths. Old Kingdom texts picture the creator deity rising from “the lake,” symbolizing onshore emerging from water. The land beneath Karnak is the lone known elevated country erstwhile surrounded by h2o successful the region.

“It’s tempting to suggest the Theban elites chose Karnak’s determination for the dwelling spot of a caller signifier of the creator god, ‘Ra-Amun’, arsenic it fitted the cosmogonical country of precocious crushed emerging from surrounding water,” Pennington said.

The Precinct of Amun-Ra successful Karnak’s immense temple complex. Credit: Taranis-iuppiter / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

During the Middle Kingdom (c. 1980–1760 B.C.), this content deepened. Texts picture a “primeval mound” rising from the “Waters of Chaos.” As the Nile’s floodwaters retreated each year, Karnak’s mound appeared to emergence from the stream itself—a surviving awesome of instauration and renewal.

Expanding probe crossed Luxor’s past floodplain

With support to survey the afloat floodplain of the Luxor region, the probe squad plans to proceed exploring adjacent sites to amended recognize however the ineffable landscapes of past Thebes were shaped by some quality and quality ingenuity.