ABSTRACT
The temple of Khonsu is now the terminus of the processional way from Luxor to Karnak, and the Ptolemaic stone gateway which once stood in the wall is perhaps the best known portion of the temple (k). The main structure is of the reign of Rameses III, who dedicated it to the third member of the Theban Triad, the moon-god Khonsu. This was essentially a royal god, and not a deity of the popular religion, the people preferring to worship the moon itself without a name, or regarding Osiris or Thoth as the lunar deities. But to the king Khonsu was a definite deity, and it is not uncommon to find that the Pharaoh replaces Khonsu in representations of the Triad of Thebes ; and even when Khonsu is shown as a separate entity he wears the royal lock of youth and carries in his hands the insignia of royalty. The identity of Khonsu is still a matter for investigation, and an intensive study of this god would throw light on some of the primitive cults and beliefs of the early Egyptians.
