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Thebes

This subject appears in Serious Sam: The First Encounter.  This subject appears in Serious Sam 3: BFE. This subject is from the Mental War era. 

This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!

Thebes was the capital of Egypt during the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom eras. It was a grand city and one of the largest during its time.[1] The city was visited by Sam during his travels throughout Egypt and served an important purpose as part of his mission for departing to Sirius.[2][3]

Overview

Thebes was a large ancient Egyptian city located along the Nile River in the middle part of Upper Egypt. Compared to Memphis, Thebes was much larger and more complex. It was divided into two parts; Karnak and Luxor.[4]

History

Thebes had a long history, and was one of the oldest cities in Egypt. It played an important role in ancient Egyptian culture, and was a sacred place and considered to be the heart of the Egyptian religion.[1] The city had been built up by many pharaohs since the Twelfth Dynasty, with many shrines and religious buildings dedicated to the Egyptian gods.[4] After it was built, only the religious lived there and the entrance to the city of Thebes was forbidden for ordinary people.[1] The main deity worshipped in Thebes was Amun, the king of the gods and 'that which is hidden', which was referring to the Sign of Amon-Ra or the obelisk that transmitted a signal to the SSS Centerprice.[5]

The Sirians arrive on Earth

When the Sirians sent out a scouting party to Earth, Thebes was one of the locations they visited during their expedition.[6] After landing in the city, the Sirians made contact there with the humans. The Egyptians were astounded by the Sirians and treated them like gods. The Sirians then exploited this fact and began massive construction projects throughout Egypt. The largest construction projects that took place were in Thebes itself, such as the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza.[6] In return, the Sirians helped the rise of the Egyptian Empire and a small population of Sirians continued to live in Luxor with the Egyptians at the time until they eventually died out.

The riot

As the city of Thebes began to rise into power, the rulers of Memphis were unsuccessful as they attempted to influence the inhabitants of Thebes. In response, the rules of Memphis started a riot and invaded the city. It was during this riot that the Memphis leaders stole many sacred artifacts, including the Sign of Amon-Ra. This artifact was considered to be extremely valuable, but the Memphis leaders did not know what its purpose was, so they kept it guarded within the Temple of Ptah in Memphis. This temple was constructed to be very tall so that the ancient Egyptians could get closer to the sky and their gods.[7] After the riot, the survivors sealed the city and locked its doors, cutting off contact from Memphis. With Thebes cut off from the rest of Egypt and the inhabitants unable to contact the Sirians, this marked the beginning of the collapse of the Egyptian Empire.[1]

Over millenia, Thebes had been subjected to invasions by the Macedonians during the reign of Alexander the Great, which resulted in the city's destruction. Its ruins, however, still lie within the modern day city of Luxor.

Areas of interest

Karnak

Main article: Karnak (location)

This large area of Thebes was the more religious part of the city. Many of the shrines and religious buildings were located here. They were constructed to appease the Egyptian gods and the Sirians.

Shrine of Amon

A sacred temple that was built in honor of the Egyptian deity Amun, god of the sun and air and one of the most important deities of the ancient Egyptian religion. Here lied the statue of Amon, which was needed to access the gates of Luxor. The doors to this building had been sealed off, so the entrance could only be accessed underwater.[8]

Shrine of Ramses III

This shrine was dedicated to Ramses III, second Pharaoh of the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt. Entering this temple was not easy, as there was a spike pit located right at its entrance.[9] To bypass this, someone would need to go into the yard opposite, push the two buttons (which would move the sphinx statues closer to the pit) and finally pull the lever inside the Shrine of Thoth, which would fill the pit up with sand.[10] Inside were multiple rooms with statues of Ramses.

Shrine of Ra

Shrine of Ra

This temple was built to commemorate Ra, the ancient Egyptian god of the sun. The temple was considered by the Egyptians to be sacred, and only those with pure souls could enter it. For someone to purify their soul, they would have to push two sacred stones located in two smaller temples on the left and right sides of the yard. Pushing these buttons would move the sphinxs positioned in the temple in the previous yard. Inside the shrine was a lever that would activate a mechanism which, in turn, would fill up the spike pit in the other yard with sand so that one could gain entry to the temple.

Shrine of Thoth

A shrine dedicated to Thoth, Egyptian god of knowledge. Entry into the shrine was forbidden for those with unclean souls. The Egyptians performed the ritual of cleansing their souls by touching the sacred stones that were located in the kiosks in the yard.[11]

Luxor

Main article: Luxor (location)

This was the part of Thebes where the Sirians lived after making contact with the Egyptians. Here, the Egyptians would perform a ritual to invite the Sirians. This ritual involved the Amon-Ra artifact and was performed in a large room with a rising obelisk in the center.[6] Shortly after the obelisk rose from the floor, the Sirians would come down from the skies in their ship (the SSS Centerprice), and they would fly it over the Great Pyramid, illuminating it with a brilliant beam of light. After a while, the ship would depart back into space. After the riot occurred and the Sign of Amon-Ra was stolen, however, the Thebans were unable to contact the Sirians.

Sacred Yards

A complex of yards where the Thebans worshiped many of their gods.[12] Some of these yards featured strange mechanisms.

Appearances

Serious Sam: The First Encounter

Having found the artifact he was looking for in Memphis, Sam makes his way to Thebes, where he has to place the four elements in his possession on their respective altars. Once he does so, a huge Lava Golem guardian is summoned. Sam defeats it and is allowed access into the city.

The first part of Thebes that Sam enters is Karnak. Here, Sam has to find out more information about the Amon-Ra item in his possession. NETRICSA finds some Sirian pictographs that catch her interest, and tells Sam that the Sirians lived in Luxor, so he must head there. Making his way into Luxor, NETRICSA tells Sam that the Egyptians performed a ritual to summon the Sirian ship that involves a rising obelisk. Sam proceeds to the building with the obelisk in it and, with the Sign of Amon-Ra, activates the tower and brings the SSS Centerprice to Earth. With the ship on its way, he exits Thebes and makes his way to the Great Pyramid.

Serious Sam 3: BFE

Thebes, or the ruins of it, makes up the complex of temples visited by Sam on his mission to power up the plasma generators located in Karnak and Luxor.

Gallery

Serious Sam: The First Encounter

List of appearances

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Strategy - Temple of Hatshepsut
  2. ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter
  3. ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter level: Luxor
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Strategy - Thebes - Karnak
  5. ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Strategy - Thebes - Luxor
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Strategy - Sirian Pictograms
  7. ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Strategy - City of Memphis - Metropolis
  8. ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Hints - Karnak - Shrine of Amon
  9. ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Hints - Karnak - Spike Trap
  10. ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Hints - Karnak - Movable Sphinx
  11. ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Hints - Karnak - Shrine of Thoth
  12. ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Strategy - Sacred Yards

External links

Thebes on Wikipedia


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