| The primary objective of this research is to facilitate the study and comparison of the leadership and expense invested in the building of Karnak over time, as it reveals the significance of these projects, and therefore the power of each pharaoh. Investment was calculated using the volume of material used for each structure that composes the complex, as well as the labor needed to supply, move, and build that volume of material in a method known as architectural energetics analysis. Comparison between investment values and pharaonic variables revealed that aspects of time, warfare, and the centralization of the government were strongly correlated with monumental building at Karnak. The results demonstrate that rulers with greater power expressed it through their successful building programs at Karnak. Likewise, it served as a justification for their authority, their role, and military actions. |
