After
the Twentieth dynasty moved the centre
of power back to the old capital from
Thebes, the powerbase of Amun's cult had
been removed, and the authority of Amun
began to wane. Under the Twenty-first
dynasty the secondary line of priest kings
of Thebes upheld his dignity to the best
of their power, and the Twenty-second
favoured Thebes. As the sovereignty weakened
the division between Upper and Lower Egypt
asserted itself, and thereafter Thebes
would have rapidly decayed had it not
been for the piety of the kings of Nubia
towards Amun, whose worship had long prevailed
in their country. Thebes was at first
their Egyptian capital, and they honoured
Amun greatly, although their wealth and
culture were not sufficient to affect
much.
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