 This article contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!
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- For the level, see Karnak (SS:TFE).
The Karnak Temple Complex, commonly known as Karnak, is a vast mix of temples, pylons, chapels, and other buildings located near Luxor, Egypt. It is featured in several Serious Sam titles, most prominently in Serious Sam: The First Encounter and Serious Sam 3: BFE.
In the Serious Sam 3: BFE timeline, it served as the location of the Horus Generator, one of two knowm plasma generators. These powerful devices were of vital importance for activating the Time-Lock. The other generator, Anubis, was located in Luxor.
Overview[]
Karnak is a mix of ancient Egyptian buildings located within the ruins of Thebes in Egypt. It is roughly the same size as the ruins of Luxor, if not slightly larger.
Design[]
Serious Sam: The First Encounter timeline[]
Unlike Luxor, which mostly consisted of several yards and a large temple which contained a tall, rising obelisk. This obelisk served as the Egyptians way of contacting the Sirian spacecraft, the SSS Centerprice. Compared to Luxor, Karnak served a more religious purpose and consisted of a number of temples and shrines dedicated to the Egyptian gods and pharaohs. The main deity worshiped here was Amun, the king of the gods and "that which is hidden".[1]
Serious Sam 3: BFE timeline[]
Karnak looks vastly different in this era compared to how it looked in The First Encounter. It is roughly the same size, if not slightly smaller, but consists of a similar number of temples, shrines, and chapels. The main deity worshiped here was Horus, and a shrine was built dedicated to him. Underneath this shrine is the Horus Generator, an enormous, pyramid-shaped machine that provides power to the Time-Lock.
History[]
Several thousand years ago, when the Sirians discovered Earth and landed in ancient Egypt during their travels, Thebes (including Karnak) was one of the locations they visited. The Egyptians, living there at the time, treated the Sirians like gods and worshiped them. In return, the Sirians requested the Egyptians start large construction projects in their favor.[2]
Construction at the complex began during the reign of Senusret I in the Middle Kingdom and continued into the Ptolemaic period, although most of the extant buildings date from the New Kingdom. While the complex was under construction, the Sirians began work on own projects deep underground.[3][4] They also began construction of a massive plasma generator, the Horus Generator, underneath one of the large shrines. They hoped that one day, when humans became advanced enough, they would be able to activate the generator and in turn power up the Time-Lock.
Many millennia later, in the year 2063, humans discovered strange constructions of Sirian origin underneath the Shrine of Horus.[5]
Like many other places in the world, Karnak was abandoned during the Mental War, but it did see some signs of heavy conflict between EDF troops and Mental's forces; this was evidented by the abundance of military supplies and an ASU-7 Automatic Sentry Unit guarding a portion of the complex. Despite this, many of the temples and ruins remained mostly intact.
Appearances[]
Serious Sam: The First Encounter[]
Karnak is the location that Sam stumbles upon after he enters the city of Thebes. He explores the various temples and makes his way deeper into the city to find out the purpose of the valuable item, which he currently has. After digging through some clues the Sirians left behind in the Shrine of Amon, NETRICSA tells Sam that the Sirians lived in Luxor, so she tells him to go there.[6]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
Sam is escorted by Hellfire via helicopter to activate the first power generator in Karnak after finding the secret chamber within the Great Pyramid. He fights Mental's forces through the various temples and complexes until he makes it to the generator. With the the 'Arrow' in his possession, a strange artifact he found in the Oracle's tomb, he uses it to acquire four Sirian Seals (referred to as the 'Seals of Life'), the keys needed to unlock the Sirian door at the dig site underneath the temple of Horus. Once Sam has gathered all four seals, the door to the generator opens, enabling Sam to enter and turn it on before heading into Luxor to turn on the second generator, Anubis.[3][4]
Trivia[]
- In real life, Karnak is situated right next to the modern day city of Luxor. This is not the case in Serious Sam 3, whereas instead they are in the middle of nowhere with nothing but barren desert for miles around.
Gallery[]
Artwork[]
Serious Sam 3: BFE[]
List of appearances[]
- Serious Sam: The First Encounter (First appearance)
- Serious Sam: Xbox (non-canonical appearance)
- Serious Sam HD: The First Encounter (non-canonical appearance)
- Serious Sam 3: BFE
- Serious Sam VR: The First Encounter (non-canonical appearance)
- Serious Sam VR: The Last Hope (Mentioned)
- Serious Sam 3 VR: BFE (non-canonical appearance)
- Serious Sam Classics: Revolution (non-canonical appearance)
References[]
- ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Strategy - "Thebes - Karnak"
- ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter - NETRICSA - Strategy - "Sirian Pictograms"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Serious Sam 3: BFE level: "Unearthing the Sun"
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Serious Sam 3: BFE level: "The Power of the Underworld"
- ↑ NETRICSA analysis of the Horus Generator in Serious Sam 3: BFE
- ↑ Serious Sam: The First Encounter level: "Karnak"
External links[]
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