The King and His Role in Ancient Egypt
Janelle Richardson
Professor Ogden Goelet
Ancient Egyptian Religion
First Paper
4/8/13
The King and his role
During the times of the Ancient Egyptians there were many beliefs that the Egyptians stood by, one of which being the ideal of polytheism. The Egyptians live in a spiritual free reign. Although they tend to follow the beliefs of the community that they lived in and around, they were for the most part free to worship and practice whatever they may with whatever God they felt right. Another belief the Egyptians held onto was the belief in kingship and order, “Maat”.
The construct of Kingship during the times of the Ancient Egyptians was crucial to the unification of the Egyptian people. Through his associations with the Gods he was expected to keep the order or rather ma’at of the land, which was inhabited by the Egyptian people. The king was responsible for keeping the peace and amongst the people and the land both figuratively and literally. The king was tasked with protecting the people from potential attacks from foreign lands. But perhaps most importantly the King served as the median between the people and the Gods. They were therefore expected to make offerings to Gods that would suffice to their needs as deities, pleasing them and placing the king and thus his kingdom, his land and his people in good favor with the Gods. This was crucial because this meant that the Gods have blessed the land that the Egyptians harvest on assuring lasted nourishment, the king had to feed his people, and if he alone managed to please the Gods on behalf of him and his people he was able to accomplish just that. But we can’t forget the idea that when the people are happy the king is secure. All of the positive exchanges between the Gods and king were important in securing a pharaoh’s kingship and ultimately giving them the opportunity to create and secure a dynasty for a longer period of time. This is an important idea when discussing the topic of the
Professor Ogden Goelet
Ancient Egyptian Religion
First Paper
4/8/13
The King and his role
During the times of the Ancient Egyptians there were many beliefs that the Egyptians stood by, one of which being the ideal of polytheism. The Egyptians live in a spiritual free reign. Although they tend to follow the beliefs of the community that they lived in and around, they were for the most part free to worship and practice whatever they may with whatever God they felt right. Another belief the Egyptians held onto was the belief in kingship and order, “Maat”.
The construct of Kingship during the times of the Ancient Egyptians was crucial to the unification of the Egyptian people. Through his associations with the Gods he was expected to keep the order or rather ma’at of the land, which was inhabited by the Egyptian people. The king was responsible for keeping the peace and amongst the people and the land both figuratively and literally. The king was tasked with protecting the people from potential attacks from foreign lands. But perhaps most importantly the King served as the median between the people and the Gods. They were therefore expected to make offerings to Gods that would suffice to their needs as deities, pleasing them and placing the king and thus his kingdom, his land and his people in good favor with the Gods. This was crucial because this meant that the Gods have blessed the land that the Egyptians harvest on assuring lasted nourishment, the king had to feed his people, and if he alone managed to please the Gods on behalf of him and his people he was able to accomplish just that. But we can’t forget the idea that when the people are happy the king is secure. All of the positive exchanges between the Gods and king were important in securing a pharaoh’s kingship and ultimately giving them the opportunity to create and secure a dynasty for a longer period of time. This is an important idea when discussing the topic of the
Bibliography: Assmann, J., “The Name Formula,” in The Search for God in Ancient Egypt, D. Lorton, trans.(Ithaca, NY 2001) 83-110. Dunn, Jimmy. "King Ramesses I, Founder of the 19th Dynasty." King Ramesses I, Founder of the 19th Dynasty. Tour Egypt, n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. <http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/ramessesi.htm>. Fairman, H.W., “The Kingship Rituals of Egypt,” in Myth, Ritual and King ship: Essays on Theory and Practice of Kingship, S.H. Hooke (Oxford 1958) 74-104 Hornung, E., “The Pharaoh,” Chap Hornung, E., “History as Celebration,” Chap. 8 in Idea into Image (New York 1992) 147-164. Humphries, Ken. "Egypt: Was Pharaoh Divine." Egypt: Was Pharaoh Divine. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. Used as a study source Silverman, D.P., “The Nature of Egyptian Kingship,” in Chap Lichtheim, M. “Stela of Sehetep-ib-re,” Ancient Egyptian Literature I (Berkeley 1975) 125-129. Teeter, Emily. "Festivals." Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2011. 56-75. Print. Wente, Edward F., and Robert A. Oden. Response to Robert A. Oden 's " 'The Contendings of Horus and Seth ' (Chester Beatty Papyrus No. 1): A Structural Interpretation" Chicago: University of Chicago, 1979. 105-07. Print.