Coronation of the pharaoh
Coronation in hieroglyphs | |||||
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khaj-nisut ḫˁj-nsw.t Appearance of the king |
A coronation was an extremely important ritual in early and ancient Egyptian history, concerning the change of power and rulership between two succeeding pharaohs. The accession to the throne was celebrated in several ceremonies, rites and feasts.
Origins
The coronation feast was not one event but rather a long lasting process including several festivals, rites and ceremonies lasting up to a full year. For this reason,
The earliest depictions of rites and ceremonies concerning an accession to the throne may be found on objects from the reign of the predynastic king Scorpion II, circa 3100 BC. At this time, the change between rulers may have been marked by wars and invasions from neighboring Egyptian proto-kingdoms. This is similar to the military action taken by enemies of Egypt in later history: for example, upon hearing the news of Hatshepsut's death, the king of Kadesh advanced his army to Megiddo in the hope that Thutmose III would not be in a position to respond. From king Narmer (founder of the 1st Dynasty) onwards, wars between Egyptian proto-kingdoms may have been replaced by symbolic ceremonies and festivals.[1][4]
The most important sources of information about accessions to the throne and coronation ceremonies are the
Ceremonies
As already mentioned, the coronation included several, long lasting festivals, rites and ceremonies the king had to celebrate first, before he or she was allowed to wear the crown(s) of Egypt. The following describes the most important ceremonies:
- Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt
The "unification of Upper and Lower Egypt" may have been connected with the
- Circumambulation of the White Walls
The ceremony of the "circumambulation of the White Walls" is known from the inscriptions on the Palermo stone. According to legends, the "White Walls", in Egyptian Inebu Hedj, today's Memphis, were erected by the mythical king Menes as the central seat of government of Egypt. The circumambulation of the walls of Memphis, celebrated with a ritual procession around the city, was performed to strengthen the king's right to the throne and his claim to the city as his new seat of power.[1][2][3][4]
- Appearance of the king
The feast "appearance of the king" is likewise known from inscriptions on the Palermo stone. This feast was held immediately after the coronation, as a confirmation of the king's right to rule. After the end of the year of the coronation, the feast was celebrated every second year. Much later Egyptian sources reveal that this feast comprised three steps: first was the "appearance of the King of Upper Egypt", in Egyptian khaj-nisut, then came the "appearance of the king of Lower Egypt", in Egyptian khaj-bitj, and finally the "appearance of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt", khaj-nisut-bitj. The earliest known mention of this feast dates back to king Djoser, first pharaoh of 3rd Dynasty.[1][2][3][4]
- Sed feast
One of the most important feasts of Ancient Egypt linked with a king's time on the throne was the
Some kings simply claimed to have celebrated a Sed festival, despite archaeological evidences proof that they did not rule for 30 years. Such kings include Anedjib (in the 1st Dynasty) and Akhenaten, in the 18th Dynasty.[1][2][3][4]
- Sokar feast
The "
- Suckling of the young king
This ceremony was introduced during the 6th dynasty under king
Throne rights
Inheritance rights
The right to the throne of Egypt was normally inherited by direct filiation, the eldest son being the heir of his father. Occasionally the throne was inherited between brothers, for example from Djedefre to Khafre.[5] It is worth mentioning a possible case of peaceful throne succession via interfamiliar negotiation which may have happened at the end of Nynetjer's rule. Because he possibly decided to separate Upper and Lower Egypt, he may have chosen two of his sons at the same time to rule over the two lands.[2][3][5] A later example, namely that of Sahure and Neferirkare Kakai, may provide a case of dynastic problems between two separate but related royal houses. It is possible that one of Sahure's son, Shepseskare, tried to succeed his nephew Neferefre on throne after the latter died unexpectedly. This is likely to have created a dynastic feud as Nyuserre Ini, a son of Neferefre, finally assumed the throne only a few months later.[2][3][5] The throne could also be obtained by marriage in case the only living heir was a woman as may have been the case from Sneferu to Khufu.[5]
Election
In this context, Egyptologists such as
Rainer Stadelmann points to an ancient society within the Egyptian elite, which existed as early as the predynastic time: the "Great Ten of Upper Egypt/Lower Egypt". These two societies consisted of altogether twenty elite officials of unknown origin, who possibly were responsible for the solving of any political and dynastic problem. Stadelmann explains, that most of all known, traditional offices were described in their missions and functions, except for the office "One of the Great Ten of...". And yet, this very title seemed to have been one of the most regarded and wanted, as only officials with many honorary titles were bearing it (for example, Hesyra). For this reason, Stadelmann and D'Auria believe, that the "Great Ten" consisted of some kind of royal court of justice.[6]
References
- ^ ISBN 0415260116, p. 209 - 213.
- ^ ISSN 0002-2977). Verlag der Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur, Mainz u. a. 1950.
- ^ ISBN 1438109970, p. 87 - 89.
- ^ ISSN 0340-2215, p. 33–53.
- ^ ISBN 3447043687.
- ^ ISBN 9004178740, p. 296-300.
Further reading
- Rolf Gundlach, Andrea Klug: “Der” ägyptische Hof des Neuen Reiches: seine Gesellschaft und Kultur im Spannungsfeld zwischen Innen- und Außenpolitik (= Akten des internationalen Kolloquiums vom 27. - 29. Mai 2002 an der Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz; Vol. 2 of: Königtum, Staat und Gesellschaft früher Hochkulturen). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2006, ISBN 3447053240.
- ISSN 0081-7554). University of Chicago Press, Chicago IL 1950.
- Michael Rice: Egypt's Making: The Origins of Ancient Egypt, 5000–2000 BC. Psychology Press, 2003, ISBN 0415268753, p. 97-102.