Sun sanctuary of Neferirkare
| Solar sanctuary of Neferirkare in hieroglyphics | |
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The sun sanctuary of Neferirkare is a previously undiscovered ancient Egyptian temple structure from the time of the 5th dynasty , which was built under the king ( pharaoh ) Neferirkare , who lived around 2475 to 2465 BC. Ruled.
Written mentions
Although the solar sanctuary of Neferirkare has not yet been proven archaeologically , it is the most frequently documented of all six known solar sanctuaries of the 5th Dynasty. The Palermostein and the Abusir papyri are the most important sources and allow a very detailed reconstruction of the building. The Palermostein shows that the solar sanctuary had an obelisk , a construction for a barque on the south corner and two copper barges , eight cubits long.
The Abusir papyri deal particularly with cult and farm buildings. They mention the “Eastern Warehouses”, a room for a “ Maat's boat ”, a hall called the “ Sedfest Palace” and the “Altar of Re”. Deliveries for the mortuary temple of the Neferirkare pyramid are also listed in detail . The sun sanctuary seems to have been the real center of the royal cult of the dead . An important note on localization is the note that the supplies for Neferirkare's mortuary temple were rowed, i.e. transported by ship. The sun sanctuary does not seem to have been in the immediate vicinity of the Neferirkare pyramid in the necropolis of Abusir .
Various high officials like Kaiemqed or Seschemu were priests at the temple.
Localization
It is unclear why it has not yet been possible to locate the structure despite its good written records. Herbert Ricke , for example, assumed that the Neferirkare sanctuary was identical to the archaeologically proven solar sanctuary of Userkaf in Abu Gurob near Abusir, but no inscribed evidence of Neferirkare's building activity was found on this building. One possible indication, however, is the construction of the sun sanctuary of Niuserre : In an initial construction phase, this was only made of bricks and was only later converted into stone. Such a reconstruction may have been planned for the Neferirkare sanctuary. However, since Neferirkare only ruled for a few years, this could not have happened and the original brick building would have been largely destroyed.
literature
- Miroslav Verner : The Sun Sanctuaries of the 5th Dynasty . In: Sokar, No. 10, 2005, pp. 43-44
- Susanne Voss: Investigations into the sun sanctuaries of the 5th dynasty. Significance and function of a singular temple type in the Old Kingdom. Hamburg 2004 (also: dissertation, University of Hamburg 2000), pp. 139–152 ( PDF; 2.5 MB )
