Accession to the throne in ancient Egypt

As enthronement designating Egyptology the throne - and government takeover of the new Egyptian king ( Pharaoh ) after the death , the expulsion or resignation of his predecessor. The associated ceremonies with which the new ruler received the crown (s) of Egypt were intended to identify and legitimize him as ruler . Only now was the Pharaoh really the new ruler.

Origins

Coronation year of King Djer (3rd window from the right), as shown on the Palermo stone . It includes - from top to bottom - a "second date of death", the symbol Sematauj for "union", as well as the symbols for "walking around the white walls".

"The" accession to the throne did not exist in ancient Egypt. The takeover of power by the new regent consisted of several lengthy processes and ceremonies, which often lasted almost a year, which is why the time of the takeover in Egyptology is referred to as the "coronation year".

The earliest representations of the individual assumptions of power and throne ceremonies can be found under King Scorpio II from the 0th Dynasty (around 3100 BC). At that time, the changes in power among the rulers were still mainly characterized by wars and invasions into neighboring kingdoms. Such violent attempts at annexation are known from the New Kingdom : After the death of Queen Hatshepsut ( 18th dynasty ), the princes and kings of Kadesh and Mittani deployed their troops against Egypt, assuming that the young Thutmose III. is unable to defend his country militarily . Only from King Narmer (founder of the 1st dynasty ) did the violent seizure of power give way to more and more ceremonial rites and festivities.

The most important information for Egyptologists and historians comes from the inscriptions of the Palermostein , a black basalt tablet on which the kings from the 1st dynasty to King Neferirkare ( 5th dynasty ) together with their annual cattle counts ( state tax levies ), creations (“Births “) Of statues and religious festivities such as the Escort of Horus and the Sedfest are listed and which today is only preserved in fragments. The stone tablet names the changes of government between the individual kings with exact dates, whereby the first window of the year was not added to the reign of the king, but only named the year of the coronation and the most important throne ceremonies.

perpetration

MacGregor plaque , on the front (left) you can see King Hor-Den "slaying the enemy".

As already mentioned, the accession to the throne consisted of several ceremonies that the king had to celebrate before he was allowed to adorn himself with the crowns (and finally with the double crown). The most important ceremonies are listed below.

Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt

In predynastic times, the celebration of the "unification of Upper and Lower Egypt" was still associated with the traditional " slaying the enemy ". Well-known representations of this ritual can be found on sumptuous palettes of the 0th and 1st dynasties, the palette of Narmer already contains some symbolic and mythological elements. Certain figurative representations are used to describe a more peaceful merging of Upper and Lower Egypt: On the Narmer palette there are two snake-necked panthers with their necks looping around each other. On a throne relief of King Sesostris I ( 12th dynasty ) the imperial deities Horus and Seth are depicted as they wrap a trachea that ends in a Djed pillar with papyrus and lotus stems as a sign of peaceful unification of the empire.

Walking around the White Walls

The "walking around (or walking around) the White Walls" is known from the records of the Palermostein. The "White Walls" (Egypt. Inebu hedj ), today's Memphis , were founded according to tradition by King Menes and served as the main seat of government. Going around or walking around the walls of Memphis was celebrated in lavish processions and was intended to mark the king's right to his new seat of government and to declare Memphis his new imperial residence.

Appearance of the King

The festival “Appearance of the King” is also known from the inscriptions on the Palermostein. However, this ceremony took place for the first time immediately after the assumption of the throne, after which it was celebrated every two years. Records from later dynasties suggest that there were three forms of the "appearance of the king": the "appearance of the king of Upper Egypt" (Egypt. Chai-nisut ), the "appearance of the king of Lower Egypt" (Egypt. Chai-biti ) and finally the "appearance of the king of Upper and Lower Egypt" (egypt. chai-nisut-biti ). The first contemporary mentions of this ceremony appear under King Djoser ( 3rd dynasty ).

Sedfest

Ivory plaque of King Den, the ruler is shown while celebrating the Sed festival.

The Sedfest (Egypt. Heb sed ) was one of the most important celebrations of the accession to the throne . The first ascent took place in the coronation year. The Palermostein narrates that the next Sed festival was only celebrated again in the 30th year of the king's reign, which is why it was known in Greek times as Triakontaeteris ("thirty year celebration"). After the throne jubilee, it was celebrated regularly every three years. The early dynastic kings, of which at least one Sed festival has been handed down and archaeologically proven, include Hor-Den , Qa'a , Ninetjer and possibly Wadjenes . The best-known representations of Hebsed celebrations from the Old Kingdom include those of Djoser from his pyramid necropolis in Saqqara and the reliefs of King Snofru ( 4th dynasty ) from Dahshur . However, there were also kings who claimed to have celebrated a Sedfest, although this cannot be so, since it can be proven that they had ruled for much less than thirty years. Well-known examples are King Anedjib (1st Dynasty) and King Akhenaten ( 18th Dynasty ). Other rulers simply brought the celebration of the Sedfest forward. For example, 14 sed festivals are recorded for King Ramses II ( 19th dynasty ) during his 64-year reign.

Sokar festival

Wall painting from the tomb of Thutmose III: the young king is suckled from the sacred tree ( Isched tree )

In addition to the Sed festival, the Sokar festival is one of the oldest celebrations in Egyptian history. Pictorial representations of the celebration of the Sokar festival can be found on palettes and ivory tablets of the kings Scorpio II, Narmer, Aha and Djer. From the pyramid necropolis of Djoser in Saqqara come relief fragments depicting the king during such a ceremony. One of the ceremonies held during the Sokar festival was the creation of a magnificent barque with the cult image of Sokar, which was pulled by the king to a sacred lake or to the Nile . Another ceremony was the erection of an oversized Djed pillar. In early dynastic times, the Sokar festival was only celebrated during the coronation of the new king to celebrate the (physical or symbolic) death of the predecessor. From the 2nd dynasty onwards , the festival was held every six years, so the fifth ascent coincided with the first Sed festival. Now the Sokar festival marked both the death of the previous king and the foundation of the future tomb for the new ruler. Sokar was the god of the underworld and one of the divine patrons of the royal cemeteries .

Suckling the young king

One of the relatively late introduced throne ceremonies was the "suckling of the young king". This ceremony, however, did not exist in a tangible form (so it was never carried out in practice), it is only found in a purely pictorial form. The king is shown as a small, mostly unclothed boy, sitting on the lap of the goddess Isis and being nursed by her . This ceremony was supposed to symbolize the (supposedly) divine descent of the king and strengthen his right to the throne. The earliest representations can be found under King Pepi II ( 6th Dynasty ). It is believed that these figurative representations later Christianity to the so-called Madonna and Child -Bildnissen inspired . Representations from the late Pharaonic era have survived in which the king as a young man stands under a sacred Imat tree and is suckled by it.

Right to the throne

Traditional award of the throne

The right to the throne was usually inherited, usually from father to eldest son. However, there seems to have been frequent deviations. There are known cases in which a ruler may have left a divided Egypt and therefore two of his sons ruled synchronously. Such a case is assumed for King Ninetjer of the 2nd Dynasty . If different interpretations of numerous contemporary inscriptions are correct, Ninetjer's heirs, Seth-Peribsen and Sechemib , had to share the Egyptian throne. From later dynasties, especially from the New Kingdom , numerous cases are documented in which two (or even more) rulers co-ruled.

Another possibility of inheritance to the throne was marriage into the royal family. Such a case could apply to King Cheops , since his father, King Sneferu , was perhaps not the biological father at all. In such cases, the right to heir to the throne was granted through a parent.

In the event that no male heir to the throne could be appointed at all (for example because the Crown Prince died prematurely or because he was still too young to rule), the right to the throne was sometimes given to the Crown Prince's mother. In such cases, Egypt was ruled by a woman. Such cases may be quite common. Well-known queens who took over the affairs of government for their crown princes include Neithotep and Meritneith (both queens of the 1st dynasty ), Chentkaus I ( 4th dynasty ), Nofrusobek ( 12th dynasty ) and Hatshepsut ( 18th dynasty ).

Problem

Egyptologists such as Sue D'Auria, Rainer Stadelmann and Silke Roth point to a problem which, in their opinion, has so far been ignored by the majority of research: Crown princes are known, especially from the time of the Old Kingdom , who were crown princes and demonstrably theirs enthroned fathers survived but were not crowned rulers. These crown princes also have in common that they already had extraordinary honorary and functional titles during their lifetime, which set them apart from other princes, but why they were not allowed to rule remains unclear. Such a case applies to the following people, among others: Nefermaat and Rahotep (both Crown Prince of Sneferu ), Kawab and Chaefchufu (Crown Prince of Cheops ), Setka and Baka (Crown Prince of Radjedef ) and possibly Kanefer (paternity unclear). The famous vizier Imhotep , who served under King Djoser , was even praised as the "twin of the king" (Egypt. Sen-biti ), but he never became king. This honor was given to Djoser's successor, Sechemchet or Sanacht . The problem with this is that there are no contemporary records or documents that record how the future successor was selected. Among other things, the question remains open as to which criteria and requirements had to be met in order for a crown prince to be allowed to lay claim to the throne. In the absence of relevant documents, it remains unclear how exactly the choice of the heir to the throne was decided and who took part in the election. The exact voting process is also unknown.

In this context, Rainer Stadelmann and Sue D'Auria point to a mysterious organization within the Egyptian elite that has been documented with certainty since the end of the 2nd dynasty : the "Big Ten of Upper Egypt". This organization always had a total of ten members, five for each half of the country. Stadelmann points out that for almost all offices that have existed since the early days, their respective tasks and functions have been handed down - only those of the office "One of the Big Ten of ..." not. Its exact function is in the dark, although this office was apparently one of the most coveted and highest in Egypt. And only people of the highest rank and with many honorary titles were allowed to exercise this office (for example the high official Hesire ). Stadelmann suggests that the “Big Ten” might represent the royal, Supreme Court of Egypt, which was responsible for negotiating the allocation of offices and for problem cases and their arbitration. The "Big Ten" would have been a kind of jury that ultimately regulated the succession to the throne. However, Stadelmann's suggestion has so far received little attention.

literature

Winfried Barta: Accession to the throne and coronation ceremony as different testimonies to royal takeover. In: Studies on Ancient Egyptian Culture (SAK). No. 8, 1980, ISSN 0340-2215 .
Siegfried Schott : Altägyptische Festdaten (= Academy of Sciences and Literature. Treatises of the humanities and social science class. Volume 10, 1950). Verlag der Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur, Mainz et al. 1950, DNB 454460953 .
Silke Roth: The royal mothers of ancient Egypt from the early days to the end of the 12th dynasty . Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2001, ISBN 3-447-04368-7 .
Rolf Gundlach, Andrea Klug: “The” Egyptian court of the New Kingdom: its society and culture in the field of tension between domestic and foreign policy (= files of the international colloquium from May 27 - 29, 2002 at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. Volume 2 : Royalty, state and society of early high cultures ). Harrassowitz, Wiesbaden 2006, ISBN 3-447-05324-0 .
Richard A. Parker : The calendars of ancient Egypt (= Studies in ancient Oriental Civilization. Volume 26, ISSN 0081-7554 ). University of Chicago Press, Chicago IL 1950.
Margaret R. Bunson: Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt . Infobase Publishing, New York 2009, ISBN 978-1-4381-0997-8 .
Michael Rice: Egypt's Making: The Origins of Ancient Egypt, 5000-2000 Bc . Routledge, London / New York 2003, ISBN 0-415-26875-3 , pp. 97-102.
Toby AH Wilkinson : Early Dynastic Egypt: Strategies, Society and Security. Routledge, London 2001, ISBN 0-415-26011-6 .
Sue D'Auria: Offerings to the Discerning Eye: An Egyptological Medley in Honor of Jack A. Josephson. Brill, Leiden 2010, ISBN 978-90-04-17874-8 .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Toby AH Wilkinson: Early Dynastic Egypt. 2001, pp. 209-213.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Siegfried Schott : Ancient Egyptian festival dates. 1950, pp. 117-121.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Margaret R. Bunson: Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt . New York 2009, pp. 87-89.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Winfried Barta: Accession to the throne and coronation ceremony ... 1980, pp. 33–53.
^ Richard Bruce Parkinson, Whitfield Diffie, M. Fischer, RS Simpson: Cracking codes: the Rosetta stone and decipherment. University of California Press, Berkeley CA 1999, ISBN 0-520-22248-2 , p. 74.
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d Silke Roth: The royal mothers of ancient Egypt… 2001, pp. 91–98.
^ ^A ^b Sue D'Auria: Offerings to the Discerning Eye. 2010, pp. 296-300.

[THW-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Toby AH Wilkinson: Early Dynastic Egypt. 2001, pp. 209-213.

[SSA-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Siegfried Schott : Ancient Egyptian festival dates. 1950, pp. 117-121.

[MBE-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j Margaret R. Bunson: Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt . New York 2009, pp. 87-89.

[WBT-4] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Winfried Barta: Accession to the throne and coronation ceremony ... 1980, pp. 33–53.

[5] Richard Bruce Parkinson, Whitfield Diffie, M. Fischer, RS Simpson: Cracking codes: the Rosetta stone and decipherment. University of California Press, Berkeley CA 1999, ISBN 0-520-22248-2 , p. 74.

[SiRo-6] Silke Roth: The royal mothers of ancient Egypt… 2001, pp. 91–98.

[SDA-7] A ^b Sue D'Auria: Offerings to the Discerning Eye. 2010, pp. 296-300.