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The King is Dead; Immortalize the King! Supporting “Royal Piety” in Thebes and Abydos during the New Kingdom

Article

Last updated: 04 Jan 2025

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Abstract

Being the most sacred places in New Kingdom Egypt, Thebes and Abydos participated in reviving the memory of the dead kings by their ruling descendants. From one generation to another, the two religious sites of Thebes and Abydos served as the most important memorial areas supporting the funerary cults of the deified royals. Thebes was regarded as the earliest prominent cult center for worshipping the dead monarchs in New Kingdom Egypt. Starting from the Eighteenth Dynasty, it became a holy place of pilgrimage and the spiritual hub of the funerary cults of the deified kings. King Thutmose III was the first to dedicate a special place in Thebes to establish the cult of his royal deified forebears. Afterwards, King Ramesses II of the Nineteenth Dynasty and King Ramesses III of the Twentieth Dynasty also experienced Thebes as a consistent place of worship and a space for the spiritual care of the cult of the dead kings. Abydos rose as another main city supporting the mortuary cult of the royals only during the Nineteenth Dynasty. Meanwhile, King Seti I and King Ramesses II played a significant role in utilizing Abydos as a new commemorative space, enhancing the cult of the deified departed sovereigns of Egypt. During the New Kingdom, two of the most important deities in the ancient Egyptian pantheon, including the composite god Ptah-Sokar-Osiris and god Min-Kamutef, made a great contribution to supporting the personal cult of the dead royals in the sacred temples of Thebes and Abydos.

DOI

10.21608/mjthr.2023.216048.1100

Keywords

Cult, living, Dead, king, Worship

Authors

First Name

Youmna

Last Name

Nasr

MiddleName

Adel Zaki

Affiliation

Department of Tourist Guiding, Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt

Email

youmna.adel@alexu.edu.eg

City

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Orcid

-

Volume

15

Article Issue

3

Related Issue

41714

Issue Date

2023-06-01

Receive Date

2023-06-07

Publish Date

2023-06-01

Page Start

102

Page End

127

Print ISSN

2357-0652

Online ISSN

2735-4741

Link

https://mjthr.journals.ekb.eg/article_309219.html

Detail API

https://mjthr.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=309219

Order

309,219

Type

Original Article

Type Code

1,533

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Minia Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research MJTHR

Publication Link

https://mjthr.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

The King is Dead; Immortalize the King! Supporting “Royal Piety” in Thebes and Abydos during the New Kingdom

Details

Type

Article

Created At

27 Dec 2024