Lurson, Benoît
[UCL]
Basing on the version of the divine birth sequence dating from Ramses II that was decorating the Temple of Tuya, a temple adjoined to the Ramesseum on the north, this paper addresses two questions: the prestigious position of the royal women in the Ancient Egyptian monarchy; the presence of the earthly parents of the king at the beginning of the divine birth sequences of Amenhotep III and of Ramses II. Concerning the position of the king’s wife and mother, it is argued that their prestige is founded on them being the only humans having ever known the god. When examined in the larger context of the birth and coronation sequences of the king, the presence of the earthly parents of Amenhotep III and of Ramses II at the beginning of their divine birth sequence can be explained by an evolution leading to a separation between the divine and the human world. The reason for setting such a limit could be sought in a political reaction to the Thutmoside period, by which the Ancient Egyptian monarchy tends towards a limitation of the influence of the priests over the king’s choice.


Bibliographic reference |
Lurson, Benoît. Les scènes de la naissance merveilleuse de Ramsès II du temple contigu au Ramesseum. Réflexions autour d’un cycle iconographique novateur.Les naissances merveilleuses en Orient. LIIe Session des Journées des Orientalistes Belges (Tournai, du 14/03/2014 au 15/03/2014). In: Cannuyer C., Vialle C., Les naissances merveilleuses en Orient, Société Belge d'Études Orientales : Bruxelles2015, p. 113-138 |
Permanent URL |
http://hdl.handle.net/2078.1/230294 |