The ritual of the sed-festivals : The Rejuvenation of Amenhotep III (14th century BC) - EASR 2021 - Pisa
Résumé
In ancient Egypt the king is a god by nature. But although the pharaoh is a living god on earth, he is not eternal. He needs to fulfil specific rites in order to have the strength and the youth to keep ruling. In Egypt this rite is called the sed-festival. It is attested from the first to the last ages of pharaonic times, and was usually celebrated at the 30th year of reign. Then, it could be repeated every 2 to 4 years. The king Amenhotep III (14th century BC, XVIIIth dynasty) celebrated three sed-festivals, in his 30th; 34th and 37th years of reign. We know of them throughby temple or tomb representations as well as diverse artefacts. The general publications which talk about sed-festival define it as a “renewal ritual allowing for the king to keep ruling the country, but no one gives a real explanation of the processes of this renewal. Only the result of this revival is known: Amenhotep III is represented younger after his first sed-festival. For the elaboration of Amenhotep III’s sed-festivals, an archival research has been done. in order to create the most efficient sed-festival ritual as possible. Some of these rites are customary: dancing, singing, processions, apparition of the king on his specific throne (tjentjat); but others are more singular: the illumination of the throne, the hauling of the boat or the offering of the clepsydra. Moreover, the king had to demonstrate his physical strength. Normally, he had to submit himself to a ritual run. In Amenhotep III’s case, it seems that it was replaced by another rite, the djed-pillar erection. Furthermore, the location of these celebrations is known. The three sed-festivals took place at Malqatta palace, close to Thebes (Luxor), the capital of Egypt under Amenhotep III’s reign. This palace was probably erected for the celebrations of the first sed-festival and then used also for the other two. Thousands of dockets (or jar-labels) were found here and testify to the organisation of banquets in relation with the sed-festivals, consisting in wine, beer, meat, fat, milk, oil or incense. The major part of the depictions of these feasts were found near the palace in tombs (TT192 Kheruef, the queen’s great intendant) or temples (Amenophium, temple of Amenhotep son of Hapou). But another part, not insignificant, of these attestations was found as far south as the temple of Soleb (Nubia), more than 630 km from Malqatta. After these first constatations we can wonder about different aspects of these celebrations. What was the role of these specific rites? Why did the king choose them? What were their purposes? Why were these scenes also represented so far away from Thebes? Is it possible to distinguish between the three different festivals? Using the case of Amenhotep III, I aim at understanding the processes of the revival of the Egyptian kings through the cult practices of the sed-festivals.