Extraordinary form of the cult of royal ancestors in Egypt of the 16th - 13th centuries BC as a marker of dynastic crises
https://doi.org/10.28995/2073-6339-2024-5-139-148
Abstract
The cult of ancestors and interest in the past of their country have always been characteristic of the Egyptian civilization. They were a fundamental component of religion and tsarist ideology, one of the means of confirming the legitimacy of the royal power. In historiography, the cult of royal ancestors did not receive wide coverage, despite the recognition of its importance in the process of legitimation. The components of the cult were also not considered, although the development of its extraordinary form is clearly recorded in the sources of the New Kingdom. With us that epoch due to the better preservation of the source base, is a model for further research into the cult of royal ancestors and elucidation of its role in the ideology of other stages of Egyptian history. Data from the time we are considering indicate that the extraordinary form was a marker of crises of legitimacy that are not always visible from other sources. The very emergence of that form was inseparably connected with them. The article presents sources that justify the possibility of introducing the terms ordinary and extraordinary forms of the cult of royal ancestors, gives a picture of their emergence and makes an attempt to demonstrate the significance of the extraordinary form for identifying dynastic crises and the ways of development of the royal myth using the example of the history of Egypt in the 16th – 13th centuries BC.
About the Author
E. O. Barsukov
Russian State University for the Humanities
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Evgenii O. Barsukov, postgraduate student
6, Miusskaya Sq., Moscow, 125047
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Review
For citations:
Barsukov E.O. Extraordinary form of the cult of royal ancestors in Egypt of the 16th - 13th centuries BC as a marker of dynastic crises. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin Series "Political Science. History. International Relations". 2024;(5):139-148. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2073-6339-2024-5-139-148
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