Ancient Egyptian Temple Ritual: Performance, Patterns, and Practice:

Description

Large state temples in ancient Egypt were vast agricultural estates, with interests in mining, trading, and other economic activities. The temple itself served as the mansion or palace of the deity to whom the estate belonged, and much of the ritual in temples was devoted to offering a representative sample of goods to the gods. After ritual performances, produce was paid as wages to priests and temple staff and presented as offerings to private mortuary establishments. This redistribution became a daily ritual in which many basic necessities of life for elite Egyptians were produced. This book evaluates the influence of common temple rituals not only on the day to day lives of ancient Egyptians, but also on their special events, economics, and politics. Author Katherine Eaton argues that a study of these daily rites ought to be the first step in analyzing the structure of more complex societal processes. Ancient Egyptian Temple Ritual: Performance, Pattern, and Practice Contents List of Figures List of Tables Acknowledgments Part I: Foundation 1 Introduction: Temples in Ancient Egyptian Society, Economy, and Cosmos DIVINE PALACES SOCIETY KINGSHIP PRIESTHOOD DECORUM MODELS OF COSMOS 2 Complexity in Ritual UNITS OF RITUAL ANALYSIS INCONSISTENT ORDERING OF EPISODES MULTIPLE DIVINE RECIPIENTS GROUPS OF RITUALISTS MULTIPLICITY RITUAL THEORIES Part II: Performance 3 The Household Model PROGRESSION OF THE TOILET AND MEAL OVERLAPPING CYCLES RITUALS REPEATED AS NEEDED EPISODES WHICH ARE DETAILS OF OTHER EPISODES CONTINUOUS CYCLES EARLIER CULT COMPLEXES CONCLUSIONS 4 Festivals in the Framework of the Daily Ritual THE AMUN PAPYRUS PURIFICATION ENTRY UNCOVERING THE FACE ADORATION OFFERING OINTMENT AMUN PAPYRUS CONCLUSIONS FESTIVAL VARIANTS IN THE RITUAL OF THE ROYAL ANCESTORS BOUQUETS THE MENU ( dbḥt-ḥtp ) THE DRAMATIC RAMESSEUM PAPYRUS Part III: Practice 5 The Horus Cycle [RE-]CREATION CHILDHOOD THE REVIVIFICATION OF OSIRIS AMUN-RE, FATHER OF THE KING THE RESTORATION OF HORUS’ EYE SEALING THE KING’S LEGITIMACY CONCLUSIONS 6 Daily Rituals in Festival Frameworks MONTHLY FESTIVALS AND “ALL THE FEASTS OF OSIRIS” KHOIAK OSIRIS’ KHOIAK FESTIVAL THE FESTIVAL OF SOKAR KHOIAK FESTIVALS: CONCLUSIONS THE FESTIVAL OF MIN THE OPET FESTIVAL CONCLUSIONS Part IV: Patterns 7 Gesture, Posture, and Movement READING REPRESENTATIONS OF ACTION GENERAL PATTERNS IN GESTURES OF OFFERING HOLDS MODES OF PRESENTATION Two-Handed Presentations Single- and No-Handed Presentations POSTURES The Splayed-Knee Pose and Running Standing Royal Figures in the Temple of Sety I at Abydos The Great Hypostyle Hall at Karnak CONCLUSIONS 8 The Most Common Offering Scenes INCENSE AND LIBATION THE TOILET: OINTMENT, CLOTH, BROAD COLLAR THE MEAL: WINE AND MILK, BREAD AND CAKE PLANTS: BOUQUETS, FLOWERS, AND LETTUCE MAAT, THE ROYAL NAME, AND CLEPSYDRA Appendix: Sources for the Daily Ritual and the Ritual of the Royal Ancestors Abbreviations Notes References Index