Historical Studies (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2015

 

Performing the Mystery Play of the Succession: The Rituals of Succession to the Throne in Ancient Egypt

(Abstract)

 

Guo Zilin

 

In the past, Western scholars tended to study Ancient Egyptian rituals of succession to the throne within the framework of ritual theory and from the perspective of religious studies. To gain an accurate appreciation of the practical significance of this ritual, however, we need to examine the enthronement and coronation rituals using a combination of the methods of anthropological and historical analysis. The two rituals were generally held separately at specific times in accordance with specific procedures. The basic meaning of the enthronement ceremony was that the successor to the throne was now king and was possessed of kingly authority. The coronation ceremony signified acceptance of the king’s enthronement and his assumption of kingly power. The two ceremonies developed from many elements including kingly power, social and cultural concepts, and associated practices, as well as agricultural production activities. Successfully combining both the sacred and the profane, they used ritual spectacles, symbolic objects, relief carvings and tomb inscriptions to set up a sacred relationship between the king and the gods that would sanctify his position and rule. Furthermore, they established the various powers of the king throughout his realm and strengthened national identity and the cohesion of social forces. They thus played a very important role in maintaining and extending ancient Egypt and kingly rule. The survival of Ancient Egyptian kingship for nearly 3000 years was closely bound up with the performance and dissemination of these two rituals.