Kings as Gods in the New Kingdom

Abstract

The article commences with a concise historical overview of New Kingdom kingship and its primary forms of display. Subsequently, it revisits Egyptological perspectives on kingship, challenging modern interpretations of textual and visual representations of New Kingdom kings as propaganda or means of legitimizing individual rulers. Drawing on Graeber and Sahlins’ theory of kingship, this approach endeavors to comprehend ancient Egyptian descriptions of kings within their cultural context. The designation of kings as gods was not a propagandistic tool or a strategy to consolidate royal authority; rather, it formed a mythologically grounded constituent of Egyptian kingship, aligning with universal anthropological principles. Within the ancient Egyptian worldview, the king represented the gods on earth, ensuring divine immanence like divine statues or sacred animals. Like the gods themselves, kings were perceived as both beneficent and awe-inspiring. So-called “historical” inscriptions and royal eulogies, predominantly developed within temple contexts, were not meant to boast about a king’s deeds or character, but vehiculated a repetitive narrative emphasizing the country’s permanence and norm conformity.