The last stage

Nesut biti's name from Ramses II Usermaatra-setepenra Image credits: Khruner wikimedia commons The titles adopted by kings are a significant source of confusion for those delving into Kemet's culture. The confusion doesn't stem from understanding the concept of a royal name but from the complexity and multitude of titles a king possesses and is recognized by. Ordinary individuals were given a single name at birth. Some may have had a secret name known only to themselves, a practice that only appeared sporadically throughout history and has little bearing on our studies. The belief that knowing someone's name granted insight into all their secrets prompted many to seek a secret name, akin to the deities. This is exemplified in the tale where Aset learns Ra's secret name, gaining power over him. Focusing on royal names, it's important to note that up to six different ones can be identified. To unravel this tangle of titles, we'll examine each one individually....

  Astronomical ceiling of the Senemut tomb. Every civilization has developed methods to mark the passage of time and the changing of seasons. Ancient Egypt was no exception, and there are notable features of their calendar system that shed light on broader aspects of their societal and religious life. This calendar is referred to as the Sothic calendar, named after the star Sothis, also known as Sirius. It's important to clarify that Egyptian years were not measured from a fixed point, such as the birth of Christ or the Roman's Ab urbe condita. Instead, years were counted from the accession of a king to the throne. Thus, the first year of a king's reign marked year one, and this count would reset with the accession of a successor. The impetus for establishing a calendar, or recognizing the need for one, typically stems from the necessity to measure and manage significant seasonal events or occurrences. In Egypt, no event was more critical than the annual flooding of the Nil...