Every period of Egyptian history is organized around kings. To understand why, you need to know what Egyptians thought a king was. The answer was not "a man with power", or not only that. The king held an office that linked the world of the gods to the world of people.
Key idea
The five names
| Name | Introduced by | Example (Ramesses II) |
|---|---|---|
| Horus name | the falcon, in a serekh (palace façade) | "Strong Bull, beloved of Maat" |
| Two Ladies name | the vulture and the cobra (nbty), goddesses of the south and north | "Protector of Egypt, who subdues foreign lands" |
| Golden Horus name | a falcon on the sign for gold | "Rich in years, great of victories" |
| Throne name | nsw-bjt, "King of Upper and Lower Egypt", in a cartouche | User-maat-ra Setep-en-ra |
| Birth name | zꜣ-rꜥ, "son of Ra", in a cartouche | Ramesses Mery-Amun |
Why it works
Office and person
The office was divine, but the person was human. Kings could be plotted against: Amenemhat I was murdered, and conspiracies in the palace were tried in court under Pepi I and Ramesses III. Literary tales could even poke fun at a king. A king who failed in war or let order slip could be judged harshly by later generations. The word pharaoh comes from pr-ꜥꜣ, "Great House", the palace; from the New Kingdom on it was used for the king himself.
Worked example: Which name?
- Only two of the five names are written in cartouches: the throne name and the birth name.
- The throne name follows nsw-bjt; the birth name follows zꜣ-rꜥ.
- So this cartouche holds the birth name.
Answer: The birth name (the nomen), such as Ramesses.
Common mistake