The postures of the king’s body in Ancient Egyptian iconography

Julie Masquelier-Loorius (1, 2)

1 OM-MP - Équipe Mondes pharaoniques
2 OM - ORIENT ET MÉDITERRANÉE : Textes, Archéologie, Histoire

By observing the images of pharaoh in temples and tombs, we can notice that some specific postures of kings cannot be found in common human positions. These royal body positions must have had a role to play in the efficiency of feasts and rituals, especially during the Sed-festival (heb-sed, i.e. the jubilee of the king). This paper presents the first considerations of our study on the different physical configurations that could be adopted by the king’s body.

Mots clés: king; body; feast; ritual; festival; jubilee; temple; tomb; posture

Domaines: Anthropologie sociale et ethnologie; Histoire; Art et histoire de l'art; Religions; Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Julie Masquelier-Loorius. The postures of the king’s body in Ancient Egyptian iconography. Alice Mouton. Flesh and Bones: The Individual and his body in the Ancient Mediterranean Basin, Brepols, pp.27-38, 2020, ⟨10.1484/M.SUPSEC-EB.5.120936⟩. ⟨halshs-02987248⟩