God's Wife, God's Servant

Mariam F. Ayad is Assistant Director, Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology, University of Memphis; previous career at American University in Cairo and at Brown University.

• INTRODUCTION 3 PART I: The Historical Setting 6 The God’s Wife: Historical Development and associated titles 7 Text Box 1.1 The Mythic Conception I: Atum and the Heliopolitan Creation Myth 9 The God’s Wife Prior to the New Kingdom 10 The God’s Wife During the New Kingdom 12 Text Box 1. 2: The Mythic Conception II: The King’s Divine Conception 15 Egypt at the End of the New Kingdom 18 Egypt during the Libyan Period 23 The Nubians in Egypt 24 The Libyan and Nubian God’s Wives of Amun 34 Egypt under Saite Rule 47 Nitocris 48 Ankhnesneferibre, The Last God’s Wife of Amun 55 Text Box 1.3: Amun, Mut, and the Throne Names of the God’s Wives 59 Part II: Rites and Rituals 70 Entertaining the Gods 73 Playing Music: Shaking the Sistrum 74 Text Box 2.1: The sistrum, the menat-necklace and objects sacred to Hathor 101 Provisioning the Gods: Offering to the Gods 103 Wine 103 Food 109 Cool Water/ Incense 113 A Boon, which the King Gives 118 Maat 119 Building Houses for the Gods/ Dedicating Shrines 136 Partnering with the King (I): Symmetrically Opposed Scenes 143 In Providing for the Gods 143 Rewarded by the Gods 156 Partnering with the King (II): For God, King, and Country 163 In Protecting the Gods 163 Rites of Protection at the Cenotaph 163 Burning Fans 170 Rites at Kom Djeme 180 Rejuvenating the gods 184 The Elevation of the tjest-support 184 Rites of Divine Reentrance 188 Other rites of Royal and Divine Dominion 196 Driving Four Calves 198 Striking Chests 205 Celebrating the sed festival 210 PART III: Avenues to Legitimacy 221 Assumption of the Priesthood 223 The Gradual Appropriation of Priestly Duties 224 Text Box 3.1: The God’s Wife and Initiation Rites 231 Purification Rites 232 Priestly Companions and Priestly Rank 234 Avenues to Legitimacy 238 Shepenwepet I 238 Suckling Scenes 239 Crowning Scenes 243 Amenirdis I 246 Shepenwepet II 253 Divine marriage iconography 257 Nitocris 262 Ankhnesneferibre 265 Text box 3.2: Adoption, Succession to Office, and Age at Appointment 268 Text Box 3.3: Sexuality, Celibacy and the Sexual Role of the God’s Wife 275 Celibacy re-visited 275 The Egyptians’ Attitude towards Marriage and Sex 278 Contraceptives in Ancient Egypt 284 Prohibitions Against Sexual Activity in Ancient Egypt 285 The God’s Wife Sexual Role & Her Association with ithyphallic gods 288 Epilogues 291 List of Abbreviations 296 Bibliography 297