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The power and status of the Pharaoh was made obvious by the following:
- an artificial beard (reminiscent of a goat beard)
- the tail of a bull or lion which hung from a belt, symbolically protecting the king's back
-a shemset girdle with an apron made of pendant bead or narrow strips of leather that covered the king's loins
-a crook and flail, symbols of the primitive shepherd
-a variety of crowns (see Source 2.3.2)
-a cobra (Uraeus) representing the "Eye of Ra," placed upon the brow of the king to protect him against his enemies
-carrying a sceptre (sekhem or was )in his right hand. Was waved over offerings and to give ka (life-force, spirit) to the deceased
-a mace carried in his left hand. The mace was a symbol of power. Pharaoh was often depicted smiting the enemies of Egypt with a mace.

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Mummification and burial held an important place in Egyptian life. The Egyptians believed the body's preservation guaranteed the soul’s survival in the afterlife. The pharaoh began building his/her tomb soon after assuming the throne. The locations and types of tombs built changed over time and when the country’s capital moved. Tombs contained decorations of the pharaoh’s journey in the afterlife and texts from the Book of the Dead.The earliest pharaonic tombs are the mastaba tombs made of mud-brick. Scholars found these tombs in some of the oldest cemeteries near the ancient capitals. Mastabas, like all ancient Egyptian cemeteries, were on the Nile’s west bank, which was the realm of the dead.Pyramids were elaborations of the mastaba design made of stone. The first was the Step Pyramid of Djoser which Imhotep designed. Architects planned the pyramids and included a mortuary temple (shrines for the funerary cults of dead kings; different to cult temples which  accommodated the images of deities, the recipients of the daily cult) and other royal tombs in the complex. The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the greatest example of this type of tomb.Later pharaohs saw that grave-robbers broke into the earlier tombs so they made secret rock-cut tombs. The area where they built these tombs is now called the Valley of the Kings. Some tombs contained several chambers and more than one ruler.Pharaohs received elaborate burials containing a wide variety of goods. At first, priests buried pharaohs with items like clothes, furniture, games and jewelry. During the Nineteenth Dynasty, priests began burying them with items made for the afterlife. An example of this are the clay shabti figurines made to serve the pharaoh. Priests placed food, oil and dishes in the tombs to nourish the king in the afterlife.

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Mummification and burial held an important place in Egyptian life. The Egyptians believed the body's preservation guaranteed the soul’s survival in the afterlife. The pharaoh began building his/her tomb soon after assuming the throne. The locations and types of tombs built changed over time and when the country’s capital moved. Tombs contained decorations of the pharaoh’s journey in the afterlife and texts from the Book of the Dead.The earliest pharaonic tombs are the mastaba tombs made of mud-brick. Scholars found these tombs in some of the oldest cemeteries near the ancient capitals. Mastabas, like all ancient Egyptian cemeteries, were on the Nile’s west bank, which was the realm of the dead.Pyramids were elaborations of the mastaba design made of stone. The first was the Step Pyramid of Djoser which Imhotep designed. Architects planned the pyramids and included a mortuary temple (shrines for the funerary cults of dead kings; different to cult temples which  accommodated the images of deities, the recipients of the daily cult) and other royal tombs in the complex. The Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza is the greatest example of this type of tomb.Later pharaohs saw that grave-robbers broke into the earlier tombs so they made secret rock-cut tombs. The area where they built these tombs is now called the Valley of the Kings. Some tombs contained several chambers and more than one ruler.Pharaohs received elaborate burials containing a wide variety of goods. At first, priests buried pharaohs with items like clothes, furniture, games and jewelry. During the Nineteenth Dynasty, priests began burying them with items made for the afterlife. An example of this are the clay shabti figurines made to serve the pharaoh. Priests placed food, oil and dishes in the tombs to nourish the king in the afterlife.

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A new pharaoh always attended the burial of his/her predecessor and the coronation of a new pharaoh began on the first day of a new season. During many dynasties a new pharaoh's coronation began after the death of his/her predecessor. In some dynasties the old pharaoh presided over his/her successor’s coronation before his/her death.

The coronation was not a single event but a collection of ceremonies and festivals that could last an entire year. For this reason, the coronation year was not counted as part of the years a king reigned. The first year of a reign began after the coronation ended.

Appearance of the king: a ceremony held after assuming the throne and repeated every two years thereafter. It had three steps:

1. Pharaoh appeared wearing the White Crown as king of Upper Egypt.

2. Pharaoh appeared wearing the Red Crown as king of Lower Egypt.

3. Pharaoh appeared wearing the Double Crown as king of Upper and Lower Egypt.

Sed Festival: meant to restore the pharaoh’s vital life force but the details of its events are not well documented. It was first held during the coronation and the pharaoh repeated it during the thirtieth year of his/her reign. After this point, the pharaoh held it every three years but some preformed it more often.

Sokar Festival: a celebration involving the construction of a sacred boat that the pharaoh pulled to the Nile or a sacred lake. After its celebration during the coronation year, this festival took place every six years. Sokar was a god of the underworld and a guardian of royal cemeteries.

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All kings from the beginning of dynastic Egypt were considered to the be son of the falcon god Horus. In the Old Kingdom Pharaohs were also associated with the pre-eminent god (of the sun) Re and later Amun-Re. During the new kingdom they were also regarded as Montu, a falcon-headed war god.
Each king was representative of divine order, or ma'at, which was believed to have been established at the time of creation. The Egyptians believed that without ma'at there would be chaos in the physical and spiritual worlds and that it was up to the king to maintain it at all times. They were expected to fight evil (human, spiritual or animal form), defend the land from foreigners and sustain life by having power over the Nile.

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How was one able to become an Egyptian pharaoh?

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How was one able to become an Egyptian pharaoh?

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In stable times a pharaoh would usually be succeeded by the eldest son of the Pharaoh's Great Wife. Failing that, the eldest son of a lesser wife or another male relative could assume the throne. There are numerous cases of Pharaohs marrying their daughters, granddaughters, sisters and brothers to keep the throne within the family. If the line of succession collapsed a High Priest or other Official could fill the role. Often the crown prince began training to become the pharaoh as a young child through a series of lessons. Many of these lessons focused on building physical strength because the pharaoh often fought at the head of his army. Princes went to the royal stables where they learned how to ride and break wild horses. They also ran long foot races to build endurance and went on hunting and fishing expeditions. If the new pharaoh was a minor a regent could be appointed until the pharaoh was able to rule independently.
In times of instability the leader of a strong family who gained power was able to ascend the throne.

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In Ancient Egypt, the pharaoh was the most important and powerful person in the kingdom.

The Pharaoh was the political and religious leader of the Egyptian people, holding the titles: “Lord of the Two Lands” and “High Priest of Every Temple”. As “Lord of the Two Lands”, he owned all of the land, made laws, collected taxes and defended Egypt against foreigners. As “High Priest of Every Temple”, the pharaoh represented the gods of Earth. He performed daily rituals and built temples to honour the gods. Furthermore, the pharaoh has responsibility to protect his country from attacking enemies. He command the army to fight invaders and supervised all fortresses. He also made all laws, legal decisions and decided on punishments as well as maintaining trade within and outside Egypt and supervising all traffic along the Nile. The pharaoh of Ancient Egypt was also presented as symbolic father of the land and was seen as responsible for making sure his citizens has an adequate food supply. Since pharaoh was considered to be gods on Earth, he could allegedly control the Nile River’s floods that fertilized the surrounding farmland.

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How did the portrayal of Egyptian Kings change over time?

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How did the portrayal of Egyptian Kings change over time?

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Old Kingdom

Pharaohs in Old Kingdom Egypt are known for their architectural achievements (such as the development of the pyramids), technological advancements and their image in royal statuary (such as their god-king image, which separated them from the general public). Statues epitomised the Kings in many ways, however, the statues didn't explicitly show a king. Rather a depiction of an individual who held the highest office was shown. These statues were first placed in the King’s mortuary temples, where it is assumed they were brightly painted. There was red around the Kings ears and mouth, and yellow on the Queen’s face.

Middle  Kingdom

The nature and image of Kingship changed drastically In the Middle Kingdom period. Previously, Kings were confident in their divinity and their separation from the public, whereas kings in the Middle Kingdom preferred to be depicted as the fallible (capable of making mistakes - human) shepherd of his land. Kings also had the responsibility of building public works and ensuring the welfare of citizens. The rise of power of the Nomarchs (governors of Egyptian provinces) in earlier periods was also troublesome - rulers had to gain their support while also controlling them. Facial features in portraits show Pharaohs with creases at the mouth, furrows in forehead and hollows under eyes - perhaps a reflection of the burden of kingship?

New Kingdom
The Hyksos (foreign rulers) were expelled and Pharaohs now took on the image of warrior god. Most were war leaders who expanded the boundaries of Egypt. Scribes and artists depicted pharaohs with superhuman qualities eg. riding alone in chariot with reins around his waist so that hands were free to fight, hunting wild and dangerous animals, outnumbered and yet successful in battle - all forms of propaganda.

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Pharaoh were given five titles which were decided upon by the Priests in the House of Life (centres of knowledge where Priests trained).
1.) The Horus name: This is the oldest known part of the royal titulary, this shows that the king was the earthly embodiment of the god Horus.
2.) The Nebti name ‘He of the two ladies’: This name shows that the pharaoh rules both Upper and Lower Egypt. Two protective goddesses are mentioned - the vulture Goddess Nekhbet of Upper Egypt and the cobra Goddess Wadjypt of Lower Egypt.
3.) The Golden Horus name: This name connects the king with the God Horus and with the colour gold, the god’s skin were believed to be gold and represent eternity.
4.) The Prenomen or throne name: This name was the most important title because it was given only on the king’s coronation day. “He of the sledge and the bee” indicates the Pharaoh is king of Upper (sledge) and Lower (bee) Egypt.
5.) The Nomen name: The normen name is the birth name it is shared by rulers of the same dynasty and it always has the phrase ‘Son of Ra’. This name indicates the divine nature of the Pharaoh.

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Sed Festival (aka Heb-Sed or royal jubilee)

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Sed Festival (aka Heb-Sed or royal jubilee)

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A sed festival is a celebration of the continuing rule of a pharaoh. The name is taken from the name of an Egyptian wolf god, one of those whose names was Wepwawet or Sed. In the Ptolemaic period it was translated into Greek as ‘Thirty-year festival’.

The festival is a feast celebrated by the king on the first say of the Season of Coming Forth (sowing) after 30 years of rule and repeated every 3 years thereafter although some kings, including those of relatively short reigns, celebrated this earlier. The purpose of Heb-Sed was the renewal of the physical and supernatural energies of the king. The ritual continued to be practiced throughout Egypt's pharaonic history. One representation of this is the king would run alongside the Apis bull in order to prove his fitness to rule. Another was a depiction of the King holding a whip and a document similar to a will, showing that he had inherited the land of Egypt.
The oldest possible example of this Sed-festival is believed to have been found on the decoration of the ritual mace head of Narmer which is evidence that the first dynasty pharaoh Den and the Third Dynasty pharaoh Djoser participated in the Sed Festival. It is believed that the kings were celebrated even after the physical death of the king.
Other ceremonies also took place during the jubilee, such as the act of homage to the king by the "Great Ones of Upper and Lower Egypt". This festival was also an occasion for the issue of commemorative objects, including stone vases bearing the king's titulature.