A day in the life of the Pharaoh of Egypt 01

A day in the life of the Pharaoh of Egypt

The ancient Egyptians were afraid of sleep because they believed that a person moves during sleep to a world of unconsciousness, including the living and the dead, and gods who watch him sometimes and struggle with each other at other times. At the same time, the body of the sleeping person is in a state of complete surrender that makes it vulnerable to the forces of evil that try to enter the bedroom to attack it. And Pharaoh - although he embodies the divine authority on earth - was not exempt from feeling that night terror, which requires several protective measures

Amenhotep the third, for example, used to open his eyes every morning to the guardian goddess Nekhbet, who is depicted on the ceiling of his bedroom, and if he moved his stable head over the headrest - engraved on the image of the god “But” the god that repelled the forces of evil - and opened his eyes, he would see more pictures on the walls of the room. The god “Bs” is topped with drawings of the key to life “Ankh” and the protective “Tate” contract. As for outside his bedroom, his bodyguard would stay awake all night to protect him from any assassination attempt. And because the forces of evil could not penetrate this powerful realm of protection, Pharaoh was reassured that he would have a quiet sleep

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In the morning, Amenhotep the Third was starting his daily activities in his palace with a trowel on the western mainland in Luxor, by moving first from his bedroom to his dressing room, where the head of the secrets of the royal morning palace supervises his bathing rituals and wears his clothes according to prevailing norms and with the help of a specialized team of assistants, including “Pregnant Towels, and the Royal Linen Robe Holder, and the Crowns and Headwear Holder

If the pharaoh’s program did not include an official occasion or a special ritual, then the dress he wore was not much different from the clothes of senior members of the courtiers, and it consisted of a simple linen shirt sometimes adorned with some woven decorations, a scarf around the waist, and an open shoe (sandal). As for official occasions and rituals, he wears a finely woven garment decorated with drawings of sacred animals, plants, or cartouches. As for the large crowns that he used to wear on special occasions, he replaces them on ordinary days with a simple wreath of gold or silver that he adorns at the front of the head with a cobra snake.

When the pharaoh finishes bathing and putting on his clothes, his assistants begin to roll, draw his eyes and massage his skin with aromatic oils, and then go to eat his breakfast in a part of the palace called "the Palace of Life

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Although the royal palace used to include bakeries and kitchens, the king’s food - and it was called “Ankh Nisot” - was prepared in a temple close to the palace, according to the same rituals in which the food offered as sacrifices to the gods was prepared and he used to take some servants They are called "cleansers" - serving food and drink to the king

While Pharaoh was preparing to start his daily duties, senior courtiers arrived at the palace, passing first through the outer gate, to the section devoted to administrative affairs and support (Bir-Nsu), which is similar to the outer palace area of ​​medieval palaces in Europe. This section contained the minister's offices, senior state officials, archives, and archives, followed by a part called the Great House and finally the residential part

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Inside the big house there is a zone of silence that as soon as an employee of the royal court enters it, he is met by the "pioneer of the palace", and he is the person who supervises the protocol and etiquette, who organizes the employees in two rows according to the rank, and when the moment of entry comes he invites them to advance in order and in order inside The throne room, as they respectfully bowed to open the doors as they passed by