Royal Festivals in the Late Predynastic Period and the First Dynasty (British Archaeological Reports (BAR) International, 1076)

viii, 116 pages : illustrations ; 31 cm. This book studies the royal festivals in the Egyptian Late Predynastic period and the First Dynasty. (The chronological beginning here is the Naqada IId period and the author includes a brief account of royal festivals in the contemporary Lower Nubia and the Second Dynasty.) The Egyptian kings developed a complex system of ceremonies and rituals that served them as a form of expression before society. The ways were complex and varied, but so effective that most of these festivals continued to be performed for more than three thousand years. The author begins with an historical outline of the unification process and the First Dynasty before exploring the main themes of kingship and festivals. The points of discussion include temple structures (Abydos, Saqqara, Hierakonpolis), festival traditions, the sed festival, victory festivals, the festival of Sokar, and symbolic topography.