Reflections on the Sacral Role of Egyptian Royal Women of the New Kingdom

The article deals with a controversial question on the character of royal women’s sacral role in the context of the divine queenship concept. As queenship is seen in contemporary Egyptology as an essential constituent element of the kingship ideology, the sacral role of the royal women is frequently determined as similar or even parallel to that of the king. In particular, sacral scenes with the images of the royal women performing the rites together with a king or alone are sometimes considered an illustration to this interpretation. As the author of the present article suggests, this approach needs re-еvaluation, which should be based on a careful examination of all surviving scenes depicting cult activity of the royal women. Among other issues, the author discusses the sacral role played by Nefertiti, whose official position differs considerably of that of other royal women. A preliminary study of figurative and epigraphical sources, especially with scenes showcasing the royal women, allowed the author to assume that in the majority of cases they played an auxiliary and secondary role. Indeed, since the Ramesside period, the royal women have been most frequently depicted shaking the sistrum/sistra - an auxiliary action in the divine cult. Thus, the thesis about the great king’s wife (or the king’s mother)’s role as a counterpart of the king in his cult functions should be revised, if not rejected.