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List of pharaohs deified during lifetime

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Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel, Egypt depicting, from left to right, the god Ra-Horakhty, the deified form of Ramesses II, and the gods Amun Ra and Ptah

In ancient Egypt, it was standard for pharaohs to be worshipped posthumously as transfigured beings amongst the royal ancestors. However, it was exceedingly rare for this deification to be done during the lifetime of the pharaoh. A few pharaohs are exceptions to this.

During-lifetime deified pharaohs

A few pharaohs have been confirmed to have been honored with cultic worship as deities during their lifetime:

Table of during-life deified pharaohs
Pharaoh Dynasty Regal Years Deification
Senusret III 12th Dynasty 1878 BC - 1839 BC Senusret III was deified during his lifetime primarily due to his military achievements.
Amenhotep III 18th Dynasty 1388 BC – 1351 BC Amenhotep III initiated his own self-deification towards the end of his lifetime as the dazzling Aten.
Tutankhamun 18th Dynasty 1388 BC – 1351 BC A cult devoted to the deified form of Tutankhamun as Amun developed after he overturned Atenism.
Ramesses II 19th Dynasty 1279 BC – 1213 BC Ramesses II was deified during his lifetime.

It was incredibly rare for a pharaoh to gain cult devotion during their lifetime.

Possibly during-lifetime deified pharaohs

There is some evidence or speculation that other pharaohs were deified during their lifetimes

Table of possibly during-life deified pharaohs
Pharaoh Dynasty Regal Years Deification
Mentuhotep II 11th Dynasty 2060 BC – 2009 BC It has been stipulated that Mentuhotep II was deified during his lifetime but this is disputed.
Akhenaten 18th Dynasty 1351 BC – 1334 BC Akhenaten attempted to deify himself during his Atenism religiopolitical upheaval, although the success of this attempt has not been conferred.
Horemheb 18th Dynasty 1319 BC – 1292 BC There is some evidence that Horemheb had a cult devotion during his lifetime, although this is disputed.

Other during-lifetime deified royalty

There is at least one instance of a non-pharaoh royalty being deified during their lifetime.

Queen Tiye was the wife of Amenhotep III, and played a major role during his reign.

References

  1. Bryson, Karen (Maggie) (2018-11-16). ""Man, King, God? The Deification of Horemheb"". Academia.edu. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  2. "The Oxford Guide: Essential Guide to Egyptian Mythology", Edited by Donald B. Redford, p. 85, Berkley, 2003, ISBN 0-425-19096-X
  3. Lloyd, Alan B., ed. (2014). A companion to ancient Egypt. Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World (Paperback ed.). Malden, Mass.: Wiley Blackwell. ISBN 978-1-118-78514-0.
  4. Kozloff, Arielle P. (2012-02-20). Amenhotep III. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press. p. 2, 51, 121, 174, 197. ISBN 1-107-01196-5.
  5. Laboury, Dimitri (2017). "Senwosret III and the Issue of Portraiture in Ancient Egyptian Art". Cahier de Recherches de L'Institut de Papyrologie et d'Égyptologie de Lille. Université de Lille, Lille, France: 77. ISSN 0153-5021. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  6. O'Connor, David Bourke; Cline, Eric H. (2001). Amenhotep III: perspectives on his reign. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. p. 87, 89-91, 94, 294. ISBN 0-472-08833-5.
  7. Tutankhamun: discovering the forgotten Pharaoh: exhibition organized at the Europa expo space TGV train station "les Guillemins", Liège, 14th December 2019-30th August 2020. Liège: Presses universitaires de Liège. 2020. p. 239. ISBN 2-87562-245-5.
  8. Press, Oxford University (2003). The Oxford Essential Guide to Egyptian Mythology. Berkley Books. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-425-19096-8.
  9. ^ Lichtheim, Miriam (1973). "Features of the Deification of Ramesses II . Labib Habachi". Journal of Near Eastern Studies. 32 (3): 354–355. doi:10.1086/372293. ISSN 0022-2968.
  10. Karwowska, Paulina (2023). "In the presence of my king forever: Royal images in the tombs of noblemen of the Middle Kingdom and beyond". Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean. 32 (2): 160. doi:10.37343/uw.2083-537X.pam32.2.08. ISSN 2083-537X.
  11. Wade, Sabrina (2021-10-01). "Atenism and Pharaoh Akhenaten's Attempt to Deify Himself". Armstrong Undergraduate Journal of History. 11 (2). doi:10.20429/aujh.2021.110201. ISSN 2163-8551. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  12. Martin, Geoffrey Thorndike (1989). The Memphite Tomb of Ḥoremḥeb, Commander-in-chief of Tutʻankhamūn: Human skeletal remains. London: Egypt Exploration Society. p. 72, 73. ISBN 978-0-85698-188-3.
  13. "www.aegyptologie.com" (PDF).
  14. Bryson, Karen M (2018-04-13). "The Reign of Horemheb: History, Historiography, and the Dawn of the Ramesside Era". JScholarship. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
  15. Darnell, John Coleman; Manassa, Colleen (2007-08-03). Tutankhamun's Armies. Hoboken, N.J.: John Wiley & Sons. p. 24. ISBN 0-471-74358-5.
  16. "Queen Tiye and her Family". ProQuest. 2000-01-01. Retrieved 2025-01-06.
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