Graham Chase Wrote:
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> I am not sure whether this idea of fitness is
> actually true.
> Do you have a reference.

It is the only interpretation consistent with the known facts to my knowledge. According to the only interpretation of the Pyramid Texts which is internally consistent the kings ascended on the probably 5th day of the w3g-festival after set period for mummification. Any office that generates corpses on a schedule in a culture that tests this office with games of endurance and strength can be presumed to be only for the young and fit. The mummy was burned on top of the growing pyramid which became the dead king's "horizon". Down in the valley there were no true horizons but up on the plateau there were horizons at various altitudes. The cremation took place in the iskn on the east side of the first step and kicked off pyramid building season when the mks-sceptre was uncrated from anubis' chest.

376a. To say: The fire is laid, the fire shines;
376b. the incense is laid on the fire, the incense shines.
376c. Thy fragrance comes to N., O Incense; the fragrance of N. comes to thee, O Incense.
377a. Your fragrance comes to N., O ye gods; the fragrance of N. comes to you, O ye gods.
377b. May N. be with you, O ye gods; may you be with N., O ye gods.
377c. May N. live with you, O ye gods; may you live with N., O ye gods.

How ironic that this concept of the horizon at 81' 3" became confused and our version of "heaven"!

> This notion is not present at Saqqara nor Abusir.

I have no idea when this started but the Heb Sed ritual goes way back. I'd guess cremation coincided reasonably closely to the great pyramid building age that spanned a few centuries. It's simply one of the many things that changed and this specific practice changed at four least times.

> The Sed Festival is about the king convening with
> the gods.
> It gives him spiritual rebirth and a
> reconfirmation of his kingship.
> The kings went to a lot of trouble to be able to
> continue the rituals in their afterlife too.

I seriously doubt the great pyramid builders believed in any sort of afterlife of this nature. The Pyramid Texts certainly doesn't support this. This is an idea that was derived from trying to understand the PT in terms of the book of the dead. The book of the dead is about death and written in modern language. The Pyramid Texts are about life and the purpose of the House of Life and the ascension of the king to the onlyt kind of immortality available to humans; being remembered as one of the stars. Stars were used as mnemonics to remember important personages (mostly scientists and metaphysicians) and the imperishable stars were the ultimate ascension for the dead king. He started his journey in the dndndr-boat which took him to 81' 3" where he was cremated and continued his journey on the "smoke of incense". If the real title of the utterances survived (it likely never really existed) it would be "The Rituals of Ascension". It simply concerns the transmogrification of the dead king into a living memory. There was no religion and no magic except what has been created through poor interpretation and modern omniscience.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02-Feb-17 17:26 by cladking.