Book Review
The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary
Hussein Bassir
Writings from the Ancient World, Volume 33: Book Title: The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary
Author: Ronald J. Leprohon
Publisher: Society of Biblical Literature Year of 2013 Publication: ISBN: 978-158-983-735-5
No. of Pages: 291
Ancient Egyptian royal titulary is a very structure upon which the whole state and society interesting subject, although some may think were based on in ancient Egypt. Among the most that there is nothing new to be added to the important symbols of authority and power is the corpus of scholarly literature about this topic. titulary that the king assumed for himself at the This excellent volume proves that this is not time of his coronation, thereby associating him the case. In ancient Egypt, names had symbolic with the divine world. meaning, were given to endure and exist eternally, The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal and played an important role in defining the Titulary by Ronald J. Leprohon, Professor of self and characterizing the individual identity Egyptology at the University of Toronto, is a in Egyptian society. Egyptian names, whether comprehensive approach to the subject of ancient royal or non-royal, belong to a very rich field Egyptian royal titulary. The main previous studies of study and highlight the Egyptian language, on the topic are Gauthier, Quirke, Clayton, literature, history, social and economic trends, Von Beckerath, and Dessoudeix. Gauthier royalty, nobility, titles of honor, actual titles, self- (1907-1916), Von Beckerath (1999), and presentation, individualism, and the concept Quirke (1990). They do not offer translations of identity. The institution of kingship and in French, German, or English. Clayton (1994) its principal figure, the pharaoh, are the main does not present or translate all royal names,
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while Dessoudeix (2008) offers only a French only the names of the Kushite Pharaohs of the translation. Therefore, what new does this book Twenty‑fifth Dynasty who ruled over Egypt are present? Leprohon, in contrast to previous included. studies, includes all Egyptian kings’ names for The author employs the traditional around three millennia from Dynasty 0 (ca. 3200 transliteration of English-speaking scholars, BCE) to the last Ptolemaic ruler in the late first using Gardiner. In addition to the map of century BCE with translations in English. This Egypt, the book’s illustrations include Figure 11: book does not include a transcription of the royal Fivefold titulary of the Eighteenth Dynasty King, names in hieroglyphs; however, if it did, it would Tuthmose I; and Figure 14: and Serekh of the First add essential information and make it unique Dynasty King, Djet. This volume also contains a among the publications on the same topic. chronological table, abbreviations, bibliography, After the preface, the book is composed of a indices of names of kings, deities, personal lengthy and informative introduction. Leprohon names, subjects, sources, three appendices of here explains in detail his approach to the royal names, an alphabetical list of kings, and topic. He sheds light on audience and previous Greek‑Egyptian equivalents of royal names. scholarship of the subject matter, the sources At the end, the book presents concordances that he uses, and his notes on the translation. containing texts in Urkunden IV and texts in In a concise and elaborate section, he offers Kitchen and Ramesside inscriptions. mindful insights on names and their importance Leprohon developed an interest in ancient in ancient Egyptian culture, introducing and Egyptian names over many years, and he citing fundamental Egyptian verbs, terms, translated more than one-thousand names in epithets, and phraseology related to names from this volume. As an outstanding philologist, the Egyptian sources, and the desire of their holders author uses Egyptian grammar to defend the to be remembered. Then after some introductory other choices of the rendering of some royal remarks on the composition of royal names and names that he offers. In order not to confuse the who chooses and proclaims the titulary of the reader, the author prefers to give one rendering, king, he discusses at length the five names of the rather than several choices. His history enfolds in king: the Horus Name, the Two Ladies’ Name, a fairly clear and straightforward linear manner. the Golden Horus Name, the Throne Name, and This book deals with the structure and historical the Birth Name. development of royal names, and presents new The author introduces each historical period insights into the reading and interpretation of in the other chapters of his book in a brief and Egyptian royal names. informative essay. The names of the kings are The Horus Name was the first of the king’s full presented in chronological order. However, five-fold titulary in the First Dynasty, established Leprohon’s corpus does not include the names by the Middle Kingdom and utilized by Egyptian of queens except for the ruling queens, such as kings thereafter. Then the Golden Horus Name Nitocris, Sobeknefru, Hatshepsut, Tawosret, appeared during the reign of King Den, followed Arsinoe II, Berenike II, Cleopatra I, Cleopatra by ‘The One Who Belongs to Upper and Lower II, Berenike, and Cleopatra VII. Moreover,
32 Abgadiyat 2014