Tenth International Congress of Egyptologists Abstracts of Papers

XICE – Abstract of Papers
the commonly used designs found on cosmetic items. The scenes on the later bowls
do not fit so clearly into this pattern. Some of the scenes, such as punting and fishing,
can be seen as extensions of the pool designs and the offering scenes reinforce the
idea that they were used to present offerings. But the musicians and monkeys are not
so easily related, although they also are found on cosmetic items. A reassessment of
the range of motifs used and their occurrence elsewhere may provide a unified theme
and interpretation of their function.
Ptolemaic queens in Egyptian temple reliefs:
Intercultural reflections of political authority, or religious imperatives?
Martina Minas-Nerpel
How far was the political authority of the Ptolemaic queens mirrored in Egyptian
temples and how did its patterns fit ancient Egyptian religious imperatives? This
question is made the more difficult by the difference in character between the Greek
evidence (papyri and epigraphic sources) and representations in the indigenous
temples, where Macedonian and Egyptian cultures interacted in order to adapt to the
new political situation.
Ptolemaic queens were shown in Egyptian temples accompanying the king in
various ritual scenes, as deceased queens from Berenike I onwards, and as living or
acting queens from Arsinoe II. Like Egyptian queens of the dynastic period, they
mostly wear traditional Egyptian royal insignia and stand behind the king, generally
in a passive role, with an ankh-sign, a sistrum, or a flower in the hand. In the later
Ptolemaic period, after the queen had gained some power, she could be less passive
and present specific offerings like the king. She could even present them by herself, as
did queen Nefertari in Nineteenth Dynasty. A figure of a king always complemented
the Ptolemaic queens, in an adjacent ritual scene if not in the same one. The Ptolemies
exploited Egyptian conventions and integrated the royal wives, mothers, or daughters
into temple decoration. Where necessary, they modified earlier Egyptian traditions,
for example when the king was married to two powerful wives at the same time, as is
the case with Ptolemy VIII. Some of the requirements and conflicts of the Ptolemaic
dynasty were incorporated into the temple reliefs by means of Egyptian metaphors. In
this way, not only the figures of the kings but also those of the queens contribute
vitally to our understanding of Ptolemaic Egypt. Although Ptolemaic queens
participated decisively in political developments, very few scholars focus on them,
and still fewer on their images and titles in indigenous temples. The royal titles of the
Ptolemaic queens in papyri and in the Egyptian temple inscriptions are quite different.
Their titles in the native context, in particular, have not been studied properly for their
political and religious meaning. Only through a thorough analysis of the titles and a
comparison with papyrological evidence can we understand the image of the
Macedonian queens in the Egyptian temples.
The Ptolemaic queens were shown as co-regents and they could have a Horusname
and even be designated as nswt-bjtj. Even if both the king and the queen were
named “the two Sovereigns of Egypt” (HqA.wj n bAq.t and iTj.wj tA mrj), the queen was
never depicted by herself. While queens always had a male counterpart, kings also
depended on queens. Hardly any ancestor line—a Ptolemaic innovation—or any
dynastic scene that recorded regnal years or venerated the Ptolemaic ancestors was
complete without a figure or the name of a queen. In Egyptian tradition and in
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