مسميات الحرس الملكي في النصوص المصرية

Abstract

The state in Ancient Egypt depended on the central domination of the king in the political, administrative, military and economic affairs. Therefore, the importance of the Royal Guards appeared as they were responsible for the safety and protection of the king, who was the axis of domination in the Egyptian civilization. The great importance of the Royal Guards appeared clearly in the Egyptian texts; for example, we found it in the famous instructions of King Kheti to his son "Meri-ka-re" from the Tenth Dynasty of the First Intermediate Period. Also, it was found in the various texts of the New Kingdom, as in the famous epic text of King Ramesses II on the battle of Kadesh from the Nineteenth Dynasty, where the guards of the king succeed in saving the King's life in the harsh moments of fighting. Hence, I aimed in my research to browse the various names and titles of the Royal Guards, mentioned in the Egyptian texts and titles, from the beginning of the Old Kingdom to the end of the New Kingdom. I divided my research paper into four parts, the first one discussed the principal name of the Royal Guards in the Egyptian texts Smsw, meaning retainers, followers or servants, besides referring to the principal name of the royal guards in the Egyptian texts, ranging from the beginning of the First Intermediate Period and the Middle Kingdom to the various periods of the New Kingdom. In the other three parts of my research paper, I discussed the various names and tides of the Royal Guards in the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom and New Kingdom in the different texts and titles of these respective historical periods.