Scenes of Officials’ Investiture in Ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom

Abstract

One of the distinctive themes related to the officials‟ career is the rendering of their promotion to higher ranks. This prestigious event was well recognized by the high officials throughout the ancient Egyptian history. Therefore, officials were keen on commemora-ting their installation ceremony by words and pictures on the walls of their private tombs. The research introduces examples of the investiture and reward-investiture scenes to explain and analyze how the officials obtained their positions in Ancient Egypt during the New Kingdom. It also includes an analysis of the main elements constituting the investiture scenes. The key elements include the place of the ceremony, the characters involved, the anointing of officials, the Window of Appearance and the signs of the new office. Related representations are attested since the mid-18th Dynasty in private tombs and rarely on temple walls.