Scenes of Ramesses II's celebration of the sed festival on the temples walls

Abstract EN

The Hb sd was one of the most important secular festivals, although it wasn't included in the festival calendars.

the ancient Egyptian kings performed their celebrations with sed festival after their first thirty years of reign.

but not all kings waited for thirty years, as they celebrated its rituals before completing thirty of their reign, and after the first celebration every three years the king could commemorate the sed festival like Ramesses II who celebrated the sed festival 14 times.

this research is concerned with studying the scenes of the Hb sd celebration during the reign of king Ramesses II, who celebrated many times with the sed festival more than any other king.

this study depends on visual evidences.

the research exposed the scenes of the different Hb sd rituals dating to reign of Ramesses II and its different purposes and its significance like the rituals of purification, running ceremonies, receiving the Hb sd sign, driving the four calves and presenting the four meret chests, and lastly the coronation ritual, the research also exposed the Hb sd shrine of Ramesses II at Arab El Hisn which proves that Ramses II actually celebrated the Sed festival and was not just scenes recorded on the temples walls.

this research applies descriptive and analyzing methodology .the research ended by mentioning the most important results like that Ramesses II recorded on his temples walls most of the iconographical evidences which refer to the rituals performed in the Hb sd more than any other king, especially on the southern wall of the great Hypostyle hall of the great temple of Amun at El Karnak.