Pražské Egyptologické Studie (Dec 2016)
Old Kingdom sun cult on the basis of theophoric anthroponyms
Abstract
Beliefs connected to the sun formed a significant part of the ancient Egyptian religion. Even in the Old Kingdom there were a number of gods with solar aspects: Re, Khepri, Atum, Horus, Sokar, Akhti, Nemti, Nefertem, Weneg, or Shu. Their characteristics are mainly studied on the basis of religious texts, but theophoric anthroponyms may provide some additional insights. This study summarizes the personal names mentioning one of these divinities and attempts to investigate solar beliefs on the basis of this perspective. The analysis demonstrates that the majority of these gods were used as an element in the anthroponyms. On the other hand, some of them are not attested in the personal names at all: Khepri, Atum, Weneg, Shu. It seems that the reason for this lay in the fact that the ancient people perhaps needed deities who were able to help them in many matters of their lives. That is why they chose powerful and protective deities, whereas the more abstract served the theologians and royal sphere.
