53 1 Temple reliefs depicting the Sed festival Old Kingdom, Fifth Dynasty, reign of Nyuserre, c. 2402–2374 BCE Limestone, painted (a) H. 104.5, W. 50, D. 28.5 cm; (b) H. 54.5, W. 48.5, D. 14.5 cm; (c) H. 49, W. 60, D. 14.5 cm; (d) H. 88, W. 88, D. 20 cm; (e) H. 109, W. 79.5, D. 25 cm; (f ) H. 54.5, W. 32, D. 16 cm Findspot: Abu Gurab, Sun Temple of King Nyuserre, 1899–1901 Excavations led by Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing Donated by Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing, Munich and Agg, in 1912 (a – c) and in 1934 (d – f ) Skulpturensammlung, Inv. nos. (a) Aeg 742, (b) Aeg 743, (c) Aeg 744, (d) Aeg 745, (e) Aeg 746, (f ) Aeg 747 These six reliefs come from the Sun Temple of King Nyuserre at Abu Gurab. They depict scenes from the so-called large and small Sed festival cycles. The first relief (a) shows the king wearing the special royal regalia for the Sed festival. He wears a short cloak, usually ending above the knee, with a shoulder-cut neckline, and his arms are covered. On his head he usually wears the White or Red Crown, which were later assigned to the regions of Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt respectively. In his hands he holds the royal sceptres, the crook and flail. The other reliefs (b-e) depict priests and royal officials accompanying the king at the feast, sometimes with music (e), or bringing the royal carrying chair (d). The Sun Temple of Nyuserre was built at Abu Gurab, between Abusir and Giza. Like a pyramid complex, this assemblage of structures included a valley temple located close to the Nile, the main temple on the terraced desert plateau, and a connecting causeway. The main temple is surrounded by a rectangular enclosing wall. In its open courtyard was an offering altar and, on a podium about 12 m high, there was a 20–25 m high obelisk, a colossal pillar with a pyramid-shaped top. A covered gallery on the south and east side led to the entrance in the base of the obelisk. The walls of the gallery were decorated with the large Sed festival cycle and, in the rear section, the famous reliefs depicting the seasons, some of which are now in Berlin. In front of the entrance to the base was a small chapel, which was decorated with the reliefs of the small Sed festival cycle. This is interpreted as a vestibule providing direct access to the base of the obelisk. These two access routes of different lengths thus each offered a version of the Sed festival that accorded with the length of the route. Sun Temples were built only in the Fifth Dynasty. They were used for the cultic worship of the sun god Re, of his wife Hathor, and of the respective monarch who commissioned them, both during his lifetime and afterwards. The Sed festival is documented as the most important royal festival from the Early Dynastic down to the Ptolemaic Period. It served to revitalise royal power and was usually celebrated after 30 years of the monarch’s reign, and thereafter at shorter intervals. The exact sequence of events at a Sed festival is disputed, as textual sources are lacking. A common suggestion is: 1. Foundation rituals, 2. Inspection of the construction work and census of cattle, 3. Initial procession, 4. Lion furniture procession, 5. Homage scenes, 6. Min procession and Wepwawet procession with ritual run performed by the king (Min and Wepwawet are deities), 7. Census of cattle and presentation to the gods, 8. Scene depicting the washing of feet, 9. Bringing of the carrying chair and the king taking his seat in it, and 10. Procession of the carrying chair. A key element was probably the Sed festival run, a ritual run which the king performed while wearing the White Crown and holding the flail or the mekes staff in his hands. This was to demonstrate his good physical condition. Most probably, the depictions at the Sun Temple of Nyuserre do not depict a real Sed festival, and no such celebration was actually held there – that is because there is no evidence that Nyuserre reigned for 30 years. Moreover, unlike other Sed festival depictions, these reliefs do not name any of the protagonists apart from the king. Hence, the images instead reflect the king’s desire for eternal rule. MG Selected Bibliography: (a) Bissing/Kees 1928: sheet 12 no. 225; cat. Dresden 1977: 31 f. no. 7; cat. Leipzig 1989: no. 5; cat. Dresden 1993: 10, 16 with fig.; (b) Bissing/ Kees 1928: sheet 7 no. 177; cat. Dresden 1977: 31 no. 5; cat. Leipzig 1989: no. 3 with fig.; cat. Dresden 1993: 10, 16 with fig.; (c) Bissing/Kees 1928: sheet 2 no. 116; cat. Dresden 1977: 31 no. 3; cat. Leipzig 1989: no. 1; cat. Dresden 1993: 10; (d) Bissing/Kees 1923: sheet 15 no. 38; cat. Dresden 1977: 31 no. 2, fig. 8; cat. Dresden 1993: 10; (e) Bissing/Kees 1928: sheet 3 no. 118; cat. Dresden 1977: 4, fig. 11; cat. Leipzig 1989: no. 2; cat. Dresden 1993: 10; (f ) Bissing/Kees 1928: sheet 12 no. 221; cat. Dresden 1977: 31 no. 6; cat. Leipzig 1989: no. 4; cat. Dresden 1993: 10 Literature: cat. Munich 2010; Kaiser 1956; Kaiser 1971; Nuzzolo 2018; Voß 2004
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