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List of pharaohs deified during lifetime

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List of pharaohs deified during lifetime
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In ancient Egypt, it was standard for pharaohs to be worshipped posthumously as transfigured beings amongst the royal ancestors. This was generally performed in the form of a mortuary cult.[1][2] During the pharaoh's lifetime, they were generally recognized as having divine properties, in accordance with imperial cult government. However, it was exceedingly rare for a pharaoh to have a cultic devotion of worshippers during the pharaoh's lifetime. Such followers regarded the pharaoh’s divine status as equivalent to that of a true deity, though only a few pharaohs were honored with formal cult worship. This was usually as a result of successful self-deification attempts typically substantiated by military accomplishment or political leadership.

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Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel, Egypt depicting, from right to left, the god Ra-Horakhty, the deified form of Ramesses II, and the gods Amun Ra and Ptah
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Pharaohs deified during their lifetime

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A few pharaohs have been confirmed to have been honored with cultic worship as deities during their lifetime. Ptolemaic pharaohs were also deified during their lifetime, although the theological context is different from that of the pharaonic era deifications. In Pharaonic Egypt, for a pharaoh to have a cultic devotion during their lifetime was a form of honorific exaltation. Egyptologist Karen Byrson writes:[3]

"Any king could expect to be venerated among the royal ancestors and as a transfigured being after death. Some, however, became the object of more intense and specialized worship in life"

This deification is analogous to how for ancient Egyptian nonroyals, to be posthumously deified was a form of honorific exaltation, as nonroyals were generally not posthumously deified.

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In overview, aside from Senusret III, all confirmed cultic devotion to deified forms of indigenous ancient Egyptian pharaohs occurred within relative chronological proximity to each other. Similarities of those cults has been noted by scholars. Egyptologist Lanny Bell wrote that:[18]

"It is known that both Tutankhamun and Ramesses II patterned their own cults after Amenhotep III in Nubia"

However, a key difference between the cult of Amenhotep III and the Tutankhamun and Ramesses II cults is that Amenhotep III strictly substantiated his cult on political leadership as opposed to military performance. Also, the deification of Ramesses II did not equate himself with Amun, unlike in Tutankhamun's deification, but rather identified Ramesses II as a distinct person in Amun's likeness. Another point to note is that only Senusret III's and Tutankhamun's cults did not co-deify their respective spouses, while virtually all others did.

Also, notably, there is not evidence that Thutmose III, Egypt's most militarily successful pharaoh, was deified during his lifetime.

Pharaohs possibly deified during their lifetimes

There is some evidence or speculation that other pharaohs were deified during their lifetimes.

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Because deification during a pharaoh's lifetime increases a leader's power within their religious circle, it was a sought-after. Various pharaohs attempted self-deification during their lifetime, but not every attempt was successful.

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