The Religious Foundations of the Legitimacy of King Mentuhotep II's Rule
(2070-2019 BC)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65074/pd306v83Keywords:
Mentuhotep II – legitimacy – deities – power – MontuAbstract
Received: 2026 / 04 / 06
Revision: 2026 / 05 / 18
Accepted: 2026 / 08 / 19
Published: 2026 / 09 / 30
This research highlights the religious foundations of King Mentuhotep II's legitimacy of power and how this king was able to use religion as a means to achieve his goal by carrying out some measures that reinforced this, including his commitment to religious traditions based on polytheism. He used the policy of merging gods with the god Montu, the official state god, and the goal of this was to gain the favor of everyone and the priests at that time. On the other hand, he was interested in building temples and offering sacrifices, in addition to his funerary temple in which he established some funerary rituals in order to ensure his transition to the afterlife. All of this was a basic motive to ensure his legitimacy in power.
References
)) حسين، سليم ، موسوعة مصر القديمة : تاريخ الدولة الوسطى ومدينتها وعلاقتها بالسودان والاقطار الاسيوية والعربية، ج3 ، (القاهرة ، مكتبة الاسرة ، 2000) ص33 .
)) تعد هذه الفترة أكثر غموضاً وأخطرها في مصر القديمة إذ غابت فيها الوحدة السياسية وظهرت الأزمات الاقتصادية والاجتماعية ، وضمت هذ الفترة الأسرة السابعة إلى الأسرة العاشرة ، والتي شهدت ثلاث مراحل الأولى انهيار الدولة القديمة والثانية سيطرة حكام اهانسيا والثالثة انتصار حكام طيبة وتأسيسهم الأسرة الحادية عشر . ينظر : فيوكتر ، حسين ، مصر القديمة بحث ضمن كتاب الشرق الأدنى الحضارة المبكرة : موجز التاريخ السياسي والحضاري لوادي الرافدين ووادي النيل من أقدم العصور التاريخية وحتى اواسط الالف الثاني قبل الميلاد (الموصل : مكتبة دار الكتب والطباعة والنشر ، 1986م)، ص341 – 342 ؛
Brier, B, The History of Ancient Egypt (new york: Coloyright the teching Company, 1999)p. 32-34.
)) بدوي، أحمد في موكب الشمس في تاريخ مصر الفرعونية من آخر الضحى إلى أول الاصيل ، ج2 ، (القاهرة : لجنة التأليف والترجمة والنشر ، 1950م)، ص85 ؛ فخري، أحمد ، مصر الفرعونية (القاهرة ، المكتبة الانجلو المصرية ، 1986)، ص188 ؛ دريتون ، اتين ، وفانديه ، جاك ، مصر ، ترجمة : عباس بيومي (القاهرة : النهضة المصرية ، 1947) ص244 .
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