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 This coming autumn, the Arab World Institute is to present a major exhibition devoted to the Pharaohs, sovereigns of Egypt, divine kings with multiple appearances and multiple functions. THE THEME The Pharaoh was more than just a sovereign. He was Head of State, but also a god, a priest-king and a victorious warrior, a man and father who continued to be venerated long after his death. Cheops (4th dynasty, 2551- 2528 BC), Chephren (4th dynasty, 2520- 2494 BC), Akhenaton (18th dynasty, 1350 - 1333 BC), Tutankhamun (18th dynasty, 1333 - 1323 BC), Ramses II (19th dynasty, 1279 - 1212 BC), … there are few sovereigns in history who have inspired such fascination, both in terms of the empires they built and the grandeur, magnificence and glory of their reigns. The Pharaoh was master of the earth and the universe, God among Gods and man protected by the Gods, a king with unlimited powers over the lands of the Nile Valley, from Sudan to Lower Egypt. The land of the Pharaohs, a huge unified territory (the two kingdoms of the upper Nile Valley and the Delta were united in around 3300 BC) came into being in the third millennium BC. The Pharaoh reigned at the summit of this empire. He guaranteed stability in the world, and all power was concentrated in his hands. Heir to the gods, he was the mediator between the worlds of earth and heaven. His emblems, his specific crowns and his varied appearances (animal, divine child, victorious warrior) proclaimed his divine essence. The universe was under the Pharaoh’s responsibility, mandated on earth by the gods to fight the forces of evil and chaos. This is how the Egyptians saw the world order. The Pharaoh managed and administrated the country, protecting it from internal strife and outside threats. He had many temples built with imposing façades decorated with impressive statues in his likeness, statues of an ever-victorious conqueror. The Pharaoh was also the master of time, since the start of his reign corresponded to a new era that ended with his death. A change of reign had a cosmic significance. The death of a king meant the order of the universe was threatened by chaos, but the advent of a new king renewed the original creation and re-established the balance of nature. A god among the gods, the Pharaoh was also a man of privilege, dividing his time between the arts and the pleasures of life. Numerous texts and archaeological remains relate the daily life of the Pharaoh's court, the official voyages he undertook along the Nile valley, and his warring expeditions. In his private life, the Pharaoh was surrounded by a huge family - each sovereign had several wives and even more numerous children - as well as numerous courtiers and servants. The Pharaoh lived in the glorious and comfortable surroundings of sumptuous palaces set among flower gardens and ornamental pools. This did not prevent plots, intrigues in the harem, and murders... The rapid succession of kings, recorded in the archives of ancient Egypt, shows that despite his aura, the Pharaoh shared the vagaries of life with common mortals. THE EXHIBITION The exhibition retraces the major periods in the history of monumental Egypt, the fruit of the Pharaoh's power. An introduction is provided by a gallery of portraits and effigies of Pharaohs whose personalities marked the different empires, which will have been brought together for the first time. Next, the different facets of the Pharaoh will be highlighted through some 200 pieces, mainly dating from the New Empire (circa 1550 - 1069 BC), one of the most brilliant periods of ancient Egypt for which abundant information is available: Pharaoh, - God among the gods - Priest-king - Victorious warrior - Head of State - Man in his palace The death of the Pharaoh will mark the end of the exhibition, revealing the sumptuous treasures of the Tanis kings, heirs to the kings of the New Empire, which bear witness to the grandiose funeral cult that centred on Pharaoh and his journey to the next world. In the spirit of its major heritage exhibitions, the Arab World Institute is to focus on showing who these exceptional monarchs were whose myth and heritage still survive today with such strength and vivacity, after so many centuries and millennia. Some 200 major works - over half of which are to be on loan from the Cairo museum - will be presented for the first time in France, such as the colossus of Tutankhamun, an incredible 3-metre high statue, and will build an awe-inspiring museum tour that will be carefully staged and documented through the pages of a catalogue, to which the best specialists are to contribute.
PRICES
For more information: Egyptian Chronology (in french) |
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