摘要
The problem of the periodic character of the sod-festival, as with other aspects of this mysterious ceremony, has long been discussed and is still the subject of debate. This ritual was intended to be celebrated by the king, normally after a reign of thirty years had elapsed -- the so-called "thirty-year principle," --which is taken by general consent to be a significant feature of the sed-festival. Yet, there is disagreement as to how to use records relating to the sed-festival in chronological studies on account of the fact that a number of records of the sed-festival are dated prior to the thirtieth regnal year of the king. Due to our hunger and need for datable sources, none the less, historians cannot always resist the temptation to assess the length of a king's reign on the basis of the sed-festival records, sometimes even though only scant evidence is available.
I. Introduction The problem of the periodic character of the sed-festival, as with other aspects of this mysterious ceremony, has long been discussed and is still the subject of debate. This ritual was intended to be celebrated by the king, normally after a reign of thirty years had elapsed - the