“继承神秘剧”的展演:古埃及王权继承仪式探析

Performing the Mystery Play of the Succession:The Rituals of Succession to the Throne in Ancient Egypt

西方学者以往主要在仪式理论框架内,从宗教学角度研究古埃及王权继承仪式。要准确理解古埃及王权继承仪式的实践意义,还需要将人类学与历史学分析方法结合起来,考察登基仪式和加冕仪式。一般情况下,登基仪式和加冕仪式分别在特定的时间举行,具有各自的仪式程序。登基仪式的根本意义在于王位继承者获得王位,掌握王权。加冕仪式则是对登基和王权继承的认可。它们的产生和发展是由王权统治、社会文化观念及其实践以及农业生产活动等多种因素促成的。它们成功地将宗教与世俗两个方面糅合起来,通过仪式场面、象征物、浮雕和铭文,在国王与神祗之间建立起神圣关系,使国王的身份和统治神圣化。它们还在全国范围内确认了国王的各种权力,强化民族认同、凝聚社会力量,对于维护和延续古埃及王权统治发挥了重要作用。古埃及近3000年的王权统治与这种仪式的举行和宣传有着密切关系。

In the past,Western scholars tended to study Ancient Egyptian rituals of succession to the throne within the framework of ritual theory and from the perspective of religious studies.To gain an accurate appreciation of the practical significance of this ritual,however,we need to examine the enthronement and coronation rituals using a combination of the methods of anthropological and historical analysis.The two rituals were generally held separately at specific times in accordance with specific procedures.The basic meaning of the enthronement ceremony was that the successor to the throne was now king and was possessed of kingly authority.The coronation ceremony signified acceptance of the king' s enthronement and his assumption of kingly power.The two ceremonies developed from many elements including kingly power,social and cultural concepts,and associated practices,as well as agricultural production activities.Successfully combining both the sacred and the profane,they used ritual spectacles,symbolic objects,relief carvings and tomb inscriptions to set up a sacred relationship between the king and the gods that would sanctify his position and rule.Furthermore,they established the various powers of the king throughout his realm and strengthened national identity and the cohesion of social forces.They thus played a very important role in maintaining and extending ancient Egypt and kingly rule.The survival of Ancient Egyptian kingship for nearly 3000 years was closely bound up with the performance and dissemination of these two rituals.