Joe's Pharaoh Jubilee
In ancient Egypt, numerology was a respected practice, and the number thirty
(30) was considered a sacred number. Thus, when an individual reached the
age of thirty, this was considered a blessing (mostly due to the fact that
life for the average ancient Egyptian was nasty, brutish, and short; thus
thirty was likely 'very old') and was appropriately celebrated.
Similarly, when the pharaoh reached thirty years of age and/or when the
pharaoh had ruled for thirty years, the empire would celebrate the event
with a Jubilee, called a sed festival. Obelisks and stelae were
erected in the pharaoh's honor, feasts and other celebrations were thrown,
and most importantly, the pharaoh engaged in several feats of skill,
strength, warfare, and endurance in order to prove his fitness and
divinely-granted right to rule Egypt.
In his scholarly pursuits, my brother Tom happened upon this tradition
and thought it would be a novel way to celebrate his thirtieth birthday.
Since I am older than he is (and thus would reach thirty first), and since
I agreed it was a heck of an idea, I asked him if I could borrow it for
my own thirtieth birthday. He agreed (no doubt letting me "test run"
the idea and work out the kinks) and thus on June 15th, 2002 my friends
and family gathered at my house for Joe Shidle's Pharaoh Jubilee.
(My actual birthday is April 26th. However, it was deemed that April
might be a little too unseasonable for an outdoor bash, and June would
be a lot more so. This proved to be fortuitous, since the Saturday
after April 26th (which would have been the party date) was windy and
bitterly cold, and it was raining sideways. Erica, you are a genius.)
Food was provided, drinks were dispensed, and fun was had by all. But
most importantly, the Pharaoh proved his fitness to rule. Below is the
photographic record of the mighty Pharaoh doing so.
The Pharaoh succeeded in both Feats of Strength. The Pharaoh defeated two challengers in the First Feat of Skill and one challenger in the Third Feat of Skill. The Pharaoh was defeated in the Second Feat of Skill by his brother, the Crown Prince. The Pharaoh allowed him to live. HOW GRACIOUS IS THE PHARAOH? In the Feat of Archery and Charioteering, the Pharaoh made three passes at three targets; the Pharaoh was nine for nine.
Thus proving his fitness to rule as Shidlehotep III. Look upon his works, ye Mighty, and despair.
