El servidor del ka en el Reino Antiguo: funciones y contextos de participación.

Abstract

The present work aims at studying the figure of the ka-servant during the chronological period of the Old Kingdom (Third to Sixth Dynasties). By selecting a wide range of sources, we undertake the reconstruction of the main features that defined this title, deepening into its specific roles and the contexts in which they were exercised. The nature of the sources has imposed on us an iconographic approach, which, combined with a textual analysis, has allowed for the highest possible performance of the available evidence. Thus, the ka-servant is revealed as an essential character in implementing the funerary religion during the Old Kingdom. His main role was to perform the due mortuary cult to non-royal deceased, guaranteeing their well-being through the delivery of offerings. Despite his generic character, his status as a member of the tomb owner’s household marked him, in addition, as an active party in managing the properties of the deceased and an officiant to guarantee the required products in the funerary cult. The organizational structure of the cults shows a diverse situation, adaptable to different circumstances. Starting with the ideal represented by the funerary cult of the kings, each owner adapted the system to their financial possibilities, generating out of this model a series of organizational strategies.