340 Ra’neferefRa’neferef See NEFEREFRÉ.
Ranofer(fl. c. 24th century B.C.E.) Priestly official of the
Fifth Dynasty
He served several pharaohs as a prophet of the gods PTA H
and SOKAR. His famous statues are in the Egyptian
Museum in Cairo. Life-sized and fashioned out of painted
limestone, the statues were found in his SAQQARAtomb
and vividly display the artistic skills of the era.
Raphia This is a site in southwestern Palestine, near
modern Gaza, where PTOLEMY IV PHILOPATOR(r. 221–205
B.C.E.) defeated ANTIOCHUS IIIof Syria. Both sides used
elephant cavalries in this battle. The Egyptians proved
triumphant by using the heavier African elephant in the
engagement, which was decisive for Egypt’s survival.
Rastau (1) This was a term used in early Egyptian his-
torical periods to designate part of the necropolis of
SAQQARAnear MEMPHIS.
rastau(2) This was the name given to small passages
built into pyramids and tombs, extending some distance
in the Great PYRAMIDat GIZA, erected by KHUFU(Cheops;
r. 2551–2528 B.C.E.). They were once believed to be vents
for air circulation, but recent explorations of these pas-
sages by small robots indicate that they do not appear to
reach the outer walls. The passages may have had a spiri-
tual purpose, serving as an entrance to the realms beyond
the grave.
Rawer(fl. 25th century B.C.E.)Priestly official of the
Fifth Dynasty
He served KAKAI(Neferirkaré) (r. 2446–2426 B.C.E.) as a
priest of MINand as a ritual master. Rawer was termed an
indicator of the secret words of the gods, believed to have
great magical powers. His tomb, southwest of the Great
SPHINXin SAQQARA, contained a STELAthat records that
this priest was accidentally struck by Kakai during a reli-
gious ceremony but sustained no injuries. This site is a
vast complex of 20 alcoves and 25 wall corridors. A por-
trait of Rawer was included in the decorations, depicting
him in a loincloth, with a pyramidal apron and a badge
across his chest and shoulders.
Ré He was the major solar deity of the ancient Egyp-
tians, whose cult at HELIOPOLIS, or HERMOPOLIS MAGNA,
developed in the Early Dynastic Period. Ré was the most
popular solar deity of Egypt, and his cult incorporated
many of the attributes and mythology of various other
temples. Ré appeared on the ancient pyramidal stone in
the Phoenix Hall at Heliopolis, as a symbol of rebirth and
regeneration. Ré’s cult concerned itself with material ben-
efits: health, children, virility, and the destiny of the
nation. Representing the sun, the cult was rooted in the
nurturing aspects of nature and light.
The sun was called Khepri at dawn, Ré at noon, and
ATUMat night. As Atum the god was depicted as a human
with a double crown upon his head. As Khepri he took
the form of the sacred beetle. As Ré the god was depicted
as a man with the head of a falcon (or hawk), surmounted
by the cobra and the URAEUS. He was also identified with
HORUS, then called Ré-Horakhty, Ré-Horus. In this form
he was the horizon dweller. At dawn Ré came across the
sky in his SOLAR BOAT, called the “Boat of Millions of
Years,” accompanied by lesser divinities of his train.
The god Ré appeared in the form of Atum in the cre-
ation myths taught at Heliopolis. PTAHis supposed to
have shaped the egg out of which Ré arose. In the other
cosmogonic or creation tales of Egypt, Ré was depicted as
rising as a LOTUSflower from the waters of the abyss. In
turn he begat GEB, the earth, and NUT, the sky. Of these
were born OSIRIS, SET, ISIS, and NEPHTHYS. The waxing and
waning of the moon was the monthly restoration of the
EYE OF RÉby the god Thoth. This eye, alongside the EYE
OF HORUS, became one of the holiest symbols of ancient
Egypt.
Ré was the Living King, as OSIRISwas the Dead King.
During the Old Kingdom the concept of the kings assum-
ing the powers of Ré took root. The kings became the
physical sons of the deity, a concept that would remain
constant throughout Egyptian history. Even ALEXANDER III
THE GREAT after he conquered Egypt with his Greek
armies journeyed to the oasis of SIWAin the LIBYAN DESERT
to be adopted as a son of the god Ré and be given the
powers of the true kings of the Nile. During the New
Kingdom the god AMUNwas united to Ré to become the
most powerful deity in Egypt.Ré, Eye of A pendant considered powerful and used as
a sign of divine protection, the goddess ISISwas associ-
ated with the Eye of Ré in one cultic tradition, and the
deities BUTOand HATHORassumed that mystical form.
The Eye of Ré was considered a spiritual entity that per-
fected the will of the god Ré.rebels of Egypt They were a select group of native
Egyptians who tried to unite their fellow countrymen in
revolts against foreign occupiers of the Nile Valley. In all
of these rebellions the Egyptians failed to support these
self-proclaimed leaders. Most of the rebels were from
THEBES, the traditional area for the rise of warrior princes
over the centuries. NARMER, MONTUHOTEP II, and ’AHMOSE
had risen in their turns to march northward and to
cleanse the land of alien stain. There were no such war-
riors in Egypt in the later eras, and no clans were able to
amass armies in Upper Egypt to repel foreign intruders.
Still, certain individuals began rebellions that were short-
lived but reflected the ancient spirit of the Nile Valley.