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The Scorpion macehead: new aspects of reading the monument
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Yury Sergeevich Reunov
Centre for Egyptological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences (CES RAS), Moscow
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Submitted:
September 22, 2025
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Abstract.
The paper examines the semiotic and psychological aspects of the perception of relief images synthesizing the archetypes of the Warrior and the Creator, using the example of the decoration of the Scorpion macehead, a key monument of pre-dynastic Egypt (c. 3200-3000 BC). The aim of the study is to identify the mechanisms of psychological impact embedded in the visual narrative of the macehead of King Scorpion and to determine their role in constructing the ideology of sacred power in pre-dynastic Egypt. The scientific novelty lies in the application of an interdisciplinary approach at the intersection of the psychology of art, semiotics, and Egyptology to analyze visual mechanisms of influence on the collective consciousness. The study found that the decoration of the monument synthesizes the archetypes of the Warrior and the Creator, using a hierarchy of scales and ritual context to assert the superhuman status of the ruler. It is shown that the mace functioned as an instrument for consolidating elites and ritually affirming world order, rather than as a means of mass propaganda, which reveals the early stages of the formation of political communication strategies in Ancient Egypt.
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Key words and phrases:
булава царя Скорпиона
додинастический период
ритуальное оружие
легитимация власти
macehead of King Scorpion
pre-dynastic period
ritual weapon
legitimation of power
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