Pharaoh: Exploring the origins and evolution of

Exploring the origins and evolution of the word Pharaoh , from the ancient Egyptian pr-ˁˁ (per-ah) meaning “Great House” to its later Greek and modern usage. Once a term for the royal palace, it came to symbolise the living embodiment of kingship itself. Pharaoh , originally, the royal palace in ancient Egypt. The word came to be used metonymically for the Egyptian king under the New Kingdom (starting in the 18th dynasty, 1539–1292 BCE), and by the 22nd dynasty (c. 945–c. 730 BCE) it had been adopted as an epithet of respect. It was never the king’s formal title. The word “ pharaoh ” means “Great House,” a reference to the palace where the pharaoh resided. While early Egyptian rulers were called “kings,” over time, the name “ pharaoh ” stuck. As the religious leader of the Egyptians, the pharaoh was considered the divine intermediary between Egyptians and their gods.