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Fig. 41 Pole tops including 1. Forked ending, 2. cult shrine, 4. crescent moon (de Meyer and Minas-Nerpel 2013, TAFEL XXII)
The eight pole-climbers can also be considered unusual. A chronological evolution can be
recognised here as well. In the early scenes they are depicted in a realistic manner, wrapping their
arms and legs around the pole while climbing them. In the Graeco-Roman scenes the men are
shown as if walking up against the poles, as if they are ladders. The scene in Shenhur resemble
neither of these depictions. In Shenhur the men seem to hang onto the poles by their arms, while
their legs are not attached to the pole at all, but are dangling beneath them (de Meyer and Minas-
Nerpel 2013, 153).
Fig. 42 Pole-climbers, including 1. realistic, 2. walking up against pole, 3. legs not attached to pole (de Meyer and Minas-Nerpel
2013, TAFEL XXII)
Pole-raising was not a sportive competition, but a ritual. It was dedicated to raising the pole of the
cult chapel of Min, which was often depicted behind the god, which is also the case in Shenhur. It
was probably a festival, either related to the temple or the local people, in the form of a folk
festival. The symbolic function of the ritual was for the king to ensure the continuation of the Min
cult and to demonstrate his power over the subdued people of the south and the desert regions,
with which Min was associated. Min is associated with fear, he is the god that inflicts terror and
scares away enemies with his strength. The king overtake the divine characteristics of Min, which is