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the country while he was in the presence of the ruler. The honorific títle of Ptahem¬
wia (1) hrj-sst3 n W3d.tj ‘master of secrets of the two cobra goddesses’, the second part
of which can only refer to the ruler himself, represents and emphasizes the intimate
relationship with the king very well, and the responsibility and virtue of someone
serving in a highly trusted position with undoubted loyalty towards his lord. The
service required these officials’ loyalty and the ability to keep things secret, since if
they did otherwise, they would have fallen out of the favour with their lord immediately,
and as they were in a rather high position, they would have had a lot to lose. This
situation could be the main basis of the loyalty of the official towards his lord. At the
same time, a sort of interdependence can be observed as it was not only the officials
who depended on the power of the ruler, but the ruler himself was dependent on the
individuals with whom he had surrounded himself, since they ensured his safety, and
directed other people and things that could reach the immediate presence of the ruler,
thus their reliability was extremely important.
11.4.1, The issue of titles related to growing up in the royal palace and military activity
The background in regard to choosing certain individuals for this position of trust re¬
mains unclear. Helck suggests’? that many ‘royal wb3s’ during the 18" dynasty were
former pages who had grown up together with the king in one of the royal palaces and
later held the honorific title hrd n k3p ‘child of the kap’. The idea seems plausible, however,
there are only seven individuals in the present corpus of ‘royal wb3s’ who bore this title:
Djehuti (I), Neferperet, Maaninakhtef, luti and Setau during the 18" dynasty, Hesinetjeref
during the 19" dynasty, and Meriremetjef, who cannot be dated more precisely within
the New Kingdom. Considering the total number of the officials, which is one hundred
and two, or even the twenty-seven of them who served during the 18" dynasty, these seven
individuals by whom the title Ard n k3p ‘child of the kap’ is attested do not support
Helck’s supposition unequivocally. Following the idea of his connection with the king
during the youth of the official or at the beginning of his career, titles connected to the
military sphere can also shed some light on the source of confidential relationship with
the ruler. “Royal wb3s’ frequently attended their lords on his military campaigns, at least
79 Helck, 1958, 270.