"This picture of the social status of the ka-cult officials and others depicted in the elite tomb programs is not surprising. Although information regarding the structure of private mortuary cults is less extensive than that about royal mortuary cults, they seem to have functioned, in many cases, in a similar manner.29 High-ranking officials were typically given priesthoods in royal cults, which conferred status as well as financial rewards, due mainly to the reversion of offerings. These priesthoods were part time, usually a month out of every ten, so that the cult was continuously fully staffed by a rotating group of officiants.30 In this manner, the priests were able to maintain their official jobs in the administration. Ann Roth notes that another benefit of this system for the king was his ability to patronize ten times the number of people, which expanded his circle of loyal supporters and dependents. The same principle applied to service in a private ka-cult, as these ka-priests (and other officiants) received payment in the form of some percentage of the offerings in return for their service, and so were dependent upon and loyal to the tomb owner as their patron. Several texts among the Qubbet el-Hawa programs make this arrangement explicit, mentioning the rights of ka-priests to claim some of the food offerings. And like in the royal cults, the combination of service to the tomb owner and concomitant financial rewards placed the ka-cult officials at a higher status than others not invited to serve."
Community and Identity in AE by Deborah Vischak
