Petosiris, «The Pharaoh»: A Usurper or a Restorer of the Order?

In the textual inscriptions of the inner chapel of the Τomb of Petosiris at Tuna ᾽el-Gebel and in the iconography of the outer halls of the facade there are several traces of the use by this high priest of epithets and expressions associated with the pharaonic protocol, as well as the performance of typical functions and ritual acts traditionally performed by the Egyptian pharaoh. Never before had been witnessed such political audacity. Does the disappearance of the traditional indigenous central power, close, strong and effective, caused by the Second Persian Domination, and the political and administrative disorders around the ancient city of Hermopolis Magna explain this usurpation of functions and privileges? Is this merely a case of abuse of potestas sacerdotalis? Are we before an exceptional example of priestly consciousness due to the decline of the traditional pharaonic royal model?