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Ancient Egyptians > Mid term > Flashcards

Mid term Flashcards

1
Q

Egypt in Africa

A

Bordered today by:
Libya to the west
Sudan to the south
Mediterranean Sea to the north
Red Sea/Gaza Strip/Israel to the east
Over 1 million km2
Population over 80 million
Vast majority live close to the Nile
Complex socio-political history
Mixture of culture, religion, western ways of life
Tourism is a major source of income
Recent political troubles
Vast majority of the country is desert, major source of water is the Nile River
Flooding occurred between July and October every year
(summer = Akhet)
Water levels measured with “Nilometers”
Unpredictable annually
Water levels measured with “Nilometers”
Used to evaluate farmers’ taxes
Also used to predict drought
Productive strip of land on either side of river
Black Land = Kemet
Provided farmland to sustain state level society
Line between farmland/desert is very clear-cut
Desert is Red Land = Deshret
(Superstition)
Provided most protein requirements in the form of fish, eels, birds, etc
Mud for mud brick
Most commoners used this material
Still used today in many places (rural)
Some dangers:
Winds, shallows
Difficult to navigate
Cataracts: Impassable rocky areas, rapids
Nile Crocodiles
(still plentiful)
Revered by ancient Egyptians
Hippos
Ivory was highly valued
But this is the #1 animal killer of humans in Africa!
Parasitic infections(Schistosomiasis)
Cataracts on the Nile
Dangerous for shipping
Six in total, first is near modern Aswan (rest in Sudan)
General boundary for ancient Egypt
Provided defence from riverine attacks from the south
Libyan Desert to the west also provided some protection
Danger from marauders, spirits
Plenty of resources: sandstone, granite, amethyst, copper, and gold
In modern day flooding no longer happens
Completion of Aswan Dam and Lake Nasser in 1968
Required major international archaeological rescue effort
100,000 people displaced
Movement of Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel

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2
Q

Nile

A

Major transportation route
Flows north from Eastern Africa into Mediterranean
White Nile (Uganda/Rwanda) combines with Blue Nile (Ethiopia)
Longest River in the world, at approximately 6,700 km
Drainage basin covers over 3.2 million sq. km

The Nile Delta
Formed via deposit of sediment over time
Today has two drainage channels
In ancient times there were five channels
Very wet marshland, lots of papyrus
Also protection from invasion
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3
Q 
B.C. 
B.C.E. 
A.D. 
C.
E. 
B.P.
A 
B.C. = before Christ
B.C.E. = before common era
e.g. 2,500 B.C.	         
A.D. = Anno domini (after death of Christ)
C.E. = common era
B.P. = before present

First Millennium BC: 1-1,000 BC (or 2-3,000 years ago)
First Century BC: 1-100 BC (or 2,001 – 2,100 years ago)
Third Millennium BC: 3-4,000 BC (or 5-6,000 years ago)

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4
Q

Why are we so interested in and fascinated by ancient Egypt?

A

-source of fascination for travelers
-monumental architecture
(control of labour)
-ancient hieroglyphs
-gold and other wealth
-desert landscape

-how did they thrive in such an environment?
Evidence: archaeology
-Egyptian inscriptions
-historical documents by Greeks and others
-art work
-geophysical work

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5
Q

Egypt

A
  • Egyptian priest Manetho
  • 3rd century BC
  • only excerpts survive
  • framework for history (31 dynasties)
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6
Q

Herodotus

A
  • Greek historian visited in 5th century BC
  • collected information from priests etc.
  • The Histories (Book two)
  • questionable at times, but important source
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7
Q

Strabo

A
  • Historian visited around time of Christ
  • Spent years at Alexandria
  • Described city in great detail
  • Museum, library, harbours, lighthouse
  • Library at Alexandria one of the most important in the world

-modern underwater archaeologists are using Strabo’s work as a guide

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8
Q

Emperor Hadrian

A
  • arrived AD 130
  • spent time at Alexandria
  • one of many emperors that took obelisk back to Rome
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9
Q

Early Egypt

A
  • post Roman Empire Europe forgot about Egypt
  • Egypt: Islamic country ca. AD 640 (predom. Christian before)
  • Middle Ages: Christian interpretations of Egypt (Joseph’s granaries)
  • 17th century religious expeditions
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10
Q

Father Vansleb

A

sent by French govt. to collect coins and papyri

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11
Q

Father Sicard

A

first scientific maps of Egypt

-noted open tombs in Valley of the Kings

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12
Q

Richard Pococke

A

visits in 1730s

  • Describes Valley of the Kings in great detail
  • mapped pyramids at Giza
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13
Q

Frederick Norden

A

published more accurate account in 1755

  • Travels in Egypt and Nubia
  • Widely read
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14
Q

James Bruce

A

first copy of a scene in a tomb

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15
Q

Napoleon Bonaparte

A

1798 Napoleon Bonaparte mounts expedition to Egypt

  • assembled team of 160 scholars
  • aim was to study Egypt past and present
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16
Q

Commission on Arts and Sciences

A
  • stranded after defeat in battle
  • French Commission on Arts and Sciences spent next three years mapping whole country
  • described monuments, sites, flora, fauna and people
  • established the French Institute
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17
Q

Baron Denon

A
  • Baron Denon part of expedition
  • good illustrator
  • published popular account in 1802
  • huge blockbuster, 40 editions, several languages
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18
Q

Description de l’Egypte

A

-later 20 volume set,
Description de l’Egypte

  • published 1809-1828
  • lavishly illustrated
  • for the first time allowed scholars and laymen to “see” Egypt
  • wave of Egyptomania across Europe
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19
Q

-town of Rashid (Rosetta)& Hieroglyphs

A

-AD 1799 during Napoleonic expedition soldiers discover large basalt slab with writing

-three different texts:
Hieroglyphs
Coptic Egyptian
Ancient Greek
-assumption: same document in different languages
  • four individuals begin the race to decipher the hieroglyphic text
  • no progress for 20 years
  • decree marking the anniversary of coronation of Ptolemy V (196 BC)
  • first clue: recognizing Ptolemy’s name in hieroglyph

Champollion
De Sacy
Young
Akerblad
-first clue: recognizing Ptolemy’s name in hieroglyph(Cartouche)
-breakthrough: Champollion realizes hieroglyphs convey both idea and sound

  • eventually cracked the “code”
  • announced in lecture 1822
  • paved the way for Egyptology
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20
Q

after Napoleonic expedition

A
  • after Napoleonic expedition intense interest in Egyptian antiquities
  • large scale looting and dealing

-lucrative trade, rival gangs,
nations

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21
Q

Bernardino Drovetti

A
  • early dealer: Bernardino Drovetti
  • Consul General
  • significant collections sold to European museums, including statue of Ramesses II
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22
Q

Henry Salt

A
  • British Consul General
  • did the same as bernadino Drovetti, sold much to the Louvre
  • picked his right hand man: Giovanni Belzoni
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23
Q

-Giovanni Belzoni

A
  • Salt: move fallen bust of Ramesses II and transport to England
  • using system of levers and pulleys, he was eventually successful
  • waiting for transport ship, he copied/painted reliefs in tomb of Seti I
  • received critical acclaim
  • was Belzoni a tomb robber and looter?
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24
Q

John Gardener Wilkinson

A

The Founders of Egyptology

  • 19th century saw more scholars traveling to Egypt
  • John Gardener Wilkinson arrived 1821
  • 12 years studying sites in Egypt and Nubia
  • Karnak, Valley of the Kings, others

Epigraphy- study of ancient inscriptions

  • made exact copies of texts
  • Kings List
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25
Q

Carl Lepsius

A

The Founders of Egyptology
Lepsius (arrived 1842)

  • recorded monuments
  • published very popular book
  • describes sites no longer existent
  • made Berlin Museum a major player in Egyptology
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26
Q

August Mariette

A

(1850)

  • studied hieroglyphs also
  • ended up at Saqarra at Serapaeum

valley temple of Khafre

  • excavated 1853-58
  • masterpiece of Old Kingdom: statue of Khafre
  • founded Egypt Museum
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27
Q

Apis Bulls

A

-sometimes used very bad excavation technique (dynamite)

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28
Q

Amelia Edwards

A

(writer)

  • Set up Egypt Exploration Fund (Society)
  • funded excavation, restoration
  • helped establish first Chair in Egyptology at University College, London
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29
Q

-Sir Flinders Petrie

A

Modern Egyptology

  • Begins with hiring of Chair at UCL
  • Learned survey and mapping from father
  • surveyed pyramids at Giza
  • unprecedented precision
  • horrified by Mariette’s work in Khafre’s temple
  • Petrie excavates important sites at Naqada, Tell el-Amarna and others
  • granted permission to dig Abydos 1899
  • collected names of all Kings in First Dynasty and worked out order of reign
  • excavated tomb of King Djer
  • found mummified arm (later discarded) with bracelets
  • treated his workers well, unlike others
  • had genuine interest in people of ancient Egypt, not just their loot
  • had reputation for doing whatever it takes
  • e.g sleeping on bus, along with wife
  • sparse conditions
  • major contribution was pottery typology
  • worked out chronological order of pottery types
  • seriation
  • important contribution to Egyptian chronology
  • still in use today
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30
Q

Gertrude Caton Thompson

A

Modern Egyptology
-conducted several scientific excavations starting 1924

  • discovered earliest known Neolithic culture
  • later worked on older sites
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31
Q

Howard Carter

A

Modern Egyptology
-trained as artist and draftsman

  • arrived in 1891, trained in excavation by Petrie
  • excavations between 1891-99 for Egypt Exploration Fund
  • came under patronage of Lord Carnarvon
  • Carnarvon obtains permit for Valley of the Kings 1917
  • five seasons of excavation with no success
  • in 1922 discover buried stone steps leading to sealed tomb
  • found the tomb of Tutankhamun
  • “wonderful things”
  • took several years to excavate
  • huge amount of wealth
  • astonished the world
  • created new wave of Egyptomania!
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32
Q

First Peoples in Egypt

A
  • in distant past environment was different than today
  • Nile River not in present form
  • ephemeral (seasonal) water bodies came and went (wadi)
  • flora and fauna appeared and disappeared
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33
Q

The Paleolithic in Egypt

Lower Paleolithic

A
  • Homo erectus (ergaster) would have to be in Egypt to spread to Asia/Europe from Africa
  • left Africa sometime well before 1 million years ago
  • no remains in Egypt
  • Acheulean handaxes found in local gravel deposits
  • vast majority are in disturbed contexts, surface finds etc.
  • estimates on age on the order of 4-300,000 BP
  • also found in Nubia on granitic inselbergs
  • not much else preserved from this period
  • did not venture far from raw material sources
  • hunter gatherers
  • new stone tool technique: Levallois (prepared core)
  • dating problematic but estimates of 250,000 BP
  • associated with Neanderthals in Middle East and Europe

Sites in Egypt, Nubia

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34
Q

Levallois

A

Middle Paleolithic

  • new stone tool technique: Levallois (prepared core)
  • dating problematic but estimates of 250,000 BP
  • associated with Neanderthals in Middle East and Europe

Sites in Egypt, Nubia

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35
Q

Middle Paleolitic

A
  • wet season sites
  • probably rich in flora but no evidence
  • fauna include: hare, porcupine, buffalo, giraffe, rhino, but mostly gazelle
  • lakeshore hunter gatherers
  • raw materials (chert cobbles) in western desert
  • fairly mobile groups
  • later climate more arid, move to Nile floodplain
  • last period is Taramsan
  • stone blades now appear (flake twice as long as wide)
  • at site of Taramsa-1 child burial, dated 45,000 BP
  • earliest in Africa?
  • mining raw materials for tools
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36
Q

Upper Paleolithic

A

-sites rare, but again Egypt would have been way to Asia for modern humans (Homo sapiens)

Some sites in 30,000 BP range

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37
Q

Late Paleolithic

A
  • many sites from this period (21,000 – 12,000 BP)
  • best known is Wadi Kubbaniya
  • repeat use, small groups of people
  • edible plants: camomile and club rush
  • fishing: catfish and tilapia
  • likely seasonal occupation, with fish drying/smoking
  • gazelles
  • bladelets
  • Qadan Industry in south
  • 3 cemeteries
  • Gebel Sahaba
  • 59 individuals
  • 25 violent interaction
  • Rock art does exist
  • some could date to the Paleolithic
  • one with fish trap
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38
Q

Wadi Kubbaniya

A
  • others such as nut grass tubers need to be finely ground

- could explain presence of grinding implements

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39
Q

Egyptian Chronology

A 
Predynastic: before 3100 BC
Early Dynastic: 3100-2686 BC
Old Kingdom: 2686-2181 BC
First Intermediate: 2181-2055 BC
Middle Kingdom: 2055-1650 BC
Second Intermediate: 1650-1550 BC
New Kingdom: 1550-1069 BC
Third Intermediate: 1069-747 BC
Late Period: 747-332 BC
Ptolemaic Period: 332-30 BC
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40
Q

Where did Egyptian chronology come from?

A
  • Derived from Manetho’s history
  • information on Palermo Stone, Turin Kings List
  • 31 dynasties in total
  • some discrepancies between scholars
  • Dates correlated with recorded appearance of star Sirius
  • Sothis/Sopdet
  • appears every 70 days
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41
Q

Egyptian Calendars

A
  • two calendars: civic and religious
  • agricultural, ritual cycles
  • twelve months of thirty days
  • five day interval tacked on at the end
  • four month agricultural cycles
  • inundation: akhet
  • growing period: peret
  • harvest period: shemu
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42
Q

Neolithic (New Stone Age) Period - General

A
  • in Old World Neolithic reflects agriculture
  • Southwest Asia by 8,000 BC (Iraq)
  • sedentary settlement, change in technology, social organization
  • food production allows surpluses, storage
  • basis for larger population, greater social hierarchy

Food production (agriculture)

  • dense population settlements
  • eventually state level societies (civilization)
  • relatively late in Egypt
  • little known about Nile Valley between 7,000-5,400 BC
  • changes in landscape, impact by later development
  • hunter-gatherers in Western Desert

Sahara Neolithic 8800-4700 BC

-famous site: Nabta Playa

Nile Valley

  • arrives quite late (domesticates)
  • no evidence for settled villages initially
  • earliest sites are at Faiyum Oasis
  • dated 5500-4500 BC
  • no sign of settled village life

Look more like hunter-gatherer camps

Agriculture in Neolithic period
-6 row barley

  • emmer wheat
  • flax
  • sheep/goats
  • first evidence for agriculture
  • granaries, some lined with basketry (seasonal?)
  • potsherds on surface
  • grinding stones, concave base arrowheads
  • trade indicated, presence of exotics
  • early site at Merimde, near delta
  • dated 4750-4250 BC
  • 24 hectares (not contemporaneous)
  • 2.5m thick deposits, five levels
  • shift from communal granaries to individual houses
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43
Q

-Nabta Playa

A
  • cattle bones: are they domesticated?
  • hunting still important
  • cord marked pottery
  • smooth pottery, black topped
  • also arrowheads with concave bases
  • after 4900 BC more arid
  • two tumuli (earth mounds), one with bull burial
  • alignment of large stones with smaller circle
  • calendrical significance?
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44
Q

Bard: four hypotheses for Neolithic (New Stone Age) Period

A

a) No domesticates before 5000 BP except cattle
b) Climatic/ecological barrier across Levant
c) Hunter gatherers well sustained
d) Evidence lacking, sites inundated/impacted/covered up

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45
Q

Merimde

A
  • streets flanked with houses
  • formal village organization
  • simple burials, little to no grave goods
  • few adult males
  • figurines include distinctive human head
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46
Q

Badarian Culture

A

From neolithic period

  • south of Faiyum
  • approx. 4500-4000 BC
  • likely developed in north
  • Badarian pottery also found later in Upper Egypt, relationship unclear
  • Badarian sites look temporary
  • distinct pottery, red clay, fine temper
  • emmer wheat, 6 row barley, sheep/goats, cattle
  • bifacial axes, sickle blades, concave base arrowheads
  • some ceremonialism in burials
  • personal items: hairpins, combs, bracelets (ivory and bone)
  • copper
  • 750 burials excavated
  • shallow pits
  • most on left side facing west, head to north
  • wrapped in mat
  • wealthier burials separated from rest
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47
Q

Predynastic Period

A

(4th Millennium BC)
-farming widespread in Nile Valley

  • surpluses increase
  • trade increases (burials)
  • craft production, jewelry, palettes, vessels
  • two regional cultures

Lower Egypt: Buto-Ma’adi

Upper Egypt: Naqada

Before unification:

White Crown (Lower Egypt)

Red Crown (Upper Egypt)

After unification:

Combined Red/White Crown

  • Naqada less important at end of period, Hierakonpolis and Abydos still import.
  • warfare important
  • cult centres
  • connections with Mesopotamia:
  • clay nails
  • cylinder seals
  • mud brick
  • ship building
  • domesticates
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48
Q

Buto-Ma’adi

A

-number of Buto-Ma’adi sites in north

Lower Egypt

  • 3900-3500 BC
  • contact with SW Asia
  • usual domesticates plus pigs
  • fishing important (harpoons)
  • housing light, but few stone foundations
  • distinctive red or black pottery

-large sunken vessels
(Beersheba: oil, wine, etc.)

  • copper ingots
  • likely imported
  • used for cosmetic purposes
  • limestone palettes indicate wear
  • polished bone/ivory: combs, needles, harpoons, etc
  • catfish darts
  • animal bones (pigs, oxen, sheep, goat)
  • donkey (transport)
  • cemeteries: half burials with pots
  • right side, contracted, head to south facing east
  • cultural differences between Upper/Lower Egypt?
  • change to mud brick over time
  • appearance of Naqada pottery later
49
Q

Naqada Culture

A

(Upper Egypt)
-Town (Nubt) spans most of 4th millenium

-three major periods:
Naqada I (Amration): 4000-3500 BC
Naqada II (Gerzean): 3500-3200 BC
Naqada III : 3200-3000 BC

surplus agriculture as elsewhere

  • hunting less important than in north
  • Petrie conducted pottery seriation here
  • over 3,000 burials at Naqada
  • cemetery T includes high status burials (rulers?)
  • increasing social hierarchy over time
50
Q

Naqada I

A
  • simple burials in Naqada I, few grave goods
  • body on mat, lying on left with head pointing south, face west
  • mat or hide on top
  • human depictions on pottery
  • hunter or warrior icon
  • red crown image on pottery in Naqada I
51
Q

Naqada II

A
  • Naqada II tombs are more elaborate, many grave goods
  • small elite group
  • some have mud brick lining
  • most are looted
  • stone vessels, exotic jewelry, more raw materials
  • gold and silver increase (craft production)
  • maceheads
  • wheat, barley, flax and fruits
  • special status for dogs
  • concept of Kingship forged by Naqada II
52
Q

Naqada III

A
  • Naqada III: number of burials decreases
  • more elaborate tombs

“Royal Tomb” excavated in 1897

  • contained clay seals of Aha, second ruler of First Dynasty
  • Decorated tomb (100) contains burial with scenes painted on plaster wall
  • temple, courtyard
  • Abu el-Sufian
  • elite cemetery, tombs with animals
  • domesticates plus auroch, baboon, crocodile, elephant, etc
  • amazing wealth
  • evidence for brewery
  • by this time, south controlled north
  • key sites such as Ma’adi are abandoned
  • in Upper Egypt powerful polities emerge through aggrandizers consolidating power
  • consolidation by force, alliances, feasting and ideology
  • powerful ‘statelets’ at Hierakonpolis, Abydos and Naqada
  • king like regents described prior to First Dynasty, esp. Upper Egypt
  • red crown image on pottery in Naqada I
  • concept of Kingship forged by Naqada III
53
Q

-Abu el-Sufian

A

Naqada III Culture

  • elite cemetery, tombs with animals
  • domesticates plus auroch, baboon, crocodile, elephant, etc
  • amazing wealth
  • evidence for brewery
  • major trade centres in south
  • trade with Nubians, others
  • wealth concentrated in hands of few
  • increasing social hiearchy
  • initial unification of Egypt occurred in Late Predynastic times
  • not known exactly when or how
  • Naqada II artifacts present in Ma’adi sites in the north
  • Minshat Abu Omar (North) graves become larger over time
  • orientation of burials change, placed on left (Upper Egypt style)
  • grave goods increase
  • some have multiple rooms

-most elaborate belongs to 9 year old (ascribed status)

54
Q

Minshat Abu Omar (North)

A
  • Minshat Abu Omar (North) graves become larger over time
  • orientation of burials change, placed on left (Upper Egypt style)
  • grave goods increase
55
Q

Unification of Egypt?

A

-unification: the Narmer Pallette (ca. 3150 BC)

56
Q

First Ruler

A 
Predynastic Period (4th Millennium BC)
First ruler is Menes/narmer

Narmer = Menes?

Aha = Narmer?

Aha=Menes?

57
Q

Hierakonpolis

A

cult of Horus

58
Q

Abydos

A
  • Abydos: necropolis, burial place of many Kings/Queens
  • Narmer, Aha, and many others
  • tombs at Abydos looted but labels left
  • identify rulers in earliest royal tombs
  • ruled a unified Egypt
  • writing already present
59
Q

Early Dynastic Period

A
  • by 3000 BC Early Dynastic state emerges
  • from Delta to 1st Cataract, 1000 km along Nile
  • rulers move capital to Memphis in north
  • power in south maintained to Elephantine Island
  • new type of ruler: king-deity
  • access to the supernatural powers that governed the world
  • political and spiritual force
  • absolute power
  • Egypt was very unique state level society
  • early rulers all buried at Abydos (ceremonial symbolism)
  • officials buried at north Saqarra
  • very hierarchical society with many levels
  • most people lived in farming villages
  • taxes paid in produce and/or labour
  • simple basin irrigation
  • problems due to salinization minimal
  • most info. comes from tombs at Abydos
  • loaded with wealth objects
  • access to enormous wealth
  • preparation for afterlife
  • seven tombs initially excavated by Petrie: Djer, Djet, Den, Anedjib, Semerkhet, Qa’a and Merneith (mother of Den)
  • all looted or partially destroyed
  • also tomb of Aha
  • nearby funerary enclosures found (used by later Pharaohs)
  • remains of 14 Early Dynastic boats also found
  • some have mud brick lining
  • recent discovery at Wadi Amerya in Sinai
  • very early inscriptions from mining expeditions
  • date from 3,200 – 2,800 BC
  • territorial markers
  • one inscription relates to Queen Neith-Hotep
  • regent under Djer

-also mention Memphis
“White Walls”

-Memphis predates Narmer
(not the founder)

Some suggest: Iry – Hor and Ka predated Narmer as kings of unified Egypt

  • political situation prior to unification?
  • “statelets” in south seem stronger
  • most evidence is from graves
  • army formed through local conscript
  • autobiography of Weni describes activities
  • men from Upper , Lower Egypt and Nubia
  • King: controlled centralized state from Memphis
  • bureaucracy head: Vizier
  • series of nomes (districts) overseen by nomarch (governor)
60
Q

-tomb of Aha

A
  • second king of First Dynasty
  • chambers with subsidiary burials
  • number of men and lions, killed and buried with king
  • death by strangulation?
61
Q

Djer

A
  • Djer had 338 subsidiary burials
  • royal court
  • practice of human sacrifice/subsidiary burials ends after First Dynasty
62
Q

Den

A
  • tomb of Den has staircase into deeply excavated pit, roofed
  • many different rooms
63
Q

Semerkhet

A
  • Semerkhet: ramp leading down, saturated in aromatic oil

- Petrie said after five thousand years still very strong scent

64
Q

Wadi Amerya

A

in Sinai
-very early inscriptions from mining expeditions

-date from 3,200 – 2,800 BC

65
Q

Army

A

Early Dynastic

  • army formed through local conscript
  • autobiography of Weni describes activities
  • men from Upper , Lower Egypt and Nubia
  • training/practice in time of peace?
  • infantry core
  • bow & arrow, sling, spear
  • hierarchical command
  • smaller divisions with leaders
  • Scribes important
  • foreign nationals were allowed, particularly Nubians
  • subjugated groups
66
Q

Scribes

A
  • foundation of Egyptian bureaucracy
  • literacy highly prized
  • 1% of population literate
  • scribal class highly esteemed
  • theoretically open to all
  • required decision making skills
  • mid level managers
  • recorded: agricultural produce, labour, taxes, manufactured goods, beer, bread, etc
  • also recorded conquests and booty obtained
  • also: marriage contracts, financial transactions, letters
  • learned at special schools
  • entered as boys, until teens
  • schools: wrote on gesso-covered board
  • or on flakes of limestone or pottery
  • portable equipment

-box/palette , two ink wells
soot, ochre

  • pen case either separate or part of palette
  • wrote with reed, chewed tip
  • informal documents on flakes of limestone or pottery (ostracon)

Formal documents on papyrus

-written right to left

67
Q

Nomarchs

A
  • not hereditary at first
  • meritocracy highly valued in Egypt
  • anyone could theoretically rise in power/class
68
Q

The Old Kingdom Dynasties 3-6 2682-2181 BC

A
  • more complete, numerous sources
  • highly stratified society with divine king
  • nomarchs obliged to visit Memphis
  • power of the Pharaoh exhibited in tomb
  • height of power in Dynasty 4, the ‘Pyramid Age’
  • projects funded through tax on agriculture
  • also corvee labour
  • estimate: 75% of population were farmers
  • land belonged to king but some rewarded for service
  • taxes based on assessed flood levels/grain yield
  • surpluses (taxes) used to ‘pay’ employees
  • commodities obtained through barter
  • significant portions of land granted to temples/cults
  • latter were tax exempted
  • period of aggressive foreign policy
  • military campaigns to neighbouring areas
  • mostly to do with economic control of trade goods

Nubia: gold, ebony, feathers

Lebanon: cedar

  • subsequent 3rd dynasty rulers unsuccessful at pyramid building
  • transition between 3rd and 4th dynasties
  • OK pyramids have subsidiary pyramids on south/southeast side
  • reason?
  • each has ancillary buildings
  • mastaba tombs for officials

in 5th dynasty kings are considered sons of the sun god, Ra

  • return to pyramids, but on a smaller scale
  • most are piles of rubble now, casings removed
  • first king Userkaf, built pyramid at Saqarra
  • at least six Dynasty 5 rulers built temples to sun god
  • must have been impressive
  • open court, with colonnade
  • long narrow chamber is ‘room of the seasons’
  • visual hymn to sun god
  • decline is noted in rise of provincial power
  • nomarchs no longer visit capital
  • their posts become herditary
  • royal tombs are smaller, less well built
  • could climate change play role?
  • depiction of starving men near tomb of Unas
  • decline in rainfall after 2900 BC
69
Q

the ‘Pyramid Age

A
  • height of power in Dynasty 4
  • state ability to mobilize massive labour and materials
  • pyramid building required feeding, housing workers
  • tens of thousands of people for decades
  • pharaoh now deified
  • control over Nile
  • afforded security, protection, and thus prosperity
  • on death his tomb becomes holy ground (cult)
  • Khasekhemwy was last ruler of Second Dynasty
  • followed by sons Sanakht and Djoser (Zoser)
  • begin the 3rd Dynasty
  • Early Dynastic tombs became more elaborate
  • mud brick mastabas
  • facades were of paneled walls, like palaces
  • impressive funerary enclosures
  • paneled walls surrounded opening
  • buildings made of wood and reeds
  • one of the most celebrated men in Egypt history emerged in 3rd Dynasty under Djoser
  • Vizier (Chancellor) to the king
70
Q

Kings in Old kingdom

A
  • king had five different titles
  • earliest known is Horus name
  • written in hieroglyph in serekh
  • palace gateway with horus falcon on top
  • four other titles
  • later kings identified by cartouche, closed oval rope
  • name in hieroglyphs inside
  • played role in decipherment of Rosetta Stone
71
Q

Vizier

A
  • Vizier (Chancellor) to the Djoser
  • later described as astronomer, architect, writer, high priest and physician
  • deified after death
72
Q

Imhotep (designer of the first pyramid)

A

Old kingdom
-Imhotep put in charge of construction of tomb for Djoser

  • chose site at Saqarra, opposite Memphis
  • initial plan was to build stone mastaba
  • design plan changed several times
  • Imhotep had brilliant idea: layer series of progressively smaller mastabas
  • created first pyramid
73
Q

-the Step Pyramid of Djoser

A

The Old Kingdom

  • over 60m in height
  • base is 140m X 118m
  • link to past with basic mastaba design
  • enclosure surrounded by paneled wall over 1 mile in perimeter
  • various buildings
  • new features such as jubilee court
  • two rows of shrines
  • hoof shaped markers for king’s running ceremony

Sed festival, performed at coronation and jubilees

  • Serdab(地窖) containing statue of Djoser
  • subsidiary tombs for royal family members

‘city of the dead’ on much larger scale than anything previous

  • also false doors, dummy facades
  • local limestone for core, finer limestone from Tura for cladding
  • burial chambers lined with pink granite from Aswan
  • faience panel
  • entrance colonnade
  • pyramid represents ascent of king into heavens
  • powerful symbolism
  • continues long after king’s demise
74
Q

Imhotep’s tomb

A

-Imhotep’s tomb?

-high priest of sun god at Heliopolis
(Iunu)

  • religious centre
  • sun god Ra
75
Q

Where is last step pyramid built?

A
  • last step pyramid built at Meidum
  • only core now remains
  • may have been modified by Sneferu, first king of 4th dynasty
76
Q

-Sneferu

A
  • first true pyramids at Dashur, south of Saqarra
  • first is the ‘bent pyramid’
  • design flaw noted in mid construction
  • change in angle 2/3 of the way up
  • not used
  • later constructed ‘red pyramid’
  • used as tomb
  • complex now aligned east-west (previous north-south)
  • pyramid temple now on west side
  • linked by causeway to temple
77
Q

Khufu (Cheops) & The largest three pyramid

A
  • Sneferu’s son Khufu (Cheops) builds the largest of three pyramids at Giza
  • middle aged by time he becomes king
  • built one of the greatest structures in Egyptian history

Great Pyramid of Khufu

  • 230 sq. m at base, 146.5m height
  • approx. 40 storeys
  • largest building in the world for several millennia
    146. 5m height
  • approx. 40 storeys
  • 2,300,000 blocks of limestone weigh up to 15 tons (average 2.5 tons)
  • core blocks quarried locally
  • finer lime stones, other materials brought in from Tura, etc
  • interior is most elaborate
  • change in plan to use stone sarcophagus
  • new burial chamber within structure
  • “opened” in 9th century AD by Al-Mamun
  • first ‘Queen’s chamber‘ built, then ‘King’s Chamber’
  • air shafts may have astronomical significance
  • recent potential discoveries

-hidden gallery and possible large
Hall

  • muography, thermography
  • teams from Japan, France
  • also possible gallery behind chevron structure
  • exact shape of voids is unknown, but they are potentially large
  • not everyone is convinced
  • possible burial chamber for Khufu?
  • number of boat pits (5) associated with Khufu, one excavated in 1954
  • reconstructed boat
  • 1200 pieces of timber, pegged or sewn together with rope
  • to be used by king in journey across the sky
  • three subsidiary pyramids for Khufu’s queens
  • cache of objects belonging to his mother Hetepheres
  • furniture reconstructed
78
Q

-Vizier of Khufu

A
  • in one mastaba statue of Hemiunu
  • Vizier of Khufu
  • his father was Vizier under Sneferu (Khufu’s father)
  • acknowledged for construction of pyramid
  • sense of assurance and intellectual ruthlessness?
79
Q

other Pyramids after Khufu in Old kingdom

A
  • second pyramid by son of Khufu, Khafra
  • third by Khafra’s son, Menkaura
  • plans and measurements differ from Khufu’s
  • choice of building material
80
Q

-Khafra’s pyramid

A
  • 214.5 sq. m and 143.5m height
  • slightly higher ground, giving illusion of greater height

-Khafra’s Valley Temple
best preserved of subsidiary buildings

  • massive columns, walls of imported materials
  • alabaster floor room, 23 statues of king
  • most grave goods looted, but fragments remain
81
Q

Great Sphinx

A
  • necropolis at Giza guarded by Great Sphinx
  • recumbent lion, head of Khafara
  • 72m long and 20m height
  • possible sun temple in front
  • sun god ‘Ra’ incorporated into King’s names
82
Q

Menkaura & His pyramid

A
  • last (and smallest) Giza pyramid built by Menkaura
  • noted by later historians as kind and generous ruler
  • popular amongst people
  • opened pyramid complexes to general public
  • 105 sq. m base, 65.5m height
  • quite smaller than the other two
  • but more prestigious granite for cladding
  • ‘hasty’ construction
  • completed by son, Shepsekaf
  • debate on why so much smaller
  • economic drain on state finances?
  • alternative interpretation regards recreation of Orion
  • real reason not known
  • recent discovery (2013) at Giza (time of Menkaura)
  • “palace” with very young cattle (veal) bones, hind limbs
  • leopard canines
  • wealthy priests wearing leopard skins?
  • fore limbs as offerings?
83
Q

Shepsekaf

A
  • Shepsekaf, last ruler of 4th dynasty
  • rejects pyramid tomb
  • much simpler superstructure, resembling sarcophagus
  • reasons for change are unknown
84
Q

Pyramids

A
  • extensive raw materials not available in Egypt
  • names of Djoser, Sekhemkhet, Sneferu and Khufu at copper mines in Sinai
  • Palermo stone: wood from Lebanon
  • names of Pharaohs appear in quarries elsewhere
  • 4th Dynasty pyramids were very expensive projects
  • drain on state economy?
  • pyramid temple of Nefarirkara
  • yielded very important papyri
  • describe day to day running of temple
  • list of deliveries, shift rosters, equipment, etc
  • last king of 5th dynasty was Unas
  • temple pyramid at Saqarra
  • two boat shaped pits lined with stone
  • withdrawal of royal family from high office
  • growth of local deities throughout the state
  • kings made donations to their shrines and temples
  • 6th dynasty kings continued to build pyramids, last one by Pepy II
  • greater number of professional builders in OK
  • increase in need for support services
  • important to sustain agricultural sector
  • bureaucracy increases dramatically
  • one possible reason for nomes
  • title to agricultural land granted on a temporary basis to officials
  • surplus used to barter
  • very effective system for a while
  • in long term reduced state resources
  • king provided safety, security for his people
  • surplus redistribution
  • especially continuation of productive growth cycles
  • connection to spirit world ensured good floods
  • long term disasters would lead to instability
  • likely happened in 6th Dynasty
  • monument building provided opportunities for artists
  • statues, carving reliefs on walls
  • statues had functional value
  • e.g Djoser’s is earliest, found in serdab

Statue

  • manifestation of king’s ka (spirit)
  • number of statues increases in 4th Dynasty
  • at some point capital may have moved to Mennefer (close to Memphis)
  • trouble brewing with Upper Egypt
  • new position created: “Overseer of Upper Egypt”
  • kings seem more human: unsuccessful plot against Pepy I by his wife
85
Q

Pepy II

A
  • son Pepy II ruled Egypt for 94 years
  • longest reign of any Pharaoh
  • discontent in south, much infighting in his own court
  • Egypt on brink of financial failure
86
Q

The First Intermediate Period Dynasties 7-11 2181-2055 BC

A
  • period of decentralization of state power
  • battle between old rulers (Dynasties 7-8) and families at Herakleopolis (Dynasties 9-10)
  • leaders from Thebes (Wast) reunite Egypt in Dynasty 11
  • time of regional powers
  • Herakleopolis kings sought legitimacy by burial at Saqarra
  • most Egypt peaceful but some exceptions
  • by 2100 BC Akhtoys (Dynasty 10) control north Egypt from Herakleopolis
  • south half held by Inyotef and Mentuhotep families at Thebes
  • much fighting in middle Egypt between these forces
  • period ends when Mentuhotep II reunifies Egypt, begins Middle Kingdom
87
Q

The Middle Kingdom Dynasties 12-13 2055-1650 BC

A
  • generally peace
  • role of king diminished
  • 11th Dynasty Kings ruled from Thebes (Luxor)
  • problems with MK chronology
  • presence of co-regencies (two rulers at same time?)
  • no ‘absolute’ dates until New Kingdom
  • major engineering and labour
  • dyke, canals connected to Bahr Yusef waterway
  • greatly increased amount of arable land
  • royal residences close by?
  • portraits/statues of Senusret II display individuality
  • likely real portraits, not stylized conventions
  • starts new trend and era in Egyptian art
  • tombs of MK are smaller than OK
  • more economical to build
  • elaborate system of false passages to foil robbers
  • effort placed on tomb contents
  • tax base is surplus and corvee labour
  • power of nomarchs destabilized by town mayors
  • appointed by pharaoh
  • govt. more intrusive into lives

Other ways of control:

  • symbolic connection to king - statues placed everywhere
  • common art objects widely available
  • cult of Osiris
  • all people have a spirit ba

initial mummification, not very successful

  • literature also flourishes
  • Story of Sinuhe and others

Dynasty 13
-fragmentation of state started during this dynasty

  • rulers continued at Itjtawy
  • short reigns
  • not much construction but arts flourish
  • little known about rulers of this time
  • # of tombs is somewhat meager
  • by later part of the dynasty, clear that they are losing control of Lower Egypt
88
Q

Who reunited Egypt?

A 
Mentuhotep II (11th Dynasty)
-Mentuhotep reunification celebrated by later Egyptians
  • increase in records and construction during his reign
  • “tomb of the warriors” - hostilities
  • reduced powers of nomarchs
  • Thebans in administrative posts
  • Governor positions for Upper and Lower Egypt
  • tight control over bureaucrats
  • art flourished during reign
  • origins are under debate: from royal lineage or not?
  • son of Hathor
  • burial complex at Deir el Bahri
  • altered Theban Saff tomb
  • major architectural innovations
  • Mastaba tomb?
  • emphasis on rites of Osiris
89
Q

Amenemhat I

A
  • first ruler of The Middle Kingdom Dynasty 12 is Amenemhat I
  • further reduced power of provinces
  • capital moved to Faiyum, town of Itjtawy (near Lisht)
  • not discovered yet
  • not known when move occurred, nor why
  • problem of Asiatics from the east
  • built defensive wall system in eastern Delta
  • described in Story of Sinuhe
  • Egyptians more cosmopolitan
  • many foreigners in Kahun
  • Nubians serve as police (Medjay)
  • royal tombs at Kahun, Dashur and Hawara
  • signs of disorder
  • Amenemhat assassinated by his own guards
  • Loyalist Instructions
  • loyalty, obedience to king no longer implicit
  • change in perception of king
  • rulers had aggressive foreign policy towards Nubia
  • under Senusret I, Buhen is new southern boundary
  • massive mud brick forts at Buhen, elsewhere
  • enormous labour and materials
  • in addition to exotics, construction materials desired
  • needed to be constantly supplied (food and other products)
  • scribes
  • Senusret I set up monuments in cult centres everywhere
  • remodeled temple of Osiris at Abydos
  • caused others to erect stelae in honour of Osiris
  • great flowering in Osiris cult
  • ‘leveling’ between king and subject
  • popular among masses
  • Letters of Hekanakhte
  • provide intimate portrayal of family life at the time
90
Q

Senusret I

A

Dynasty 12
-Senusret I - major construction projects:

  • founds temple at Karnak
  • temple to sun cult at Heliopolis
  • two massive obelisks, 20m height (121 tons) to commemorate heb sed
  • pyramid complex Lisht near his father’s
  • reminiscent of Old Kingdom
91
Q

Amenemhat II

A

Dynasty 12
-succeeded by Amenemhat II

  • documents from period describe trade in detail
  • not very prolific builder like others
  • constructed ‘white pyramid’ at Dashur (limestone)
92
Q

Senusret II

A

Dynasty 12
-succeeded by Senusret II

  • time of peace
  • prolific trade with Near East
  • irrigation system in Faiyum
  • portraits/statues of Senusret II display individuality
  • likely real portraits, not stylized conventions
  • starts new trend and era in Egyptian art
  • Senusret II funerary complex at Kahun
  • massive mud brick structure with rocky core
  • jewelry found in shaft grave to the south
93
Q

Nefret

A

-part of royal court but relationship is unclear

94
Q

Senusret III

A

Dynasty 12 -followed by Senusret III (Sesostris )

  • only 19 year rule but highly visible
  • brutal campaign in Nubia
  • women/children killed
  • builds more forts at cataracts
  • fortresses reinforced
  • 24 hour watch
  • forts maintained touch
  • some forts had different purposes
  • clearly worried about events to the south
95
Q

Amenemhat III

A
  • Dynasty 12 was succeeded by Amenemhat III
  • cultural peak of MK
  • continued expansion of southern fortresses
  • portrait statues continue
  • many campaigns for raw materials
  • lower flood levels later in reign
  • famine?
  • labourers imported from Asia for state projects
  • couple of more kings before 12th Dynasty ends
96
Q

The Second Intermediate Period
Dynasties 14-17
1650-1550 BC

A
  • political instability: takeover by foreign rulers
  • north Valley occupied by Asiatics known as ‘Hyksos’
  • Semitic speakers, possibly from Palestine
  • large population by 13th Dynasty
  • worked into positions of power and trust
  • eventually took over state machinery
  • seized Memphis and turned ancient site of Avaris into capital
  • seasoned chariot fighters
  • in south Nubians emigrating into Egypt as mercenaries
  • settlements include pan graves
  • bodies of warriors with simple jewelry
  • Egyptian weapons
  • Egypt had outpost at 3rd cataract at Kerma (Nubia)
  • capital of the Kush civilization
  • starting to become very powerful
  • made Egypt weary
  • Kushite leaders buried in tumuli, hundreds of servants in nearby graves
  • include Egyptian statues
  • later enter into trade agreement with Hyksos
  • many consider this to be the ‘Dark Age’ in Egyptian history
  • Hyksos contributed to technology, warfare, the arts and everyday life etc
  • set the foundation for Egypt’s “Golden Age”, the New Kingdom
97
Q

-Hyksos

A
  • Hyksos (Lower Egypt)
  • never really occupied or ruled all of Egypt
  • over 175 kings in very short period
  • stability still maintained
  • Hyksos kings reside at Avaris
  • symbolic connection with east?
  • Hyksos kings adopted Egyptian titles
  • early years seem peaceful
  • but extracted tribute from Thebes
  • Hyksos domination was economic
  • eventually resistance grows
98
Q

Khamose

A
  • Khamose mounts battle against Hyksos and eventually his brother drives them out
  • Hyksos viewed with hatred by Egyptians after
  • but they contributed quite a bit to the next growth phase of the Egyptians
99
Q

Hyksos Contributions

A
  • maintained contact with many others in Mediterranean
  • bronze became widespread under them
  • advantage for tools, weapons
  • popularized the scarab
  • acted as seal but also amulet
  • huge production
  • introduced horse drawn chariot into Egypt
  • compound bow
  • very important innovations
  • leather helmet with gilded leather introduced to pharaoh’s regalia
  • Khepresh or war crown (blue crown)
  • introduced innovations in spinning, weaving
  • new musical instruments such as the lyre and others
100
Q

The New Kingdom Dynasties 18-20 1550-1069 BC

A
  • 1600 BC Tetisheri marries Theban prince
  • grandmother of Khamose
  • discontent against Hyksos
18th Dynasty (The golden age)
-campaign into SW Asia
  • wins big battle at Shahruhen
  • consolidates power, replaces Hyksos admins.
  • campaigns in south, pushes boundary
  • Egypt reorganized into military state
  • efficiency
  • soldiers rewarded with land grants, slaves
  • large estates maintained by royal family
  • period of expansion, empire (vassal states), internal centralization
  • gold contributes to wealth
  • best documented period
  • Egypt tied into regional (not the only power)
  • new concept, pharaoh as national hero
  • incarnation as warrior god
  • professional military, with king as head
  • political stability
  • prosperity: architecture, arts, literature
  • statues: lose heavy of OK, solemn of MK
  • faint smile on some males
  • women: slight, delicate features
  • often have wigs
  • colourful jewelry on both sexes
  • population estimate: 3 million
  • well articulated bureaucracy
  • king: absolute ruler
  • stability in lineages to Tutankhamen
  • Viziers report to king
  • oversaw many layers of admin.
  • elite status obtained through service
  • Capital relocated to Memphis
  • Thebes: major theocratic centre
  • Thebes: centre for cult of Amun “the hidden one”
  • becomes supreme deity
  • associated closely with king
  • all NK rulers work on temple at Karnak
  • Opet festival important ritual
  • annual procession of Amun, Mut, Khonsu and king
  • from Karnak to Luxor

Economy

  • much construction for cult and king
  • endowments: temples, bureaucracies
  • tremendous burden on state economy
  • tax exemptions continue
  • Hatshepsut very active at Karnak
  • new sanctuary, holy chapel
  • obelisks
  • links state positions with cult administration (e.g. Senenmut)
  • pharaohs build mortuary temples (in addition to tomb)
  • oriented to Amun’s temple
  • provision for afterlife
  • all Ramesside kings contribute lavishly to cults, temples, construction projects
  • drain on economy
  • large amount of land and workers at cult of Amun
  • leads to strike of workers at Deir el Medina
  • year 29 of Ramesses III
  • state unable to pay workers
  • high inflation
  • tomb robbing incidences increase
101
Q

Khamose

A
  • Khamose begins war of liberation
  • captures stronghold of Hyksos admin.
  • pushes boundary north
  • dies soon thereafter
102
Q

Ahmose

A
  • Ahmose continues fight against Hyksos
  • successful siege at Avaris
  • ends Hyksos rule
  • begins 18th Dynasty, New Kingdom
103
Q

Valley of the Kings

A
  • from Thutmose I, burials in Valley of the Kings
  • cut deep into limestone
  • walls covered in religious texts
  • association of king, sun god
  • tombs built by elite work force

Lived with families at Deir el Medina

-own administration

104
Q

Prominence of Women in New kingdom

A
  • royal women take prominence
  • Ahmose Nofertari takes title: “God’s wife of Amun”
  • most royal wives took title
  • other women elevated via part-time priesthoods
105
Q

Foreign Policy

A
  • aggressive, imperialistic
  • goal: establish buffer zones in Palestine against Near Eastern powers
  • to the south, Kingdom of Kush
  • Hittites, Mitanni, Assyrians
  • Egyptians loathe to occupy foreign territories
  • left administrators in conquered areas
  • cycles of instability, uprisings
  • Thutmose III institutes “kidnapping” eldest son of enemies
  • increase in trend towards diplomacy
  • marriage to princesses, trade pacts
  • Amarna Letters (350 clay tablets)
  • cuneiform
  • diplomatic letters discuss defense pacts, exchange of gold, ivory
  • other threat from Kush, capital at Napata
  • military campaigns used here instead of diplomacy
  • under Amenhotep I, Kush annexed
  • Hatshepsut’s famous expedition to Land of Punt
  • scenes on her temple at Deir el Bahri
  • incense, exotic animals, many wealth goods
  • Hatshepsut’s famous expedition to Land of Punt
  • scenes on her temple at Deir el Bahri
  • incense, exotic animals, many wealth goods
106
Q

The New Kingdom

Amunhotep I

A
  • successor to Ahmose
  • Deir el Medina established
  • built observatories at Elephantine and?
  • military success in Nubia; wealth starts to flow again
  • women: higher status than before, with limitations
  • limited: what would be shared when princesses marry out
  • from 17th Dynasty to Ramesses II, royal daughter could only marry a king
107
Q

The New Kingdom

Thutmose I

A
  • ruled for short time (11 years?)
  • campaigns in Nubia, Syria
  • diplomacy in Near East
  • principle of divine descent
  • quite a bit done at Karnak
108
Q

The New KingdomThutmose II

A
  • ruled for shorter time (3 years)
  • half sister Hatshepsut served as Royal Wife
  • not much building, except Karnak
  • destruction of Kerma
109
Q

The New KingdomThutmose III

A
  • acquired throne at very young age

- aunt and stepmother Hatshepsut acts as co-regent

110
Q

The New Kingdom Hatshepsut

A
  • may have seen herself as legal heir to the throne
  • took throne name, transformed into King in public
  • claims blood line to Thutmose I
  • inscriptions by Senenmut
  • ambitious building program, Egypt and Nubia
  • mostly Karnak
  • country at peace, wealth flowing from south
  • builds 8th pylon at Karnak
  • new entrance to temple complex
  • her works later deconstructed, used as building materials
  • number of obelisks
  • over 97ft tall, 323 tons
  • inscriptions: constructed in 7 months
  • one face illustrates Hatshepsut, Thutmose I and III making offerings to Amun
  • most enduring is funerary temple at Deir el Bahri
  • series of terraces in natural rock valley
  • design influence from?
  • inscriptions on temple glorify life, rule of Hatshepsut
  • names of major builders, including Senenmut
  • generous to key supporters
  • lavish tombs
  • Senenmut buried in queen’s tomb?
  • not much in terms of military during her reign
  • Punt is highlight
111
Q

The New Kingdom Thutmose III

A
  • comes to power at year 21 of Hatshepsut’s reign
  • wastes no time in establishing rep.
  • many think he is the greatest warrior king in Egypt history
  • realized campaign needed in Near East
  • 17 years of milit. campaign, asserts dominance over Palestine, Syria
  • much building activity
  • rules for 32 years (alone)
  • Egypt reaches new height as an empire
112
Q

Amunhotep II

A
  • becomes co-regent with father in year 51
  • famed as an athlete
  • great time of peace
  • focus on arts, literature
  • milit. campaigns in Syria, important treaties
  • no royal wife (mother acted)
  • many children with other wives
  • weary of the “Hatshepsut effect?”
  • followed by Thutmose IV and Amunhotep III
113
Q

Amunhotep III

A
  • new iconography
  • association of king with sun disk (Aten)
  • had great influence on his son, Amunhotep IV
114
Q

Amunhotep IV

A
  • radical new innovations: talatat building stones
  • new cultic role for Queen Nefertiti
  • recent 3d scan of Queen Nefertiti
  • artists snuck into Nues Museum (Berlin), scanned bust made file available to public
  • generally off limits to photographers and everyone else
  • worship of traditional pantheon abandoned
  • new prominent sun disk, rays terminate in human hands, Aten
  • only king/family centred under sun
  • changed his name to Akhenaten
115
Q

Akhenaten

A
  • curious new ways of depicting royals
  • moves capital to new city of Akhetaten (Amarna)
  • new city, palaces, residences, etc
  • between years 8-12 worship of other gods prohibited
  • images and names hammered or destroyed
  • age of monotheism?
  • close connection of king, queen to Aten (so worship through them)
  • religion did not penetrate much into society
  • ban on Ossirian beliefs led to discomfort with afterlife
  • new religion in general not well received
  • shift to new cult of Aten had major economic repercussions
  • more taxes
  • no major military campaigns
  • wave of peace from prior
  • pacifist, not fighter
  • after death, capital moved back to Memphis/Thebes by his son
  • became king at age 8
  • restored cult of Amun at Karnak
  • huge symbolic, political and economic pressure
  • at 11 years old, changed name to Tutankhamun
  • wife changed named from Ankhesenpaaten to Ankhesenamun
  • sent army to Kadesh to quell unrest
  • general Horemheb acted as co-regent
  • Tutankhamun died young, succeeded by Ay
  • Horemheb was last king of 18th dynasty
116
Q

Horemheb

A
  • major administrative changes in Egypt
  • reorganizes army
  • much building activity in Karnak, Thebes
  • after death Vizier Ramesses I takes the throne
117
Q

Ramesses I

A
  • first king of Dynasty 19
  • used royal iconography from earlier NK rulers
  • major kings lists constructed at this time
  • change in foreign policy: more military campaigns
  • Hittites now a major power (and threat)
118
Q

Seti I

A
  • major restorations to temples
  • reopens old mines
  • ruled for 11 or more years
119
Q

The New Kingdom Ramesses II

A
  • co-regent under his father
  • campaigns in Nubia, several against Hittites
  • extensive building program, rules for long time
  • one of the best known pharaohs
  • filled country with temples, statues
  • many usurped from previous leaders
  • cartouche appears on almost every statue and building!
  • added courtyard and pylon gate at Luxor temple
  • across from Luxor: mortuary temple, Ramasseum
  • finished great hypostyle hall at Karnak
  • series of 8 rock cut temples in Lower Nubia
  • two at Abu Simbel
  • renews interest in literature from OK and MK
  • moves admin. centre to Piramesse (old Avaris)
  • has to deal with threats from the east
  • army constantly dispatched to SW Asia
  • record number of sed festivals (coronation commemoration)
  • very major ego
  • rules for 67 years, second longest
  • 12 eldest sons die before him
  • succeeded by Merenptah, few more kings before New Kingdom ends
  • most important battle was at Kadesh against Hittites
  • very well documented
  • did not accomplish what they set out to do, so in effect was failure
  • rise of Assyrians also problematic
  • biggest threat from “Sea Peoples”

Confederacy of Mediterranean sea farers

-most well known are the Sherden

  • attack Egypt by sea from east and west, some land routes
  • some argue biblical account of exodus occurs at this time
  • not entirely supported by Egyptian texts
  • many Hebrew workers listed in texts long after Ramesses II

Ancient Egyptians (1 decks)

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