Friday, June 17, 2016

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16 FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD: 2181 - 2040 BC

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/firstintermed.html

FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD: 2181 - 2040 BC
This period saw a breakdown of central government.

The First Intermediate Period was traditionally described as a low point in ancient Egyptian history, largely because the information we have regarding this period is sketchy and often contradictory but also because to some it marks a nadir in Egyptian culture, art and architecture. However, some Egyptologists have challenged this view of the period and asked the question was the First Intermediate Period a "dark age".
It is generally agreed that the centralised state collapsed shortly after the rule of Pepi II. Pepi was in his nineties when he passed away. He survived many of his heirs but left a large number of people with tenuous claims to the throne and there were significant successional difficulties following his departure. There also seem to have been problems caused by the rise in the power of certain noble families. As if this was not enough, there may also have been unpredictable fluctuations in the level of the inundation which caused widespread famine and instability during which the temples were pillaged and art works vandalised. Pharaonic authority buckled under the pressure and powerful "nomarchs" struggled to step into the breach and take control of Egypt.

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15 EGYPT Old Kingdom

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/oldkingdom.html

Old Kingdom

he Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt is generally described as the period from the Third Dynasty through to the Sixth Dynasty (2686 BC-2181 BC), although there is still some debate regarding the start and finish dates of the Old Kingdom. This period was followed by the First Intermediate Period, when central authority declined and the country fragmented into different factions. However, a number of Egyptologists also include the Memphite Seventh and Eighth Dynasties (of the First Intermediate Period) in the Old Kingdom because there is evidence that Memphis retained a fairly high degree of control over much of the country. A huge number of pyramids were constructed, and so the Old Kingdom is frequently referred to as "the Pyramid Age"

Djoser established his royal court in Memphis at the beginning of the Third Dynasty. He also built the Step Pyramidat Saqqara with the help of his famous vizier, Imhotep, and so began the trend of building pyramids. The Fourth Dynasty saw the construction of the Pyramids at Giza including the Great Pyramid and the sphinx. This period marked the height of pharaonic power during the Old Kingdom. However, it is thought that the Fifth Dynasty pharaohUserkhaf initiated reforms that weakened both the Pharaoh and central government. These reforms and the strain put on the treasury by the building works of the previous dynasty may have combined with poor innundations and a growth in the power of nomarchs to cause the demise of the Old Kingdom as central authority crumbled and power returned to local rulers

Dynasty Three
(O.C. 2686 B.C. to 2613 B.C.)

Dynasty Four
(O.C. 2613 B.C. to 2498 B.C.)

14-06 Khasekhemwy

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/Khasekhemwy.html

Khasekhemwy..

Khasekhemwy ("the two powerful ones appear") is thought to be the last king of the Second Dynasty. Some Egyptologists believe there was another king named Khasekhem who proceeded him, but most agree that they were one and the same and that Khasekhem changed his name to Khasekhemwy when he gained control of Upper andLower Egypt.

He married a northern princess named Nemathap, no doubt to forge an alliance with the north,and gave her the title "King bearing mother". In inscribing his new name, he went one step further than Sekhemib/Seth-Peribsen, placing both a falcon and a seth animal on top of his serekh. The name itself seems to refer to both gods and symbolically link Upper and Lower Egypt.

An inscription on a stone vase records him "fighting the northern enemy within Nekheb". Nekhheb was directly across the Nile from the southern capital of Nekhen (known to the Greeks as Hierakonpolis - hawk town), so some scholars suggest that the northern forces must have launched an invasion force which almost reached his Capital. The vulture GoddessNekhbet ("she of Nekhen") was the patron of the city, and she appears beside the King. Proponents of this view claim that the inscription also records that 47,209 northeners died in the battle! Of course, this number seems too high, and others have suggested that the inscription has been mistranslated, and that it actually refers to a duration in time - 479 years.

Khasekhsemwy ; picture from www.egyptarchive.co.uk

Khasekhemwy undertook many building and repair works during his reign, in el-Kab, Hierakonpolis and Abydos. His tomb in Abydos, was the last royal tomb of its kind in that necropolis, but also had some unique features. Until recently, the central burial chamber (constructed out of limestone) was considered the oldest masonry structure in the world. His tomb was unique for its size and shape. It was trapzoidal and 70 meters long, with its breadth varying from 10 to 17 meters. The stone burial chamber was looted in ancient times, but the robbers missed an exquisite sceptre of gold and sard. Archeologists recovered flint and copper tools along with copper, stone and pottery vessels filled with grain and fruit from the structure. They also found numerous glazed objects, carnelian beads, baskets, model tools, and seals.

Approximately 1,000 yards from his tomb he constructed "storehouse of the Dates" (Shunet el-Zebib), a huge rectangular mudbrick structure with the palace facade design. The building is thought to have been a mortuary temple. Inside the enclosure wall, a mound was discovered which is thought to be a precursor to the step pyramid in Djoser´s Step Pyramid Complex .

14-05 Sekhemib

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/sekhemib.html

Sekhemib (Seth-Peribsen, Sekhemib Pereenmaat)..

He was named Sekhemib ("powerful in heart") when he ascended to the throne, but it appears that he changed his name to Seth-Peribsen ("Set hope of all hearts") during his reign. His Horus name was depicted in a serekh with a falcon on top, but in his Set name the serekh is topped by a Set animal (a dog or jackal like creature with large pointed ears).

It was suggested by some Egyptologists (e.g.Newberry, Cerny, Emery and Grdseloff) that Sekhmet/Peribsen might have been usurper or that under his rule a religious or political revolution took place. Proponents of this view suggest that the latent rivalry between the north (Lower Egypt, associated with Horus and the red crown) and the south (Upper Egypt, associated with Seth and the white crown) caused much unrest during his reign, and that the followers of Seth gained the upper hand.

14-04 Nynetjer

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/nynetjer.html

Nynetjer..

Nynetjer ("godlike") is thought to have been the third ruler of the Second Dynasty. The Palermo stone records numerous festivals and ceremonies held between the 6th and the 20th year of his reign. However, Manethosuggested that he actually ruled for 47 years because at least seventeen biennial cense were recorded.

Nynetjer ruled from Memphis and all of the events recorded on the Palermo stone (with the exception of a ceremony in honour of the goddess Nekhbet in Elkab) took place around Memphis leading some to suggest that his power was limited to the Memphite region. However, his name also appears on a rock inscription near Abu Handal in Lower Nubia, so he may have dispatched a military expedition there.

Manetho claims that during his reign the right of a woman to reign over Egypt was confirmed. Some Egyptologists have suggested that this was in order to recognise to contributions of the first dynasty queens Meritneith and Neithhotep who may have ruled as regents while their sons were very young.

14-03 Raneb

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/raneb.html

Raneb

Raneb (or Nebra, "Ra is Lord") ruled egypt during the second dynasty of theEarly Dynastic Period.Manetho recorded that Raneb reigned for 39 years, but most scholars belive his reign was much shorter, possibly only ten years. Manetho also claims that he introduced the worship of Mendes (the sacred goat) and began the bull cults of the Mnevis in Heliopolis, and the Apis in Memphis. However, references to the cult of the Apis in Den's reign prove that the cult predates Raneb. As far as we know, he was the first pharaoh to include the sun god Ra in his name and his reign marked a swing in power to the cult of Ra. As a result, his name is sometimes given as "Nebra" (meaning "Lord of the Sun").

He is thought to have been the son or brother of his predecessor,Hotepsekhemwy's, but there is no firm evidence of a family relationship. We do not know the name of his wife, but an individual named Perneb is referred to as "son of the king" in a tomb which may belong to him. However, the tomb may in fact be that of Hotepsekhemwy.

A granite statuette of the mortuary priest (Hotepdief) lists the names ofHotepsekhemwy, Raneb and Nynetjer, suggesting that there were no successional problems at the beginning of the second dynasty. His name also appears on stone vessels (mostly shist, alabaster and marble) found in Abydos, Giza and Saqqara. However, rather strangely, his name always appears with that of Hotepsekhemwy or Nynetjer, and never on its own.

14-02 Qa'a. Hotepsekhemwy

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/qa%27a.html

Qa'a..

Qa'a ("His arm is raised") was the last king of the first dynasty. Manetho names the last king of the dynasty Bieneches (which hardly resembles Qa'a) and states that he reigned for twenty-six years. It is generally accepted that Qa'a is Bieneches because a seal impression bearing the name of Hotepsekhemwy(the first king of the second dynasty) was found at the mouth of his tomb at Abydos and so it is thought that he was directly succeeded by Hotepsekhemwy. The tomb of one of his officials, Merka, contained another stele listing numerous titles and recording a second sed festival for the king, supporting the long reign ascribed to him by Manetho if he is indeed Bieneches.

14-01 WEBSITE SGEYPT KINGS

https://sites.google.com/site/ancientegyptpharaohs/dynasties/dynasty-1/9-qaa

14 egyptian kings

Egyptian King List

Old Kingdom
First Dynasty 3100 - 2890 BC 1. Narmer (Menes) 2. Aha 3. Djer 4. Djet 5. Den 6. Anedjib 7. Semerkhe 8. Qaa	Second Dynasty 2890 - 2686 BC 1. Hotepsekhemwy 2. Raneb 3. Ninetjer 4. Seth-Peribsen 5. Khasekhemwy
Third Dynasty 2686 - 2575 BC 1. Sanakhte (Nebka?) 2686 - 2668 2. Djoser (Netcherihke) 2668 - 2649 3. Sekhemkhet 2649 - 2643 4. Khaba 2643 - 2637 5. Huni 2637 - 2613	Fourth Dynasty 2613 - 2498 BC 1. Sneferu 2613 - 2589 2. Khufu 2589 - 2566 3. Radjedef (Djedefre) 2566 - 2558 4. Khafre (Ra'kha'ef) 2558 - 2532 5. Menkaure 2532 - 2504 6. Shepseskaf 2504 - 2500
Fifth Dynasty 2465 - 2323 BC 1. Userkef 2498 - 2491 2. Sahure 2491 - 2477 3. Neferirkare Kakai 2477 - 2467 4. Shepseskare Ini 2467 - 2460 5. Raneferef 2460 - 2453 6. Neuserre Izi 2453 - 2422 7. Menkauhor 2422 - 2414 8. Djedkare Isesi 2414 - 2375 9. Unas (Wenis) 2375 - 2345

13-3-9 Semerkhet

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/semerkhet.html

Semerkhet..

emerkhet ("companion of the divine community", sometimes given as "thoughtful friend") was the sixth pharaoh of the first dynasty. We know very little about his reign. The Palermo stone only records some religious ceremonies and that his mother was named Batirytes. His name is recorded on an ivory lable (pictured below) with that of one of his officials, Henuka (who also served his successorQa'a).

According to Manetho Semerkhet had a very difficult reign. Manetho claims that there were numerous disasters, but he alleges that these were due to the fact he was a usurper (which may also be why his name was omitted from the Saqqara kings list). He is also accused of removing Anedjib's name from a number of artifacts altough this was not actually that uncommon and was not necessarily frowned upon.

His birth name features the rather rare hieroglyph of a man wearing a cloak carrying a stick. It does not appear in this form before his rule and the translation si somewhat disputed. It resembles the hieroglyph of an old man with a walking stick (Semsu) and seems to have been confused with this sign by later scribes, but a more lilley translation is that proposed by Wilkinson (and many others) of Iry-Netjer ("divine guardian").

Manetho states that he reigned for eighteen years, while the Palermo stone only records an eight year reign and the Turin list (on which he is named as Semsem) credits him with an unlikely seventy-two years. Either way, he had time to build a much bigger tomb than his predecessor Anedjib and his name appears in numerous inscriptions on vessels of schist, alabaster, breccia and marble. His name is also preserved on ivory tags and earthen jar seals. Objects bearing Semerkhet's name and titles come from Abydos and Sakkara. He was interred in Tomb U of the royal necropolis at Umm el-Qa'ab, near Abydos.

13-3-8 Anedjib

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/anedjib.html

Anedjib..

Anedjib ("safe is his heart") ruled ancient Egypt during the first dynasty (Early Dynastic period). He is recorded as a Thinite (from This, near Abydos) king on the Saqqara Kings List. Anedjib was probably the son of Den but it is not entirely clear who his mother was, although Seshemetka seems to be a likely candidate. He may have been married to Queen Betrest the mother of his sucessor Semerkhet but it is also possible that Betrest was one of Den's wives making Semerkhet his brother or half-brother.

13-3-7 Den "Horus

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/den.html

Den...

Den (Hor Den "Horus who strikes") ruled ancient Egypt during the Early Dynastic Period. He was probably the fourth king of the first dynasty, but may have been the fifth ruler as some scholars consider that his mother Queen Mereneith ruled ancient Egypt before him.

His reign is attested on numerous fragments and inscriptions on vases and the Palermo Stone implies that he ruled for around thirty-two years (although he is not specifically named, occurences in his reign echo the detail in this record). His throne name (Semti) may relate to the king names Hesspti on the Abydos Kings List. As far as we are aware, he was the first to wear the double crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt and to use the title King of the Two Lands. His tomb at Abydos also contains the first known example of the use of red granite in monumental building.

13-3- 6 Djet Wenephes

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/djet.html

Djet..

The ancient Egyptian king Djet (Hor Djet "Horuscobra or Horus who strikes") ruled during the first dynasty (Early Dynastic Period). He was most likely named after the vulture goddess ofUpper Egypt, Wadjet (or Uadjet). It is likely that he was the son of Djer, although there is no direct evidence of this. Queen Mereneith became his wife and was probably the mother of his sucessor,Den. She may also have acted as her young son's regent upon the death of Djet.

Djet is generally considered to be the ruler named "Wenephes" by Manetho If so, he reigned for about 23 years. Unfortunately, he left little evidence of his existence other than his tomb in Abydos. Within this tomb a beautiful serekh (the design of a palace facade) bearing the name of the King was discovered. There is evidence that his tomb (along with others of his dynasty) was intentionally burned at some point in history, but later renovated because of its association with the cult ofOsiris.

13-3-5 Djer "Athothis"

http://www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/djer.html

Djer...

Djer (Hor Djer "Horus who succours") ruled ancient Egypt during the first dynasty (Early Dynastic Period). Djer was probablyManetho's "Athothis". Manetho estimated that Djer's reign lasted 31-39 years, but inscriptions on the Palermo stone suggest that he actually ruled for about 57 years. Manetho describes him as a scholar and claims that an anatomy textbook written by this ancient Egyptian king was still in use in Greek times.

13-3-4 Horus Aha

Hor-Aha (or Aha or Horus Aha) is considered the second pharaohof the First Dynasty of Egypt. He lived around the 31st century BCand is thought to have had a long reign

13-3-3 Menes

Who was Menes?

Traditionally, Menes was considered the first king of Egypt, although who he was or even if he existed at all remains a matter of controversy. This paper takes a comprehensive look at three questions: (1) Given that Menes is not mentioned in a clearly royal context until the New Kingdom, did he really exist? (2) Why was Menes considered the first king of Egypt ? (3) If Menes did exist, who was he: Narmer or Aha ? To address these issues, three different approaches are used.

First, we examine the documentary and archaeological evidence associated with the two fundamental achievements attributed to Menes—the unification of Egypt, and the founding of Memphis—and attempt to determine which known king(s) can be linked to them. Second, we review two documents—the Naqada Label and the Narmer/Mn (Prince’s) Seal—that may link Narmer or Aha with the name of Menes. Finally, we examine three documents—the Palermo Stone and two sealings from the Abydos necropolis—that provide evidence as to which known king is most likely to be the first king of the 1st Dynasty and thus the legendary “Menes”

13-3-1 Narmer was the first king of the First Dynasty

http://narmer.org/

Narmer was the first king of the First Dynasty

Narmer was the first king of the First Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. This website has two sections related to Narmer. First is the Narmer Catalog. The Catalog contains a complete set of records for inscriptions bearing name Narmer as well as inscriptions attributed to his reign, including problematic inscriptions. For each inscription, the information includes the Source No., Date, Dated by, Type, Material, Region, Site, Locality, Depository, Registration No., comprehensive references, and drawings and/or photographs.

13-3 EGYPT FIRST Dynasty I (3100 - 2890 BC):

The First Dynasty of ancient Egypt is often combined with the Second Dynasty under the group title, Early Dynastic Period of Egypt. At that time the capital was Thinis.

Pharaohs

Known rulers in the history of Egypt for the First Dynasty are as follows:

13-2 EGYPT EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD: 3100 - 2686 BC (Dynasties I and II

Female Figurine, Predynastic Egypt (Brooklyn Museum)

EARLY DYNASTIC PERIOD: 3100 - 2686 BC (Dynasties I and II

The Predynastic Period in Ancient Egypt is the time before recorded history from the Paleolithic to theNeolithic Age and on to the rise of the First Dynasty and is generally recognized as spanning the era from c. 6000-3150 BCE (though physical evidence argues for a longer history). While there are no written records from this period, archaeological excavations throughout Egypt have uncovered artifacts which tell their own story of the development of culture in the Nile River Valley. The periods of the Predynastic Period are named for the regions/ancient city sites in which these artifacts were found and do not reflect the names of the cultures who actually lived in those areas.

The Predynastic Period was given its name in the early days of archaeological expeditions in Egypt before many of the most important finds were discovered and catalogued which has led some scholars to argue over when, precisely, the Predynastic Period begins and, more importantly, ends. These scholars suggest the adoption of another designation, 'Protodynastic Period', for that span of time closer to the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150-2613 BCE) or 'Zero Dynasty'. These designations are not universally agreed upon and 'Predynastic Period' is the term most commonly accepted for the period prior to the first historical dynasties.

MANETHO'S HISTORY

In charting the history of ancient Egypt, scholars rely on archaeological evidence and ancient works such as the Egyptian dynastic chronology of Manetho, a scribe who wrote the Aegyptiaca, the History of Egypt, in the 3rd century BCE. The scholar Douglas J. Brewer describes the work: "Manetho's history was, in essence, a chronology of events arranged from oldest to most recent, according to the reign of a particular king" (8). Brewer continues on to describe the events which inspired Manetho to write his history:

The origin of the dynastic chronological system dates back to the time of Alexander the Great. After Alexander's death, hisempire was divided among his generals, one of whom, Ptolemy, received the richest prize, Egypt. Under his son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus (c. 280 BC), an Egyptian priest named Manetho wrote a condensed history of his native land for the new Greekrulers. Manetho, a native of Sebennytus in the Delta, had been educated in the old scribal traditions. Although Egypt's priests were famous for handing out tidbits of information (often intentionally incorrect) to curious travellers, none had ever attempted to compile a complete history of Egypt, especially for foreigners (8).

Unfortunately, Manetho's original manuscript has been lost and the only record of his chronology is from the works of later historians such as Flavius Josephus (37-100 CE). This has led to some controversy over how accurate Manetho's chronology is but, even so, it is routinely consulted by scholars, archaeologists, and historians in charting the history of ancient Egypt. The following discussion of the Predynastic Period relies on archaeological finds over the past two hundred years and their interpretation by archaeologists and scholars but it should be noted that historical sequences did not seamlessly follow each other, like chapters in a book, as the dates given for these cultures suggest. Cultures overlapped and, according to some interpretations, 'different cultures' in the Predynastic Period can be seen as simply developments of a single culture.