Early Dynastic Egypt

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Early Dynastic Egypt EARLY DYNASTIC EGYPT EARLY DYNASTIC EGYPT Toby A.H.Wilkinson London and New York First published 1999 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005. © 1999 Toby A.H.Wilkinson All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data Wilkinson, Toby A.H. Early Dynastic Egypt/Toby A.H.Wilkinson p. cm. Includes bibliographical references (p.378) and index. 1. Egypt—History—To 332 B.C. I. Title DT85.W49 1999 932′.012–dc21 98–35836 CIP ISBN 0-203-02438-9 Master e-book ISBN ISBN 0-203-20421-2 (Adobe e-Reader Format) ISBN 0-415-18633-1 (Print Edition) For Benjamin CONTENTS List of plates ix List of figures x Prologue xii Acknowledgements xvii PART I INTRODUCTION 1 Egyptology and the Early Dynastic Period 2 2 Birth of a Nation State 23 3 Historical Outline 50 PART II THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AUTHORITY 4 Administration 92 5 Foreign Relations 127 6 Kingship 155 7 Royal Mortuary Architecture 198 8 Cults and Shrines 225 PART III THE DIVERSITY OF LOCAL EXPERIENCE 9 The Rise of Urbanism 280 10 The Regions of Egypt 297 Epilogue 316 Glossary 317 Bibliography 327 Index 356 PLATES 1.1 The Umm el-Qaab at Abydos 3 1.2 Mastaba K1 at Belt Khallaf 5 1.3 The Early Dynastic cemetery at Tarkhan 7 1.4 An élite First Dynasty tomb at North Saqqara 8 1.5 The Early Dynastic necropolis at Helwan/el-Maasara 10 1.6 Tell el-Fara’in 17 3.1 Abu Rawash 64 3.2 King Ninetjer 73 6.1 The emblem of the Sed-festival 184 6.2 Palace-facade architecture, 2 196 7.1 The tomb of Qaa 204 7.2 The unfinished step pyramid complex of Sekhemkhet at Saqqara 218 8.1 Markers of the royal cult 240 FIGURES Map 1 Map of Egypt and Nubia showing sites mentioned in the text xviii Map 2 Map of the Near East showing sites mentioned in the text xx Chronological chart of the late Predynastic and Early Dynastic periods 22 2.1 Early centres of kingship 31 2.2 Trade, ownership and power 35 2.3 Kings before the First Dynasty 44 3.1 Rulers of the First Dynasty: contemporary lists 53 3.2 Royal annals 55 3.3 Year label of Semerkhet 67 3.4 Ephemeral rulers, 1: Weneg and Nubnefer 74 3.5 The Third Dynasty: a problem solved 83 3.6 Ephemeral rulers, 2: Khaba 85 4.1 Royal domains 100 4.2 Estates 102 4.3 The treasury and its functions 107 4.4 Taxation 108 4.5 The titles of the vizier 117 4.6 The structure of Early Dynastic administration 123 5.1 Campaigns against southern Palestine 132 5.2 Activity in Egypt’s desert margins 142 5.3 Campaigns against Nubia 151 6.1 The staff of office 159 6.2 The red crown 164 6.3 The white crown 166 6.4 Standards on early royal monuments 169 6.5 The Two Ladies 174 6.6 Hunting the hippopotamus 185 6.7 Year labels 188 6.8 Palace-façade architecture, 1 194 7.1 The royal cemetery at Abydos 200 7.2 The royal cemetery at Saqqara 208 8.1 Depictions of deities 227 8.2 Human sacrifice 230 8.3 Divine images 232 8.4 Royal cult statues 238 8.5 Early Dynastic cult dedications 242 8.6 The goddess Mafdet 250 8.7 Festivals involving a divine bark 261 8.8 Early Dynastic shrines and temples 266 8.9 Early cult at Buto, 1: the sacred bull 275 8.10 Early cult at Buto, 2: the Djebaut shrine 277 9.1 Elkab 287 10.1 Map of the Hierakonpolis region showing sites mentioned in the text 300 10.2 Map of the Abydos region showing sites mentioned in the text 305 10.3 Map of the Memphite region showing sites mentioned in the text 310 PROLOGUE Ancient Egypt holds a unique fascination. No other civilisation of the ancient world has such popular appeal, none is as significant for the history of human society and its organisation. The valley of the River Nile witnessed the world’s first example of that enduring and now omnipresent political structure, the nation state. Today, practically the entire land surface of the earth is divided among nation states, which number nearly two hundred. But the origins of this phenomenon go back five thousand years, to the formation of a unified territory and government in Egypt. Moreover, that government, centred on the royal court and the person of the king, succeeded in creating and promoting an élite culture which expressed itself on a grand scale. Hence, ancient Egyptian civilisation has left an unparalleled series of monuments to allure and intrigue countless generations of visitors. The pyramids of the Old Kingdom are perhaps the most remarkable, and certainly the most captivating, of Egyptian monuments. Those at Giza were hailed as one of the wonders of the ancient world; to modern eyes they are perhaps the quintessential symbol of the ancient Egyptians’ extraordinary creativity and craftsmanship. Yet the cultural and political developments which led to the construction of the pyramids have been comparatively neglected. Without central control of the economy, the royal court would not have had the resources to engage in monumental building projects. Without the ability to command the necessary manpower, the pyramids could not have been raised. Without the religious and ideological motivation, the construction of huge funerary monuments would, quite literally, never have got off the ground. All these prerequisites for pyramid-building have their roots in the Early Dynastic period. Hence to understand the most potent symbols of ancient Egypt, we must look at what went before. Five hundred years separate the birth of the Egyptian state and the erection of the pyramids. This half-millennium constitutes the formative period of civilisation in the Nile valley, when Egypt’s early kings developed the mechanisms of rule and the élite culture that were to characterise their country for the next three thousand years. This crucially important formative stage is the subject of the current work. The chapters that follow seek to explain not only the background to the formation of the Egyptian state, but also the means by which its early rulers controlled the people, the land and its resources. Central authority, however, is only one side of the coin. At all periods, Egypt’s governing élite strove to convey the impression that the nation was unified politically and culturally, that all its institutions revolved around the king and took their lead from the royal court. The true picture is rather more complex: in reality, local and regional concerns were important, and often had a direct impact on the pace and direction of change. Egypt was never a monolithic state, despite the wishes and protestations of its rulers. The current work addresses this interesting question, examining the character of Early Dynastic Egypt at the provincial level. The evidence for local and regional variation is by no means straightforward; but here, as elsewhere in the study of early Egypt, recent scholarship has led to major advances in understanding. Indeed, research into the formative period of ancient Egyptian civilisation has intensified exponentially over the past thirty years. The re-evaluation of material from old excavations has been accompanied by dramatic new discoveries. Record numbers of archaeological expeditions have been concentrating their efforts on illuminating the remotest periods of Egyptian history, and in particular the processes which led to the formation of the Egyptian state. As a result of this new information, a comprehensive study of the Early Dynastic period can now be attempted for the first time. Early Dynastic Egypt has traditionally suffered from being squeezed between two, more obviously glamorous, neighbours. On the one hand, the prehistoric origins of ancient Egypt and the unification of the country at the beginning of the historic period have intrigued scholars, attracting much comment and debate. On the other hand, the glories of the pyramid age, combined with a wealth of artistic and written evidence, have given the Old Kingdom an undeniable appeal for professionals and public alike. While the Predynastic period and the Old Kingdom have been intensively studied, the intervening phase of Egyptian history—the Early Dynastic period—has been comparatively neglected. The current work seeks to redress the imbalance, giving the first three dynasties the attention they deserve as a period of great innovation and lasting importance, a period, moreover, which paved the way for the familiar glories of ancient Egypt. This book is arranged in three parts. Part I forms an introduction to the study of Early Dynastic Egypt. The re-discovery of Egypt’s remote past, although very much a feature of the last three decades, began more than a century ago. A long line of distinguished archaeologists and scholars have added pieces to the puzzle, although the picture is by no means complete. Chapter 1 tells the extraordinary story of how ‘Egypt before the pyramids’, once an obscure dark age, has emerged from the shadows into the spotlight of academic inquiry and popular interest.
Recommended publications
  • Macedonian Kings, Egyptian Pharaohs the Ptolemaic Family In
    Department of World Cultures University of Helsinki Helsinki Macedonian Kings, Egyptian Pharaohs The Ptolemaic Family in the Encomiastic Poems of Callimachus Iiro Laukola ACADEMIC DISSERTATION To be publicly discussed, by due permission of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Helsinki in auditorium XV, University Main Building, on the 23rd of September, 2016 at 12 o’clock. Helsinki 2016 © Iiro Laukola 2016 ISBN 978-951-51-2383-1 (paperback.) ISBN 978-951-51-2384-8 (PDF) Unigrafia Helsinki 2016 Abstract The interaction between Greek and Egyptian cultural concepts has been an intense yet controversial topic in studies about Ptolemaic Egypt. The present study partakes in this discussion with an analysis of the encomiastic poems of Callimachus of Cyrene (c. 305 – c. 240 BC). The success of the Ptolemaic Dynasty is crystallized in the juxtaposing of the different roles of a Greek ǴdzȅǻǽǷȏȄ and of an Egyptian Pharaoh, and this study gives a glimpse of this political and ideological endeavour through the poetry of Callimachus. The contribution of the present work is to situate Callimachus in the core of the Ptolemaic court. Callimachus was a proponent of the Ptolemaic rule. By reappraising the traditional Greek beliefs, he examined the bicultural rule of the Ptolemies in his encomiastic poems. This work critically examines six Callimachean hymns, namely to Zeus, to Apollo, to Artemis, to Delos, to Athena and to Demeter together with the Victory of Berenice, the Lock of Berenice and the Ektheosis of Arsinoe. Characterized by ambiguous imagery, the hymns inspect the ruptures in Greek thought during the Hellenistic age.
    [Show full text]
  • Scarabs and Cylinders with Names
    BRITISH SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN EGYPT AND EGYPTIAN RESEARCH ACCOUNT TWENTY-FIRST YEAR, 1915 SCARABS AND CYLINDERS WITH NAMES ILLUSTRATED BY THE EGYPTIAN COLLECTION IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, LONDON BY W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE HON. D.C.L., LL.D., L1TT.D.. F.R.S., F.B.A., HON. F.S.A. (SCOT.), A.R.I.B.A. MEMBER OF THE ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY MEMBER OF THE ITALIAN SOCIETY OF ANTHROPOLOGY MEMBER OF THE ROMAN SOCIETY OF ANTHROPOLOGY MEMBER OF THE SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ANTIQUARIES MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN PIIILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY BDWARDS PROFESSOR OF EGYPTOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON LONDON SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN EGYPT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, GOWER STREET, W.C. AND CONSTABLE (G CO. LTD., 10 ORANGE STREET, LEICESTER SQUARE AND BERNARD QUARITCH, 11 GRAFTON STREET, NEW BOND STREET '917 PRINTED BY =*=ELL, WATSON AND VINEY, L~., LONDON AND AYLESBURY. BRITISH SCHOOL OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN EGYPT AND EGYPTIAN RESEARCH ACCOUNT GENERAL COMMITTEE (*Bxecutiz~z ibfenibsus) Hon. JOHN ABERCROMBY Prof. PERCYGARDNCR *J. G. MILNE WALTERRALLY Rt. Hon. Sir G. T. GOLDIE KOBERTMOND HENRYBALFOUR Prof. GOWLAND Prof. MONTAGUE Rev. Dr. T. G. BONNEY Mrs. J. R. GREEN WALTERMORRISON Prof. R. C. BOSANQUET Rt. Hon. F.-M. LORDGRENFELL *Miss M. A. MURRAY Rt. Hon. VISCOIJNT BRYCEOF Mrs. F. LL. GRIFFITH Prof. P. E. NEWBERRY DECHMONT Dr. A. C. HADDON His Grace the DUKE OF Dr. R. M. BURROWS Dr. JESSE HAWORTH NORTHUMBERLAND. "Prof. J. B. BURY(Cliairr~~an) Rev. Dr. A. C. HEADLAM F. W. PERCIVAL *SOMERSCLARKE D. G. HOGARTH Dr. PINCHES EowARn CLODD Sir H. H. HOWORTH Dr. G. W. PROTHERO Prof. BOYDDAWKINS Baron A.
    [Show full text]
  • Mechanical Engineering in Ancient Egypt, Part 45: Birds Statues (Falcon and Vulture)
    International Journal of Emerging Engineering Research and Technology Volume 5, Issue 3, March 2017, PP 39-48 ISSN 2349-4395 (Print) & ISSN 2349-4409 (Online) http://dx.doi.org/10.22259/ijeert.0503004 Mechanical Engineering in Ancient Egypt, Part 45: Birds Statues (Falcon and Vulture) Galal Ali Hassaan (Emeritus Professor), Department of Mechanical Design & Production, Faculty of Engineering, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt ABSTRACT The evolution of mechanical engineering in ancient Egypt is investigated in this research paper through studying the production of statues and figurines of falcons and vultures. Examples from historical eras between Predynastic and Late Periods are presented, analysed and aspects of quality and innovation are outlined in each one. Material, dynasty, main dimension (if known) and present location are also outlined to complete the information about each statue or figurine. Keywords: Mechanical engineering, ancient Egypt, falcon statues, vulture statues INTRODUCTION This is the 45th paper in a scientific research aiming at presenting a deep insight into the history of mechanical engineering during the ancient Egyptian civilization. The paper handles the production of falcon and vulture statues and figurines during the Predynastic and Dynastic Periods of the ancient Egypt history. This work depicts the insight of ancient Egyptians to birds lived among them and how they authorized its existence through statuettes and figurines. Smith (1960) in his book about ancient Egypt as represented in the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston presented a number of bird figurines including ducks from the Middle Kingdom, gold ibis from the New Kingdom and a wooden spoon in the shape of a duck and lady from the New Kingdom [1].
    [Show full text]
  • Hellenistic and Pharaonic Influences on the Formation of Coptic Identity
    Scriptura 85 (2004), pp. 292-301 HELLENISTIC AND PHARAONIC INFLUENCES ON THE FORMATION OF COPTIC IDENTITY Annette Evans Department of Ancient Studies Stellenbosch University Abstract Conflicting descriptions of Coptic identity still exist today. The Copts regard themselves as those descendents of Pharaonic Egyptians who have retained their identity because of their Christian faith, in spite of Egypt having become a predominantly Islamic, Arab country. They claim to have “caught a glimpse of the Light of Christianity” before the birth of Christ. This article offers iconographical evidence to supplement an explanation of how the ancient Egyptian mythopoeic thinking, in combination with the syncretistic cultural environment of Hellenism, mediated this phenomenon. Today the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt represents “a return to the apostolic father type leading of the church”. Although pharaonic and gnostic influences appear to have contributed to their remarkable eusebeia, the Copts perceive themselves as having abided by the decisions of the first three Church Councils and have respected and upheld the canon. 1. Introduction The word Copt originated from the ancient Egyptian word for Memphis, Hah-ka-Ptah – the house or temple of the spirit of Ptah. With the suppression of the prefix and the suffix the stem kaPt or gypt remained, which was then corrupted to the Arabic Qibt (Atiya 1968:16). The Hellenes used Aiguptos for both Egypt and the Nile, and Aiguptoi was used by Origen to distinguish Egyptian Christians from Hellenes (Van der Vliet and Zonhoven 1998:117). The Copts have a unique identity: inseparable from their pharaonic past, yet intimately associated with the beginning of Christianity.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Egyptian Seals and Scarabs
    POLITECNICO DI TORINO Repository ISTITUZIONALE Ancient Egyptian Seals and Scarabs Original Ancient Egyptian Seals and Scarabs / A.C. Sparavigna. - ELETTRONICO. - (2011). Availability: This version is available at: 11583/2474784 since: Publisher: Lulu.com Published DOI: Terms of use: openAccess This article is made available under terms and conditions as specified in the corresponding bibliographic description in the repository Publisher copyright (Article begins on next page) 03 January 2019 Ancient Egyptian Seals and Scarabs Amelia Carolina Sparavigna 2009, Torino, Italy 1 Amelia Carolina Sparavigna is assistant professor from 1993 at the Polytechnic of Torino, Italy. She gained her Bachelor Degree in Physics from the University of Torino in 1982, and the Doctoral Degree in 1990. She is co-author of more than 80 publications on international journals. Her research activity is on subjects of the condensed matter physics, in particular the thermal and charge transport in solids and in polymeric networks. She has a passion for archaeology. Editore: Lulu.com Copyright: © 2009 A.C.Sparavigna, Standard Copyright License Lingua: English Paese: Italia 2 3 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION THE ANCIENT SEALS THE SHAPES OF EGYPTIAN SEALS TYPES OF SCARABS MATERIALS FOR SEALS THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEALS RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF SCARABS ARTS IN SCARABS ICONS ON SEALS THE "DJED" THE URAEUS AND THE EYE OF HORUS SPHINXES AND FANTASTIC ANIMALS SCARABS OF THE MIDDLE BRONZE AGE (HYKSOS SCARABS) SYMMETRIES ON SEALS ROTATIONAL SYMMETRY SCARABS AND SYMMETRIES References Conventional Egyptian Chronology 4 5 INTRODUCTION "... Queen Tera had power to compel the Gods. This, by the way, was not an isolated belief in Egyptian history; but was different in its cause.
    [Show full text]
  • Was the Function of the Earliest Writing in Egypt Utilitarian Or Ceremonial? Does the Surviving Evidence Reflect the Reality?”
    “Was the function of the earliest writing in Egypt utilitarian or ceremonial? Does the surviving evidence reflect the reality?” Article written by Marsia Sfakianou Chronology of Predynastic period, Thinite period and Old Kingdom..........................2 How writing began.........................................................................................................4 Scopes of early Egyptian writing...................................................................................6 Ceremonial or utilitarian? ..............................................................................................7 The surviving evidence of early Egyptian writing.........................................................9 Bibliography/ references..............................................................................................23 Links ............................................................................................................................23 Album of web illustrations...........................................................................................24 1 Map of Egypt. Late Predynastic Period-Early Dynastic (Grimal, 1994) Chronology of Predynastic period, Thinite period and Old Kingdom (from the appendix of Grimal’s book, 1994, p 389) 4500-3150 BC Predynastic period. 4500-4000 BC Badarian period 4000-3500 BC Naqada I (Amratian) 3500-3300 BC Naqada II (Gerzean A) 3300-3150 BC Naqada III (Gerzean B) 3150-2700 BC Thinite period 3150-2925 BC Dynasty 1 3150-2925 BC Narmer, Menes 3125-3100 BC Aha 3100-3055 BC
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional Record- Senate. January 13, -
    700 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD- SENATE. JANUARY 13, - -- . By Mr. EVANS: Petition of Central Woman's Christian Tem­ Mich., urging the passage of House bill178, for the reduction o.f perance Union, of Johnstown, Pa., for the passage of a bill to for­ the tax on alcohol-to the Committee on Ways and Means. -' bid the sale of intoxicating liquors in all Government buildings­ By Mr. SNOOK: Paper to accompany House bill granting an to the Committee on Alcoholic Liquor Traffic. increase of pension to Ethelbert Crouse-to the Committee on · By Mr. FOSTER of Vermont: MemorialoftheReunionSociety Invalid Pensions. · of Vermont Officers, asking for action in recogi:rition of the serv­ Also, paper to accompany House· bill granting an increase of · ice of Gen. William F. Smith-to the Committee on Military Af­ pensi9n to Aaron Taylor-to the Committee on Invalid Pensions. i fairs. Also, resolution of Buckeye Lodge, No. 35, Railroad Trainmen, By Mr. GARDNER: Papers to accompany House bill 9456, to in favor of Senate bill 3560, to promote the safety of employees · correct the naval record of Charles Amos-to the Committee on and travelers upon railroads-to the Committee on Interstate and ­ Naval Affairs. Foreign Commerce. By Mr. GRAHAM: Resolutions of the Allegheny County Grand By Mr. STARK: Petition of M. E. Schultz and others, of Army Association, and of the National Fremont Association of Beatrice, Nebr., urging the reduction of the tax on alcohol-to · Pittsburg, Pa., favoring the- erection of a monument to the the Committee on Ways and Means. memory of Maj. Gen. John C.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Egyptian Chronology.Pdf
    Ancient Egyptian Chronology HANDBOOK OF ORIENTAL STUDIES SECTION ONE THE NEAR AND MIDDLE EAST Ancient Near East Editor-in-Chief W. H. van Soldt Editors G. Beckman • C. Leitz • B. A. Levine P. Michalowski • P. Miglus Middle East R. S. O’Fahey • C. H. M. Versteegh VOLUME EIGHTY-THREE Ancient Egyptian Chronology Edited by Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss, and David A. Warburton BRILL LEIDEN • BOSTON 2006 This book is printed on acid-free paper. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ancient Egyptian chronology / edited by Erik Hornung, Rolf Krauss, and David A. Warburton; with the assistance of Marianne Eaton-Krauss. p. cm. — (Handbook of Oriental studies. Section 1, The Near and Middle East ; v. 83) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN-13: 978-90-04-11385-5 ISBN-10: 90-04-11385-1 1. Egypt—History—To 332 B.C.—Chronology. 2. Chronology, Egyptian. 3. Egypt—Antiquities. I. Hornung, Erik. II. Krauss, Rolf. III. Warburton, David. IV. Eaton-Krauss, Marianne. DT83.A6564 2006 932.002'02—dc22 2006049915 ISSN 0169-9423 ISBN-10 90 04 11385 1 ISBN-13 978 90 04 11385 5 © Copyright 2006 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. Koninklijke Brill NV incorporates the imprints Brill, Hotei Publishing, IDC Publishers, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, and VSP. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher. Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use is granted by Brill provided that the appropriate fees are paid directly to The Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Suite 910, Danvers, MA 01923, USA.
    [Show full text]
  • The Inventory Stele: More Fact Than Fiction
    Archaeological Discovery, 2018, 6, 103-161 http://www.scirp.org/journal/ad ISSN Online: 2331-1967 ISSN Print: 2331-1959 The Inventory Stele: More Fact than Fiction Manu Seyfzadeh1, Robert M. Schoch2 1Independent Researcher, Lake Forest, CA, USA 2Institute for the Study of the Origins of Civilization, College of General Studies, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA How to cite this paper: Seyfzadeh, M., & Abstract Schoch, R. M. (2018). The Inventory Stele: More Fact than Fiction. Archaeological The Inventory Stele tells a story about Khufu and the Great Sphinx which Discovery, 6, 103-161. contradicts the current mainstream narrative of when the Sphinx was carved. https://doi.org/10.4236/ad.2018.62007 The story’s historical relevance has long been challenged based on its mention of names and certain details which are believed to be anachronistic to the time Received: March 6, 2018 Accepted: April 16, 2018 of Khufu. Here, we address the elements commonly cited by the critics one by Published: April 19, 2018 one and find that they are largely based on misconceptions in part due to er- rors and oversights contained in the two commonly referenced translations Copyright © 2018 by authors and and based on a missing context which relates to the economics and symbolism Scientific Research Publishing Inc. of supplying provisions to the royal house. We reconstruct a more plausible This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution International scenario of why and when the text may have been originally composed and License (CC BY 4.0). who its target audience was. From our analysis we conclude that while we http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ cannot rule out a couple of minor modifications of names from the original Open Access th written version we date to the 5 Dynasty, there is no plausible reason to dis- miss the entire account recorded in this Late Period version on those grounds alone and that the events it describes appear more factual than fictitious.
    [Show full text]
  • Ugaritic Seal Metamorphoses As a Reflection of the Hittite Administration and the Egyptian Influence in the Late Bronze Age in Western Syria
    UGARITIC SEAL METAMORPHOSES AS A REFLECTION OF THE HITTITE ADMINISTRATION AND THE EGYPTIAN INFLUENCE IN THE LATE BRONZE AGE IN WESTERN SYRIA The Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of Bilkent University by B. R. KABATIAROVA In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS in THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND HISTORY OF ART BILKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA June 2006 To my family and Őzge I certify that I have read this thesis and that it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Archaeology and History of Art. -------------------------------------------- Dr. Marie-Henriette Gates Supervisor I certify that I have read this thesis and that it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Archaeology and History of Art. -------------------------------------------- Dr. Jacques Morin Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and that it is fully adequate, in scope and quality, as a thesis for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Archaeology and History of Art. -------------------------------------------- Dr. Geoffrey Summers Examining Committee Member Approval of the Institute of Economics and Social Sciences ------------------------------------------- Dr. Erdal Erel Director ABSTRACT UGARITIC SEAL METAMORPHOSES AS A REFLECTION OF THE HITTITE ADMINISTRATION AND THE EGYPTIAN INFLUENCE IN THE LATE BRONZE AGE IN WESTERN SYRIA Kabatiarova, B.R. M.A., Department of Archaeology and History of Art Supervisor: Doc. Dr. Marie-Henriette Gates June 2006 This study explores the ways in which Hittite political control of Northern Syria in the LBA influenced and modified Ugaritic glyptic and methods of sealing documents.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Egyptian Chronology and the Book of Genesis
    Answers Research Journal 4 (2011):127–159. www.answersingenesis.org/arj/v4/ancient-egyptian-chronology-genesis.pdf Ancient Egyptian Chronology and the Book of Genesis Matt McClellan, [email protected] Abstract One of the most popular topics among young earth creationists and apologists is the relationship of the Bible with Ancient Egyptian chronology. Whether it concerns who the pharaoh of the Exodus was, the background of Joseph, or the identity of Shishak, many Christians (and non-Christians) have wondered how these two topics fit together. This paper deals with the question, “How does ancient Egyptian chronology correlate with the book of Genesis?” In answering this question it begins with an analysis of every Egyptian dynasty starting with the 12th Dynasty (this is where David Down places Moses) and goes back all the way to the so called “Dynasty 0.” After all the data is presented, this paper will look at the different possibilities that can be constructed concerning how long each of these dynasties lasted and how they relate to the biblical dates of the Great Flood, the Tower of Babel, and the Patriarchs. Keywords: Egypt, pharaoh, Patriarchs, chronology, Abraham, Joseph Introduction Kingdom) need to be revised. This is important During the past century some scholars have when considering the relationship between Egyptian proposed new ways of dating the events of ancient history and the Tower of Babel. The traditional dating history before c. 700 BC.1 In 1991 a book entitled of Ancient Egyptian chronology places its earliest Centuries of Darkness by Peter James and four of dynasties before the biblical dates of the Flood and his colleagues shook the very foundations of ancient confusion of the languages at Babel.
    [Show full text]
  • The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses
    The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses provides one of the most comprehensive listings and descriptions of Egyptian deities. Now in its second edition, it contains: ● A new introduction ● Updated entries and four new entries on deities ● Names of the deities as hieroglyphs ● A survey of gods and goddesses as they appear in Classical literature ● An expanded chronology and updated bibliography ● Illustrations of the gods and emblems of each district ● A map of ancient Egypt and a Time Chart. Presenting a vivid picture of the complexity and richness of imagery of Egyptian mythology, students studying Ancient Egypt, travellers, visitors to museums and all those interested in mythology will find this an invaluable resource. George Hart was staff lecturer and educator on the Ancient Egyptian collections in the Education Department of the British Museum. He is now a freelance lecturer and writer. You may also be interested in the following Routledge Student Reference titles: Archaeology: The Key Concepts Edited by Colin Renfrew and Paul Bahn Ancient History: Key Themes and Approaches Neville Morley Fifty Key Classical Authors Alison Sharrock and Rhiannon Ash Who’s Who in Classical Mythology Michael Grant and John Hazel Who’s Who in Non-Classical Mythology Egerton Sykes, revised by Allen Kendall Who’s Who in the Greek World John Hazel Who’s Who in the Roman World John Hazel The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses George Hart Second edition First published 2005 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.
    [Show full text]