Egypt: Land of God-KingsEgypt: Land of God-Kings

By Caroline Seawright

The Rise of the Old KingdomThe Rise of the Old Kingdom☥ The origins of ancient Egypt date from the

Predynastic period to the Unification of Upper and Lower Egypt (5000-2920BC).

☥ Scattered Predynastic chiefdoms become a civilisation through the imposition of order from chaos, derived from divinely conferred kingly power.

☥ Early evidence of such rulership is found at the Predynastic city of Nekhen.

Tomb 100Tomb 100☥ Dated to the Naqada IIC period (3600-

3300BC), tomb 100 (“Painted Tomb”) is a tomb at the royal Nekhen cemetery.

Figure 1: Plan of Tomb 100

Tomb 100Tomb 100☥ Structure: a rectangular brick-lined pit,

which had been plastered and painted to symbolically depict the ruler and his place in the universe.

Figure 2: Tomb 100 wall painting

KingshipKingship☥ The art displays links to later themes of

kingship:

– The smiting of bound prisoners;

Figure 3a: From Tomb 100 (above)

Figure 3b: The Narmer Palette, Old Kingdom (above)

KingshipKingship

Figure 3d: Thothmose III, New Kingdom (above)

Figure 3d: Mentuhotep II, Middle Kingdom (above)

KingshipKingship– The royal heb-sed ritual;

Figure 4a: From Tomb 100

Figure 4b: Hatshepsut’s Heb-sed festival, New Kingdom

KingshipKingship

Figure 4d: Senusret I, Middle Kingdom (above)

Figure 4c: Djoser running the heb-sed, Old Kingdom (above)

KingshipKingship– And the white sed-cloaked ruler with a flail.

Figure 5a: From Tomb 100 (above)

Figure 5b: King Sneferu, Old Kingdom (right)

KingshipKingship

Figure 5d: Akhenaten, New Kingdom (above)

Figure 5c: Amenemhat I, Middle Kingdom (above)

ReligionReligion☥ The artwork also depicts religious activities,

the basis for much of the power of Egypt’s god-kings:

Figure 6: Possible religious activities

ReligionReligion– The king in a heb-sed naos (shrine).

Figure 7a: From Tomb 100 (above)

Figure 7b: Ebony Label of Den, Old Kingdom (right)

ReligionReligion

Figure 7c: Senusret III, Middle Kingdom (above)

Figure 7d: Amenhotep I, New Kingdom (above)

ReligionReligion– And priests in leopard skins.

Figure 8a: From Tomb 100 (above)

Figure 8b: Ay wearing a leopard skin to perform the Opening of the Mouth Ceremony, New Kingdom (right)

Order and ChaosOrder and Chaos☥ The painting also exhibits a common

ancient Egyptian motif: order versus chaos: – Chaos (isfet) in the form of wild animals and

warfare;

Figure 9a: From Tomb 100 Figure 9b: War relief, Middle Kingdom

Order and ChaosOrder and Chaos– Order (ma’at) in the form the ruler subduing

the chaos.

Figure 10b: A pharaoh spearing a lion, New Kingdom

Figure 10a: From Tomb 100

Order and ChaosOrder and Chaos

Figure 11: War chest of Tutankhamen, New Kingdom

Note the overall composition, showing order on the left and chaos on the right, with the king dominating the centre.

ConclusionConclusion☥ From Predynastic beginnings, rulers

evolved from petty chiefs vying for power to god-kings ruling over a unified Egypt.

☥ The owner of Tomb 100 was one of the very first Predynastic kings, who helped establish a pattern for future rulers.

☥ Through this combination of religion and the establishment of order, such kings forged the ancient Egyptian civilisation.

Questions?Questions?

Figure 12: 1898-9 Excavation of Tomb 100

ReferencesReferences☥ Beyoku 2008, Mentuhotep Smiting, image, Flickr.com, viewed 24

August 2013, <http://www.flickr.com/photos/8350072@N05/2826116984/>.

☥ Braverman, A 2007, Tutankhamun, image, Flickr.com, viewed 24 August 2013, <http://www.flickr.com/photos/theheartindifferentkeys/2451975178/>.

☥ CaptMondo 2008, Ebony Label of Den from the British Museum, image, Wikimedia Commons, viewed 16 August 2013, <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:EbonyLabelOfDen-BritishMuseum-August19-08.jpg>.

☥ Case, H, and Crowfoot-Payne, J 1962, ‘Tomb 100: The Decorated Tomb at Hierakonpolis’, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 48, pp. 5-18.

☥ Crowfoot-Payne, J 1973, ‘Tomb 100: The Decorated Tomb at Hierakonpolis Confirmed’, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, vol. 59, pp. 31-35.

☥ Friedman, R 2005, ‘Finding Lost Souls’, Nekhen News, vol. 17, pp. 11-12.

☥ Incredible Egypt 2012, Wall decoration in the tomb of Ay, image, Nile Wave Travel, viewed 17 August 2013, <http://nilewavetravel.wordpress.com/destinations/luxor/what-to-do-in-luxor-west-bank/>.

ReferencesReferences☥ Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology n.d., Hierakonpolis Tomb 100 wall

painting, image, Brown University, viewed 13 August 2013, <http://proteus.brown.edu/introtoegypt/6526>.

☥ Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology n.d.(b), Fragmentary war relief of Nebhepetre Montuhotep, image, Brown University, viewed 17 August 2013, <http://proteus.brown.edu/historyofegyptone10/10119>.

☥ Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology n.d.(c), One side of the Narmer palette, image, Brown University, viewed 17 August 2013, <http://proteus.brown.edu/historyofegyptone10/10119>.

☥ Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology n.d.(d), Osiris statue of Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II, image, Brown University, viewed 17 August 2013, <http://proteus.brown.edu/introtoegypt09/8999>.

☥ Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology n.d.(e), Thutmosis III smiting, from Karnak, image, Brown University, viewed 24 August 2013, <http://proteus.brown.edu/introtoegypt09/9001>.

☥ Kairoinfo4u 2008, Museum Cairo Sesostris III, image, Flickr.com, viewed 24 August 2013, <http://www.flickr.com/photos/manna4u/2719445474>.

ReferencesReferences☥ Kairoinfo4u 2008b, Heb Sed Amenhotep I, image, Flickr.com, viewed 24

August 2013, <http://www.flickr.com/photos/manna4u/2254702849/>. ☥ Kemp, BJ 2007, Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization, 2nd edn,

Routledge, Abingdon, UK.☥ Matthews, A 2009, This is a close up of king Sneferu in his Heb Sed

robes, image, Flickr.com, viewed 24 August 2013, <http://www.flickr.com/photos/allanmatthews/6519095313/>.

☥ Quibell, JE, and Green, FW 1902, Hierakonopolis Part II, William Clowes and Sons Ltd, London.

☥ Rothenflug, R 2011, Course rituelle d'Hatchepsout, image, Les temples de Louxor, viewed 17 August 2013, <http://www.thebes-louxor.net/dynastie18/hatchepsout/karnak/chapelleRouge/murSud/opetRetour/opetRetourB.html>.

☥ Scarre, C, and Fagan, BM 2008, Ancient Civilizations, 3rd edn, Pearson Prentice Hall, USA.

☥ Study Blue Inc 2013, Running relief of Zoser, image, StudyBlue.com, viewed 24 August 2013, <http://www.studyblue.com/notes/note/n/old-kingdom-egypt-dynasties-iii-and-iv-/deck/1313742>.

ReferencesReferences☥ Teeter, E 2011, Before the Pyramids: The Origins of Egyptian Civilization,

The Oriental Institute, Chicago.☥ Tutincommon 2002, Akhenaten, image, Flickr.com, viewed 24 August 2013,

<http://www.flickr.com/photos/10647023@N04/1074742473>. ☥ Tutincommon 2007, DSC03596.JPG, image, Flickr.com, viewed 24

August 2013, <http://www.flickr.com/photos/10647023@N04/1056285673/>.

☥ Williams, B, Logan, TJ, and Murnane, WJ 1987, ‘The Metropolitan Museum Knife Handle and Aspects of Pharaonic Imagery before Narmer’, Journal of Near Eastern Studies, vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 245-285.

Figure 13: 1898-9 Excavation of Tomb 100