Egypt: Land of God-Kings Egypt: Land of God-Kings By Caroline Seawright
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