Exam 2 Art and Archeology of Egypt

Pepy II’s reign length

94 years

Main political issue after Pepy II

Succession Instability

Capital City during early First Intermediate Period

Herakleopolis

Who gained power as central authority weakened?

Nomarchs

Key internal cause of old kingdom decline

Mortuary land grants draining state resources

Key external Pressure during the first intermediate period

Asiatic and Bedouin Incursions

Environmental trend from 3000-2200 BCE

Long term drying

Approximate date of major global climatic event

2350-2200 BCE

Cultural shift tomb construction during FIP

Increase in medium-sized tombs

City that rose to power during thr FIP

Thebes

Dynasty 11 King who reunified Egypt

Mentuhotep II

New Capital under Mentuhotep II

Thebes

Key administrative change in the Middle Kingdom

Nomarchs appointed by the king

Location of Mentuhotep II’s mortuary temple

Deir El-Bahri

Famous Middle Kingdom tomb with wooden models

Tomb of Meketer

What materials and techniques were used to carve Old Kingdom hard stone statues?

Pounding, grinding, sawing, drilling, and polishing of hard stone.

Which king is associated with the famous triad statues found in his valley temple?

Menkaure.

What architectural innovations are seen across Sneferu’s three pyramids?

Experimentation with pyramid angles, construction methods, and internal layouts.

What evidence reveals how stone was transported for pyramid construction?

The Wadi el-Jarf papyri documenting organized shipping and harbor systems.

How were pyramid laborers organized during the old kingdom?

Into phyles-work games of roughly 40-200 men.

What do worker cemeteries near pyramids tell us about laborer life?

They show families, medical care, and community structures.

What distinguishes the Western and Eastern Cemeteries at Giza?

Western housed elite officials; Eastern housed royal family members.

Which official’s mastaba near Teti’s pyramid is known for extensive daily-life scenes?

Mereruka

What makes Weni the Elder’s tomb historically significant?

His autobiographical inscriptions and its reuse for over 1600 years.

What religious innovation characterizes 5th-dynasty kings?

Construction of sun temples dedicated to Ra.

Which king first included Pyramid Texts in his burial monument?

Unas

What major religious shift is reflected in the Pyramid Texts?

Growing importance of Osiris and democratization of afterlife.

What political trend weakened central authority during the 6th dynasty?

Rise of powerful provincial families and hereditary nomarchs.

How did Pepy I attempt to strengthen his rule?

By supporting provincial temples and granting tax exemptions.

What factors contributed to instability at the end of the 6th dynasty?

Long reign of Pepy II, succession issues, and rising provincial autonomy.

Who were the key 4th dynasty figures related to Giza?

Sneferu, Khufu, Radjedef, Hetepheres.

How many blocks make up the Great Pyramid of Khufu?

About 2,300,000 blocks

Average weight of blocks in Khufu’s pyramid?

2.5 tons (some up to 15 tons)

Possible reasons for Kufu’s pyramid precision?

Symbolic/cultic significance; response to earlier architectural failures

What is the main components of Khufu’s funerary complex?

Valley temple, causeway, mortuary temple, enclosure wall

Number of interior chambers in Khufu’s pyramid?

Three chambers

Purpose of air shafts in Khufu’s pyramid?

Possibly related to the Ka- spirit.

What are the Queen’s pyramids characteristics?

Stepped nucleus; subterranean chambers; -1/5 height of Khufu’s pyramid

Queen Hetepheres’ relation to Sneferu and Khufu?

Wife of Sneferu; mother of Khufu

Material and length of Khufu’s southern boat?

Cedar wood; 43 meters long

Symbolic purpose of Khufu’s boats?

Solar boat of Ra; ritual journey of the king

Radjedef’s main religious innovation?

First pharaoh to take the title ‘Son of Ra’

Location of Radjedf’s pyramid?

Abu Roash, 8 km north of Giza

Khafra’s reign length according to Turin Canon?

24 years

New architectural feature standardized under Khafra?

Expanded royal statuary in mortuary and valley temples.

Solar alignment of the Sphinx (Lehner)?

Equinox sun sets at the south foot of Khafre’s pyramid along sphinx temple axis

Dynasty responsible for earliest Sphinx restoration?

18th dynasty (Thutmose IV)

Menkaure’s reign length?

18-28 years

Menkaure’s pyramid size relative to Khufu/Khafra

Less than one-quarter the base area

Key features of Menkaure’s pyramid interior

Panelled Chamber, portcullis, antechamber, burial chamber, room with 6 niches

Material used to hastily finish Menkaure’s mortuary temple

Mudbrick

Purpose of Menkaure’s valley temple location

Built at mouth of main wadi used for transporting construction materials

Later modifications to Menkaure’s valley temple

Rebuilt after flooding under Pepy II; later built over by town

What major artistic discovery came from Menkaure’s valley temple?

Several statue fragments

What geological factor influenced the Sphinx’s proportions?

Variations in bedrock layers at Giza

Which King’s mortuary temple masonry was reused during Sphinx restoration?

Khafre

What dynasty marks the beginning of the Old Kingdom?

3rd Dynasty

Which king built the first true pyramid?

Sneferu

Which king’s pyramid shows a return to subterranean burial chambers?

Radjedef (Djedefre)

Which king is associated with the pyramid at Abu Roash?

Djedefre (Radjedef)

What major cult center lay due east of Djedefre’s pyramid at Abu Roash?

Heliopolis, center of Ra cult

Which king may have commissioned the earliest known royal sphinx portrait?

Djedefre

Which king’s reign saw a large number of High-quality mastabas buillt for officials?

Khafra

Which pyramid at Giza still preserves it’s valley temple excemtionally well?

Khafra’s Pyramid

What new architectural features appear in Khafra’s mortuary temple and become standard afterward?

Entrance hall, statue-lined court, storage chambers

Which temple aligns directly with the Sphinx temple at Giza?

Khafra’s valley temple

Under which king did the first major restoration of the Sphinx occur?

Thutmose IV

Which deity became the focus of the new cult center associated with the restored Sphinx?

Horus

Which King’s pyramid is significantly smaller than those of Khufu and Khafra?

Menkaure

Which formation may have limited the size of Menkaure’s pyramid?

The Mokkatam formation

Which king’s mortuary temple was hastily finished in mudbrick?

Menkaure

Which king began the valley temple later completed in mudbrick by Shepsekaf?

Menkaure

Which king’s valley temple was rebuilt after flooding during Pepy II’s reign?

Menkaure

Where were several statue fragments from Menkaure’s reign discovered?

His valley temple