Art History midterm

Who - prehistoric hunter/gatherer groups living in eastern Sahara

What - “Cave of the beasts“ rock art

Where - Gilf Kebir

When - early/mid holocene (6000-5500 BC)

Why - Serves as a vital ritual or ceremonial canvas reflecting early spiritual beliefs, shamanic or afterlife mythology, and human interaction with strange mythical creatures before the region dried into a desert. 

overarching narratives - neolithic predynastic

asserting control over nature/nile valley

• claim ownership over desert because of the precious resources/stones that come from it

• appeal to strong animals

  • using dogs to control cattle, changing horns of domesticated cattle, etc.

• (c. 3200-2667 BCE)

overarching narratives - early dynastic

simplification and standardization of power over nature

• Narmer palette

  • hierarchy of scale

  • register lines

  • composite figures - typical “walk like an Egyptian” (no stick figures)

overarching narratives - old kingdom

monumentalization + innovating + archaeizing

• heit el-Ghurab

  • Wadi al -Jarf papyrus

    • interpersonal connections

access + dispersal of power

• more people have access to produce tombs/statuary resources

• ka statues

overarching naratives - 1st intermediate period

pre-unification style that comes from 2nd style of old kingdom

overarching narratives - Middle Kingdom

Mentuhotep II

White-cross line ware “C-ware“

Who - 1. jar showing sprigs of wheat 2. beaker with Nilotic scene 3. beaker with a hippo hunt

What - made from clay from the nile

Where - upper egypt

When - Naqada I - early II

Why - 1. Focuses on symbols of the natural world 2. Holistic view of the Nile Valley, hippos and crocodiles being lined up and separated by nile reeds, this shows manipulation of nature 3. Male figure wearing a bulls tail hunting/controlling/harpooning a dangerous animal, hippo, on his own → power of nature

Slide ID

C-Ware Jar

Who - depicts a predynastic ruler with women next to him

What - clay from nile river

Where - Abydos Tomb U-239

When - Naqada II

Why - earliest known representation of smiting the enemies, as the ruler is holding a mace. bulls tail is being worn → power over nature

Slide ID

Decorative “D-ware“ jar

Who

• depicts Nilotic ritual scene of female figure on a boast with male figure on her shoulder.

• She has her hands up in a bull-like pose → power

• shows a shrine on the boat and the nile with animals neatly lined up

What - marl clay

Where - upper egypt

When - Naqada II

Why

• more emphasis on human action over environment

  • aserting over/ordering nature

Slide ID

Funerary mask

Who - elite/unknown

What - Terracotta

Where - Tomb 16 at Hierakonpolis

When - Naqada IC-IIA 3650 BCE

Why

• earliest statues fo “Rulers“

• earliest known funerary mask

• to be worn over deceased face or part of ritual

Hierakonpolis painted tomb 100

Who - unknown/elite ruler

What - tomb

Where - Hierakonpolis

When - Naqada IIC

Why

• Earliest decorated tomb in Egypt

• Connection to D-Ware imagery; only hyper-masculine.

• Last of a tradition of representing rulers/elites in the Naqada “stick-figure” style

• Depicts human control over nature - butchering/bounding animals

  • Master of beasts/smiling scenes

Narmer palette

Who - Narmer, first king widely attested in Egypt

What - Greywacke

Where - Hierakonpolis

When - 1st dynasty - reign of Narmer

Why

• White vs. Red Crowns - victory/unification of the two lands

• hierarchy of scales - warmer is depicted bigger than everyone else → power

• Animal symbolism - animals being controlled/bull trampling foreigners/serpapart being a made up animal are all signs of control over nature

• Use of Hieroglyphs - human figure is depicted in a hieroglyphic way

• Serekh - displays kings name

• Register Lines - organize events in clear/logical sequence/order over chaos

• Composite human figure - profile head/legs with eyes/shoulders/torso front facing

Funerary label of Den showing him performing a ritual

Who - King Den

What - Ebony

Where - tomb of Den, Abydos

When - 1st dynasty

Why

• creates memory of kings life on prestigious object (ebony)

• first example of double crown - visual declaration of unified egypt

• top register depicts him performing his hed-sed festival

• funerary labels show goods/commodities in tomb and ritual activity

Funerary Label of Den ”smiting the Easterners.”

Who - King Den

What - Ivory

Where - tomb of Den, Abydos

When - 1st dynasty

Why

• Serekh with Horus Falcon

• first occasion of smiting Easterners

• first depiction of Uraeus cobra/nemes headdress

• serekh with Horus falcon

• royal standards

  • jackal diety Wepwaut - “Opener of the Ways“

Slab stela of the lady Helwan

Who - Lady helwan

What - Limestone

Where - Helwan

When - 2nd dynasty

Why

• changes funerary art → the offering stela

• shows lady helwan seated surrounded by jars/food/funerary meals on stela to take into afterlife

  • intended for her ka to reside in stelae and enjoy offerings

Slide ID

Statue of the funerary priest Hetepdief

Who -funerary priest Hetepdief

What - Red granite

Where - Memphite region

When - Late 2nd dynasty

Why

• transition of power - first private, non-royal official statue

• earliest kneeling pose - prayer position

• Contains a brief listing of the kings whom he served as priest
  - Hotepsekhemwy
  - Raneb
  - Ninetjer

• displays first style of old kingdom with thick limbs, lack of musculature, tight curly helmet wig, looking up, no neck

Seated statue of Khasekhemwy wearing the Sed-Festival robe

Who - Khasekhemwy - last pharaoh of Egypts 2nd dynasty

What - limestone

Where - main deposit at hierakonpolis

When - 2nd dynasty

Why

• one of the first statues of an Egyptian ruler

• based of statue shows slain “northern rebels“ - showing his triumph and re-establishment of centralized control

• wearing sed-festival robe - renewing his divine right to rule

seated statue of Djoser

Who - Djoser - successor of khasekhemwy

What - Limestone, plaster, and paint

Where - Serdab of the step pyramid, Saqara

When - Old Kingdom

Why

• oldest known life-size royal statue - established standard, breaking from smaller/stylized carvings

• wearing Heb-sed festival garment - authority to rule

• wearing nemes headdress, ceremonial false beard, and heavy wig

Slide ID WILL BE ON MIDTERM

Relief depicting Djoser performing ritual activities

Who - Djoser

What - limestone, faience

Where - step pyramid complex, saqqara

When - 3rd dynasty, Old Kingdom

Why

• Right: “Standing before the Shrine of Horus of Behdet (Edfu)

• Left: Running between the boundary markers and “creating” a statue in the “Great Court of the South”

• by being placed in tomb, he would perform this ritual in the afterlife, ensuring his authority/divinity to rule

relief depicting Gods Seth and Ash processing captured enemies towards a (lost) figure of the king

Who - Gods Seth and ash

What - limestone

Where - Causeway of Sahure

When - 5th dynasty Old kingdom

Why

• register lines separate figures

• hieroglyphs used for captions

• hierarchy of scale: 2 divine figures leading procession of bound captives

• God Seth with animal head mimicking staff

  • god of chaos being depicted as a protector

Slide ID

life-sized statue of Pepy I mentioning the first occasion of his sed festival

Who - Pepy I - 3rd pharaoh of 6th dynasty old kingdom

What - copper and wood

Where - secondary depositary within the temple of Horus, Hierakonpolis

When - 6th dynasty old kingdom

Why

• proof of his long reign because it mentions his first sed festival

• Established a royal presence within local temple precincts, and added revenue stream to the central admin

Slide ID

seated statue of Pepy I, wearing sed-festival garment with God Horus

Who - Pepy I

What - Calcite

Where - upper egypt

When - 6th dynasty old kingdom

Why

• The inscription mentions the ”1st Occasion of the Sed Festival.

• wearing white crown of upper egypt - emphasizing dominion over area

• protection from god of kingship - Horus standing behind him

seated statue of peppy I and his mother, Ankhesen-meri-ra

Who - Pepy I

What - Calcite

Where - upper egypt

When - 6th dynasty old kingdom

Why

• though Pepy I is a king and a man, he is depicted as smaller than his mother - hierarchy of proportions is opposite

Slide ID

Decorated west wall of the tomb chapel of Werirenptah, with a double false door

Who -Werirenptah - a priest from the Sun temple of Neferirkare and his wife Khentkaus

What - tomb wall

Where - Saqqara

When - 5th dynasty

Why

• scenes of daily life abound

• double false door - false door for wife showing high status of women within family

life sized Ka-statues of Ranefer as a young and old man

Who - Ranefer - high ranking priest of Ptah

What - painted limestone

Where - saqqary

When - early 5th dynasty old kingdom

Why

• shows pre-unification style,

• found in serdab, served as physical vessel for Ranefer

• displays first style statuary - thick limbs, no musculature, no neck, tight curly helmet wig, looking up

Slide ID

Seated statue of Katep and his wife hetepheres

Who - Katep - priest of Khufu and his wife hetepheres

What - Painted limestone

Where - Giza

When - 4th/5th dynasty

Why

• Hetepheres has her arm on his shoulder, showing affection

• they are shown the same size/scale - unusual

• Displays the differential access to craftsman and materials

• displays first style statuary - thick limbs, no musculature, no neck, tight curly helmet wig, looking up

Seated statue of Shepsi, his wife Nikhauhathor and their son.

Who - Shepsi - elder in the court, his wife Nikhauhathor and their son

What - painted limestone

Where - saqqara

When - 5th dynasty

Why

• Displays the differential access to craftsman and materials

• wife is seen affectionately touching his shoulder but behind him - hierarchy of scale

• displays first style statuary - thick limbs, no musculature, no neck, tight curly helmet wig, looking up

Striding statue of the seal-bearer Tjetji

Who - Tjetji - seal-bearer

What - ebony wood, obsidian, copper

Where -Akhmim

When - 6th dynasty

Why

• Changes in form during the later Old Kingdom to the “Second Style”

  • Slender figures, often in wood.

  • Nudity becomes common

  • Represents influence from the provinces and the growing power of local centers along the Nile.

servant brewing beer

Who - servant

What - painted limestone

Where - tomb of Dash, saqqara

When - 5th dynasty

Why

• Meant to provide services to the deceased in the afterlife: food preparation, craftsman, etc.

• Yet another means of ensuring the provisioning of the deceased for the afterlife

Relief of a man leading an ox

Who - unknown

What - limestone

Where - tomb of Mereriqer. Dendera

When - 1st intermediate period

Why

• Severing of contact with Memphite region led to the development of an Upper Egyptian style (>> Pre-Unification Style).
  • Deep Sunken Relief / High Raised Relief
  • Large Eyes
  • High small of back
  • Lack of musculature
  • Skinny limbs

Slide ID

Fragment of a relief of the “royal favorite” Kemsit

Who - the “royal favorite" kemsit - wife of mentuhotep II

What - painted limestone

Where - Kemsit’s tomb chapel in funerary complex of mentuhotep II, Deir el-Bahri.

When - 11th dynasty Middle Kingdom, during reign of mentuhotep II

Why

• Exhibits the Pre-Unification relief style

Slide ID

Relief of Mentuhotep II with his wife Kemsit

Who - Mentuhotep II and his wife Kemsit

What - painted limestone

Where - Kemsit’s funerary chapel within the royal mortuary complex at Dier el-Bahri

When - 11th dynasty middle kingdom

Why

• Pre-Unification Style - exaggerated features and deep sunken

Slide ID

Relief of Mentuhotep II wearing the White Crown with the goddess Hathor

Who - Mentuhotep II and goddess Hathor

What - Painted Limestone

Where - his mortuary complex at Deir el-Bahri

When - Middle Kingdom 11th dynasty

Why

• post-unification style - looking back at something old

  • shallow raised relief

  • less exaggerated proportions/facial features are more proportionate

  • shows himself in same art style as late 5th dynasty kings

    • doesn’t want to associate himself as being successor of 6th dynasty

Slide ID

Reliefs showing the Queen taking ointment and sniffing a lotus flower.

Who - Queen Kawit

What - limestone

Where - the Sarcophagus of Queen Kawit, from deer el-Bahri mortuary complex of Mentuhotep II

When - 11th dynasty

Why

• sunken releif

• toiletry scenes/manicured

• slim figure, high small back, lack of musculature, emphasis on eyes (inner can this), helmet wig w tight curls

Slide ID

life sized Seated Osiride statue of Mentuhotep II showing the king wearing the festival garment, Red Crown, with black skin.

Who - Mentuhotep II

What - painted sandstone

Where - ritualistically cached in the bag el-Hosan at deer el-Bahri

When - 11th dynasty Middle Kingdom

Why

• black skin is symbolism of nile - someone of the underworld

• first style statuary - no negative space, thick limbs with no definition, looking up, no neck

• statues go through less changes than relief carvings do

• wearing sed festival garment

Slide ID

Standing Osiride Statue of Mentuhotep II

Who - Mentuhotep II

What - Painted sandstone

Where - Deir el-Bahri

When - 11th dynasty Middle Kingdom

Why

• Mentuhotep wearing the Red Crown, with emplacements for a now-lost crook and flail

• is osiride because wearing sed-festival garment, in mummified position, and has large chin beard

• first style statuary

Upper Egypt vs. Lower Egypt

Upper Egypt (South)

• Known as the "Red Land" or Ta Shemau.

• Characterized by a narrow river valley and a desert climate.

• Symbolized by the White Crown (Hedjet) and the vulture goddess Nekhbet. 

Lower Egypt (North)

• Known as the "Black Land" or Ta Mehu.

• Characterized by a broad, fertile delta with rich soil and access to the sea.

• Symbolized by the Red Crown (Deshret) and the cobra goddess Wadjet. 

Nile

• Creation Myths

• Religions Thought / Practice

• The Calendar – 365 Day Year - flooding, planting, harvesting

• Trade/Commerce/travel

• movement of resources

• inundation left nutrient soil for agriculture

• harvested papyrus and river mud

Nile inundation

• deposited nutrient-rich silt - fertilizer

• used as measurement to tell if year was going to be filled with famine (under-flood), homes were going to be destroyed (over-flood), or just right

• shaped religious beliefs around rebirth

Deserts and Wadi systems

deserts

• precious stones/resources for statuary, jewelry, etc.

wadi systems

• dry river beds that occasionally flash flood

• wadi hammamat - primary highway for trade that connected the Nile valley to the Red Sea

Nomes

Local Administrative Districts

Red crown vs white crown

lower Egypt vs upper Egypt

Double crown

combo of white and red crown

• became standardized regalia by the reign of Den

Nemes headress

A cloth headdress worn when not participating in a ritual

• signifies power

• accompanies by Uraeus - a cobra that represents the goddess of lower Egypt (Wedjet)

  • symbol of protection/divinity

Seriation Dating

A technique that arranges artifacts, features, or sites into a chronological sequence based on changes in their style or frequency over time

Flinders Petrie

excavated many ofthe most important sites in Egypt

• Stratigraphy

• Seriation Dating Technique

• Use of Photography

• Believed in racial hierarchy and white supremacy
  • “Dynastic Race Theory”

Neolithic - Merimde Beni Salam culture

400 years of settlement history (ca. 4900-4500 BCE)

• Large site, ca. 20 hectares.

• 3 Main Phases of Settlement
  • Phase I shows strong affinity to Chalcolithic Levantine cultures.
  • Abandonment
  • Phases II&III exhibit a much more local material culture. “Local Farmers

• Contracted burials, w/o much investment. Near or within the Settlement

Neolithic - Badarian Culture

(c.4500-4000 BCE)

• Middle Egypt > Sudan

• Mostly known from cemetery sites separate from settlements

  • Body adornment/Modification

    • Jewelry: wrist, ankle, head, neck, arms

    • Pigments and Cosmetic Palettes

    • Objects of Daily Life

• Contracted bodies, facing west

• Large cemeteries: 200+ individuals common

• Animal Burials: Cow Skulls

Predynastic - Buto-Maadi lower Egyptian culture

Naqada I-IIB

• Affinity to the S. Levant (Chalcolithic)
  • Both Culturally and Economically

• Craft Specialization and Trade on the rise**
  • Metallurgy – Ore*
  • Red Sea Shell Trade
  • Connections with the Levant and broader Mediterranean.

Funerary Evidence

• Little Social Stratification Evident in Burials
  • 1-8 ceramics
  • Red-Sea Shells
  • Black and Green Ore – Pigments?

• Simple Pit Burials, contracted position, sometimes wrapping in matting.

• Predominantly facing East, some standardization.

Naqada IIC & cultural unification

Northward spread of Naqada cultural material

• Naqada Culture becomes evident throughout Egypt
  • Emphasis on the Body, Grave goods
  • Social Stratification
  • Use of Mudbrick in Burials
  • Ceramics

• Decline at Naqada, eventually Hierakonpolis

• Intensive Growth at Abydos

Minshat Abu Omar

case study that shows the gradual cultural shift of burial customs

• Naqada IIA → Naqada IIC → MAO III → MAO IV

• packed pit graves → spread out mudbrick burials with material wealth with hieroglyphs of royal names

Tomb U-j at Abydos

The tomb of a predynastic ruler (Scorpion I)

• layout is symbolic of domestic structures (different rooms)

• storage room with painted vessels with scorpion motifs

• white vessels made in Lebanon and lined with pistachio resin to store wine

contained U-j Proto-Hieroglyphic Labels. Ivory. Abydos, Egypt. 3300 BCE

• carved out of elephant ivory

• first hieroglyphs, from king scorpion I

Year Labels

small flat rectangular tablets of ivory/ebony from the first dynasty

• recorded pharaoh’s name, year of reign, and major political/economic events

• vital administrative tools attached to royal goods like jars

Predynastic Funerary traditions

body adornment/modification

• jewelry: wrist, ankle, head, neck, arms

• pigments and cosmetic palettes

• mummification

• tattoos

• painting

palettes

• cosmetic implements (combs, palettes, hair pins)

tomb goods

• objects of daily life

• food

dynastic funerary traditions - mastabas

Mudbrick substructure, lined with cedar from Lebanon or red granite from Aswan
• Bipartite Complexes: Mastaba in the West, Funerary Enclosures near the floodplain

Dynastic funerary traditions - funerary enclosures

Part of the king’s funerary complex
• Palace Façade Design (>> Serekh)
• Close to the floodplain/temple
• Ritually dismantled by subsequent king
• Retainer burials and boat burials

dynastic funerary traditions - Gallery tombs

underground structures that housed the spirit of Ka, a space for the soul to reside, and recognize its body/offerings

• sacred spaces between the living and divine, strictly for the gods

• galleries and storage rooms for storing goods for the dead

dynastic funerary traditions - pyramids

step pyramids

• mirrored reflection of the sun

• acted as a ben-ben/primordial mound of creation

  • felt that this helped pharaoh transition safely to afterlife/better chance

dynastic funerary traditions - saff tombs

rock-cut elite burial structures from first intermediate period and 11th dynasty at Thebes

• pillar façades that cut directly into the Theban cliff face

• expansive open forecourts for public funerary rituals and elite processions

dynastic funerary traditions - royal and elite trends

early pit graves → mud brick mastabas → old kingdom pyramids → Middle Kingdom rock-cut tombs

early dynastic retainer/subsidiary burials → statuary/offering stelae to represent whatever wanted to be taken into afterlife

Early Dynastic Subsidiary Burials (Retainer Burials)

sacrificed court officials, servants, and craftsmans in small graves surrounding royal tomb

Serekh

palace façade design

• palace walls adapted to symbolize royalty

• economically and politically important

serdab

an enclosed portion of a tombs offering chapel located near the false door

Ka

a persons vital essence or life force

• lives on after death in tombs/ka statues

ka statues

funerary statue used as physical home/vessel for Ka

• often housed in a serdar

false doors

sacred gateway allowing for ka to move between underworld and living world

• stone often carved into western wall of tomb

Helwan and slab/ceiling stela

evolution of funerary art/offerings

• depicts lady Helwan with jars, food, and funerary meals on stela

  • instead of physical items/people being left in tombs, a stela with the carvings of offerings and the deceased allow for ka to inhabit stelae and enjoy carved offerings

Narmer and the Dynastic Artistic Conventions

resister lines

hierarchy of scale

• how large they are represents their power

composite bodies

use of hieroglyphic captions

Djoser’s Step Pyramid Complex and Significance

• first pyramid of Egypt

  • started as a small mastaba,

• Northward-facing focus of the Step Pyramid Complex
  • Reflects one (earlier?) idea of deceased king’s journey to a celestial afterlife

pyramid texts

• Beginning with Unas (final 5th Dynasty king), the burial chambers of the royal pyramids become covered with ritual funerary texts (hence: Pyramid Texts)

• They are the earliest corpus of ritual texts extant from Egypt.

• Detail cosmologies, divine mythology, and aspects of the liturgy of royal funerary ritual.

• Appearance of the god Osiris and Amun!

• First iteration of a corpus of funerary texts that are utilized throughout the dynastic period (>Coffin Texts (MK) > Book(s) of the Dead (NK)

5th/6th dynasty innovations

Pyramid Texts

• burial chambers of the royal pyramids become covered with ritual, funeral texts

Administrative Changes

Provincial Royal Ka-Chapels and Diffusion of Power

• Chapel's to the cult of a king at local sanctuaries throughout the country

• Added revenue stream to the central admin

Climactic Changes
Sun Temples and the emergence of Ra

• Close administrative connections between a Kings pyramid and Sun Temple complex

• Similar architecture to pyramid complexes with decorative variations recording the seasons

• Masonary obelisk resembling the Ben Ben

Called kingdom statuary (royal and private)

Royal statuary

• Statue cult of the king in Ka-Chapels

• Established a royal presence within local temple precincts, And added revenue stream to central admin

Private statuary

• Elite mastaba tombs always contained some version of a 3D image of their owners.

• Often such ka statues were housed in a serdab, an enclosed portion of a tomb’s offering chapel located near the false door.

• Sometimes the tomb owner in different stages of his life, also with family.

• Vast majority are under 50 cm

  • Displays the differential access to craftsman and materials

Second style sculpture

Changes in form during the later old kingdom

• Slender figures, often in wood.

• Nudity becomes common

• Represents influence from the provinces and the growing power of local centers along the Nile.

1st intermediate period - biography of Ankhtifi

Nomarcs adapting royal language (“leader“, “without equal“, etc.)

• Ankhtifi claims Horus brought him to reestablish Edfu

• Offhandedly referred to himself as king by mentioning horus; God of kingship

Warfare between Thebes and Herakleopolis

References to climatic troubles, especially drought and famine

Mentuhotep II and his Horus names

Changes in his Horus name reflect stages in war with Herakleopolis

• Phase 1 (regnal years 1-20): ambition to rule over united Egypt

  • “He who enlivens the heart of the Two Lands”

• Phase 2 (regnal years 20-39): Upper Egypt conquered

  • “Divine holder of the White Crown”

• Phase 3 (regnal years 39-51): Egypt reunited under one ruler

  • “Uniter of the Two Lands”

Pre-unification style reliefs

• Deep Sunken Relief / High Raised Relief

• Large Eyes

• High small of back

• Lack of musculature

• Skinny limbs

post-unification style reliefs

• shallow raised releif

• less exaggerated proportions/facial features are more proportionate to one another

cosmological concepts - ben-ben stone

Primeval Mound of Creation
• First Land that comes out of Nun
Myths surrounding the “Ben-Ben”
• Somethings are left behind on top of the land, like frogs/snakes/reptiles.
• Something grows on top of the land, like a lotus/seed/egg
• Sunlight illuminates land for the first time – solar creation myths.

cosmological concepts - solar cycle

Nut

• sky diety births and eats sun everyday

• sun god starts off as dung beetle - pushing his poop ball (morning)

• then a sun disk (Re) (afternoon)

• end with Atum “to complete“ ram

cosmological concepts - primordial waters (nun)

What existed before creation
• Contained everything, but was inert (njnj)
• The Creator God exists within Nun
Visualized as Water
• “Waters of Chaos” = God Nun
• Connection to the Inundation of the Nile
Nun always exists, just on the edges of the universe.

cosmological concepts - boat symbology

represents

• that daily journey of the sun god Ra

• the triumph of order out of chaos

• the souls passage through the afterlife

links the Earth, the sky, and the underworld

divinities - Ra

• sun, order, and sky creation

• depicted as a hawk-headed man with a solar disc

• Memphis/heliopolis

divinities - Horus

• sky, kingship, and protection

• king in life

• song of Osiris

• depicted as a falcon or falcon-headed man

• Edfu

Divinities - Osiris

• underworld, death, and resurection

• king in death

• father of Horus

• depicted as a mummified king with green or black skin

• Abydos

Divinities - Amun

• King of Gods and hidden creator

• depicted as a man with a double-plumed crown

• luxor/Thebes/valley of the kings

Divinities - Nekhbet

• goddess of upper egypt

• depicted as vulture

Divinities - Wadjet

• goddess of lower Egypt

• depicted as cobra

Heit el-Ghurab (HeG)

settlement that housed, fed, and organized the thousands of laborers, craftsman, and administrators who build the pyramids of Giza

• 4th dynasty old kingdom urban settlement

• “lost-city“ of the pyramid builders

Phyles and their importance

work gang

• served as core rotation and organization units that disciplined, housed, and provisioned laborers

Wadi al-Jarf papyrus

• Found in the Red Sea coast of heit el-Ghurab

• belonged to Merer

  • day log of Merers work days

  • talks about Phyle

  • contains shipment information of limestone from the turn quarries used for casing the pyramids of Giza

• reveled interpersonal connections between kings brothers/cousins and workforce

• Old Kingdom

Hierakonpolis

sacred falcon city to the god Horus

• Naqada I-IIC: major elite cemetary

• painted tomb (tomb 100) - last of stick figure style

• narmer palette

primary capital of upper Egypt during predynastic and early dynastic periods

Hierakonpolis main deposit

• Cult Center and Temple of the god Horus

• Major source of information for the Early Kings of Egypt

• namer palette

Abydos (esp. umm el-qaab)

• necropolis, cult center

  • primary cult center for Osiris

• cemetery U

• burial of Egypts earliest Pharaohs

umm el-qaab

• primary royal necropolis for Egypts predynastic protocol kings (Narmer, Djer, Den)

• Ebony tags/labels - earliest known Egyptian hieroglyphs

• “mother of pots“ - millions of pots left by pilgrims as offering vessels for the dead and gods

• Tomb of Osiris

Memphis

first national capital of unified Egypt

• funerary remains from saqqara and Helwan are sole evidence of early dynastic Memphis

• origins of pyramid ideology

Saqqara

royal necropolis of memphis

• super elite (royal) funerary remains

• North cemetary

  • Large mastaba tombs from the reign of Horus-Aha onward.

  • Mudbrick, niched palace façade decoration.

  • Painted to resemble hanging, woven textiles.

• housed step pyramid of Djoser (3rd dynasty)

• pyramid of Unas (5th dynasty) contains oldest known royal funerary and religious texts - pyramid texts

Giza

premier royal necropolis of ancient Egypts old kingdom (c. 2600–2500 BCE)

• pyramids of Khufu, khafre, and menkaure

Abusir

• primary burial grounds for 5th dynasty pharaohs

• houses at least 6 kings construct temples to the god Ra, only three are known (Userkaf, Sahure, and Niuserra)

Sed-festival

celebration of jubilee festival/anniversary of kings coronation every 30th year of kings reign

• king takes off sed-festival garment and runs around barriers

  • symbolizes cycle of sun, control of upper and lower egypt, and vigor to continue ruling

3 essential parts of temples

• the valley - touching the Nile

• causeway - walkway

• royal mortuary complex - houses pyramid and temple attached to pyramid

  • sometimes mastabas-like tomb instead of pyramid

  • imitates ben-ben stone/primordial/creation mound