Egypt Part 2

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COLLAPSE OF THE OLD KINGDOM

After the reigns of Userkaf and Sahure, civil wars arose as the powerful nomarchs (regional governors) no longer belonged to the royal family. The worsening civil conflict undermined unity and energetic government and also caused famines.

Additionally, massive building projects of the Fourth Dynasty had exceeded the capacity of the treasury and populace. The final blow was a severe drought in the region that resulted in a drastic drop in precipitation between 2200 and 2150 BCE, which in turn prevented the normal flooding of the Nile The result was the collapse of the Old Kingdom followed by decades of famine and strife.

The images depict the “Famine Stele”Describing a 7 year famine.

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FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD

The First Intermediate Period, often described as a “dark period” in ancient Egyptian history, spanned approximately one hundred years after the end of the Old Kingdom from ca. 2181-2055 BCE.

The end of the First Intermediate Period is placed at the time when Mentuhotep II of the eleventh dynasty defeats the Heracleopolitan kings of Lower Egypt and reunites Egypt under a single ruler. This act helps usher in a period of great wealth and prosperity, known as the Middle Kingdom.

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MIDDLE KINGDOM2055-1650 BCE•Thebes of Upper Egypt rises in prominence•Pharaohs made fewer claims to divinity, more “approachable” than past pharaohs and less despotic•Increased efficiency•Expanded irrigation systems•Stockpiled granaries•Expanded overseas trade•Secured Egypt’s borders•Effectiveness of leadership still relied on personal attributes

•Also no more Pyramids

Mentuhotep II

Fragmentary head of Senuret III, 12th Dynasty, ca. 1860 BCE. Red quartzite, 6 ½” high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

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Senusret constantly fighting off Nubians

Unprecedented realism-heavy eyes and brooding expression

Large ears in other works show a king who is “listening to the people”

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Beni Hasan

Beni HasanThere are 39 ancient tombs here of Middle Kingdom nomarchs

Two distinct cemeteries here: the upper range and the lower necropolis- each associated with the different levels of resources available to the deceased.

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Rock-cut tombs BH 3-5, Beni Hasan, Egypt, 12th Dynasty, ca. 1950 – 1900 BCE.

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Rock Cut Tomb of Beni Hasan 1900-1950BCE

Interior hall of the rock-cut tomb of Amenemhet (tomb BH 2), Beni Hasan, Egypt, 12th Dynasty, ca. 1950–1900 BCE.

Note the “fluted” columns.

SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD(1640-1530 BCE)

Succession disputes erupted

Thousands of Asians (HYKSOS) invaded Lower Egypt

Divided again into Upper and Lower Egypt

Lower Egypt under traditional pharaohs

Upper Egypt under HyksosHyksos introduced new technology :

BronzeHorse-drawn chariotsNew weapons

THE NEW KINGDOMAhmose the Liberator created militaristic state.

Egypt attempts to create a buffer between the Levant and Egypt, and attained its greatest territorial extent. They also expanded far south into Nubia and hold wide territories in the Near East where Egyptian armies fought Hittite armies for control of modern-day Syria.

HatshepsutFrom Regent for Thutmose III (too young) to Pharaoh.

Thutmose III never forgave.

“Foremost of Noble Ladies” was the fifth pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful pharaohs.

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PuntHatshepsut re-established the trade networks that had been disrupted during the Hyksos occupation of Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period and oversaw the preparations and funding for a mission to the Land of Punt. Egyptians returned from the voyage bearing thirty-one live myrrh trees, the roots of which were carefully kept in baskets for the duration of the voyage. This was the first recorded attempt to transplant foreign trees. It is reported that Hatshepsut had these trees planted in the courts of her Deir el Bahri mortuary temple complex.

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The expedition commemorated in relief at Deir el-Bahri, which also is famous for its realistic depiction of the Queen of the Land of Punt, Queen Iti, who appears to have had a genetic trait called steatopygia.

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Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut (with the Middle Kingdom mortuary temple of Mentuhotep II at left), Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1473–1458 BCE.

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Morturary Temple

Designed by Senemut (possible lover), the building is an example of perfect symmetry that predates the Parthenon, and it was the first complex built on the site she chose, which would become the Valley of the Kings.

Hatshepsut was one of the most prolific builders in ancient Egypt, commissioning hundreds of construction projects throughout both Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt, that were grander and more numerous than those of any of her Middle Kingdom predecessors. Later pharaohs attempted to claim some of her projects as theirs.

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Pharaoh as Woman/ManTo deal with the problem of being a female king, she emphasized that she was daughter of Thutmose I. She also traced her lineage to Mut, a primal mother goddess of the Egyptian pantheon, which gave her another ancestor who was a deity as well as her father and grandfathers.

While Hatshepsut was depicted in official art wearing regalia of a pharaoh, such as the false beard that male pharaohs also wore, it is most unlikely that she ever wore such ceremonial decorations, just as it is unlikely that the male pharaohs did. Statues depicting her seated wearing a tight-fitting dress and the nemes crown, are thought to be a more accurate representation of how she would have presented herself at court.

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Hatshepsut with offering jars, from the upper court of her mortuary temple, Deir el-Bahri, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1473–1458 BCE. Red granite, 8’ 6” high. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

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Likely appearance

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Senmut with Princess Nefrua, from Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1470–1460 BCE. Granite, 3’ 1/2” high. Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin.

Erased by Thutmose III

Toward the end of the reign of Thutmose III and into the reign of his son, an attempt was made to remove Hatshepsut from certain historical and pharaonic records. This elimination was carried out in the most literal way possible. Her cartouches and images were chiselled off some stone walls, leaving very obvious Hatshepsut-shaped gaps in the artwork.

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Ramses II

(1279 – 1213 BCE) Warrior pharaoh

1,500 years after the Old Kingdom

“Ozymandias”-Percy Bysshe Shelley-also could be the Pharaoh of Exodus

He is often regarded as the greatest, most celebrated, and most powerful pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire

66 year ruleVery tall (for Egyptian)Lived to age 90

Celebrated 14 sed festivals (every 3 years)

New Kingdom ends only 150 years after Ramses

Battle of Kadesh

Ramses sought to recover territories in the Levant that had been held by the 18th Dynasty.

His campaigns of re-conquest culminated in the Battle of Kadesh (in modern Syria), where he led Egyptian armies against those of the Hittite king Muwatalli II and was caught in history's first recorded military ambush but Ramses was able to rally his troops and turn the tide of battle against the Hittites thanks to the arrival of the re-enforcements.

The outcome of the battle was undecided with both sides claiming victory at their home front, ultimately resulting in a peace treaty between the two nations.

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Battle of KadeshLargest chariot battle ever fought 6,000 chariots involved

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The Shasu (nomads) spies shown being beaten by the Egyptians

The RamasseumMortuary temple in the Theban Necropolis across the Nile from Luxor

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Relief from the Ramasseum shwoing the siege of Dapur (jn Syria)

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Abu SimbelTwin Temples carved directly out of the rock

This far south (Nubia) Ramses did not hesitate to deify himself unabashedly

Shows himself as equal to Ra, Ptah, and Amun

Ramses x 465 feet highQueen Nefertari and other family members at his feet

Commemorate battle of Kadesh and intimidate the Nubians

Burckhardt discovered 1813, Belzoni excavated 1817

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42Temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1290–1224 BCE. Sandstone, colossi 65’ high.

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Nefertari’s Temple in the foreground (dedicated to Hathor)First time in Egyptian history a temple is dedicated to a Queen.

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1968 re-located 700 feet (UNESCO World Heritage Site)Now rests on an artificial hill beneath a domed structure

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Flooding caused by the Aswan high damn

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Interior of the temple of Ramses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1290–1224 BCE. Sandstone, pillar statues 32’ high.

INTERIOR TEMPLE OF RAMSES

Ramses as Osiris

Unusual Solar phenomenon:1st day of summer rays of light enter the deepest part of the tomb and illuminate the gods except for Ptah

Atlantid: Male statue used as a columnNo load-bearing function32 feet tall

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53Ramses killing a Hittite

Set and Horus in adoration of Ramses

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ThebesLuxor and Karnak

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KarnakTemple of Amen Re (right is largest)The Theban Triad:Amun Re (Creator)Mut (Mother God)Khonsu (Moon)

Sacred lake where the primordial waters (Nun) receded to create Egypt

30 Pharaos contributed to the

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New Kingdom Pylon Temples

Pylon=gateway

Entrance to Karnak Temple (above right)

Entrance to Temple of luxor, first Pylon by Ramses II (below right)

Always made from SANDSTONE

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Temple of Amun-Re

“axial” plan

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63Luxor Temple, Thebes

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65Gods face out, Pharaohs face in…

66OK, back to Karnak….

Great Hypostyle HallPart of precinct of Amun-ReStarted by Seti I, Finished by Ramses II

50,000 square feet134 columns in 16 rows

“Hypo”= many“Style”=pillar

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Model of the hypostyle hall, temple of Amen-Re, Karnak, Egypt, 19 th Dynasty, ca. 1290 – 1224 BCE. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

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Hypostyle hall, temple of Amen-Re, Karnak, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1290–1224 BCE.

71View of the “clerestory”

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Originally painted

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Nebamun

Scribe and Counter of GrainPaintings removed from Tomb (now lost) and brought to British Museum

Fresco Secco “Dry Fresco”

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Fowling scene, from the tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1400–1350 BCE. Fresco on dry plaster,. 2’ 8” high. British Museum, London.

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Musicians and dancers, from the tomb of Nebamun, Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1400–1350 BCE. Fresco on dry plaster, 1’ X 2’ 3”. British Museum, London.

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Ti watching a hippopotamus hunt, relief in the mastaba of Ti, Saqqara, Egypt, Fifth Dynasty, ca. 2450–2350 BCE. Painted limestone, 4’ high.

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2450–2350 BCE1400–1350 BCE

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Akhenaten

Formerly Amenhotep IVStarts new religion with ONE godMoves capital to Amarna, builds brand new city (Akhetaten)

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Amenhotep IVBefore he becomesAkhenaten

The Amarna Period 1353-1335 BCEDuring the New Kingdom the priesthood of Amen had become more powerful than the Pharaoh

A religious revolution

Monotheism: Aton the sun God represented as a sun disk not human or animal formAkhenaton forms new religious order, he is the sun and sole prophet of God

Changes in politics were reflected by changes in artistic style

AkhetatenAka “Tell-el-Amarna”

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Akhenaton, from the temple of Aton, Karnak, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353–1335 BCE. Sandstone, 13’ high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

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Khafre enthroned, from Gizeh, Egypt, Fourth Dynasty, ca. 2520–2494 BCE. Diorite, 5’ 6” high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

Akhenaton and ArtAndrogynous: (having male and female qualities)

Sexless sun disk-a manifestation of ATON OR a product of geneology?

Frontal poseCurving contours

Long face, full lips, heavy eyelids, dreamy expression

Misshapen bodyNarrow waistProtruding bellyWide hips fat thighs

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THUTMOSE, Nefertiti, from Amarna, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353–1335 BCE. Painted limestone, approx. 1’ 8” high. Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin.

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Tiye, from Ghurab, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353–1335 BCE. Wood, with gold, silver, alabaster, and lapis lazuli, 3 3/4” high. Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin.

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Akhenaton, Nefertiti, and three daughters, from Amarna, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1353–1335 BCE. Limestone, 1’ 1/4” high. Ägyptisches Museum, Berlin.

Unusual familial intimacyWind is blowingCushions are “cushioning”

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Beautiful downtown Amarna (Akhetaten)

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Death mask of Tutankhamen, from the innermost coffin in his tomb at Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1323 BCE. Gold with inlay of semiprecious stones, 1’ 9 1/4” high. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

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Painted chest, from the Tomb of Tutankhamen, Thebes, Egypt, 18th Dynasty, ca. 1333–1323 BCE. Wood, 1’ 8” long. Egyptian Museum, Cairo.

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Last judgment of Hu-Nefer, from his tomb at Thebes, Egypt, 19th Dynasty, ca. 1290–1280 BCE. Painted papyrus scroll, 1’ 6” high. British Museum, London.

Late Period (1070 BC-30 BC)A period of political weaknessAttacks from Nubians to south (controlled Egypt during 8th Century BC

Invasions by Assyrians and Persians

Alexander the Great takes over Egypt in 332 BC—rule by Ptolemy I and his successorsRoman conquest in 30 BC

Temple of Horus, Edfu, Egypt, ca. 237 – 47 BCE.130

• Old Kingdom characteristics?• New Kingdom?

– Double wig– Facial realism

Mentuemhet, from Karnak

650 BCE Granite 4’5”

The Late Period