September 3, 2025 • 53 mins
Dive into the captivating history of Egypt, exploring its journey from ancient times to the moment of Alexander the Greats conquest. This engaging overview delves into the remarkable development of Egyptian civilization, touching on science, religion, art, language, and literature. Written for curious minds without any prior knowledge of Egypt, this book uses clear and relatable language to make the rich tapestry of Egypts past accessible to everyone. (Summary by Beth Thomas)
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Chapter two of History of Egypt. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
by Rick VENA History of Egypt by F. C. H. Wendel,
(00:31):
Chapter two The Old Empire from the union of the
Upper and Lower countries to the close of the sixth
Dynasty about thirty two hundred through twenty four hundred BC.
Section one the First Dynasty Mayna thirty two hundred BC.
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The great king who first united Upper and Lower Egypt
into one country, lived not later than thirty two hundred
b C. How many years earlier he lived, we have
no means of saying. He may have lived five hundred
or even a thousand years earlier, But until we can
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assign him an accurately correct date, it is best to
retain the one here given. Naturally, he occupies a high
place in Egyptian tradition, being regarded as the first human
king of the country. His birthplace was the small town
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of Tenny, Greek, this near Abydos. This town was, not, however,
favorably located for the capital of a great empire. Somna
left it and moved the seat of the government to
the city of Memphis, which lay on the Nile, a
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little to the south of the apex of the Delta.
This city was the home of the god Ta, who
thus became the official head of the Egyptian pantheon. The
site of this city was on the left bank of
the Nile, a little above the modern city of Cairo,
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at the modern village of Mitraheen. A few mounds of
rubbish and some scattered ruins still mark the place where
once stood one of the greatest and richest cities of
all antiquity. The Egyptian name of the city was Menapher,
the good or beautiful abode, from which the Greek name
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Memphis by which we designate the city was derived. Every
city of ancient Egypt had two names, a common or
profane name and a sacred name, derived either from the
name of its god or from some mythological event located
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at it. The sacred name of Menapher was Hetka Ta,
the abode of the spirit of Ta. It was defended
by a citadel called Ambuhitch the White Wall. The city
itself was probably far older than the time of Mena,
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but in transferring the capital to it. The king naturally
greatly enlarged it and came to be considered first its
benefactor and later on its founder. What we know of
this king has come to us through the Greek historians
and Manetho. All that is usually a scribed to the
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founders of empire is ascribed to him. The legends related
of him are mostly absurd. He is said to have
founded the Temple of ta At Memphis, which was the
first Egyptian temple, to have first organized the temple ritual,
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and to have introduced the cult of the APIs Bull,
all of which stories are alike incredible. As above noted,
Memphis and its cult existed long before Mena's time. He
is also said to have invented the alphabet. The most
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absurd story is that told by Diadorus, who relates that
the king had once upon a time, when pursued by
his own hounds, fled into Lake Maurus, and had been
brought to shore by a crocodile, and, ingratitude for this rescue,
he had built Crocodilopolis on the lake shore, had instituted
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the crocodile cult, and given over the lake to these Saurians.
Then he had built a pyramid here for his tomb,
and had founded the celebrated labyrinth. In reality, the lake
did not yet exist in these early times, having been
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built by Amenhetep the Third, almost two thousand years later Crocodilopolis.
The pyramid and the labyrinth were built by this same pharaoh. Footnote.
The word pharaoh, which was taken over into the modern
languages from the Bible, is derived from the Egyptian word pereea.
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The great house, a common designation of the king and footnote.
Almost as absurd is the legend that he was an
effeminate king devoted to the pleasures of the table, and
had first taught his subjects to take a reclining posture
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while eating. In the first place, founders of empire are
not made of such stuff, and in the second place,
the custom in Egypt was not to recline, but to
sit at table. The king is also represented as a
patron of poets. More trustworthy is what Manetho tells us
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of this king. He was a mighty warrior who campaigned
in Libya and was killed by a hippopotamus. This agrees
well with what we would expect of a founder of empire.
He was a warlike ruler and was killed while hunting.
According to Manetho, he ruled about sixty years. Teta, whom
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the Greek writers called Atathus the First, succeeded Mena. According
to the extract from Manetho made by Africanus, he ruled
fifty seven years. According to that made by Eusebius, he
reigned only twenty seven. Manetho relates that he built a
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citadel of Memphis and wrote a work on anatomy. This
latter notice is to some extent confirmed by a passage
of the medical papyrus Ebers, in which a hair restorer
is said to have been invented by Shesh, the mother
of our ruler. A two headed crane is said to
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have appeared in his reign, a phenomenon that presaged a
long period of prosperity of Atte Atathus the second, whom
Manetho called Cancnnies. Nothing is known beyond the fact that
he ruled thirty two years. In the reign of Attah
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the Oenephaes of Manetho, who ruled twenty three years, a
great famine prevailed in Egypt. He is said to have
erected a pyramid at Cochome near Sakara. Hesepti the usa
Faides of Manetho, who ruled twenty years, is quite a
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literary character among these kings. A remedy for leprosy, which
was afterward copied in a medical papyrus preserved in Berlin,
and in the papyrus Ebers, is said to date from
his reign. Numerous copies of the sixty fourth chapter of
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the Book of the Dead assert that this chapter was
discovered in his reign and not in that of Myceerenos,
while all copies agree that the one hundred and thirtieth
chapter dates from this reign. Merbapin the Miebidos of Manetho
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reigned nineteen years. He must have been quite an important ruler,
for the list of kings discovered at Sakara begins with
his name. Sementa. The Semempsis of Manetho ruled eighteen years.
It is related that many miracles took place in his
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reign and that a great plague almost depopulated the land
of Kebhu. The Bienchies of Manetho we know only that
he ruled twenty six years. Section two. The second dynasty Nedderbaou,
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the ret Ja'ou of the list of kings found at Abydos.
The Boethos of Manetho reigned thirty eight years. Manetho relates
that during his reign an earthquake at Bubastis swallowed up
many people. Kakahu, the Kaichos of Manetho, reigned twenty nine years.
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According to Manetho, he introduced the cult of the APIs
bull at Memphis, that of the Meneves Bull at Heliopolis,
and that of the ram at Mendes. This legend is
incredible and unhistorical. These cults were all as old as
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the cities in which they were practiced, and antedated the
union of the two countries by many centuries. Bah and Neter,
whom Manetho calls Benathrus, reigned forty seven years. He seems
to have been an important lawgiver. If we can credit
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the account of Manetho, it was this pharaoh who first
legalized the succession in the female line. This was of
great importance throughout the course of Egyptian history, for according
to this law, a woman could sit on the Egyptian throne,
and many a dynasty based its right to the throne
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on the law of female succession of watchness. The Thlas
of Manetho, we know only that he reigned seventeen years. Scent,
called Sethhanus by Manetho, who ruled forty one years, is
said to have revised a medical treatise written in the
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reign of Hessepti Perabsen, possibly the Chayras of Manetho reigned
seventeen years. Nephrikara, the Nefercheres of Manetho, is said to
have ruled twenty five years under him. Manetho says the
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Nile ran honey for eleven days. Maspero, following Mariette, places
in this dynasty some monuments which are certainly older than
the times of the Fourth dynasty. They are few in number,
but show certain striking peculiarities which prove that they belong together.
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But we cannot fully verify this very plausible hypothesis until
we have more of these monuments. For the present, it
is certainly better not to ascribe them to any particular period,
but to say merely that they are older than the
times of the Fourth dynasty. The same may be said
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of the great Sphinx of Giza, the age of which
is unknown. Section three the third dynasty. How the second
dynasty came to an end and the third ascended the
throne we do not know. In fact, our knowledge of
the first three dynasties is limited to the names of
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the rulers and a few legends. Nephrkasokar was the first
king of this dynasty. Manetho calls him Nacherofas and ascribes
to him a reign of twenty eight years. The same
historian relates that in this reign the Libyans revolted, but
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as the battle was about to begin, they became frightened
at seeing the moon apparently greatly enlarged, and fled from
the field. Tosorthos ruled twenty nine years. Manetho relates that
he was a great builder and had perfected the system
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of writing. He was also a great physician, and for
this reason had been identified with Asclepius by the Greeks.
Of the other rulers of this dynasty we know only
the Nameshoni, the last of these kings, the curferess of Manetho,
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who ruled twenty six years, was the immediate predecessor of
kings Nephru, the founder of the fourth dynasty. Section four.
The fourth dynasty the Pyramid Builders about twenty eight thirty
through twenty seven hundred b C. Snphru twenty eight thirty
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through twenty eight o six b C. The founder of
the fourth dynasty, ascended the throne about twenty eight thirty
b C. The change of dynasty seems to have been
peaceably accomplished. Papyrus Priests, the only text that refers to it, remarks, quote,
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then King Hoon he died, and King Snphru became a
beneficent ruler over the entire land end quote. He is
the first king from whose reign monuments have come down
to us. He and his successors built for their tombs
great pyramids, forming a line miles in length from Giza
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on the north to Meidoum on the south. King s Nephru,
in all probability, is buried in the pyramid of Meidoum,
about which lie the tombs of many of his courtiers.
The Egyptian name of the pyramid was Cheh, its builder
was Henka. Of historical events of this reign we know
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but little. A legendary papyrus preserved in Saint Petersburg tells
of an incursion of the Asiatic Bedouins known as Amu.
To guard against these inroads, a line of forts was
established stretching across the Egyptian part of the Isthmus of Suez.
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This string of forts is frequently mentioned in the texts,
and its official name anbu Heku Wall of the Princes,
gave rise to the mistaken impression that the Egyptians had
built a wall across their eastern frontier. One of these forts,
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named after King Snphru Aa s Nephru, is mentioned in
the memoirs of a noble who lived over a thousand
years later. But King s Nephrew is not content with
repelling the inroads of the Asiatics. He was bent on
enlarging his empire. On the Sinai Peninsula, there were located
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rich copper and malachite mines, which the Egyptians worked in
very early times. Whether Snphru was the first king who
opened these mines, or whether they had been opened to
the Egyptians by some previous king, we do not undertake
to say. But it is a fact that he is
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the first king of whom monuments have been found on
the peninsula. Inscriptions at both of the great mining camps
at butt El Kadem and Wadi Maghara tell of the
king's campaigns against the Bedouins of the region, who were
called Mentius satt and who seem to have seriously resented
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the encroachment of the Egyptians. They were, of course beaten,
but could never be wholly subdued, and gave much trouble
in later reigns. S Nephru died after a prosperous reign
of twenty four years Chufu twenty eight o six through
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twenty seven eighty two b c. When s Nephru died,
he left to his oldest son and successor a great
and flourishing kingdom. This king is the Cheops of Herodotus.
He is the builder of the largest of the three
great pyramids of Giza, the measurements of which are sai
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of square base originally seven hundred sixty four feet at
present seven hundred forty six feet perpendicular height originally four
hundred eighty feet now four hundred fifty feet in height
of slope originally six hundred eleven feet at present five
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hundred sixty eight feet. Inside of this great mass of
solid masonry, there is the chamber in which the sarcophagus
of the king was deposited. This chamber is approached by
a series of narrow passages, which were after the sarcophagus
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was in place, blocked up in a very ingenious manner.
The Egyptian name of this pyramid was Chouot. I may
here mention some general facts which hold goods good For
all the pyramids of Giza, each one had connected with
it a funereal temple dedicated to the memory of the
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king buried in the pyramid. All of the pyramids were
built as planned, a fact that the recent measurements of W.
Flinders Petrie have demonstrated beyond a doubt. Thus the old
theory that every king, when he ascended the throne, began
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a pyramid of moderate proportions and gradually enlarged it as
he found he had the time is exploded. The reader
will find a full expose of these facts in mister
Petrie's admirable book The Pyramids and Temples of Giza. About
each pyramid lay a number of smaller pyramids, probably the
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tombs of the members of the royal families, as well
as the tombs of the nobles that had lived at
the court. This king was a great builder. The temple
of the lady of the pyramids, Isis, and the foundation
of the temple of Hathor at Denderah are attributed to him.
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Two cities, Menate Chufu, the modern Minya north of Hermopolis,
and Chufu Keebet bear his name. Like his predecessor, he
was compelled to make a campaign against the Mentius satt
on the Sinai Peninsula, who it seems had again begun
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to molest the Egyptian miners. The classical accounts of this
king are all unreliable. Herodotus gives him a reign of
fifty years, and Manetho says he reigned sixty three, while
we know from the Turin Papyrus that he ruled only
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twenty four years. The classical historians would also have him
appear as a great tyrant who closed the temples in
order that the Egyptians might all labor continuously at his pyramid,
and who, when money failed him, prostituted his own daughter
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in order to raise funds. The chief responsibility for these
stories rests on Herodotus. Manetho attempts to reconcile history and
legend by relating that the king, whom he calls Sophis
had repented in his old age and had written a
book that was regarded as sacred. Radidef twenty seven eighty
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two through twenty seven fifty nine b C, the son
and successor of Chufu, who ruled twenty three years, did
not build the pyramid. Why he departed from the custom
begun by his two predecessors we cannot say. Perhaps the
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forces and resources of the kingdom were otherwise employed. We know, however,
absolutely nothing of this comparatively long reign. Chafra twenty seven
fifty eight through twenty seven fifty BC, the chefren of Herodotus,
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is the builder of the second Great Pyramid of Giza,
the Egyptian name of which is O'er the Great One.
This s pyramid is somewhat smaller than that of Chafra's father, Chufu,
but it is still of respectable size. Its dimensions are
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length of side of square base originally seven hundred seven
feet now six hundred ndred ninety feet, perpendicular height originally
four hundred fifty four and one quarters feet now four
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hundred forty seven feet inclined height originally five hundred seventy
two feet at present five hundred sixty three feet. Like
all the other pyramids of Giza, this one is built
of blocks of limestone taken from the quarries of Tura
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Egyptian name Roeu, in the hills on the east bank
of the Nile opposite Memphis. All the pyramids were built
so that their sides resembled the great steps, and then
these steps were filled in with granite blocks, so placed
that they formed a smooth, continuous, inclined surface. Part of
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this coating of granite is still left on the upper
part of this pyramid. Before this pyramid, a little to
the south of the Great Sphinx, there stands a large
temple built of granite and alabaster, which was most probably
erected at Chafra's order. The fact that it stands in
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front of his pyramid proves conclusively that it was built
after that structure. In a well in the interior of
this temple were found the fragments of nine exquisitely wrought
diorite statues of the king. Seven of these are at
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present in the museum of Bulach, one of them being
almost unharmed. How these statues got in the well we
do not know. The temple itself is also a mystery.
It may have been Schafra's funereal temple, but it may
just as well have been erected to the sphinx, the
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image of Reharmachus, or to any other deity of him. Also,
the classical historians relate that he was a great tyrant
who systematically oppressed his subjects in order to be able
to complete his great pyramid, but there is absolutely no
foundation for these stories. He died after a reign of
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only eight years Mencare twenty seven forty nine through twenty
seven twenty four b c. The Mysarinos of Herodotus succeeded Chafra.
Herodotus tells us this pharaoh was celebrated for his great
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piety and righteousness, and the Egyptian monuments bear this out.
They tell us that he sent out his son hord
Death to inspect the temples of the land, and that
while on this tour of inspection, the prince had discovered
the sixty fourth chapter of the Book of the Dead
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at Hermopolis Schemunu. Some copies of the thirtieth chapter of
the same compilation state that it also was found in
this reign. Several later texts mention this prince. The celebrated
Minstrel's song quotes one of his sayings and a letter
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written in the time of Rameses. The second speaks of
the difficulty of understanding his writings. The story related by
some Greek authors that the oracle of Bhutto had predicted
to him that he would die young, and that he
had consequently spent day and night in dissipation in order
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to double his life is utterly untrustworthy. His tomb is
the third and smallest of the pyramids of Giza. Its
dimensions are side of square base three hundred fifty four
and a half feet perpendicular height originally two hundred eighteen
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feet now two hundred three feet, height of incline originally
two hundred seventy eight feet now two hundred sixty one feet.
The order to erect this structure and the account of
the work are given in an unfortunately extremely mutilated inscription
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in one of the tombs of Giza. The name of
the pyramid was Hairy. Although a systematic attempt to destroy
this pyramid was made in eleven ninety six a d.
It is the best preserved of all the pyramids of Giza.
In the chamber viz. Found the stone, sarcophagus and fragments
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of the wooden mummy case of this king. The former
was lost in a shipwreck. The latter are preserved in
the British Museum. How long this pharaoh ruled we cannot say,
as the Turin papyrus has a break at his name.
We must, therefore, for the present take the years given
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by the most trustworthy of the classical writers, Manetho, who
states the king ruled twenty five years Shepseskov twenty seven
twenty three through twenty seven o one b c. Of
this king we know very little. An interesting description was
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found in the tomb of his favorite, Tashepsis. This man
was born in the reign of Minkaure and was educated
together with the royal princes. His career as an official
falls almost entirely within Shepseskov's reign. This king gave his
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favorite his daughter Mayache in marriage, and heaped honors upon him.
It is a characteristic fact that neither in this biography,
nor in any other inscription of this time, do we
meet with any mention of warlike expeditions. The monuments, however,
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make frequent mention of the king's trips through the country
of festivals and of buildings erected by the pharaoh. Herodotus
tells us that the successor of Mysarinos, whom he calls Aceychus,
built a pyramid of brick and enlarged the southern peristyle
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of the t Temple of Memphis. Deodorus, who calls him Sassichus,
mentions him as one of the five great lawgivers of Egypt.
One of his alleged laws is mentioned by Herodotus allowing
a debtor to pawn his father's mummy. In case the
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mummy were not redeemed, he would lose for himself and
family the right of burial. Deodorus also states that this
pharaoh regulated the ritual and invented the geometry and the
art of observing the stars. Of these stories, it is
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safe to accept only what relates to the building operations
of the king. According to Manetho, he ruled twenty two years.
Two kings, Seberches and Tempthis, are mentioned by Manetho as
belonging to this dynasty, but their names have not yet
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been found on the Monuments Section five. The Fifth dynasty
twenty seven hundred through twenty five sixty BC. The change
of dynasty seems to have impeaceably accomplished, for we find
that men who had held office under the preceding dynasty
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were retained by the kings of the new house. Possibly
the direct male line had died out and the new
line came to the throne by the right of female succession.
Userkov twenty seven hundred through twenty six ninety three BC.
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The first king of this dynasty was the immediate successor
of Shepseskov, as is proved by the inscription of Setchem Kare,
who held official positions under kings Chafra Minkare, Shepseskaf, Userkaf
and Sahure. All we know of this pharaoh is that
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he ruled seven years and was buried in a pyramid
called Abbasu. Sahure twenty six ninety two through twenty six
eighty b C. Had to repel in roads of the
Mentiu Satt, who had again begun to molest the Egyptian
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miners on the Sinai Peninsula. He founded the city of
Persahure north of Esne, and built a temple to the
goddess Sochet, the wife of Ta in Memphis. His pyramid,
Cheba lies north of Abusir. Sahure ruled twelve years Neferarkare
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twenty six seventy nine through twenty six seventy two b C.
The successor of Sahure is called Kakah in the list
of Abydos. He died after a reign of seven years
and was buried in a pyramid called Bah of Shepseskare
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twenty seven sixty one through twenty seven fifty nine b C.
We know only that he reigned twelve years. Of ates
we know nothing. Nepherbare reigned probably ten years. Akauhor is
another ruler of whom we know absolutely nothing, an whose
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pronomon was Userenra was the first king to adopt a
throne name. Hitherto, the kings had kept the names they
had borne as princes, but now the kings took a
new name on ascending the throne. This name was always
compounded with the name of the god Ra, and was
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the official name of the ruler by which he was
designated in all state documents. The name of Ra was
chosen in all probability because this god was considered as
the first divine king of Egypt. The king, however, retained
his old name, placing before it the title sa Ra,
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son of Ra. Thus An's name now was King of
Upper and Lower Egypt, User and Ra the son of ra. An.
Not content with these two names, the pharaohs took three
other names on ascending the throne, answering to the three titles, Horace,
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Lord of both lands, and Horace nupti, that is, Horace
the conqueror of set. In olden times, the kings used
one and the same name with these three titles, thus
the full name of Amenemhat. The first was the Horuce
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nem Messut renewer of births, Lord of both lands nem Messut,
Horace Noubti nem Messut, King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
sehotep Abra, the son of Ra Amenemhat. In later times,
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the pharaohs took a separate name with each title, thus
the full name of Rameses. The second was Horace the
strong steer, beloved of Mat, Lord of both lands, he
that protecteth Egypt and subdued with the barbarians. Horace Nubti
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rich in years, great in victories, King of Upper and
Lower Egypt, ra User mat setep en Ra that is Ra,
strong in truth, chosen of Ra, the son of Ra Ramessu,
mar Amon, Rameses beloved of Amon. Frequently other titles are added,
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and the titulature becomes a hymn on the king on
ward on the Sinai peninsula with the Mentiu saateate. He
died after a reign of ten years. Menkauhor ruled eight years.
All we know of him is that he too worked
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the copper and malachite minds of the Sinai Dead. Karah
Asa ruled twenty eight years. In the fourth year of
his reign, he sent an expedition to Wadi Maghara on
the Sinai. He is the first pharaoh whose name we
meet with in the quarries of the Wadi Hammamat, although
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undoubtedly already King Chafra worked them. Unas was the last
king of this dynasty with his name. The Turin Papyrus
concludes a division and sums up the number of years
since Mena in all six hundred and fifty. It thus
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would seem that his death marked an epoch in Egyptian history,
But our information about this period is so meager that
we cannot say what great event can have taken place
at this time. Unas had been appointed co regent by
his father, as he does not seem to have undertaken
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any warlike expeditions. He was, however, a great builder, erecting
a temple to the goddess Hathor near Memphis. In the
Fayoum there was a city called Unas after him, and
probably founded by him. The diorite he needed for these
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works he quarried in Hamamat. After a reign of thirty years,
the king died section six the Sixth dynasty about twenty
five sixty through twenty four hundred BC. Teta was the
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founder of the new dynasty and seems to have been
the immediate successor of Unas. It would seem, however, that
the new dynasty did not gain the throne without a struggle.
Two kings are ment who belong about in this time,
Ati and Imhotep, both of whom quarried stone and the
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Wadi Hammamat. They were most probably pretenders to the crown.
Teta triumphed over all his rivals and ascended the throne
about twenty five sixty b C. Whatever struggle there was
seems to have been short lived and is not mentioned
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in the inscriptions. These inscriptions are chiefly those of nobles,
and though they are, despite their brevity, accurate biographies recounting
the possessions and offices of the nobles they treat of,
they touch on matters of state only incidentally. Of the
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history of this king we know absolutely nothing. Manetho has
preserved a legend that he was murdered by one of
his bodyguard. According to the same historian, he ruled thirty years.
This pharaoh was buried in a pyramid near Sakara, which
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was opened in eighteen eighty one. The Egyptian name of
the structure was de Dasu. The opening of this pyramid
was of the greatest importance for religious history, but of
none whatever for secular history, the walls being covered with
long religious texts, containing not the slightest historical illusion. After Teta,
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the list of Abydos mentions a king oh Sir Kharah,
of whom we know nothing. Perhaps this was the king's
throne name and was put here by mistake. Marie Ra
Pepi twenty five thirty through twenty five b C, who
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ascended the throne about twenty five thirty BC, is the
greatest monarch of this dynasty. Pepi was the immediate successor
of Teta, but we do not know whether he was
related to his predecessor or not. Pepi's empire embraced all
of Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. In the eighteenth year
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of his reign, he sent an expedition to the Wadi
Maghara and was compelled to punish the Mentiu, who had
again become troublesome. In the same year, he also sent
an expedition to Rohanu Wadi hammamat the quarry stones for
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some temples he was erecting. His name also appears in
the sandstone quarries of Gabel Silsila, and he is the
first king of whose opera rations here we have any tidings,
though assuredly the quarries had been worked by many of
his predecessors. We know that he built in Tannis, and
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an inscription on the walls of the Temple of Denderah
relates that he had found the old plan of this
building prepared in King Chufu's time. He also founded a city,
the governor of which Beba is buried. At Chech said,
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the greater part of what we know of his reign
is gleaned from the inscription of a noble named Una.
This noble began his career under King Teta in minor offices.
Under Pepe, he rapidly gained distinction, rising to high offices.
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Early in Pepe's reign, he was made judge. Farded himself
so well in a very delicate case that he was
given the exalted title of only friend to the Pharaoh
and was appointed governor of the Nubian district. He now conducted,
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in conjunction with a justice of lower rank, a case
brought by the King against Queen amst The case was
a very delicate one and conducted with the utmost secrecy.
We do not hear the cause of action or the
outcome of the case. The King was highly pleased with
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UNA's conduct of this case, and heaped new honors upon him.
The Amu Heryusha, as the Egyptians called the Syrian Bedouins
at this time, began to make inroads on Egyptian territory,
and it was determined to punish them. A vast army
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was collected from all parts of Egypt and Nubia, drilled
and disciplined under the direction of Una. With this army
he marched against the enemy, and in five successive campaigns
completely routed them. Their strongholds were taken and destroyed, their
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crops were burned, their cattle driven off, Vast numbers of
prisoners were taken, and their country was left completely devastated
and almost depopulated. Peppi died soon after the close of
this war, after a reign of twenty years, and was
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buried in his pyramid, which bore the name of Menepher,
the same as that of Memphis. This pyramid, which lies
near Sakura, was opened in eighteen eighty one. Its walls
are covered with long religious inscriptions. Marin Ra Horumsaff twenty
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five O nine through twenty five O two b c.
On Peppi's death, his son marin Ra ascended the throne
of him. We know little outside of what Una tells us.
This noble was made a prince by the new ruler,
an appointed governor of the South. In this capacity, he
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highly distinguished himself. He made two enumerations of the South,
that is, twice took the census of his province, a
thing that had never been done before, and that gained
him great praise from the king. He was then ordered
to bring a granite sarcophagus and fittings for the King's
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pyramid from the quarries at Elephantine. The fact that only
one man of war would needed to escort six transports
and six other vessels as a significant proof of the
extent of the Egyptian power in these early times. We
(47:13):
have already seen that Pepi the first conscripted troops from
the Nubian districts bordering on Egypt in an expedition undertaken
somewhat later, Una pressed Nubian tribes into his service to
cut timber and build boats. Most probably, these tribes had
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been subdued already by King Chufu when he opened the
granite quarries on the first Cataract. These tribes most probably
stood in a relation of semi dependence to Egypt. They
certainly retained their tribal relations and their autonomy, but were
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compelled to serve in the Egyptian army in case of
war and to assist the expeditions that were sent to Assuan.
Outside of this, we know of this reign only that
the king made a tour of inspection on which he
visited the quarries of Assouan, and that he sent an
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expedition to the Wadi Hammamat. According to Manetto, he ruled
only seven years. He was entombed in his pyramid, which
was named Chanofur. This pyramid was opened in eighteen eighty one,
and it was found that the walls were covered with
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inscriptions analogous to those found in the pyramid of his father.
In the sarcophagus chamber was found the carefully embalmed and
well preserved mummy of the king, which was brought to Bulloch.
The body is that of a young man, which well
accords with the short reign ascribed to him by Manetho.
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Nefrikhare Pepi the Second twenty five oh one through twenty
four eleven b c. On Marenra's death, his brother Nefrikare
assented de throne. He corresponds to Manetho's king Phiops, who
ruled one hundred years, as the Turin Papyrus gives Pepi
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the Second over ninety years. All that we know of
him is that he sent an expedition to the copper
minds of Wadi Maghara on the Sinai. This king was
buried in a pyramid near Sakara, the Egyptian name of
which was Menanch. It was opened in eighteen eighty one
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and contained the same texts as the others. The close
of this dynasty is shrouded in darkness. We know of
few view of the names belonging here, but of not
one of the kings after Peppy the second do we
know the history. Thus we hear of a king meant Emsaf,
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a King Nephrus, and a King ab Nae Taker. The
Netocris of the classical authors, belongs in this dynasty, though
we cannot give her her exact place. Her name is
mentioned on none of the monuments, but many a legend
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is related of her. Herodotus tells us that after a
reign of scarce, one year, King Menth the Sophis was murdered,
and his sister and wife, the beautiful one with the
rosy cheeks, succeeded him. She resolved to avenge her husband
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and brother. To this end, she had a great hall
built underground, which was connected with the waters of the Nile.
The river was prevented from entering by mighty floodgates. To
this hall, she invited all who were implicated in the
murder of her husband to a banquet. When this was
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at its height, she herself opened the floodgates, and the
waters of the nile streaming in. All the guests perished. Then,
to avoid the vengeance of the murderer's friends, she threw
herself into a large chamber filled with glowing coal, and
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was burned up. The same historian further relates that in
her reign of seven years, she had enlarged the Pyramid
of Myceinos and had coated its apex with granite. There
is as little foundation for one of these tales as
for the other. The latters story is disproved by the
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fact that the Third Pyramid shows no traces of having
been rebuilt or enlarged. An Arabic legend is also connected
with Nitokris, or rather with the Third Pyramid. To the
present day, the Arabs dwelling about the pyramids believe that
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the ghost of the Southern Pyramid hovers about it in
the shape of a beautiful naked woman, whom she sets
eyes on. Her smile infatuates, but she is a great coquette,
alternately attracting and repelling her victim until he becomes insane
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and wanders aimless through the land. Many and many a
one say they has seen her, especially at noon and
sunset hovering about her pyramid, end of chapter for two
Chapter two of History of Egypt. This is a LibriVox recording.
All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more
information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox dot org. Recording
by Rick VENA History of Egypt by F. C. H. Wendel,
(00:31):
Chapter two The Old Empire from the union of the
Upper and Lower countries to the close of the sixth
Dynasty about thirty two hundred through twenty four hundred BC.
Section one the First Dynasty Mayna thirty two hundred BC.
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The great king who first united Upper and Lower Egypt
into one country, lived not later than thirty two hundred
b C. How many years earlier he lived, we have
no means of saying. He may have lived five hundred
or even a thousand years earlier, But until we can
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assign him an accurately correct date, it is best to
retain the one here given. Naturally, he occupies a high
place in Egyptian tradition, being regarded as the first human
king of the country. His birthplace was the small town
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of Tenny, Greek, this near Abydos. This town was, not, however,
favorably located for the capital of a great empire. Somna
left it and moved the seat of the government to
the city of Memphis, which lay on the Nile, a
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little to the south of the apex of the Delta.
This city was the home of the god Ta, who
thus became the official head of the Egyptian pantheon. The
site of this city was on the left bank of
the Nile, a little above the modern city of Cairo,
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at the modern village of Mitraheen. A few mounds of
rubbish and some scattered ruins still mark the place where
once stood one of the greatest and richest cities of
all antiquity. The Egyptian name of the city was Menapher,
the good or beautiful abode, from which the Greek name
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Memphis by which we designate the city was derived. Every
city of ancient Egypt had two names, a common or
profane name and a sacred name, derived either from the
name of its god or from some mythological event located
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at it. The sacred name of Menapher was Hetka Ta,
the abode of the spirit of Ta. It was defended
by a citadel called Ambuhitch the White Wall. The city
itself was probably far older than the time of Mena,
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but in transferring the capital to it. The king naturally
greatly enlarged it and came to be considered first its
benefactor and later on its founder. What we know of
this king has come to us through the Greek historians
and Manetho. All that is usually a scribed to the
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founders of empire is ascribed to him. The legends related
of him are mostly absurd. He is said to have
founded the Temple of ta At Memphis, which was the
first Egyptian temple, to have first organized the temple ritual,
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and to have introduced the cult of the APIs Bull,
all of which stories are alike incredible. As above noted,
Memphis and its cult existed long before Mena's time. He
is also said to have invented the alphabet. The most
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absurd story is that told by Diadorus, who relates that
the king had once upon a time, when pursued by
his own hounds, fled into Lake Maurus, and had been
brought to shore by a crocodile, and, ingratitude for this rescue,
he had built Crocodilopolis on the lake shore, had instituted
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the crocodile cult, and given over the lake to these Saurians.
Then he had built a pyramid here for his tomb,
and had founded the celebrated labyrinth. In reality, the lake
did not yet exist in these early times, having been
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built by Amenhetep the Third, almost two thousand years later Crocodilopolis.
The pyramid and the labyrinth were built by this same pharaoh. Footnote.
The word pharaoh, which was taken over into the modern
languages from the Bible, is derived from the Egyptian word pereea.
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The great house, a common designation of the king and footnote.
Almost as absurd is the legend that he was an
effeminate king devoted to the pleasures of the table, and
had first taught his subjects to take a reclining posture
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while eating. In the first place, founders of empire are
not made of such stuff, and in the second place,
the custom in Egypt was not to recline, but to
sit at table. The king is also represented as a
patron of poets. More trustworthy is what Manetho tells us
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of this king. He was a mighty warrior who campaigned
in Libya and was killed by a hippopotamus. This agrees
well with what we would expect of a founder of empire.
He was a warlike ruler and was killed while hunting.
According to Manetho, he ruled about sixty years. Teta, whom
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the Greek writers called Atathus the First, succeeded Mena. According
to the extract from Manetho made by Africanus, he ruled
fifty seven years. According to that made by Eusebius, he
reigned only twenty seven. Manetho relates that he built a
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citadel of Memphis and wrote a work on anatomy. This
latter notice is to some extent confirmed by a passage
of the medical papyrus Ebers, in which a hair restorer
is said to have been invented by Shesh, the mother
of our ruler. A two headed crane is said to
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have appeared in his reign, a phenomenon that presaged a
long period of prosperity of Atte Atathus the second, whom
Manetho called Cancnnies. Nothing is known beyond the fact that
he ruled thirty two years. In the reign of Attah
(08:11):
the Oenephaes of Manetho, who ruled twenty three years, a
great famine prevailed in Egypt. He is said to have
erected a pyramid at Cochome near Sakara. Hesepti the usa
Faides of Manetho, who ruled twenty years, is quite a
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literary character among these kings. A remedy for leprosy, which
was afterward copied in a medical papyrus preserved in Berlin,
and in the papyrus Ebers, is said to date from
his reign. Numerous copies of the sixty fourth chapter of
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the Book of the Dead assert that this chapter was
discovered in his reign and not in that of Myceerenos,
while all copies agree that the one hundred and thirtieth
chapter dates from this reign. Merbapin the Miebidos of Manetho
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reigned nineteen years. He must have been quite an important ruler,
for the list of kings discovered at Sakara begins with
his name. Sementa. The Semempsis of Manetho ruled eighteen years.
It is related that many miracles took place in his
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reign and that a great plague almost depopulated the land
of Kebhu. The Bienchies of Manetho we know only that
he ruled twenty six years. Section two. The second dynasty Nedderbaou,
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the ret Ja'ou of the list of kings found at Abydos.
The Boethos of Manetho reigned thirty eight years. Manetho relates
that during his reign an earthquake at Bubastis swallowed up
many people. Kakahu, the Kaichos of Manetho, reigned twenty nine years.
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According to Manetho, he introduced the cult of the APIs
bull at Memphis, that of the Meneves Bull at Heliopolis,
and that of the ram at Mendes. This legend is
incredible and unhistorical. These cults were all as old as
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the cities in which they were practiced, and antedated the
union of the two countries by many centuries. Bah and Neter,
whom Manetho calls Benathrus, reigned forty seven years. He seems
to have been an important lawgiver. If we can credit
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the account of Manetho, it was this pharaoh who first
legalized the succession in the female line. This was of
great importance throughout the course of Egyptian history, for according
to this law, a woman could sit on the Egyptian throne,
and many a dynasty based its right to the throne
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on the law of female succession of watchness. The Thlas
of Manetho, we know only that he reigned seventeen years. Scent,
called Sethhanus by Manetho, who ruled forty one years, is
said to have revised a medical treatise written in the
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reign of Hessepti Perabsen, possibly the Chayras of Manetho reigned
seventeen years. Nephrikara, the Nefercheres of Manetho, is said to
have ruled twenty five years under him. Manetho says the
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Nile ran honey for eleven days. Maspero, following Mariette, places
in this dynasty some monuments which are certainly older than
the times of the Fourth dynasty. They are few in number,
but show certain striking peculiarities which prove that they belong together.
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But we cannot fully verify this very plausible hypothesis until
we have more of these monuments. For the present, it
is certainly better not to ascribe them to any particular period,
but to say merely that they are older than the
times of the Fourth dynasty. The same may be said
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of the great Sphinx of Giza, the age of which
is unknown. Section three the third dynasty. How the second
dynasty came to an end and the third ascended the
throne we do not know. In fact, our knowledge of
the first three dynasties is limited to the names of
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the rulers and a few legends. Nephrkasokar was the first
king of this dynasty. Manetho calls him Nacherofas and ascribes
to him a reign of twenty eight years. The same
historian relates that in this reign the Libyans revolted, but
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as the battle was about to begin, they became frightened
at seeing the moon apparently greatly enlarged, and fled from
the field. Tosorthos ruled twenty nine years. Manetho relates that
he was a great builder and had perfected the system
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of writing. He was also a great physician, and for
this reason had been identified with Asclepius by the Greeks.
Of the other rulers of this dynasty we know only
the Nameshoni, the last of these kings, the curferess of Manetho,
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who ruled twenty six years, was the immediate predecessor of
kings Nephru, the founder of the fourth dynasty. Section four.
The fourth dynasty the Pyramid Builders about twenty eight thirty
through twenty seven hundred b C. Snphru twenty eight thirty
(15:08):
through twenty eight o six b C. The founder of
the fourth dynasty, ascended the throne about twenty eight thirty
b C. The change of dynasty seems to have been
peaceably accomplished. Papyrus Priests, the only text that refers to it, remarks, quote,
(15:31):
then King Hoon he died, and King Snphru became a
beneficent ruler over the entire land end quote. He is
the first king from whose reign monuments have come down
to us. He and his successors built for their tombs
great pyramids, forming a line miles in length from Giza
(15:56):
on the north to Meidoum on the south. King s Nephru,
in all probability, is buried in the pyramid of Meidoum,
about which lie the tombs of many of his courtiers.
The Egyptian name of the pyramid was Cheh, its builder
was Henka. Of historical events of this reign we know
(16:20):
but little. A legendary papyrus preserved in Saint Petersburg tells
of an incursion of the Asiatic Bedouins known as Amu.
To guard against these inroads, a line of forts was
established stretching across the Egyptian part of the Isthmus of Suez.
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This string of forts is frequently mentioned in the texts,
and its official name anbu Heku Wall of the Princes,
gave rise to the mistaken impression that the Egyptians had
built a wall across their eastern frontier. One of these forts,
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named after King Snphru Aa s Nephru, is mentioned in
the memoirs of a noble who lived over a thousand
years later. But King s Nephrew is not content with
repelling the inroads of the Asiatics. He was bent on
enlarging his empire. On the Sinai Peninsula, there were located
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rich copper and malachite mines, which the Egyptians worked in
very early times. Whether Snphru was the first king who
opened these mines, or whether they had been opened to
the Egyptians by some previous king, we do not undertake
to say. But it is a fact that he is
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the first king of whom monuments have been found on
the peninsula. Inscriptions at both of the great mining camps
at butt El Kadem and Wadi Maghara tell of the
king's campaigns against the Bedouins of the region, who were
called Mentius satt and who seem to have seriously resented
(18:14):
the encroachment of the Egyptians. They were, of course beaten,
but could never be wholly subdued, and gave much trouble
in later reigns. S Nephru died after a prosperous reign
of twenty four years Chufu twenty eight o six through
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twenty seven eighty two b c. When s Nephru died,
he left to his oldest son and successor a great
and flourishing kingdom. This king is the Cheops of Herodotus.
He is the builder of the largest of the three
great pyramids of Giza, the measurements of which are sai
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of square base originally seven hundred sixty four feet at
present seven hundred forty six feet perpendicular height originally four
hundred eighty feet now four hundred fifty feet in height
of slope originally six hundred eleven feet at present five
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hundred sixty eight feet. Inside of this great mass of
solid masonry, there is the chamber in which the sarcophagus
of the king was deposited. This chamber is approached by
a series of narrow passages, which were after the sarcophagus
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was in place, blocked up in a very ingenious manner.
The Egyptian name of this pyramid was Chouot. I may
here mention some general facts which hold goods good For
all the pyramids of Giza, each one had connected with
it a funereal temple dedicated to the memory of the
(20:09):
king buried in the pyramid. All of the pyramids were
built as planned, a fact that the recent measurements of W.
Flinders Petrie have demonstrated beyond a doubt. Thus the old
theory that every king, when he ascended the throne, began
(20:30):
a pyramid of moderate proportions and gradually enlarged it as
he found he had the time is exploded. The reader
will find a full expose of these facts in mister
Petrie's admirable book The Pyramids and Temples of Giza. About
each pyramid lay a number of smaller pyramids, probably the
(20:54):
tombs of the members of the royal families, as well
as the tombs of the nobles that had lived at
the court. This king was a great builder. The temple
of the lady of the pyramids, Isis, and the foundation
of the temple of Hathor at Denderah are attributed to him.
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Two cities, Menate Chufu, the modern Minya north of Hermopolis,
and Chufu Keebet bear his name. Like his predecessor, he
was compelled to make a campaign against the Mentius satt
on the Sinai Peninsula, who it seems had again begun
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to molest the Egyptian miners. The classical accounts of this
king are all unreliable. Herodotus gives him a reign of
fifty years, and Manetho says he reigned sixty three, while
we know from the Turin Papyrus that he ruled only
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twenty four years. The classical historians would also have him
appear as a great tyrant who closed the temples in
order that the Egyptians might all labor continuously at his pyramid,
and who, when money failed him, prostituted his own daughter
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in order to raise funds. The chief responsibility for these
stories rests on Herodotus. Manetho attempts to reconcile history and
legend by relating that the king, whom he calls Sophis
had repented in his old age and had written a
book that was regarded as sacred. Radidef twenty seven eighty
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two through twenty seven fifty nine b C, the son
and successor of Chufu, who ruled twenty three years, did
not build the pyramid. Why he departed from the custom
begun by his two predecessors we cannot say. Perhaps the
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forces and resources of the kingdom were otherwise employed. We know, however,
absolutely nothing of this comparatively long reign. Chafra twenty seven
fifty eight through twenty seven fifty BC, the chefren of Herodotus,
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is the builder of the second Great Pyramid of Giza,
the Egyptian name of which is O'er the Great One.
This s pyramid is somewhat smaller than that of Chafra's father, Chufu,
but it is still of respectable size. Its dimensions are
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length of side of square base originally seven hundred seven
feet now six hundred ndred ninety feet, perpendicular height originally
four hundred fifty four and one quarters feet now four
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hundred forty seven feet inclined height originally five hundred seventy
two feet at present five hundred sixty three feet. Like
all the other pyramids of Giza, this one is built
of blocks of limestone taken from the quarries of Tura
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Egyptian name Roeu, in the hills on the east bank
of the Nile opposite Memphis. All the pyramids were built
so that their sides resembled the great steps, and then
these steps were filled in with granite blocks, so placed
that they formed a smooth, continuous, inclined surface. Part of
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this coating of granite is still left on the upper
part of this pyramid. Before this pyramid, a little to
the south of the Great Sphinx, there stands a large
temple built of granite and alabaster, which was most probably
erected at Chafra's order. The fact that it stands in
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front of his pyramid proves conclusively that it was built
after that structure. In a well in the interior of
this temple were found the fragments of nine exquisitely wrought
diorite statues of the king. Seven of these are at
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present in the museum of Bulach, one of them being
almost unharmed. How these statues got in the well we
do not know. The temple itself is also a mystery.
It may have been Schafra's funereal temple, but it may
just as well have been erected to the sphinx, the
(26:04):
image of Reharmachus, or to any other deity of him. Also,
the classical historians relate that he was a great tyrant
who systematically oppressed his subjects in order to be able
to complete his great pyramid, but there is absolutely no
foundation for these stories. He died after a reign of
(26:29):
only eight years Mencare twenty seven forty nine through twenty
seven twenty four b c. The Mysarinos of Herodotus succeeded Chafra.
Herodotus tells us this pharaoh was celebrated for his great
(26:49):
piety and righteousness, and the Egyptian monuments bear this out.
They tell us that he sent out his son hord
Death to inspect the temples of the land, and that
while on this tour of inspection, the prince had discovered
the sixty fourth chapter of the Book of the Dead
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at Hermopolis Schemunu. Some copies of the thirtieth chapter of
the same compilation state that it also was found in
this reign. Several later texts mention this prince. The celebrated
Minstrel's song quotes one of his sayings and a letter
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written in the time of Rameses. The second speaks of
the difficulty of understanding his writings. The story related by
some Greek authors that the oracle of Bhutto had predicted
to him that he would die young, and that he
had consequently spent day and night in dissipation in order
(27:57):
to double his life is utterly untrustworthy. His tomb is
the third and smallest of the pyramids of Giza. Its
dimensions are side of square base three hundred fifty four
and a half feet perpendicular height originally two hundred eighteen
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feet now two hundred three feet, height of incline originally
two hundred seventy eight feet now two hundred sixty one feet.
The order to erect this structure and the account of
the work are given in an unfortunately extremely mutilated inscription
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in one of the tombs of Giza. The name of
the pyramid was Hairy. Although a systematic attempt to destroy
this pyramid was made in eleven ninety six a d.
It is the best preserved of all the pyramids of Giza.
In the chamber viz. Found the stone, sarcophagus and fragments
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of the wooden mummy case of this king. The former
was lost in a shipwreck. The latter are preserved in
the British Museum. How long this pharaoh ruled we cannot say,
as the Turin papyrus has a break at his name.
We must, therefore, for the present take the years given
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by the most trustworthy of the classical writers, Manetho, who
states the king ruled twenty five years Shepseskov twenty seven
twenty three through twenty seven o one b c. Of
this king we know very little. An interesting description was
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found in the tomb of his favorite, Tashepsis. This man
was born in the reign of Minkaure and was educated
together with the royal princes. His career as an official
falls almost entirely within Shepseskov's reign. This king gave his
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favorite his daughter Mayache in marriage, and heaped honors upon him.
It is a characteristic fact that neither in this biography,
nor in any other inscription of this time, do we
meet with any mention of warlike expeditions. The monuments, however,
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make frequent mention of the king's trips through the country
of festivals and of buildings erected by the pharaoh. Herodotus
tells us that the successor of Mysarinos, whom he calls Aceychus,
built a pyramid of brick and enlarged the southern peristyle
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of the t Temple of Memphis. Deodorus, who calls him Sassichus,
mentions him as one of the five great lawgivers of Egypt.
One of his alleged laws is mentioned by Herodotus allowing
a debtor to pawn his father's mummy. In case the
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mummy were not redeemed, he would lose for himself and
family the right of burial. Deodorus also states that this
pharaoh regulated the ritual and invented the geometry and the
art of observing the stars. Of these stories, it is
(31:40):
safe to accept only what relates to the building operations
of the king. According to Manetho, he ruled twenty two years.
Two kings, Seberches and Tempthis, are mentioned by Manetho as
belonging to this dynasty, but their names have not yet
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been found on the Monuments Section five. The Fifth dynasty
twenty seven hundred through twenty five sixty BC. The change
of dynasty seems to have impeaceably accomplished, for we find
that men who had held office under the preceding dynasty
(32:27):
were retained by the kings of the new house. Possibly
the direct male line had died out and the new
line came to the throne by the right of female succession.
Userkov twenty seven hundred through twenty six ninety three BC.
(32:48):
The first king of this dynasty was the immediate successor
of Shepseskov, as is proved by the inscription of Setchem Kare,
who held official positions under kings Chafra Minkare, Shepseskaf, Userkaf
and Sahure. All we know of this pharaoh is that
(33:12):
he ruled seven years and was buried in a pyramid
called Abbasu. Sahure twenty six ninety two through twenty six
eighty b C. Had to repel in roads of the
Mentiu Satt, who had again begun to molest the Egyptian
(33:32):
miners on the Sinai Peninsula. He founded the city of
Persahure north of Esne, and built a temple to the
goddess Sochet, the wife of Ta in Memphis. His pyramid,
Cheba lies north of Abusir. Sahure ruled twelve years Neferarkare
(33:58):
twenty six seventy nine through twenty six seventy two b C.
The successor of Sahure is called Kakah in the list
of Abydos. He died after a reign of seven years
and was buried in a pyramid called Bah of Shepseskare
(34:19):
twenty seven sixty one through twenty seven fifty nine b C.
We know only that he reigned twelve years. Of ates
we know nothing. Nepherbare reigned probably ten years. Akauhor is
another ruler of whom we know absolutely nothing, an whose
(34:43):
pronomon was Userenra was the first king to adopt a
throne name. Hitherto, the kings had kept the names they
had borne as princes, but now the kings took a
new name on ascending the throne. This name was always
compounded with the name of the god Ra, and was
(35:05):
the official name of the ruler by which he was
designated in all state documents. The name of Ra was
chosen in all probability because this god was considered as
the first divine king of Egypt. The king, however, retained
his old name, placing before it the title sa Ra,
(35:31):
son of Ra. Thus An's name now was King of
Upper and Lower Egypt, User and Ra the son of ra. An.
Not content with these two names, the pharaohs took three
other names on ascending the throne, answering to the three titles, Horace,
(35:57):
Lord of both lands, and Horace nupti, that is, Horace
the conqueror of set. In olden times, the kings used
one and the same name with these three titles, thus
the full name of Amenemhat. The first was the Horuce
(36:18):
nem Messut renewer of births, Lord of both lands nem Messut,
Horace Noubti nem Messut, King of Upper and Lower Egypt,
sehotep Abra, the son of Ra Amenemhat. In later times,
(36:41):
the pharaohs took a separate name with each title, thus
the full name of Rameses. The second was Horace the
strong steer, beloved of Mat, Lord of both lands, he
that protecteth Egypt and subdued with the barbarians. Horace Nubti
(37:04):
rich in years, great in victories, King of Upper and
Lower Egypt, ra User mat setep en Ra that is Ra,
strong in truth, chosen of Ra, the son of Ra Ramessu,
mar Amon, Rameses beloved of Amon. Frequently other titles are added,
(37:32):
and the titulature becomes a hymn on the king on
ward on the Sinai peninsula with the Mentiu saateate. He
died after a reign of ten years. Menkauhor ruled eight years.
All we know of him is that he too worked
(37:53):
the copper and malachite minds of the Sinai Dead. Karah
Asa ruled twenty eight years. In the fourth year of
his reign, he sent an expedition to Wadi Maghara on
the Sinai. He is the first pharaoh whose name we
meet with in the quarries of the Wadi Hammamat, although
(38:18):
undoubtedly already King Chafra worked them. Unas was the last
king of this dynasty with his name. The Turin Papyrus
concludes a division and sums up the number of years
since Mena in all six hundred and fifty. It thus
(38:39):
would seem that his death marked an epoch in Egyptian history,
But our information about this period is so meager that
we cannot say what great event can have taken place
at this time. Unas had been appointed co regent by
his father, as he does not seem to have undertaken
(39:03):
any warlike expeditions. He was, however, a great builder, erecting
a temple to the goddess Hathor near Memphis. In the
Fayoum there was a city called Unas after him, and
probably founded by him. The diorite he needed for these
(39:24):
works he quarried in Hamamat. After a reign of thirty years,
the king died section six the Sixth dynasty about twenty
five sixty through twenty four hundred BC. Teta was the
(39:45):
founder of the new dynasty and seems to have been
the immediate successor of Unas. It would seem, however, that
the new dynasty did not gain the throne without a struggle.
Two kings are ment who belong about in this time,
Ati and Imhotep, both of whom quarried stone and the
(40:09):
Wadi Hammamat. They were most probably pretenders to the crown.
Teta triumphed over all his rivals and ascended the throne
about twenty five sixty b C. Whatever struggle there was
seems to have been short lived and is not mentioned
(40:30):
in the inscriptions. These inscriptions are chiefly those of nobles,
and though they are, despite their brevity, accurate biographies recounting
the possessions and offices of the nobles they treat of,
they touch on matters of state only incidentally. Of the
(40:52):
history of this king we know absolutely nothing. Manetho has
preserved a legend that he was murdered by one of
his bodyguard. According to the same historian, he ruled thirty years.
This pharaoh was buried in a pyramid near Sakara, which
(41:13):
was opened in eighteen eighty one. The Egyptian name of
the structure was de Dasu. The opening of this pyramid
was of the greatest importance for religious history, but of
none whatever for secular history, the walls being covered with
long religious texts, containing not the slightest historical illusion. After Teta,
(41:42):
the list of Abydos mentions a king oh Sir Kharah,
of whom we know nothing. Perhaps this was the king's
throne name and was put here by mistake. Marie Ra
Pepi twenty five thirty through twenty five b C, who
(42:02):
ascended the throne about twenty five thirty BC, is the
greatest monarch of this dynasty. Pepi was the immediate successor
of Teta, but we do not know whether he was
related to his predecessor or not. Pepi's empire embraced all
of Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. In the eighteenth year
(42:27):
of his reign, he sent an expedition to the Wadi
Maghara and was compelled to punish the Mentiu, who had
again become troublesome. In the same year, he also sent
an expedition to Rohanu Wadi hammamat the quarry stones for
(42:48):
some temples he was erecting. His name also appears in
the sandstone quarries of Gabel Silsila, and he is the
first king of whose opera rations here we have any tidings,
though assuredly the quarries had been worked by many of
his predecessors. We know that he built in Tannis, and
(43:12):
an inscription on the walls of the Temple of Denderah
relates that he had found the old plan of this
building prepared in King Chufu's time. He also founded a city,
the governor of which Beba is buried. At Chech said,
(43:34):
the greater part of what we know of his reign
is gleaned from the inscription of a noble named Una.
This noble began his career under King Teta in minor offices.
Under Pepe, he rapidly gained distinction, rising to high offices.
(43:55):
Early in Pepe's reign, he was made judge. Farded himself
so well in a very delicate case that he was
given the exalted title of only friend to the Pharaoh
and was appointed governor of the Nubian district. He now conducted,
(44:15):
in conjunction with a justice of lower rank, a case
brought by the King against Queen amst The case was
a very delicate one and conducted with the utmost secrecy.
We do not hear the cause of action or the
outcome of the case. The King was highly pleased with
(44:38):
UNA's conduct of this case, and heaped new honors upon him.
The Amu Heryusha, as the Egyptians called the Syrian Bedouins
at this time, began to make inroads on Egyptian territory,
and it was determined to punish them. A vast army
(45:00):
was collected from all parts of Egypt and Nubia, drilled
and disciplined under the direction of Una. With this army
he marched against the enemy, and in five successive campaigns
completely routed them. Their strongholds were taken and destroyed, their
(45:22):
crops were burned, their cattle driven off, Vast numbers of
prisoners were taken, and their country was left completely devastated
and almost depopulated. Peppi died soon after the close of
this war, after a reign of twenty years, and was
(45:43):
buried in his pyramid, which bore the name of Menepher,
the same as that of Memphis. This pyramid, which lies
near Sakura, was opened in eighteen eighty one. Its walls
are covered with long religious inscriptions. Marin Ra Horumsaff twenty
(46:06):
five O nine through twenty five O two b c.
On Peppi's death, his son marin Ra ascended the throne
of him. We know little outside of what Una tells us.
This noble was made a prince by the new ruler,
an appointed governor of the South. In this capacity, he
(46:30):
highly distinguished himself. He made two enumerations of the South,
that is, twice took the census of his province, a
thing that had never been done before, and that gained
him great praise from the king. He was then ordered
to bring a granite sarcophagus and fittings for the King's
(46:53):
pyramid from the quarries at Elephantine. The fact that only
one man of war would needed to escort six transports
and six other vessels as a significant proof of the
extent of the Egyptian power in these early times. We
(47:13):
have already seen that Pepi the first conscripted troops from
the Nubian districts bordering on Egypt in an expedition undertaken
somewhat later, Una pressed Nubian tribes into his service to
cut timber and build boats. Most probably, these tribes had
(47:35):
been subdued already by King Chufu when he opened the
granite quarries on the first Cataract. These tribes most probably
stood in a relation of semi dependence to Egypt. They
certainly retained their tribal relations and their autonomy, but were
(47:56):
compelled to serve in the Egyptian army in case of
war and to assist the expeditions that were sent to Assuan.
Outside of this, we know of this reign only that
the king made a tour of inspection on which he
visited the quarries of Assouan, and that he sent an
(48:17):
expedition to the Wadi Hammamat. According to Manetto, he ruled
only seven years. He was entombed in his pyramid, which
was named Chanofur. This pyramid was opened in eighteen eighty one,
and it was found that the walls were covered with
(48:38):
inscriptions analogous to those found in the pyramid of his father.
In the sarcophagus chamber was found the carefully embalmed and
well preserved mummy of the king, which was brought to Bulloch.
The body is that of a young man, which well
accords with the short reign ascribed to him by Manetho.
(49:03):
Nefrikhare Pepi the Second twenty five oh one through twenty
four eleven b c. On Marenra's death, his brother Nefrikare
assented de throne. He corresponds to Manetho's king Phiops, who
ruled one hundred years, as the Turin Papyrus gives Pepi
(49:27):
the Second over ninety years. All that we know of
him is that he sent an expedition to the copper
minds of Wadi Maghara on the Sinai. This king was
buried in a pyramid near Sakara, the Egyptian name of
which was Menanch. It was opened in eighteen eighty one
(49:51):
and contained the same texts as the others. The close
of this dynasty is shrouded in darkness. We know of
few view of the names belonging here, but of not
one of the kings after Peppy the second do we
know the history. Thus we hear of a king meant Emsaf,
(50:13):
a King Nephrus, and a King ab Nae Taker. The
Netocris of the classical authors, belongs in this dynasty, though
we cannot give her her exact place. Her name is
mentioned on none of the monuments, but many a legend
(50:34):
is related of her. Herodotus tells us that after a
reign of scarce, one year, King Menth the Sophis was murdered,
and his sister and wife, the beautiful one with the
rosy cheeks, succeeded him. She resolved to avenge her husband
(50:55):
and brother. To this end, she had a great hall
built underground, which was connected with the waters of the Nile.
The river was prevented from entering by mighty floodgates. To
this hall, she invited all who were implicated in the
murder of her husband to a banquet. When this was
(51:18):
at its height, she herself opened the floodgates, and the
waters of the nile streaming in. All the guests perished. Then,
to avoid the vengeance of the murderer's friends, she threw
herself into a large chamber filled with glowing coal, and
(51:38):
was burned up. The same historian further relates that in
her reign of seven years, she had enlarged the Pyramid
of Myceinos and had coated its apex with granite. There
is as little foundation for one of these tales as
for the other. The latters story is disproved by the
(52:02):
fact that the Third Pyramid shows no traces of having
been rebuilt or enlarged. An Arabic legend is also connected
with Nitokris, or rather with the Third Pyramid. To the
present day, the Arabs dwelling about the pyramids believe that
(52:23):
the ghost of the Southern Pyramid hovers about it in
the shape of a beautiful naked woman, whom she sets
eyes on. Her smile infatuates, but she is a great coquette,
alternately attracting and repelling her victim until he becomes insane
(52:44):
and wanders aimless through the land. Many and many a
one say they has seen her, especially at noon and
sunset hovering about her pyramid, end of chapter for two
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