Speaker 1: Chapter three of History of Egypt. This is a LibriVox recording.
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Speaker 1: by Rick Vina. History of Egypt by F. C. H. Wendel.
Speaker 1: Chapter three From the Seventh Dynasty to the close of
Speaker 1: the twelfth the Transition period and the Middle Empire about
Speaker 1: twenty four hundred through nineteen thirty BC. Section one The
Speaker 1: Transition Period dynasties seven through eleven. This was a period
Speaker 1: of frequent revolutions. King after king ascended the throne, but
Speaker 1: it was a long time before a king arose who
Speaker 1: succeeded in securing a firm hold on the reigns of state.
Speaker 1: It is next to impossible to give even a chronological
Speaker 1: list of the kings who ruled in this period, which
Speaker 1: must have covered some two hundred years and perhaps more.
Speaker 1: It is owing to this gap, and one that we
Speaker 1: shall meet with later, that the chronology of the earlier
Speaker 1: periods of Egypt is so very uncertain. From conditions existing
Speaker 1: in the times of the Twelfth Dynasty, it would seem
Speaker 1: that the great hereditary princes of the realm, the nomarchoi
Speaker 1: succeeded in winning some considerable independence during this period. It
Speaker 1: is but natural that in a time when the kings
Speaker 1: felt anything but secure on the throne, they should seek
Speaker 1: to enlist the support of the nobility, and be ready
Speaker 1: to purchase that support by according them greater privileges than
Speaker 1: they had hitherto enjoyed. These nobles were a very shrewd lot,
Speaker 1: and no doubt made the best of the bargain by
Speaker 1: selling their support to the highest bidder. It was in
Speaker 1: all probability this inordinate strengthening of the nobility that finally
Speaker 1: led to the rise of the Theban princes and to
Speaker 1: their accession to the throne under the founder of the
Speaker 1: Eleventh dynasty. This was significant for the entire future of Egypt,
Speaker 1: as Thebes controlled the destinies of the kingdom for over
Speaker 1: a thousand years. Manetho gives only a list of dynasties
Speaker 1: for this period as follows. Seventh Dynasty Memphidic seventy kings
Speaker 1: in seventy days. According to Eusebius, five kings in seventy
Speaker 1: five years. Eighth Dynasty Memphidic twenty seven kings in one
Speaker 1: hundred forty six years, Ninth dynasty from Herakleopolis twenty seven
Speaker 1: kings in four hundred nine years, Sinchellis four kings in
Speaker 1: one hundred years. Tenth Dynasty from Heracleopolis seventeen kings in
Speaker 1: one hundred eighty five years. Of the names, Manetho gives
Speaker 1: only the that of King Akthos, the founder of the Ninth dynasty,
Speaker 1: of whom he relates that he was the most barbarous
Speaker 1: and inhuman king that had hitherto ruled in Egypt. He
Speaker 1: committed many crimes and was finally stricken with insanity and
Speaker 1: killed by a crocodile. It is a probable conjecture that
Speaker 1: Manetho wishes to convey the impression that this king was
Speaker 1: a foreign invader. In all probability, the am Muhriyusha, whom
Speaker 1: Una had so effectually crushed, had been left alone by
Speaker 1: mary Ra's immediate successors, and had again gathered sufficient strength
Speaker 1: to renew their attacks on Egypt. If this is so,
Speaker 1: the attack must not have come until after nephrikha Ra's
Speaker 1: long reign. It seems that this time the barbarians had
Speaker 1: it all their own way and had finally succeeded in
Speaker 1: conquering the country. This hypothesis receives some confirmation, however, slight
Speaker 1: from the fact that a semi legendary papyrus mentions combats
Speaker 1: with the Hariyusha under kings Cheruti and Ameno. Judging from
Speaker 1: the names, Ameno was probably one of the kings of
Speaker 1: the Eleventh dynasty, and these battles were then fought in
Speaker 1: delivering Egypt from the foreign invader. Section two. The Middle
Speaker 1: Empire dynasties eleven and twelve. The eleventh dynasty, with the
Speaker 1: founder of this dynasty, the Theban Princes, ascended the throne
Speaker 1: of Egypt. These kings seem to have delivered Egypt from
Speaker 1: the yoke of the foreign invader, the war possibly being
Speaker 1: begun by Cheruti and Amenno, though we nowhere find any
Speaker 1: mention of this fact. The first of these princes mentioned
Speaker 1: in the lists of kings is the Erpiti, that is,
Speaker 1: hereditary Prince Antefh. The three succeeding kings are designated as
Speaker 1: whore and the fourth successor of Antefh is the first
Speaker 1: one to bear the full titulature of Egyptian kings. From
Speaker 1: this fact, the conclusion has been drawn that the first
Speaker 1: anteph was merely Prince of Thebes, that his next successors
Speaker 1: had gradually enlarged their sway until they ruled over all
Speaker 1: of Upper Eas Egypt, and had assumed the title Whore,
Speaker 1: signifying ruler of Upper Egypt, And that finally, the fourth
Speaker 1: successor of Antef had succeeded in conquering all of Egypt
Speaker 1: and had consequently assumed the full titulature of the Egyptian kings.
Speaker 1: This conjecture is entirely unwarranted. It is probable that these
Speaker 1: rulers delivered Egypt from the yoke of the foreign invader,
Speaker 1: but any attempt to read the history of the war
Speaker 1: from the titles of these kings is futile. The founder
Speaker 1: of the dynasty, Prince Antef, in all probability, was the
Speaker 1: man with whom the national movement began, though he possibly
Speaker 1: died before other princes had recognized his authority, and owes
Speaker 1: his place in the list of kings to the fact
Speaker 1: that his dynasty based their claim to the throne on him.
Speaker 1: To translate the title of Horror as ruler of Upper
Speaker 1: Egypt or as duke is not admissible. Horr was one
Speaker 1: of the titles of the Egyptian kings. The word signifies Horus,
Speaker 1: and this title was given the king because he was
Speaker 1: looked upon as the Horus on earth. The order of
Speaker 1: succession of these kings is not certain, and we therefore
Speaker 1: deem it advisable to group them according to their names.
Speaker 1: This will give us two groups, one of kings whose
Speaker 1: names were all the same anteph and another of kings
Speaker 1: whose names were all the same meant to Hotep. Any
Speaker 1: other arrangement would be equally arbitrary. While lacking the clearness
Speaker 1: of this the antef kings anteph Aea, that is, the
Speaker 1: great with the throne name Ra Sechem up Mat, is
Speaker 1: the only king of this line of whose family relations
Speaker 1: we have any knowledge. A note on his sarcophagus informs
Speaker 1: us that his younger brother and successor, Anon teph Ra
Speaker 1: Sechem her her Mat, had the sarcophagus made. This sarcophagus
Speaker 1: is in the museum of the Louver. It is of
Speaker 1: gilt wood and is ornamented with wings folded protectingly about
Speaker 1: the deceased. An inscription found in Abudos mentions buildings erected
Speaker 1: by him in this city. A Pyramideon mentioning the name
Speaker 1: of his wife Mentu Hotep was discovered at Kurna. The
Speaker 1: record of a criminal procedure against theban tomb robbers informs
Speaker 1: us that he was buried in the necropolis of Thebes.
Speaker 1: The guilt wood sarcophagus of Onnontef is in the British Museum.
Speaker 1: His silver gilt diadem is in the Museum of Leiden.
Speaker 1: Nube cheper Ra. Onnontef is mentioned on a statue as
Speaker 1: the conqueror of Asiatics and Nubians, but the texts do
Speaker 1: not give any detailed accounts of his campaigns. His tomb
Speaker 1: at dra Abulnega, opposite Thebes, was discovered by Mariette in
Speaker 1: eighteen sixty to eighteen sixty one. The stelle found in
Speaker 1: the funereal chapel dates from his fiftieth year, so that
Speaker 1: we know he reigned fifty years and consequently must have
Speaker 1: lived at a time when the country was tranquil. At
Speaker 1: the same place, fragments of two obelisks erected by this
Speaker 1: pharaoh were found on Aia the Great is one of
Speaker 1: the kings whose tombs are mentioned in the criminal procedure above.
Speaker 1: Alluded to one of the hieratic copies of the Book
Speaker 1: of the Dead, alleges that the one hundred and thirtieth
Speaker 1: chapter was discovered. In his reign, the Mentu Hotep kings
Speaker 1: belonged to the same family with the Antef kings. Nebhotep.
Speaker 1: Mentu Hotep is known only from a stelle found at Kanasso,
Speaker 1: on which he is depicted as adoring the local divinities
Speaker 1: of that region, who throw all peoples under his feet,
Speaker 1: that is, give him power over them. From this we
Speaker 1: must infer that Neb Hotep carried on wars in Nubia
Speaker 1: of Ra Neb Tawi Mentu ho Tep. We know only
Speaker 1: that he sent an expedition to the quarries of the
Speaker 1: Wadi Hamamat to quarry a sarcophagus for him. On this
Speaker 1: occasion he caused a great reservoir to be cut in
Speaker 1: the rock so that the men might not die of thirst.
Speaker 1: Ran eb Chepru Mentu ho Tep reigned over forty six years,
Speaker 1: as is proved by the tombstone of a certain Meru,
Speaker 1: who died in the forty sixth year of this reign.
Speaker 1: We know of him only that he quarried stone in Assuwan.
Speaker 1: This pharaoh must have been a ruler of some consequence,
Speaker 1: for his name is mentioned in all of the lists
Speaker 1: of kings, and in several lists, his is the only
Speaker 1: name of a king ruling before the Hixos invasion that
Speaker 1: is mentioned. Seyanch Kharrah was the last king of this dynasty.
Speaker 1: A very interesting inscription graven on the rock in the
Speaker 1: Wadi Hamamat relates the story of one of his expeditions.
Speaker 1: In the eighth year of his reign, three thousand men
Speaker 1: under command of Henu started from Kebti at the mouth
Speaker 1: of the Vattle. The expedition had a twofold object, first
Speaker 1: to quarry stone for the monarch's tomb and sarcophagus, and
Speaker 1: second to visit the shores of Powind that is, the
Speaker 1: southwest coast of Arabia and the Somali coast on the
Speaker 1: African side of the Red Sea on a trading expedition.
Speaker 1: Henu accomplished both objects successfully. To facilitate the provisioning of
Speaker 1: so large a detachment, a number of stations was established
Speaker 1: and wells sunk along the line of march. Arrived at
Speaker 1: the quarries, one detachment of the expedition settled down to work,
Speaker 1: while the other continued its march to the sea, which
Speaker 1: it reached at about the place where Cosser now stands.
Speaker 1: From here, Henu sent out a fleet. No mention is
Speaker 1: made of the building of ships to the shores of Powin,
Speaker 1: awaiting their return at Kosser. The fleet brought back all
Speaker 1: the products of this country, consisting of incense, precious stones,
Speaker 1: and other valuables. Meanwhile, the stone cutters had done their work,
Speaker 1: and the expedition returned to Egypt. This expedition is memorable,
Speaker 1: and that it proves that this pharaoh was firmly determined
Speaker 1: to establish a regular trade with Powin. The undertaking was,
Speaker 1: in a certain sense a pioneer expedition, the duty of
Speaker 1: which was to survey the road from Kebti to the
Speaker 1: Red Sea, and, by the establishment of watering stations, to
Speaker 1: make it practicable. The first king of whom we know
Speaker 1: that he followed in seyanch Karra's footsteps was Amenemhat the
Speaker 1: second the twelfth dynasty twenty one thirty through nineteen thirty BC.
Speaker 1: The eleventh dynasty had been a period of strife in it.
Speaker 1: Egypt had been delivered from the domination of the foreign invader.
Speaker 1: The kingdom had been reunified, and the work of reorganizing
Speaker 1: the government had been begun. So well had the last
Speaker 1: rulers of this dynasty done their work, that seanch Karrah
Speaker 1: could undertake the work of opening a road through the
Speaker 1: Wadi Hammamat from Kebti to the Red Sea, and of
Speaker 1: laying the first foundations of a direct commercial intercourse with
Speaker 1: the coast of southwestern Arabia and the Somali coast. To
Speaker 1: what extent the work of reorganization was completed when amenem
Speaker 1: Hat the First ascended the throne, we do not know,
Speaker 1: as but few monuments of the kings immediately preceding him
Speaker 1: have come down to us of the times embraced by
Speaker 1: the Twelfth dynasty. We have, however, a fair knowledge. Though
Speaker 1: the buildings erected by the kings of this dynasty have disappeared,
Speaker 1: yet the numerous inscriptions that have been preserved in all
Speaker 1: parts of Egypt contain records of their doings. Much of
Speaker 1: our knowledge of this period we owe to the tombs
Speaker 1: discovered at many Hasan and Bersha. But even here it
Speaker 1: is not yet possible to give details or to fully
Speaker 1: understand all the conditions that led to the rise and
Speaker 1: the fall of this house. Sehotep a brah A, menem
Speaker 1: Hat twenty one thirty through twenty one hundred BC. Reader's note.
Speaker 1: A map of Ethiopia is shown. End note. About the
Speaker 1: year twenty one thirty, King Amenemhat the First ascended the
Speaker 1: throne of Egypt. What claim he had to the crown
Speaker 1: we are not told, but in all probability he was
Speaker 1: related to the last king of the preceding dynasty. The
Speaker 1: change of dynasty was not accomplished without severe internal dissensions.
Speaker 1: Several inscriptions allude to these disturbances, but give no details.
Speaker 1: The new pharaoh was equal to the occasion. He defeated
Speaker 1: the rebels and then set to work to reorganize his kingdom.
Speaker 1: One of his first measures was to curb the power
Speaker 1: of the nobles, who had become semi independent. The principle
Speaker 1: of heredity he dared not abolish, but he regulated the succession.
Speaker 1: When an old nomarchoss died, the king chose his successor
Speaker 1: from his heirs at law, and thus bound the new
Speaker 1: prince to his person. He also personally superintended a new
Speaker 1: survey of the whole country. It would seem that during
Speaker 1: the periods of anarchy, foreign domination and restoration following on
Speaker 1: the decline of the old Empire. The Egyptian kings had
Speaker 1: not possessed the leisure or the power to adjust. Disputes
Speaker 1: concerning boundaries which had arisen among the nobles. The stronger
Speaker 1: had preyed upon the weaker, and many a prince had
Speaker 1: seized the occasion of enlarging his domain. A Menemhat made
Speaker 1: a tour of inspection through the country, personally hearing complaints
Speaker 1: and readjusting the boundaries. He thus succeeded in reorganizing his
Speaker 1: kingdom in a very short time, and when order was
Speaker 1: once restored, he was the man to keep it with
Speaker 1: an iron hand. This policy enabled him, early in his
Speaker 1: reign to turn his attention to foreign affairs. He marched
Speaker 1: against the Libyan tribe of the Matieu and conquered them.
Speaker 1: He also ward on the Asiatic frontier against the Bedouins
Speaker 1: of the Syrian Desert. In the twenty ninth year of
Speaker 1: his reign, he led his forces into Nubia and entirely
Speaker 1: subdued the o Aua, a tribe that had begun to
Speaker 1: give trouble. Like all of the Pharaohs, he was a
Speaker 1: great builder. Traces of his work have been found at
Speaker 1: Tannis Abydos, Memphis, and Karnak. The relics of his work
Speaker 1: found at Karnak are of great importance, as they prove
Speaker 1: that the great Temple of Ammon was founded by this ruler.
Speaker 1: The stone needed for these buildings was quarried in the
Speaker 1: limestone quarries of Tura roau Au opposite Memphis, in the
Speaker 1: Dire the right quarries of the Wadi Hammamat, and in
Speaker 1: the granite quarries of Assuan. In the sixteenth Upper Egyptian Gnome,
Speaker 1: he built a city called hot Sehotep ab rah As
Speaker 1: also a fort called amenem Hat Dead Taui. This pharaoh
Speaker 1: had in later times the reputation of being a great sage.
Speaker 1: A papyrus written about one thousand years after his time
Speaker 1: said to be a series of precepts addressed to his
Speaker 1: son user Tessen. The first tells the story of his
Speaker 1: accession to the throne and relates some other events of
Speaker 1: his reign. This interesting papyrus, which is said to have
Speaker 1: been composed by the king himself, is preserved in the
Speaker 1: British Museum. In the twenty first year of his reign,
Speaker 1: a Menemhat in all probability, with the purpose of avoiding
Speaker 1: a civil war over the succession appointed his son User
Speaker 1: Tessen co regent. This practice was imitated by most of
Speaker 1: his successors. The pharaoh died in the thirtieth year of
Speaker 1: his reign, and the events related in illusions made in
Speaker 1: the memoirs of a prince of this time force on
Speaker 1: us the suspicion that he was murdered cheper Ka rah
Speaker 1: Usir Tessen twenty ninety nine through twenty sixty five b C.
Speaker 1: When Usir Tessen the First ascended the throne about twenty
Speaker 1: ninety nine b C, he succeeded to a mighty empire,
Speaker 1: firmly united in its various parts and presenting a bold
Speaker 1: front to its hostile neighbors. Already as co regent, User
Speaker 1: Tessen had distinguished himself in the field, and his warlike
Speaker 1: ardor did not abate. When he sat on the throne
Speaker 1: as sole ruler, he was compelled to take the field
Speaker 1: against the Libyan Bedouines, whom he subdued. In the forty
Speaker 1: third year of his reign. He invaded Nubia and penetrated
Speaker 1: as far as the Second Cataract. Here he set up
Speaker 1: a stell on which he enumerates the names of eleven
Speaker 1: conquered Nubian tribes. Of these names, nine are preserved one who,
Speaker 1: two Ks three destroyed, four Shamik, five Chassah, six Shayat,
Speaker 1: seven Asheri Kin eight o wah Owah, nine Chammer, ten destroyed,
Speaker 1: eleven Amau. It is very unfortunate that we have no
Speaker 1: detailed accounts of these wars. We know only where the
Speaker 1: king ward and read the names of the conquered nations,
Speaker 1: But here our knowledge ends. This pharaoh opened the copper
Speaker 1: and malakite mines of the set Mefkat Malakite land, as
Speaker 1: the Egyptians called the Sinai Peninsula. He also quarried stone
Speaker 1: in the Wadi Hammamat. The most important of the buildings
Speaker 1: erected by this pharaoh were, of course, at Thebes. He
Speaker 1: built the priest's quarters at Karnak, which were restored in
Speaker 1: the reign of Rameses the ninth, and had his statue
Speaker 1: placed in the temple yard. A very fine colossal statue
Speaker 1: of this king, which was found at Tennis, is now
Speaker 1: in the Museum of Berlin. In the third year of
Speaker 1: his reign. According to the text written on a roll
Speaker 1: of leather preserved in the same museum, the pharaoh began
Speaker 1: work on the temple of raw At Heliopolis, as his
Speaker 1: father was then still living and he was merely co regent.
Speaker 1: A menem Hat the First appears as the directing spirit,
Speaker 1: while User Tessen seems to have exercised executive functions. The
Speaker 1: temple was called het chah Seho tepab Ra, that is,
Speaker 1: the Shining Temple of Amenemhat the First, while a portion
Speaker 1: of it was named after User Tessen. The only trace
Speaker 1: left of this temple are two obelisks erected by User Tessen,
Speaker 1: one of which is still standing while the other is
Speaker 1: fallen and in fragments. A peculiarly shaped obelisk, rounded at
Speaker 1: the apex and showing undoubted traces of the fact that
Speaker 1: it was once capped with metal, was found broken in
Speaker 1: two at Bagig in the Fayoun. Owing to the fact
Speaker 1: that the Felaheen of the region look upon it as sacred,
Speaker 1: it could not be removed. The king also built in Abydos.
Speaker 1: In his forty second year, User Tessen appointed his son
Speaker 1: a Menemhat co regent two years after he died, having
Speaker 1: ruled in all forty four years, of which he shared
Speaker 1: ten with his father, and two with his son and
Speaker 1: ruled thirty two alone. Nub Ka Rah A Menemhat twenty
Speaker 1: sixty four through twenty thirty one b C. Ascended the
Speaker 1: throne as sole king about twenty sixty four b C.
Speaker 1: He was a ruler of no special prominence, but he
Speaker 1: was well able to keep together the great kingdom left
Speaker 1: him by his father. In the twenty eighth year of
Speaker 1: his reign, this king sent an expedition under command of
Speaker 1: Chent schah Oer to Arabia and the Somali coast Pewent.
Speaker 1: The expedition was a success. This is the first time
Speaker 1: since the reign of Seyanch Karrah that we hear of
Speaker 1: a government expedition sent to this country. Like his father,
Speaker 1: he worked at the Sinai copper mines and built at
Speaker 1: sarbut El Chadem a temple to Hathor, who was the
Speaker 1: Tutelar deity of this region. He also operated the quarries
Speaker 1: of the Wadi Hammamat. In the thirty second year of
Speaker 1: his reign, he appointed his son User Tessen co regent
Speaker 1: and died three years later, having ruled in all thirty
Speaker 1: five years, two years as co regent of his father
Speaker 1: thirty years alone and three years together with his son
Speaker 1: chah chepper ra User Tessen twenty thirty through twenty fourteen
Speaker 1: b C. Of Usir Tessen the second, who came to
Speaker 1: the throne about twenty thirty b c. We know but little.
Speaker 1: Almost all our knowledge of his reign is confined to
Speaker 1: the great inscriptions in the tombs at Beni Hassan and
Speaker 1: Bersha tell us of the social conditions of the time.
Speaker 1: In the first year of his reign, he sent an
Speaker 1: expedition to the wah D Gasus, a branch of the
Speaker 1: wah D Hamamat, which runs in a slanting northeast direction
Speaker 1: to the Red Sea. This expedition most probably went to Powitt.
Speaker 1: In the fifth year of his reign, he sent an
Speaker 1: expedition under Mentuhotep to Assouan, and it would seem from
Speaker 1: his inscription that the tribes dwelling about the quarries had
Speaker 1: given trouble and had been subdued. This pharaoh built at
Speaker 1: Memphis and Tannis, at which latter place a statue of
Speaker 1: his wife ne Effort was found. In the times of
Speaker 1: the twelfth dynasty, it was a customary thing for Syrian
Speaker 1: Bedouins to cross the Egyptian border and seek permission to
Speaker 1: pasture their herds on Egyptian soil. A migration of this character,
Speaker 1: which took place in the sixth year of this reign,
Speaker 1: is represented on a celebrated painting found in the tomb
Speaker 1: of Kenem Hautep, the nomarchous of the sixteenth Upper Egyptian Gnome.
Speaker 1: This painting represents the arrival of thirty seven Asiatics who
Speaker 1: came before that noble bearing costly presents, among which was
Speaker 1: especially valuable I Salve, seeking his protection and asking permission
Speaker 1: to settle on his territory. The painting has become widely
Speaker 1: known through the attempted identification of the people here depicted
Speaker 1: with Abraham and his party. This attempt, however, is futile.
Speaker 1: The Bible relates that Abraham came to Egypt on a
Speaker 1: similar errand, and that his stay in this country was
Speaker 1: advantageous to him. The account of the Bible shows a
Speaker 1: good knowledge of the conditions under which such migrations were made,
Speaker 1: and is certainly based on old recollections of the race,
Speaker 1: some parts of which no doubt, did dwell in Egypt
Speaker 1: under these conditions while they were yet in the nomadic state.
Speaker 1: Manetho calls this king Sesostris and attributes to him the
Speaker 1: conquest of the world, but as yet no monuments have
Speaker 1: been discovered that bear out this statement. As Sesostris is
Speaker 1: the usual designation of Rameses second with the classical writers.
Speaker 1: It is, however, just possible that the copyists of Manetho
Speaker 1: got things slightly mixed. The king died after a reign
Speaker 1: of nineteen years, three of which he shared with his father.
Speaker 1: Shah kah Rah User Tessen twenty thirteen through nineteen eighty
Speaker 1: seven b C, who succeeded his about twenty thirteen b C.
Speaker 1: Is one of the greatest figures of Egyptian history. He
Speaker 1: it was that finally subdued Ethiopia. The victories of Usir
Speaker 1: Tessen the first had placed the southern boundary of the
Speaker 1: realm at the Second Cataract. Usir Tessen the third immediately
Speaker 1: proceeded to strengthen this frontier and make it the basis
Speaker 1: of his operations. Having defeated the hostile tribes of the region,
Speaker 1: he built two forts on opposite sides of the Nile,
Speaker 1: one at Semna and one at Cumna on this cataract,
Speaker 1: and in the eighth year of his reign, erected a
Speaker 1: boundary stone warning all negroes from coming down the river
Speaker 1: on their boats unless they were bringing cattle or merchant
Speaker 1: dies to mark it at he Semna or akhen Kumna.
Speaker 1: In the sixteenth year of his reign, the Pharaoh set
Speaker 1: out on his second campaign against the Nubians. He completely
Speaker 1: devastated the country, destroyed the crops, drove off the cattle,
Speaker 1: and took numerous prisoners. Despite this great victory, the Nubians
Speaker 1: were not yet completely subdued. In the nineteenth year of
Speaker 1: his reign, the king was again compelled to take the
Speaker 1: field against them, and again he completely defeated them, taking
Speaker 1: large numbers of prisoners and devastating the country. After this,
Speaker 1: the tribes seemed to have submitted and remained tranquil for
Speaker 1: during the rest of this epoch we hear of no
Speaker 1: new outbreaks. The king was an active builder. We have
Speaker 1: already mentioned two of his great works. He also built
Speaker 1: in Thebes, in Heracleopolis, Magna, in Abydos, in Tannis, and
Speaker 1: in Amada. He was moreover the first founder of the
Speaker 1: temples on the island of Elephantine, where he erected a
Speaker 1: temple to satt and Anuquet, two of the local deities
Speaker 1: of the region. Near the island, he founded a new city,
Speaker 1: which he called Haru Chah Karah. It is interesting to
Speaker 1: note how posterity honored this great monarch. Almost six hundred
Speaker 1: years after the king's death, Tutmosis the Third erected a
Speaker 1: temple to him at Semna and seems to have attempted
Speaker 1: to make him a local divinity of this region. He
Speaker 1: also appears as a god in the temple of Cumna
Speaker 1: and that of Dosha, and at other places in Nubia.
Speaker 1: User Tessen died after a reign of twenty six years.
Speaker 1: Mat en Ra Amenemht nineteen eighty six through nineteen forty
Speaker 1: two b C. About nineteen eighty six b C, Amenemht
Speaker 1: the Third, one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs, ascended the throne.
Speaker 1: This king was not a great warrior and conqueror, but
Speaker 1: he was the projector and builder of an important work
Speaker 1: that was of far greater value to Egypt than would
Speaker 1: have been the conquest of a dozen or more of
Speaker 1: the border tribes. His fame rests on the immense reservoir
Speaker 1: he built in the western part of the twenty first
Speaker 1: Upper Egyptian gnome. This reservoir, according to all appearances, was
Speaker 1: built and not dug. A vast dam was erected, enclosing
Speaker 1: a large area in this part of the country. The
Speaker 1: exact extent of the reservoir we have no means of ascertaining,
Speaker 1: nor do we know exactly what part of the district
Speaker 1: known today as the Faiume was enclosed in its dams,
Speaker 1: some remains of which have been discovered. The object of
Speaker 1: this vast reservoir was to regulate the inundation of the
Speaker 1: nile it received and stored up for future use vast
Speaker 1: quantities of water. Just how this was accomplished, or where
Speaker 1: the floodgates were, or what canals led to and from
Speaker 1: the reservoir, we do not know. The great work is
Speaker 1: now in ruins, and we have no description of it
Speaker 1: as it was in the days of its builder. As
Speaker 1: stated on a previous page, this work gave to the
Speaker 1: district in which it was erected the name of Tashe
Speaker 1: lake Land, the modern name of the region Fayum, being
Speaker 1: derived through the Coptic pai Yum from the ancient word
Speaker 1: pa yum. The sea in this reservoir, a Menemhat erected
Speaker 1: two pyramids at Illehun, on the northern outlet of the reservoir,
Speaker 1: a city, in all probability founded by the Pharaoh. He
Speaker 1: built a pyramid in which he was buried on the
Speaker 1: northeastern bank, to the great building known as the Labyrinth,
Speaker 1: about which the Greeks tell so many stories, and which
Speaker 1: was originally a temple dedicated either entire or in part
Speaker 1: to the crocodile headed god Sebach, the head of the
Speaker 1: local pantheon of this region. The city of Crocodilopolis, the
Speaker 1: Egyptian name of which seems to have been shedet lying
Speaker 1: on the west bank of the reservoir, was the capital
Speaker 1: of Tasche, and was no doubt also founded by this ruler.
Speaker 1: The Greek name of the work lake Maurus, was most
Speaker 1: probably derived from the Egyptian word marie lake. Despite the
Speaker 1: fact that the building of the reservoir and the cities
Speaker 1: lying about it must have taken up a great part
Speaker 1: of his time, a Menemhat still was able to erect
Speaker 1: buildings elsewhere. He certainly did not forget Thebes, and we
Speaker 1: hear that he built in Abydos and Memphis several expeditions,
Speaker 1: one of which the king led in person were sent
Speaker 1: to the diorite quarries of the Wadi Hammamat. He also
Speaker 1: continued the working of the copper and malachite mines of
Speaker 1: the Sinai, and had a grotto cut into the rock
Speaker 1: at sarbut El Chadem. Of interest are the notes regarding
Speaker 1: the rise of the Nile found on the rocks at
Speaker 1: Semna in Cumna, which prove that the Nile rose twenty
Speaker 1: seven feet three inches higher at these places during this
Speaker 1: time than and it rises to day. Toward the close
Speaker 1: of his reign of forty four years, he appointed his
Speaker 1: son a Menemhat co regent ra ma Cheru a Menemhat
Speaker 1: nineteen forty one through nineteen thirty two b C. This pharaoh,
Speaker 1: the fourth of his name, who ascended the throne about
Speaker 1: nineteen forty one b C, was apparently a weak king.
Speaker 1: All we know of him is that he worked the
Speaker 1: copper mines of the Sinai, and had, like all kings
Speaker 1: of his line, the rise of the Nile carefully recorded
Speaker 1: at Semna and Cumna. He married his sister Sebach nephru Ra,
Speaker 1: whom he appointed co regent. Together they ruled about nine years.
Speaker 1: The close of the dynasty is shrouded in darkness. End
Speaker 1: of chapter three,