Dawn of the Age of the Pyramids Part V

          It is almost redundant here to write a thesis about certain figures in history but is history more than dates? Yes, history is more than dates, names, places and events even though these are necessary but the ultimate goal here is to discover how they lived and thought. It is about how they interacted with others that makes history fun and interesting instead of tedious and boring. Unfortunately, because, we know so little of their lives with the exception of their tombs that we can only piece together slivers of their lives. In the final instalment of the series here, it is endeavoured to give an account of the life of the second-to-last king of the IV dynasty, Menkaure, who built the last pyramid on the Giza plateau and discuss the economy of the Old Kingdom whilst leaving the art and architecture of the Old Kingdom for the next entry. 

Head of Menkaure made of Alabaster

The son of Khafre and possibly Khamerernebty I, Menkaure, whose name means Eternal like the Souls of Re, was the final king to build his pyramid on the Giza plateau. He built his pyramid mostly of granite which is more prestigious than limestone with which the prior kings constructed their enormous pyramids albeit it is at a smaller height because of its cost. Menkaure, unfortunately, was not even able to complete his tomb which was left to his successor, Shepseskaf, the last king of the IV dynasty who strangely abandoned the idea of the pyramid for an oddly shaped sarcophogal tomb. The reason why escapes Egyptologists (Shaw, 2000). Menkaure may have also had three wives, two of which we know, Khamerernebty II and Khentkawes I, the latter of whom we know does have a tomb located in Abusir. 

Pyramid of Menkaure

Why was Menkaure's pyramid the last of the great pyramids though? Yes, there were many more pyramids to come but they were smaller in comparison. Most did not exceed 60 metres (200 ft), (Wilkinson, 2013). The answer lies in the economy. According to Ian Shaw of Liverpool University, the large construction carried out during the 3rd and 4th dynasties had a profound effect not only on the economy but Egyptian society as well. One can imagine the amount of professional workers needed to construct such colossal tombs involving the construction of the pyramids and transport of Egypt's resources. It forced the re-allocation of the workforce during the inundation to work on the pyramids but return to the floodplains when the inundation receded. Because such a large workforce was needed, it increased the demand for greater agricultural production which did strain or pressure the Egyptian economy. (Shaw, 2000). 

Menkaure probably with his wife courtesy
of arthistory resources

All of this in turn, allowed for greater organisation throughout Egypt. Once again Ian Shaw explains why. The already existing administrative centres throughout Egypt became the capitals of their respective nomes. We saw in a previous entry that Den, of the 1st dynasty, removed whole communities and labelled them, "crown land" in order to consolidate the country thereby increasing the power of the king, himself and creating the nomes themselves (Tippett, 2015).This seems to be a major reorganization since Pharaoh Den of the 1st dynasty. At this time in Egypt, the pharaoh had unrivalled power. Menkaure was able to commandeer people and land as well as tax the populace at will. Members of the royal family held administrative offices as well in the 3rd and 4th dynasties. The idea of nepotism seemed to work extremely well in these dynasties, especially without the concept of money, until the construction of these elaborate tombs. This allowed for newcomers, who were not related to the king but were literate and competent, to enter into positions previously forbidden by the king. These new officials were rewarded with estates and land ex officio thereby weakening the power of the king which would come in play later in the Old Kingdom, particularly in the 6th dynasty when the power of the kings was so weak that it allowed for nomarchs (governors of nomes) to rebel. This paved the way for private ownership and wealth. 

In conclusion, Menkaure was the last pharaoh to build his pyramid on the Giza plateau albeit at a smaller height given that he built it mostly out of granite. Although he reigned roughly 28 years, he is credited with creation of private wealth and ownership that saw unrelated, literate people be given administrative offices as a reward for their service to the king, ex officio. This was however to be the end of the Age of the Pyramids and no more would we see construction on such a scale as this throughout Egyptian history. It certainly was a monumental achievement that forever branded Egypt as the land of the Pyramids. 

Page Break 

References 

Shaw, Ian. 2000. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt.  

Wilkinson, Toby. 2013. The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt. 

Tippett, Adam. 2015. Horus Who Strikes. 

            http://barqueofthenile.blogspot.com/2015/06/horus-who-strikes.html

Dawn of the Age of the Pyramids Part IV

Having thought it over, it has been decided to extend the series a bit simply because there is too much information to exclude here. Besides, we haven't even begun to discuss Khafre and Menkaure yet, the former of whom shall be discussed in this entry. Khafre, to start, was the son of Khufu and Henutsen. He reigned approximately for a total of 26 years however Egyptologists do not agree when he reigned and yes, it is he who is credited with the construction of the Sphinx. This entry will focus not only on the Sphinx and his mortuary complex but his life and the thread he wove in the fabric of the IV dynasty. 

Unfortunately, little of the life of Khafre is know with the exception of his tomb located on

Sphinx pyramid of Khafre courtesy of  egyptphoto.ncf.ca

the Giza plateau. Khafre, whose name means Appearing Like Re, married his sister called Khamerernebty, which was not uncommon in Ancient Egypt and explains for the genetic diseases and disorders that were prevalent not just in the IVth dynasty but through the whole of Ancient Egyptian history. His pyramid, as  mentioned is on the Giza plateau, but not of equal or greater size. According to Ian Shaw of the University of Liverpool, the plans and measurements of the pyramid differed from that of Khufu (Shaw, 2000). His pyramid is the second largest standing at a height of 143.5 m (470 ft) however because the pyramid rests on higher ground it looks taller than the Great Pyramid of Khufu. One defining thing concerning the pyramid is that it is constructed of granite. What is the reason for this though? The answer lies in the Ancient Egyptian economy. 

A bit about the Ancient Egyptian economy must be mentioned here because it affected the

Khafre protected by Horus in diorite courtesy of Hans Ollerman

pyramid building in the IV dynasty profoundly. It required the government to reposition its labour force away from agriculture and farming to construct the pyramids. One can imagine, Ian Shaw states, the pressure applied on the resources throughout Egypt in order to construct only one pyramid on the Giza plateau. What strained the economy as well was that the agricultural techniques did not change during this time whilst labour force on the pyramid itself increased thereby putting a strain on the economy and government. This of course is no different with other pyramids like Khufu's and later with Menkaure as well which also strained the economy (Shaw, 2000). Dominic Perry, of the Ancient Egyptian Podcast correctly assumes that the massive task of building such elaborate tombs not led to the depletion of its resources but the fall of the Old Kingdom as well amongst other things (Perry, 2013). We will touch upon this in later entries however.  

Bust of Khafre courtsey of the Ägyptisches Museum
in Berlin

The most interesting piece of his entire funerary complex must be the giant Sphinx that guards the pyramid daily. Again, Ian Shaw calculates that the Great Sphinx is 72 m (236.22 ft) which seems to be roughly half the height of Khafre's pyramid itself (Shaw, 2000). But why would Khafre decide to construct a great sphinx in front of his pyramid? Egyptologist, Toby Wilkinson, may have the answer. In his book, the Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt, he says that the Great Sphinx means nothing less than the union between the pharaoh and the son god, Re (Wilkinson, 2010). This of course makes sense because the pharaohs have been attempting godship for a couple of centuries so Khafre equating himself to the son god like this makes perfect sense. The first pharaoh of the IV dynasty even called himself, Neb-ma'at, which means Lord of Truth or Order.  

To conclude, it is rather unfortunate that we have so little information on the actual life of Khafre except that he married his sister, Khamerernebty and he build the second largest pyramid on the complex behind the pyramid of Khufu. The resources used were extraordinary as each king sought to use outdo the other on a grand scale. Actually in the next entry, we shall see that Menkaure built his pyramid with granite because of the depletion of resources by his predecessors. The most compelling thing however is the construction of his Great Sphinx which he build before his pyramid and is connected by a causeway. All together this massive funerary complex is not only memorable but the Sphinx itself is most recognisable on the Giza plateau apart from the Great Pyramid which seems to supercede the rest of the plateau.

References

Perry, Dominic. 2013. Ancient Egyptian History                                                                                             Podcast. https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7304/10695668256_74e33a581e_b.jpg

Shaw, Ian. 2000. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt.

Wilkinson, Toby. 2010. The Rise and Fall of Ancient Egypt

The Dawn of the Age of the Pyramids Part III

     Djedefre was the third pharaoh of the IV dynasty however many are unaware that even he ruled for eight years or 23 years as suggested. Djedefre was the son of Khufu but not the son of Hetepheres whom we mentioned in the last blog. He inherited the throne from Khufu upon the death of Prince Kawab who was crown prince which suggests intrigue surrounding the court of the IV dynasty. This entry will discuss the debunked theory that Djedefre murdered his brother, Prince Kawab and focus a bit on two women of this period called Hetepheres II and Merysankh III, her daughter and finally their tombs respectively.

Tomb of Djedefre courtesy of narmer.pl

     It all started upon the discovery of Djedefre’s tomb at Abu Roash. Once thought to be a temple, it was later discovered that it was a tomb that was positioned away from the Giza plateau. But why? Well, one theory posited that Djedefre murdered his brother Prince Kawab and married his wife, Hetepheres II, in an attempt to usurp the throne upon the death of Khufu however this has now been dismissed, according to Alissa Lyon of Michigan State University and several other Egyptologists (Lyon, 2014). She goes on to say as well that his statues had been defaced which may have been the work of his successor, Khafre. Additionally, his pyramid was left uncompleted as well. Upon further study and discovery however, this theory became false because there is evidence that Djedefre finished his predecessor’s burial in order to honour his father, Khufu. Another reason that renders this theory debunked is that of his position of the tomb at Abu Roash. He may have moved his tomb there because he simply wanted the sun to rise directly over Heliopolis during the summer solstice.  

This statue shows the intimacy between mother
and daughter courtesy of Wikipedia

     Turning attention now to the women of this period particularly Hetepheres II, Merysankh III, and Hetepheres II who was the wife of Crown Prince Kawab, granddaughter of Hetepheres I. She survived both husbands, Kawab and Djedefre as well as her daughter, Merysankh III of whom Hetepheres II constructed an elaborate tomb for her daughter (Smith, 1998). Hetepheres II married her daughter to Khafre who not only was her uncle but build his pyramid on the Giza plateau as well which looks deceptively taller than the pyramid of Khufu. Stevenson, relying on the reliefs of the tomb, has gathered much about the lives of these women and the power struggle that emerged among the children of Khufu. Merysankh III had four sons called Nebemakhet, Duaenre, Niuserre, and Khenterka and a daughter called, Shepsetkau (osirisnet.net). These names were found in her chapel of her tomb.  

    What was the relationship like between Merysankh III and her mother Hetepheres II? Unfortunately, we know very little but the tomb and the reliefs suggest that they were extremely close. The fact that her mother, Hetepheres II took the time to not only build her time but to elaborately paint it as well eludes to their closeness. Although, she was not the daughter of king however she was the mother of king and husband of king which allowed her to wield significant power in the IV dynasty.

            The tombs of Hetepheres II and Merysankh III are rather elaborate in their work, especially the tomb of Merysankh III of which W. Stevenson Smith describes as a splendidly decorated rock-cut tomb complete with pictures of the family, (Smith, 1998). The tomb of Djedefre, however, introduced a new idea into Egyptian Art. A fragment found at Abu Roash depicts Djedefre’s wife at his feet which was unheard of up to this point in the history of Egypt. This piece was soon copied by later kings of the V and VI dynasties.

Tomb of Merysankh III courtesy of Roanoke
University

In conclusion, Djedefre was the third pharaoh of the IV dynasty whose conspiracy theory included the murder of his brother, the Crown Prince Kawab has now been debunked upon further discovery of the tomb and his name found in and around the Giza plateau. Additionally, it is now assumed that Djedefre constructed the Great Sphinx because the face resembles the face of Khufu rather than Khafre which further discredits the conspiracy theory. Hetepheres II, who was the wife of Prince Kawab married Djedefre but outlived him as well but married her daughter, Merysankh III to Khafre, her uncle with whom she had five children. Finally, the tombs of these three individuals are beautiful, especially the tomb of Merysankh III. The tomb of Djedefre introduced a new idea of art that included a statue on which his wife was chiseled which the kings of the V and VI dynasties would copy.  

References

Smith, W. Stevenson. 1998. The Art and Architecture of Ancient Egypt.

www.osirisnet.net

Lyon, Alissa. 2014. Djedefre. Michigan State University.