OLD KINGDOM EGYPT AND HER

NEIGHBOURS

FOREIGN CONTACT

Contact With….

SinaiPalestineNubiaLibyaByblosPunt

Sinai

North East of Egypt Mining for Luxury goods Sinai Desert important Arabian Trade RouteMilitary Expeditions – Punish Bedouins Wadi Maghara: Copper, Turquoise & Malachite

minesCliff carvings of Pharaohs smiting locals

SourcesSinai Inscription of Sneferu: 3rd Dynasty

King of Upper and lower Egypt, Favourite of the two Goddesses, Lord of Truth; Golden Horus; Sneferu, Great God, who is given satisfaction, Stability, Life, Health, all Joy forever. Horus, Lord of Truth. SMITER OF BARBARIANS.

Palestine

The ‘Asiatics’

Have evidence of campaigns but unsure of reason

Possibility of Trade: Pottery found in OKE sites/Egyptian goods in Palestine.

Scenes of bound prisoners led away

Sources Relief from the tomb of Inti at Deshasha

Shows an Egyptian siege of a Palestinian fortified town. The Egyptians use a ladder to scale the walls and also dig into the base of the walls.

Shows the chaos and despair of the inhabitants

Nubia

Controlled by Egypt

Many rebellions

Trade: Gold, Building Stone

Trade way from Africa: Ebony, Ivory, ostrich feathers

Troops

Sources Inscription of King Merenere at the First Cataract:

6th Dynasty

The King leans on his staff, wearing a lion’s tail, and behind him is the god khnum and before him are the chiefs of NUBIA:

The coming of the king himself, standing behind the hill-country, while the chiefs of Mazoi, Irthet and Wawat did obeisance (paying homage) and gave great praise.

Sources Palermo Stone in the reign of Sneferu:

3rd Dynasty

Hacking up the land of the Negro.

Bringing up 7000 living prisoners and 200 000 large and small cattle…

Bringing up 40 ships filled with cedar wood…

Libya

Trouble for the Egyptians

Military expeditions sent to punish

Capturing Stock: Raiding

Sources Records of Sneferu

Show Sheshat, goddess of writing, recording the number of stock captured during a raid in Libya

Byblos

Important source of Cedar Wood; lacking in Egypt

Maritime Trade

Trade for commodities: Lapis Lazuli (deep blue gemstone), wine, oils

Sources Doors

Inner structures of Pyramids

5th Dynasty Vases

Temple

Royal Palace

Gae Callender: timbers holding up masonry in Bent Pyramid is from Byblos

Found at Byblos with King Unas & Djedkare’s names on them.

Temple to Egyptian goddess, Hathor has been excavated there

Punt

Trade of exotic goods imported: Incense & Resins (used for mummifying)

Sources Palermo Stone in the reign of Sahure:

5th Dynasty

Punt, 80 000 measures of myrrh, 6000…of electrum,2600….

Modern Historians

Carl Roebuck - The world of Ancient Times Gae Callender – Eye of HorusI.E.S. Edwards J. Malek – In the shadows of the Pyramids

WENI: 6TH DYNASTY

Begun career under Teti I -custodian of the storehouse

Pepi I- Senior Warden of Nekhen (Judge: hearing cases in royal harem)

- Commander of army

Merenere - Count & Governor of Upper Egypt from Yebu in the South to Medenyt in the North (Collected revenue,

levied labour…).

Autobiographies

Under Pepy I

Sent to organise an army against Bedouins north of Sinai.

He returned 5 timed to quell rebellions.

Ventures north into Southern Palestine.

- no military experience but has gained the king’s trust -

His Majesty made war on the Asiatic Sand-dwellers and his majesty made an army of many ten thousands.

The army returned in safety after it had hacked up the land of the Sand-dwellers…after it had thrown fire in all its troops…and having carried away a great multitude as living captives.

PEPY I

Under Merenere

Made Governor of the South

Sent to dig a canal around the First cataract to enable ships to sail further south into Nubia

His majesty sent me to dig 5 canals in the South and to make 3 cargo-boats and 4 tow-boats of acacia wood of Wawat. Then the negro chiefs of Irthet, Wawat, Yam, and Mazoi supplied timber for the boats and I did the whole in only one year.

MERENERE

Usefulness of Weni

Supplied information on military activities during 6th Dynasty.

Shows a development in Foreign Contact over the period of 3 kings

First insight into the workings of the army

HARKHUF: 6TH DYNASTY

Governor of the south under King Merenere & one of the most successful caravan merchants from Aswan. Made 4 trips to the South: the last under Pepi II.

Autobiographies

1st Journey

The majesty of Merenere, my lord, sent me, together with my father, the sole companion and ritual priest Iri, to Yam in order to explore a road to this country. I did it in only 7 months & I brought all kinds of gifts from it…

2nd Journey

My majesty sent me a second time alone; I went forth upon the Elephantine road and I visited Irthet, Mekher, Tereres, Irtheth, altogether taking 8 months. When I returned, I brought gifts from this country in very great quantity. ..Never before had any companion or caravan-leader who went forth to Yam before this, succeeded.

3rd Journey

His majesty sent me a 3rd time to Yam…I found the chief of Yam going to the land of Temeh to smite it…I went forth after him and pacified him…

I returned with 300 assess laden with incense, ebony, grain, panthers…ivory…now when the chief of Irthet…saw how strong and numerous was the troop of Yam…and the soldiers who had been sent with me, then this chief brought and gave to me bulls and small cattle…

4th Journey

Harkhuf wrote to the young king Pepy II to say he was returning with gifts & a dancing dwarf.

Kings reply is the only surviving royal letter from OKE (it is inscribed in the tomb of Harkhuf):I have noted the content of your letter…you have brought a dancing dwarf…like the dwarf the treasurer of the god Burded brought from Punt in the time of Isesi…My majesty desires to see this dwarf more than the gifts of Sinai and of Punt.

Question Time…

Provide arguments, based on evidence, to refute the statement: Old Kingdom Egypt was

an isolated inward-looking society’.