Fourth Dynasty of Egypt
Fourth Dynasty of Egypt | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ca. 2613 BC–ca. 2494 BC | |||||||||
bent pyramid at Dahshur, an early experiment in true pyramid building | |||||||||
Capital | Memphis | ||||||||
Common languages | Egyptian language | ||||||||
Religion | Ancient Egyptian religion | ||||||||
Government | Absolute monarchy | ||||||||
Historical era | Bronze Age | ||||||||
• Established | ca. 2613 BC | ||||||||
• Disestablished | ca. 2494 BC | ||||||||
|
Periods and dynasties of ancient Egypt | ||
---|---|---|
All years are BC | ||
XXXIII | 305–30 |
The Fourth Dynasty of
It was a time of peace and prosperity as well as one during which trade with other countries is documented.The Fourth Dynasty heralded the height of the pyramid-building age. The relative peace of the Third Dynasty allowed the Dynasty IV rulers the leisure to explore more artistic and cultural pursuits. King Sneferu's building experiments led to the evolution from the mastaba-styled step pyramids to the smooth sided “true” pyramids, such as those on the Giza Plateau. No other period in Egypt's history equaled Dynasty IV's architectural accomplishments.[2] Each of the rulers of this dynasty (except for Shepseskaf, the last) commissioned at least one pyramid to serve as a tomb or cenotaph[citation needed].
The Fourth Dynasty was the second of four dynasties that made up the "Old Kingdom". King Sneferu, the first king of the Fourth Dynasty, held territory from ancient Libya in the west to the Sinai Peninsula in the east, to Nubia in the south. It was a successful period and this era is known for its advancement and concentrated government, as seen in the organized building of pyramids and other monuments.
Knowledge of the Old Kingdom comes mainly from these structures and objects discovered in the desert cemeteries of Giza.
Rulers
Personal Name | Horus-name | Dates | Pyramid | Names of Wives | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sneferu | Nebma'at | 2613–2589 BC | Red Pyramid Bent Pyramid Pyramid at Meidum |
Hetepheres I | |
Khufu "Cheops" |
Medjedu | 2589–2566 BC | Great Pyramid of Giza | Meritites I Henutsen | |
Djedefre "Ratoises" |
Kheper | 2566–2558 BC ? | Pyramid of Djedefre | Hetepheres II Khentetka | |
Khafre "Chephren" |
Userib | 2558–2532 BC | Pyramid of Khafre | Meresankh III Khamerernebty I Hekenuhedjet Persenet | |
Bikheris (Possibly Bakare or Baufre) |
c. 2532 BC? | Unfinished Northern Pyramid of Zawyet El Aryan? | |||
Menkaure "Mycerinus" |
Kakhet | 2532–2503 BC ? | Pyramid of Menkaure | Khamerernebty II | |
Shepseskaf | Shepsesket | 2503–2496 BC ? | Mastabat al-Fir'aun | Bunefer Khentkaus I? | |
Djedefptah (Existence disputed) |
2496-2494 BC? | Khentkaus I? |
Summary
Sneferu
Sneferu, lauded as "Bringer of Beauty", "Master of All Justice", and "Ruler of Lower and Upper Nile", was the first pharaoh of the fourth dynasty. He descended from a family in Middle Egypt that lived near Hermopolis, and most likely ascended to the throne by marrying a royal heiress. There is still debate as to who his father was, with the credit often being given to Huni, but this cannot be confirmed due to the break in dynasties. His mother, Meresankh I was either a lesser wife or concubine of Huni.
Egypt in the Third Millennium BC was, by all accounts, a land of peace and plenty. Elites commonly ate fattened ducks and geese, and they wore fine white linens.
Until his reign, Egyptian kings were thought to be worldly incarnations of Horus, obtaining total deification exclusively in death. Sneferu was the first king to proclaim that he was the embodiment of Ra, another sun deity. Khufu would pursue his father's path, taking the name Son of the Sun God.
On the whole, Egypt was ruled by two centers of power—legal authority and traditional authority. Legal authority constituted governing by the king, not over the people directly, but via viziers and nomarchs. Traditional authority was derived from the concept that the deities gave a king the divine right to rule as he pleased. At its heart, the Fourth Dynasty Egyptian government became organized so that only the king could direct traditional authority.
The Bent Pyramid was Sneferu's first attempt at building a perfect structure, but it slopes and eventually bends to a lower angle, giving the structure a squished look. His Red Pyramid is widely considered the first true pyramid and earned its name from the reddish tint in the limestone used. The Red Pyramid was considered the first pyramid, approximately 150 years after the structures built by King Djoser.[3] The Red Pyramid was the first to be given a solid foundation so that it was stable enough for a taller building. He is also said to be responsible for a series of pyramids built in Seila. He commissioned a total of three pyramids, but there are records that point to a fourth. Although he did not construct any of the pyramids at Giza, he is known as the king who moved the most stone and brick. A lot of Sneferu's political expeditions were to other countries to secure two things: a substantial labor force and access to a large store of materials. He traveled to Nubia and Libya for these things. His incursions in these areas allowed Sneferu to secure a large labor force, so large, in fact, that it caused huge devastation to the raided countries. He also needed cattle and other food sources to provide to the people building his pyramids. By the end of his military efforts, he managed to capture 11,000 prisoners and 13,100 head of cattle.[citation needed]
Khufu
Khufu, known to the Greek as Cheops, and Sneferu's successor—though it is unclear whether he was the biological son of Sneferu—was a widely known king. He is still known very well in present-day media, being featured in movies, novels, and television shows. His fame stems from his pyramid on the northeastern plateau at Giza, where he was buried. His mortuary temple was built on the northern end of the pyramid, which is no longer accessible due to ravages by grave robbers. Only three-dimensional reliefs have been recovered and have lasted into modern day, including many limestone busts and clay figurines. Khufu's activities in and out of Egypt are not well documented (except his architecture work) and was highly romanticized by the Ancient Greeks. These Greeks felt that Khufu was a wicked man who offended the deities and forced his subjects into slavery.[4] Khufu, as the son of Sneferu, was believed to be illegitimate and therefore unworthy of the throne. Even if he was Sneferu's true son, he did very little to expand the country of Egypt and failed to follow his father's footsteps. There are only a few records that stated he was involved in any political activities. The best guess historians can make is that there is evidence of construction of a harbor on the coast of the Red Sea that was excavated by John Gardner Wilkinson and James Burton in 1823.
Djedefre
Djedefre is credited by historians with a reign of eight years. Not much is known of Djedefre, including his inconclusive lineage. It is possible that he is Khufu's son or that he was Khufu's brother. It is widely suggested that he is the son of a lesser queen who murdered the rightful heir to the throne and Djedefre's half brother, the crown prince Kawab. Djedefre chose to build his pyramid several kilometers north of Giza, creating speculation that there was a family feud that caused Djedefre to want to be far away from Khufu's tomb. A more favorable conclusion was that Djedefre chose to be buried closer to Iunu, the center of the cult of Ra. His pyramid also features a statue of his wife, Hetepheres II, in the form of a sphinx. She was a daughter of Khufu and had been the wife of Kawab. It is sometimes suggested that this was the first true sphinx, although there is debate about the sphinx at Giza that was credited to Khafre. She became the longest living royal member of the dynasty, living into the reign of Shepseskaf.
Khafre
Menkaure
Like many kings in this dynasty, the length of Menkaure's reign is uncertain, being projected for more than 63 years but it can certainly be an exaggeration. Menkaure succeeded his father, King Khafre. His pyramid is the third and smallest of those at Giza pyramid complex and is known as Netjer-er-Menkaure, which translates into "Menkaure is Divine". There was a sarcophagus found within the pyramid, that is approximately eight feet in length and three feet in height, made of basalt. Like many of the previous pyramids, Menkaure's was not inscribed, the interior having no record keeping of any kind.
Shepseskaf
Other notable individuals
Baka
The identification of Baka is unresolved.[7] Several ancient lists of kings have survived. They do not agree, however, and none of them may be considered complete. The Turin King List has a lacuna between Khafre and Menkaure, where the author had listed a king who reigned between these two pharaohs. The name of the king and length of the reign are completely lost in the lacuna.[8] The Saqqara Tablet also notes a king between Khafre and Menkaure, but here too, the name is lost.[9] Some authorities have equated this king with Bikheris, on Manetho's list, who could correspond to the Egyptian name Baka or Bakare.
Khentkaus I
Perhaps the most intriguing evidence of the fourth dynasty is the status of Khentkaus I, also known as Khentykawes. She was a daughter of Menkaure and her tomb was built along the Menkaure causeway. She may have ruled as king.
Her tomb is a large mastaba tomb, with another off-center mastaba placed above it. The second mastaba could not be centered over her primary mastaba because of the free, unsupported, space in the rooms below.
On a granite doorway leading into her tomb, Khentkaus I is given titles that may be read either as mother of two kings of upper and lower Egypt, as mother of the king of upper and lower Egypt and king of upper and lower Egypt, or, as one scholar reads it, king of upper and lower Egypt and mother of two kings of upper and lower Egypt.
Furthermore, her depiction on this doorway also gives her the full trappings of kingship, including the false beard of the king. This depiction and the title given have led some Egyptologists to suggest that she reigned as king near the end of the fourth dynasty.
Her tomb was finished in a characteristic niche style of architecture, however, the niches were later filled in with a smooth casing of limestone.
Age of the Pyramids
The Age of the Pyramids refers to the fact that the
Religious changes
The Fourth Dynasty is where we truly see a shift in religious practices where worship of the Sun was commonplace. The Cult of Ra grew in size, going back to the fact that Djedefre's tomb was built closer to the center of worship in what the Ancient Greeks called Heliopolis.[10] It was a delta city near contemporary Cairo that had been occupied since the predynastic times, whose ancient Egyptian name was I͗wnw or Iunu and meant the pillars.
During the era when centralization of the nation's material, organic, and human resources began to develop, a relationship of the king to the deities became unchallenged and kings began carving their names into statues and monuments that previously had been reserved for deities. This speaks to a type of god complex on part of the kings. Khafre's famous statue, where a falcon was incorporated into his headgear, equated the king to the god Horus.
This fact, however, caused controversy. It was pitting Khafre's allegiance to Horus against the growing Cult of Ra, not far away in Helipolis.
Changing customs drove architectural changes
The
Tombs in the Fourth Dynasty changed drastically. "Unimpressive" graves did not satisfy the elites, meaning they would settle for smaller structures if the interior was decorated.
Timeline
Fourth Dynasty timeline
See also
- Egyptian Fourth Dynasty Family Tree
References
- OL 3968521M.
- ^ Egypt: Land and Lives of the Pharaohs Revealed, (2005), pp. 80–90, Global Book Publishing: Australia
- ISBN 978-1-4042-6059-7.
- ^ Tyldesley, Joyce. "Who was Khufu?".
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - S2CID 162040068. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- S2CID 162040068. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
- ISBN 3-7001-3244-1, page 64–65.
- ^ Wolfgang Helck: Untersuchungen zu Manetho und den ägyptischen Königslisten, (= Untersuchungen zur Geschichte und Altertumskunde Ägyptens, Bd. 18), Leipzig/ Berlin 1956, page 52
- ISBN 977-424-878-3, page 61
- ^ Bolshakov, Andrey O (1991). "The Old Kingdom Representations of Funeral Procession". Göttinger Miszellen. 121: 31–54. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
- ISBN 978-0-8014-9786-5.
- JSTOR 40000226.
- ^ "Fragments of stucco from a mummy". Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. 12 March 2018.
- ^ Gill, N.S. (20 August 2018). "Natron, Ancient Egyptian Chemical Salt and Preservative". ThoughtCo.
- ^ "BBC - History - Ancient History in depth: Mummies Around the World". www.bbc.co.uk.