The Fourth
and Fifth
Dynasties
(4000 B. c. to
3500 B.C.).
From the
beginning of
the Sixth to
the beginning
of the
Twelfth
Dynasty
(3500 B.c. to
2780 B.c.).
mastabas of the princes and nobles of the time that the most complete view of Old
Kingdom art and science may be obtained. The skill exhibited in the details of building
is extraordinary, and would be almost inexplicable if it were not known that the hewing
and fitting of stone had been practised ever since the reign of King Khasekhemui of the
Second Dynasty. It is the decoration of these ‘ bench-tombs/ however, which invests
them with their peculiar interest. The interior walls are adorned with bas-reliefs
exhibiting every detail of contemporary life. The master of the tomb and his wife are
seated watching the chase, their sons are snaring birds, and near them fishermen ply the net.
Elsewhere the cattle and tame animals are depicted, the birds of the farm are being fed;
in one scene there is sowing and ploughing, in another the harvesters are reaping the
corn, and rams or donkeys are treading it out. Here the great noble is shown superintending
the preparations for his own funeral, the building of the boat, the polishing of the
statue, and the making of all the furniture; there again he is receiving the offerings
which pious servants bring to the dead in fulfilment of the duty formally allotted to them.
All these scenes are depicted, not only with a charming naiveU> but with a vivacity and
fidelity to nature which was only sometimes equalled and never surpassed in later
days. Only the human figure is unsatisfactory in the bas-reliefs, on account of the
limiting conventions with which the artist fettered himself. But any such failure is amply
atoned when the sculptor works in the round, and the portrait statues are the very finest
of any period. Rahotep and Nefert, Nenkheftka and Nenkhefthek, the kneeling and the
squatting scribes, and the famous Shekh-el-Beled are among the greatest masterpieces of
Egyptian statuary. It is unfortunate that the knowledge of the minor antiquities is still
incomplete owing to the dearth of material from recorded excavations. The wall-
paintings of the tombs, however, show that many exquisite and delicate ornaments were
manufactured; and in the pictures may be recognized such copper ewers and stone bowls
as were actually found in the tomb of Ka-mena at El-Kab, as well as the sharp-rimmed
bowls of that peculiar red ware which is the only distinctive ceramic product of the
Fourth and Fifth Dynasties.
In conclusion, it should be noted that the Old Kingdom witnessed the birth of
Egyptian literature. The inscriptions in the pyramids of Unas and his successors are the
earliest religious texts extant; and the maxims of Ptah-hotep enshrine the wisdom of
a. Polonius who lived perhaps five thousand years ago.
From the beginning o f the Sixth to the beginning o f the Twelfth Dynasty
(3500 b.c. to 2780 B.C.).
The period which is described as between the Sixth and the Twelfth Dynasty has
always been one of the most obscure in Egyptian history. Of its beginnings indeed a
fairly clear picture may be formed, for there is a considerable amount of material extant
which refers to the Sixth Dynasty itself (3500 b . c . to 3330 b . c.). The pyramid-tombs of
its more important kings, Teta, Pepi I, Meren-ra and Pepi II, have been discovered at
Sakkara ; their walls covered with inscriptions, which are invaluable for the insight which
they afford, not only into the structural development of the language, but also into the
state of the religious beliefs of the time. Of still more interest to the historian are the
biographies inscribed in the tombs of two great royal officers, Una and Her-khuf, which
throw much light on the administration and the political condition of the country,
Numerous isolated inscriptions again testify to the activity of several monarchs in widely From the
distant parts of their kingdom; and Pepi I, who is known to have engaged in extensive Jhe Sixthgtof
building operations, is even credited with the foundation of the original temple o f Denderah. the begin-
In the Sixth Dynasty then the country would seem to have been ruled by a strong Twelfth
and well organized central government, which had extended its power in the north to the t0
actual shores of the Mediterranean and in the south at least as far as Elephantine. 278° b.c.).
There was sufficient tranquillity to permit the carrying out of important trade-expeditions,
which went far south into the Soudan (inscription of Her-Khuf), the execution of monuments
which employed great numbers of workmen in the quarries of the Wcidi-Hammamdt
and of Asweln, and the working of the turquoise mines in the W&di Maghdra. It was
a time of industrial activity; and one of the campaigns chronicled in the inscriptions,
a punitive expedition against the Menthu of Sinai, was undertaken in direct defence of
trade interests, since it was from that district that the kings imported much of the copper
which was so freely used for the manufacture of artistic objects. In the same reign, that
of Pepi I, a similar raid was made upon the Aamu of Sinai (inscription of Una), the
narrative of which is interesting from its mention of the fact that large levies were raised
from the neighbouring tribes of the Soudan and of the western oases to fight in the Egyptian
army. The royal tombs of the Sixth Dynasty are far inferior to the colossal pyramids
of Gizeh, but those of the great nobles are built in a style well befitting their rank as
district princes and governors. They are imposing brick mastabas of elaborate construction,
which are partially panelled with stone slabs carved in bas-relief, and painted
with scenes and inscriptions representing the offerings made to the deceased and
describing his official rank, his interests and his achievements. In contrast to what is
found to occur in the immediately subsequent period, it is noticeable that the most
distinguished men of the Sixth Dynasty w;ere content with the position of district prince
or vizier in direct subordination to the king, and never arrogated to themselves the
privileges or the titles of royalty.
The culture of the period shows a decline in some respects. The reliefs in the tombs
are perhaps less carefully carved, and the execution of the hieroglyphic texts has perceptibly
degenerated from the fine style of the preceding dynasties. But it can scarcely be said
that the art of the Sixth Dynasty is as a whole inferior to that of the Fourth and Fifth.
The copper figure of Pepi I, which was found at Hierakonpolis, is one of the most splendid
achievements of Egyptian statuary, whether we regard the fineness of the conception
or the skill of the execution. The tomb-furniture exhibits the most exquisite workmanship
; no alabasters of any other period are so beautiful as those made for the wealthy
ladies of this time. The most characteristic are the little collared vases with pointed
ends, which are more distinctly representative of the period than the funnel shapes with
spreading rims descended from similar types of the Fourth and Fifth Dynasties. But
the highest level of minor art is reached with the working of diorite into vases, bowls, and
dishes of such thinness as to be almost transparent. A delicate refinement indeed is the
distinguishing feature of all Sixth Dynasty work, with the single exception of the pottery.
But even the pottery, trumpery as it may be, is at least not worse than that of the
immediately preceding periods; and it must be remarked that all Egyptian pottery is
contemptible from the moment that the inspiration of the Predynastic time has been lost
until some little life is reinfused into the forgotten craft by that wholesale introduction
of foreign models which begins just after the Twelfth and culminates in the Eighteenth
and Nineteenth Dynasties.
MACIVBR T)