From the
beginning <
the Sixth tc
the beginning
of the
Twelfth
Dynasty
(3500B.C. I
2780 B.C.).
corridor; in the finest tombs of the Sixth Dynasty indeed a complete fa9ade of this kind
is formed outside the east front. The space above ground covering the pit and the
sepulchre is enclosed by a brick wall; and the interval between this wall and the chapel
and corridor is filled in with gravel, or more rarely with brick, so as to weld the whole
structure into a single block.
Such were the tombs of nobles, wealthy men, and officials; but the very great
majority of persons with whom we are dealing in our series were not nobles or wealthy
people but plain bourgeoisie, as may be supposed from the style of their burial. The
tombs of such people had no building above the ground; a plain oblong pit, sunk to
a depth of some twelve to sixteen feet, gave entrance to a small chamber three or four
feet high, cut into the rock at right angles to the pit and closed by a little wall of piled
bricks. Here lay the skeleton (not mummified nor in any way preserved) at full length,
with its sparse tomb-furniture beside it. They were not paupers who were buried in this
fashion, since their relatives could afford to place pottery and objects with them ; but the
latter were not rich enough to indulge in any sort of elaborate display, and only very
rarely placed in the well just outside the chamber a simple stele inscribed with the name.
The debasement of this period as revealed by the excavations at Denderah has
been sufficiently indicated. In conclusion, it may suffice to say that no articles of real
value, except inscribed stones, and few objects even of interest except pottery, were found
as representative of the Seventh to Tenth Dynasties. Such as they are, however, even
these tell the same tale. Education had sunk so low that the art of engraving monuments
was in danger of being forgotten, and it has been suggested that the barbarity of the
signs upon the stelae is due to an effort to render into hieroglyphs suitable for carving
the cursive hieratic of the scribes who wrote upon papyrus. A review of the pottery
reveals an extraordinary paucity of types, mostly to be identified as very degenerate
descendants of those in use in die Sixth Dynasty, and showing few resemblances to the
products of the Twelfth. It is only with the Eleventh Dynasty that indications of
improvement begin to appear in several directions.
From the beginning o f the Twelfth Dynasty to the end o f the Fifteenth
(Twelfth Dynasty, 2780 b . c . to 2560 b . c .).
The princes of Thebes, whose power had been gradually increasing under the almost
nominal overlordship of the weak monarchs of Herakleopolis, definitely established their
independence towards the close of the period which has been described in the preceding
section. The accession of Amenemhat I, founder of the Twelfth Dynasty, marks the
moment at which the supremacy of Thebes was universally recognized and a firm
government was re-established from end to end of the country. Under the rule of
vigorous and enterprising kings Egypt attained a prosperity unequalled in any preceding
period of her history; and the organization of her internal resources kept pace with
a considerable extension of her foreign dominion. One of the first acts of the enlightened
monarch who initiated the new régime was to establish an orderly administration of his
provinces. In the biography of Khnemu-hotep, a governor of the Oryx nome, who like
others of his family was buried in a splendid rock-tomb at Beni Hasan, it may be read
how Amenemhat I ‘ came and restored that which had been overthrown and gave back
what one city had taken from another’ ; how he marked out the frontiers and set
up the boundaries, and enforced the ancient laws that regulated the irrigation. His
successors were not backward in continuing the policy of restoration and development.
Usertesen III reopened the great canal made in the time of the Sixth Dynasty, which
enabled boats voyaging to Nubia to pass the First Cataract in safety; and by his
regulation of Lake Moeris, Amenemhat III permanently altered the aspect of a whole
province, and greatly enlarged the cultivable area of Lower Egypt.
Building was carried out upon a vast scale. To Amenemhat III was due the
erection of that huge temple at Hawara, which under the name of the Labyrinth so
powerfully impressed the imagination of classical writers; and the magnificent edifices
which have made Karnak a wonder of the world were begun by these splendid lords
of Thebes. From Tanis and Bubastis in the Delta to Semneh and Kummeh at the
Second Cataract the remains of temples, obelisks, and statues testify alike to their activity
and to the resources which they could command. No king since the Sixth Dynasty had
been wealthy or powerful enough to accomplish that which was the dearest wish of
every Egyptian, by the erection of a tomb which should be a perpetual monument;
but now at Illahun, Hawara, and Dahshur pyramids were erected, which, although less
massive, are conspicuous even beside the gigantic piles of Gizeh.
The great nobles were worthy servants of such masters, loyally fulfilling their duties
in the great feudal system of which they formed a part. A vivid idea of their activity
is given by the paintings in the tombs of Beni Hasan, where we may see the princes
of the Oryx nome inspecting the produce of the farms, superintending the gathering of
taxes, and receiving the tribute brought by foreigners for the king; while scenes of
hunting and fishing in the marshes show how they passed their hours of relaxation. The
tombs of such men as these, deep-hewn in the desert cliffs high up above the cemeteries
of the poorer people, impress the mind with the importance of their owners. The
entrance will be through a sculptured fa?ade sometimes sheltered by a columned portico.
This leads into a spacious hall, the roof of which is supported by several fluted columns,
while its walls are decorated with varied scenes in gorgeous colours. A deep pit sunk
in the floor, and then filled in, contains the sepulchre of the mummy; and at the
end of the hall facing the entrance is a small chamber hewn in the native rock as
a shrine for the statue of the prince, who sits majestically enthroned with his wife
beside him.
The newly awakened energies thus exhibited in public and private works found
another natural and indeed inevitable outlet in military enterprises. It was in all periods
one of the first duties which confronted a strong ruler of Egypt to repel the encroachments
of the several races which incessantly threatened the borders alike from the south, the
east, and the west. A campaign or at least a razzia against the Aamu and their
kinsmen of Sinai, the Nubians, and the Libyans, was as regular an occurrence as our own
Indian frontier wars. It was originally the necessity of self-defence that dictated such
expeditions; but the advantages of commerce supplied a further motive, and the tribute
exacted from the subject foreigners constituted a valuable addition to the royal treasury.
Thus Amenemhat I, at the same time that he was establishing a settled administration
at home, conducted successful wars against the northern Nubians and against the Asiatics..
Usertesen I reduced the negroes to temporary vassalage as far south as the Second
Cataract, and Usertesen III made the occupation of their country really effective by the
erection of a series of forts in the neighbourhood of Wady Haifa.
The industrial progress of the country was such as might be expected under these
renewed conditions of prosperity. Quarries which had long been deserted were again
From the
beginning of
the Twelfth
Dynasty to
the end of the
Fifteenth
(Twelfth
Dynasty,
2780 B. c. to
2560 B.C.).