Sunday 17 October 2010

ang lahat ng 5 post.


ang lahat ng 5 post.
  • Hisham in the History of Egypt, for the First Dynasty are as follows:

    Narmer - probably Menes on earlier lists c. 3100–3050 B.C.
    Hor-Aha c. 3050–3049 B.C.
    Djer - c. 3049–3008 B.C. 41 years (Palermo Stone)
    Djet - 3008–2975?
    Merneith the mother of Den 3008?
    Den - 2975–2935 30 to 50 years(40 years?)
    Anedjib - 2935?–2925? 10 years (Palermo Stone)
    Semerkhet - 2925?–2916? 9 years (Palermo Stone)
    Qa'a - 2916?–2890 B.C
    .
    mga 3 buwan na ang nakaraan
  • Hisham Or Narmer Narmer of Upper Egypt "at the" King of the Kingdom of the South Upper Egypt united the "kingdom of the South" and Lower Egypt "the kingdom of the north" in the second century BC, the thirty, and founder of the dynasty of ancient history. It is believed that behind the king Sereket, the last king of pre-dynastic. And many scientists believe that is the same Sereket Narmer. Panel famous Narmer, discovered in 1898 in HERACONPOLSE, shows Narmer of Upper Egypt, carrying emblems (front) and Lower Egypt (Delta), which reinforced the theory that he was a unified realm. 
     
    Traditionally attributed this achievement to the king of Mina, and remember that's what the list of Manetho apart from being the first kings of the Pharaohs. Some scientists believe that the enamel and Narmer are the same person, while other scientists believed that the enamel is Horus, a brother and he inherited the rule of Egypt, which alone Narmer by him. Other scientists believe that Narmer began the process of unification but either did not succeed or succeeded only partially; leaving it to Menes to complete.
     
     There is another theory of equal probability is that immediately followed the King Narmer who unified Egypt (who was perhaps the King Scorpion, who found his name on the scepter in HERACONPOLSE), and then took the same symbols of unification that was used before for a generation. It should be noted that while there was a lot of concrete evidence of the existence of pharaoh named Narmer, there is no evidence except the list of Manetho and the myth of the existence of King Mena. List of Kings recently discovered in the tombs of Den and a bottom Remember Narmer as the founder of the royal family
    mga 3 buwan na ang nakaraan
  • Hisham King Menes united the two countries Pharaoh of the First Dynasty in Thebes (Luxor now), he was able to unite the two countries (the two kingdoms north and south) in about 3200 BC. M, and the title of this bounty several titles (such as the King of the Two Lands, the owner of eutrophication, Eagle South, snake north ). The king is considered the founder of the First Dynasty Mena Pharaonic
    mga 3 buwan na ang nakaraan
  • Hisham King Menes united the two countries Pharaoh of the First Dynasty in Thebes (Luxor now), he was able to unite the two countries (the two kingdoms north and south) in about 3200 BC. M, and the title of this bounty several titles (such as the King of the Two Lands, the owner of eutrophication, Eagle South, snake north ). The king is considered the founder of the First Dynasty Mena Pharaonic
    mga 3 buwan na ang nakaraan
  • Hisham Think of King Menes in the selection of site can be judged, including Egypt, so he set up castle surrounded by a fence white and named it (from - a group) is concerned with beautiful harbor, which became the capital of Egypt in the Old Kingdom, and then he called the Greeks, then Memphis, then called, when the Arab Open Egypt, Memphis.
    mga 3 buwan na ang nakaraan








Egyptian relics - The Curse of the Pharaohs - the secret of mummification - Magic at the Pharaohs - Luxor - Sphinx - Pyramids - The Temple of Karnak - The Temple of Abu Simbel - Temple of Ramses II - Akhenaten - Tuthmosis III - Tutankhamun - Pharaoh - Nefertiti - Cleopatra - Nefertari - Hatshepsut -

The Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt

The pharaohs of ancient Egypt ruled over one of the oldest and most spectacular civilizations in the world.


Ancient Egypt


Many thousands of years ago, Egypt was inhabited by nomadic tribes who foraged for food in the rich vegetation of the banks of the Nile, and who hunted the many wild animals that once thrived on the savannah plains that covered the region. Climatic changes led to a process of desertification, and, in time, groups began to settle permanently along the waters of the river.

By around 4000 B.C., the Nile Valley and Delta were teeming with sedentary agricultural communities that had come to live in harmony with the river, waiting for the annual floods before planting their crops in the rich soil that lined its banks.

In time, these flourishing settlements, which originally had little mutual contact, began to establish strong links with each other. The newly-forged bonds gave rise to the creation of two new kingdoms, that of Lower Egypt, in the Nile Delta, with its capital at Buto, and that of Upper Egypt in the south, with its capital at Hieraconpolis.


The Unification of the Two Kingdoms


In approximately 3100 B.C., an event occurred that would profoundly affect the future of the region. It was then that a powerful king by the name of Menes, the ruler of Upper Egypt, launched a military campaign and united the two kingdoms. King Menes subsequently established his capital at Memphis, which sat at the point where the Nile Valley meets the Delta, some 15 miles south of present-day Cairo.

The unification of Egypt laid the foundations of a single state, and gave birth to a new era - that of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt.


Lords of the Two Lands


The pharaohs of ancient Egypt ruled over one of the oldest and most spectacular civilizations in the world, spanning an astonishing period of more than 3,000 years. During this time a succession of 31 dynasties ruled the land, beginning with Menes himself in 3100 B.C. and ending with the last ancient Egyptian pharaoh, Nectanebo II, in 343 B.C.

The king, who from around 2500 B.C. onwards was believed to be the son of the sun god Ra, was the all-powerful ruler over the land and considered to be a direct link between his subjects and the gods. He bore the title of "King of Upper and Lower Egypt" and "Lord of the Two Lands," and wore two crowns that symbolized the union of the two realms.

Heading the military, legal and religious institutions of the state, the pharaoh of ancient Egypt was charged with the critical task of maintaining order and warding off chaos in the world, thereby ensuring the continued support of the ancient Egyptian gods.

Such was the awe in which the ruler was held, it was reported that during the 5th Dynasty a courtier by the name of Washptah was so overcome after kissing the feet of his pharaoh Neferirkare that he died - normally subjects were restricted to merely kissing the ground on which their king walked.

The term "pharaoh," in fact, only came to be used to refer to the king much later on during the New Kingdom. The word derived from Per Ao, meaning "The Great House" - the name given to the administration complex surrounding the royal court at Memphis.


The Decline and Fall of the Pharaohs


During the New Kingdom, Ramsees II and his successors were unable to pull Egypt out of what would prove to be a long and steady decline, bringing to an end the glorious age of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs.

During the 20th dynasty, towards the end of the 2nd millennium B.C., the Egyptian empire began to falter under the strain of repeated attacks by Mediterranean invaders known only as "Peoples of the Sea," who crossed over from the region of Greece and attacked Egypt from the north, and via Libya in the west. The Third Intermediate Period was now upon Egypt.

As one weak dynasty followed another, the country slid into anarchy. Competing dynasties, including one founded by priests and another by a Libyan prince, began to tear the country apart. Eventually, in 667 B.C., the country was invaded by the Assyrians, a neighboring Middle Eastern empire with a reputation for ruthlessness and, for a brief while, they dominated the country.

The ancient Egyptian Pharaohs fought back and momentarily reestablished their rule, only to be invaded once more, in 525 B.C., by the powerful Persian Empire, which reduced their country to the status of a mere province. Despite initially respecting the customs and traditions of the ancient Egyptians, the new Persian rulers became heavy-handed once they had consolidated their power. A series of anti-Persian uprisings culminated in a brief spell of renewed Egyptian independence, only to be dashed by yet another Persian invasion in 341 B.C.


Alexander the Great


Barely a decade later, in 332 B.C., a 25-year-old Greek commander, known to the Western world as Alexander the Great, scored a series of victories against the Persians and heralded in a new phase of the history of the pharaohs of Ancient Egypt.

Alexander was the young ruler of a group of united Greek city states. He had shown himself to be a brilliant military commander and was in the process of building himself a huge empire. Jubilant at having been liberated from their Persian overlords, the Egyptians gave Alexander a hero's welcome.

In Egypt, Alexander made the difficult journey to the Siwa Oasis to consult the famous oracle of Amun. It was a highly significant act for the Greek commander, who had dreamed in his youth that he was the son of Amun.

Fortunately, his divine birth was confirmed by the oracle. Satisfied, the priests of Amun accorded Alexander the honor of a deity, and he was accepted as the new pharaoh of Egypt.

Yet the ambitious Alexander had pressing military engagements elsewhere, and the following year he left Egypt to wage campaigns in the Middle East and the Indus Valley, in present-day Pakistan.


The Ptolemaic Pharaohs


The young commander's phenomenal career was cut short by a fever in 323 B.C., before he ever had the chance to return to Egypt. Following his death, his empire was divided amongst his most powerful generals. Egypt went to his close friend and companion, Ptolemy. The Egyptians, unaware of the extent to which they would lose their independence, were quite happy to accept him as Alexander's heir and to proclaim him their new pharaoh.

The arrival of the Greeks dealt the final blow to the age of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt. Whereas before, the Egyptians had successfully pulled themselves out of periods of sustained crisis and reestablished their own dynasties, it would be a long time before the country would be ruled by native rulers once more. The Greeks were now in Egypt to stay, and for the next 300 years, it was Ptolemy's who would hold sway over the country





Egyptian relics - The Curse of the Pharaohs - the secret of mummification - Magic at the Pharaohs - Luxor - Sphinx - Pyramids - The Temple of Karnak - The Temple of Abu Simbel - Temple of Ramses II - Akhenaten - Tuthmosis III - Tutankhamun - Pharaoh - Nefertiti - Cleopatra - Nefertari - Hatshepsut -
 .

United the two countries

Menes

Start Date: 3032
End Date: 3000
Rain : 32
Aha is known for millions of people as King Menes of Memphis. He was the founding king of the 1st Dynasty, and was the first king to unify Upper and Lower Egypt into one kingdom. Ancient Egypt's most predominant form of civilization began with his crowning, and did not end permanently until the beginning of the Roman era, which started with Augustus Caeser. Menes founded the city of Memphis, and chose as its location an island in the Nile, so that it would be easy to defend. He was also the founder of Crocodopolis. During his time, the Egyptian army performed raids against the Nubians in the south and expanded his sphere of influence as far as the First Cataract.

His chief wife was Queen Berenib, though she was not the mother of his heir, King Djer, and his mother was Neithotepe. His death is a mystery, for, according to legend he was attacked by wild dogs and Nile crocodiles in Faiyum . Menes' tomb resides at Saqqara, the famed necropolis of Memphis. He died at the age of Sixty Three

Menes & The Narmer Palette

Around 3000 B.C., Egypt emerged from the twilight of prehistory as one country, united under the single rule of a divine king. Before that, it is generally assumed that the country was divided in two parts : Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. According to an Ancient Egyptian legend, it was an Upper Egyptian king named Menes who first united these "Two Lands". From then on, the Egyptian kings would rule Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt and one of the many names used for the country would be "Two Lands", reflecting the original duality of Egypt. The identification of Menes with one of the archaeologically attested kings of Early Dynastic Egypt has been a matter of debate among Egyptologists for quite a long time and has not yet been resolved. Some identify Menes with Narmer (3300 - 3100 B.C.), others with his probable son, Aha and others yet still see him as a mere legendary figure. The most important document pertaining to the unification of Egypt is the Narmer Palette.

The Narmer Palette, now one of the many exhibits at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, was discovered in 1898 by the archaeologist James E. Quibell in the Upper Egyptian city of Nekhen (today's Hierakonpolis), believed to be the Pre-Dynastic capital of Upper Egypt. Quibell was excavating the royal residences of various early Egyptian kings at Hierakonpolis in Upper Egypt when he discovered that large ceremonial palette of King Narmer with other objects.

The palette, which has a shield-shape, is decorated on both sides. It was once erected for display in the temple of Horus in Nekhen. The Narmer Palette was cut out of one piece of dark-green-coloured schist, approximately 64 cm (or 23 in.) in height and dates to approximately 3200 B.C. It has survived intact. The palette was a votive or gift offering by the King to his "father", the god Amun-Ra. Not only does it hold one of the oldest known specimens of Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, its well-preserved decoration also shows us a chapter of Ancient Egyptian history : the unification of Egypt. This is announced in a very clear and simple way : in the front, the sovereign is wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt, and in the back, the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. Narmer would then be the first kiing to reign over both lands.

Despite its small size, this document is one of the most important sources informing us about Early Dynastic Egypt. It marked an early example of a prevalent trend in Egyptian art to glorify the king. The message is conveyed not through narrative but through symbolic imagery and relies on some basic artistic conventions. The Egyptians had a marvelous knack for distilling an idea to its purest form in an abstract and powerful way.

The Narmer Palette reveals several important social aspects about how the Egyptians lived and were structured. It reveals the meaning of hierarchy of Egyptian life. It has been suggested that the art, which developed during those years, which showed the king as a distant figure, away from his subjects, was the correct view of the ever-growing power of the king. "L'association d'une ï؟½lite s'exprime par la concentration des biens. Elle se traduit, dans les structures mentales, par une sorte d'exaltation de la violence qui, loin de traduire simplement des ï؟½vï؟½nements rï؟½els, sublime la force et la puissance, trahissant la constitution d'une idï؟½ologie dont se gï؟½nï؟½rera l'image du pharaon" (Midant-Reynes, 1992).

The Palette also shows their value in recording historical events - with such items of war and political power struggles being 'newsworthy' events. It would be a mistake however, to read the Narmer Palette as a mere tale of conquest. Through military conquests however, Narmer was able to lay the political foundations of the kingship which endured thereafter as long as a king wore the two crowns. The actual finding of a palette proves that the Ancient Egyptians had established a written form of communication, now known as the Egyptian hieroglyphs. The palette was depicted however by Egyptian scribes using a complex combination of ideograms and phonetic signs.

The recto of the Narmer Palette is divided into two scenes.
Above the top scene, the king's name is written inside a serekh (ancestor of the cartouche), flanked on each side by a cow's head, in exactly the same manner as on the back.

The top scene takes up most of the recto of the Narmer Palette. Dominating the scene is a large figure of the king, with a ceremonial beard and wearing the White Crown (which is said to represent Upper Egypt), as well as the symbolic bull's tail. All the important features of the body are present : the whole eye is seen within the profile of the face; shoulders, arms and hips are frontal while the legs and feet are in profile. A solid and static, almost monumental feeling is obtained by having the weight evenly divided on both legs with one leg well in advance of the other.


 In his right hand the king wields a mace, ready to smash the skull of a kneeling man (possibly a Libyan) whom he holds by the hair with his left hand. The name of this kneeling man (wash) written in hieroglyphs above his head suggests that he may have been important or that it may be referring to a group of people. Above the victim's head and in front of Narmer's face, the falcon Horus of Nekhen - symbol of Egyptian royalty and protector of the king - is sitting upon the plants of a personified papyrus marshland. The papyrus blossom in early hieroglyphs stands for the numeral one thousand - this group therefore means that the king had captured six thousand enemies.


 This is frequently used to symbolise Lower Egypt. Therefore the meaning of this part of the scene is quite clear : the Upper Egyptian king tramples the Lower Egyptian marshlands. As on the back, Narmer is followed by a smaller person carrying his sandals. He is thus walking on sacred ground and is barefoot out of respect for the gods and goddesses, in order to perform the ritual act of execution. Narmer, in this way, may be dedicating his victim to the gods and goddesses perhaps thanking them for their help in conquering his foes.

Below the feet of the king, below the main scene, are two naked, fallen Deltaic enemies lie helplessly on the ground, and a representation of their walled town. They too confirm the victorious imagery repeated all over the Narmer Palette.
The back of the Narmer Palette is divided into three levels.Above the top level, the king's name, "Narmer" (n'r - fish, and mr - chisel, which translates into 'Catfish'), is written inside a serekh. This serekh is flanked on each side by a cow's head, possibly a reference to either the goddess Hathor or another named Bat ["it is doubtful that there was even a goddess named Bat, although she may have been a nome deity" (Jonathan Van Lepp, personal communication)], often represented as a cow.


 If they do represent one, she would be the oldest known goddess of Ancient Egypt. The association of Hathor, usually represented with inwards horns, and as mother of the king is seen in most of the Egyptian art and literature. Its disposition in the upper part of the palette gives it a celestial character and prooves the high esteem of the pharaoh towards her. The Narmer Palette displays the earliest known representation of Hathor with the king.


On the left hand side of the top level, the king, followed by a smaller figure carrying his sandals - known as the Sandal Bearer - is represented wearing the Red Crown of Lower Egypt. In his left hand, he holds a mace, in the other a flail, symbol of his royalty. His name is repeated just before his face. He is preceded by his vizir, and by a female figure called Tjet, holding a kind of sceptre in her left hand. All the people are represented smaller than the king. The entire procession is walking towards ten decapitated bodies - divided in two rows of five persons each, lying on the ground, with their disembodied heads between their legs.They represent the king's vanquished enemies.

In the central scene, two persons tie together the elongated necks of two feline animals, which could be alluding to panthers, symbol of the eastern and western heavens. The two felines are often interpreted as the two parts of the country tied together, since they simbolise harmony and unity. It is believed that the circular depression created by the curved necks may have used to hold or make cosmetics on the palette - if ever it was really used to handle cosmetics.
In the bottom scene, the Apis bull is represented trampling a scared, naked bearded Deltaic foe. The symbolism of this scene is made clear : the bull represents the king's masculinity and vigorous power, while destroying his enemies with the force of a strong bull. Some later kings would add a title such as "Victorious Bull" to their titulary.

The dominant theme however is the victory of the god incarnate over the forces of evil and chaos. The king's role was that of the preserver of unity of land and to overcome the enemies of Ma'at, goddess of Truth, Order and Justice.

The unification of Egypt was not the work of one single man, but, like most important historical events, a process of time and evolution - of which alliances and marriages were part. Somewhere at the end of the Fourth Millennium B.C., the unification of Upper Egypt became a fact. "Replacï؟½e dans cette analyse, l'unification apparaï؟½t moins comme une conquï؟½te que comme un phï؟½nomï؟½ne d'assimilation du Nord par le Sud; mais dans ce processus la guerre constitue l' une des composantes. Parce qu'elle est valorisante pour le vainqueur, elle sera exaltï؟½e plus que tous les autres ingrï؟½dients de l'unification ..." (Midant-Reynes, 1992).

The interpretation of the Narmer Palette seems clear : Narmer is represented wearing both Egyptian crowns; he conquers lands and overthrows the enemy. He is inspecting the victims of his war. The Narmer Palette deals with a war, but also dramatically indicates one of the most important events in the history of Ancient Egypt : the unification of the two lands, the first attestation of this event.

 




Egyptian relics - The Curse of the Pharaohs - the secret of mummification - Magic at the Pharaohs - Luxor - Sphinx - Pyramids - The Temple of Karnak - The Temple of Abu Simbel - Temple of Ramses II - Akhenaten - Tuthmosis III - Tutankhamun - Pharaoh - Nefertiti - Cleopatra - Nefertari - Hatshepsut -

The greatness of Ramses II

King Ramses II , who reigned for 67 years  during the 19th dynasty of the 12th century BC, was known as "Ramses the Great". He is known as one of Egypt's greatest warriors, but also as a peace-maker and for the monuments he left behind all over Egypt. He was the first king in history to sign a peace treaty with his enemies, the Hittites, ending long years of wars and hostility.King Ramses reigned for 67 years (1292–1225 B.C.). Under him Egypt acquired unprecedented splendor. His empire extended from Syria to near the Fourth Cataract of the Nile.

 
King Ramses left monuments throughout Egypt. The principal ones are probably the temple at Karnak, which he completed; the Rameseum, his mortuary temple, at Thebes; the temple at Luxor; and the great rock temple at Abu Simbel with four seated figures of the king on the facade. The period of his rule was characterized by great luxury, increased slavery, and the growth of a mercenary army, all of which led to the 
final decline of Egypt.

     Ramses II was born to Queen Tuy and his father Seti I.   He was given the throne at the age of about 20 and ruled for 67 years. This allowed him to be the second longest-ruling Pharaoh. Successor to Harmhab and ruler of ancient Egypt during the XIX and XX dynasties King Ramses I was grandfather to Ramses The Great. This son of Seti, who was not heir to the throne but instead upsurped it, brought Egypt to unprecedented splendor during his long reign from 1292 B.C to 1225 B.C. Born about 1303 B. C. in the eastern Nile Delta, Ramses The Great was known as the Warrior King and Son of Ra, the sun god. A serious child, he was appointed co-ruler by his aging father and assumed the throne in 1297 B.C. at age 24. According to tradition Ramses II was the Pharaoh of Egypt in the biblical Exodus story. Married to Nefertari, whose tomb is considered the most beautiful in Egypt. Ramses The Great was an ambitious builder, a successful general and a popular ruler.
King Ramses II
   Ramses The Great marched 20,000 soldiers north into Syria to defend his empire against Hittite invaders. His empire stretched from South Syria to the fourth cataract of the Nile. Social life was luxurious for the upper classes during his reign and Ramses The Great left many monuments to himself. Ramses duty was to preserve the union of Upper and Lower Egypt which he did by defeating Egypts enemies and honoring the 
gods. 

  Ramses II was a prolific ruler that fought to reclaim territory in Africa and Western Asia.  The Hittites and Asia Minor were his main opponents or his main enemies. During his fifth year as Pharaoh, he led a campaign known as the Battle of Kadesh. Ramses II tried to keep the newly acquired territory, today it is known as Syria, but lost the battle along with one of his opponents - the Hittites. Seen as a standstill, Ramses II pulled back and Kadesh remained with the Hittites once more. Later, a treaty was signed, territory was divided, and Ramses II agreed to marry the daughter of the Hittite King. During his duration as Pharaoh, he attacked many of his enemies such as the Libyans and the Nubians and also attacked Syria about half a dozen times. Although known for his military might, Ramses II also lived a life of extreme wealth and in addition, he had a need for divine architecture.  

Ramses devoted a vast number of buildings like the new capital in the Nile delta. He finished the columned great hall in the temple of Amon-re at Karnak. At Abu Simbel he built the rock temple and took credit for many of his ancestor's buildings. His love of architecture and power allowed him to erect more monuments and temples than any other Pharaoh.  Abu Simbel, probably Ramses II’s most impressive structure was carved from a sandstone cliff that faced to the east. This was located in ancient Nubia.  Although Abu Simbel remains his most famous structure, he had many more architectural projects. Among them, is included the expansion of Luxor and Karnak.  There he finished older projects set forth by his father and erected many more monuments.  It was evident Ramses II wanted to leave a mark as a reminder of his great strength and wealth.    

       
Tomb/Mummy
     The tomb of Ramses II is located in the Valley of the Kings and remains empty.  After years or being looted and weathered, it remains destroyed.  Great amounts of effort are in progress with the hope of returning the tomb to a somewhat presentable stage.  Although the tomb remains empty, the mummy of the Pharaoh has been found.  Ramses II’s mummy is thought to be one of the best-preserved mummies ever found. In his tomb there were many jewels and a lot of gold. His favorite designed shoes were there also along with his servants. There was a horse and one of his 5-6 wives that he had.

Two of Ramses II's projects, on the west bank of the Nile that cut deep into the cliffs at Abu Simbel, are perhaps the most famous. These temples, considered Ramses' greatest achievements, were erected in honor of Egypt's major gods and their local variants. After ordering the artisans to carve impressive images of him onto the facade and pillars of these temples, King Ramses' perception of himself changed forever. The temples' scenes of the gods were ordered to be re-carved to include the great king, and he gained eminence equal to that of his fellow gods.

The temple at Abu Simbel
In the end, Abu Simbel became a temple dedicated to Ramses the Great, earning the name "The House of Ramses, Beloved of Amun." Amazingly in the 1960's the monument was dismantled and moved over 200 feet to higher ground where it was reconstructed. This saved it from the rising waters of the Aswan Dam was built to create Lake Nassar. The moving of this temple and the smaller temple that RAMSES built for his favorite Queen, the beautiful Nefertari with took four years. Completed with help from around the world, both financial and technical, the final cost was more than 40 million US dollars.   







Egyptian relics - The Curse of the Pharaohs - the secret of mummification - Magic at the Pharaohs - Luxor - Sphinx - Pyramids - The Temple of Karnak - The Temple of Abu Simbel - Temple of Ramses II - Akhenaten - Tuthmosis III - Tutankhamun - Pharaoh - Nefertiti - Cleopatra - Nefertari - Hatshepsut -

Nefertari, wife of Ramses 2

 

NEFERTARI

Antique Beauty & Royality

The Queen Shared with Husband War and Peace

 The dream has come true and the restoration works of Nefertari's tomb, the most beautiful and famous of all queens' tombs and the summit of art in Egypt, has been achieved...

This tomb has been a symbol of challenge. Since its discovery at the beginning of this century in 1904 by the Italian archaeologist Schiaparelli, it endured bad circumstances, and all rescue efforts were insufficient & hard to be carried out, but, there is will, there is way

Cooperation

In 1986, the Ministry of Culture and the Egyptian Antiquities Organization in cooperation with Getty Conservation Institute insisted to save the tomb thoroughly. But this time, the work was executed in the best manner utilizing the most modern technical and artistic internationally-adopted methods.

At first, work depended on direct treatment, then scientific experiments were carried out there. Since the development of the monuments restoration and preservation techniques in the second half of the 20th century, the restoration has been changed from traditional natural art to an extensive science.

Naturally in the light of this change, large field and laboratory studies and surveys preceded the work of treatment, restoration and preservation that began in Nefertari's tomb in 1986.
The Queen

Nefertari, the favorite Queen of Ramses II, is known from myriad of her representations in the temple reliefs and colossi of the great king The dedication to her, jointly with the goddess Hathor, of the small rock temple to the north of the great temple at Abu Simbel, shows how great her influence with Ramses II must have been.

Nefertari was not the only consort of Ramses II. Four other ladies are attested in the inscriptions of his reign to be his queens. She was not an ordinary queen, however and her situation excelled that of former ones. Her name has been rendered as "the Most Beautiful of Them"; a superlative which denotes her most exceptional position, while the designation "Hereditary Princess," listed for her in several instances, appears to be the indication of her high ranking origin in the society. Her participation in the affairs of the state is unparalleled outside the Amarna Period and is reflected in the titles assigned to her as "Great King's Wife". A political role is also reflected by the recurrent designation "Lady of Upper and Lower Egypt" and "Lady of the Two Lands".


Ahmos' grand-daughter & Ramses' wife
Origin

Some Egyptologists think she was probably a daughter of King Seti 1, and thus sister or half sister of Ramses II. Other Egyptologists, however, think that her designation as "Hereditary Princess" might be in some way connected with her being representative of the Thebais. The motive that would prompt such a thesis is the weak footing of the Ramssides in Thebes; their home was in the North and they made strenuous attempts to improve their situation in the South.


 These Egyptologists claim that nothing is known about her parents, but it seems that she was of royal birth. Others say she is Ahmos' grand-daughter...At Gebel El-Silsileh there is a shrine of Ramses 11 where depictions show him and Queen Nefertari performing religious functions before sundry deities. This shrine contains an indication that Queen Nefertari was already married to Ramses II at his accession (1290 BC). But she was not mentioned in connection with the King's First Jubilee in the year 30 of his reign and it seems likely that she died before it. We know that Queen Nefertari was neither the only nor the first bearer of this name.


 Its first bearer was Queen Ahmes-Nefertari, the mother of the Theban Eighteenth Dynasty who may have been the great-grandmother of our queen. Nefertari's bearing of the designation "god's wife" emphasized apparent emulation of Queen Ahmes-Nefertari, who was also the god's wife...From her name and titles it is apparent that Nefertari played a special role in her time. The fact that Ramses II was eager to show her accompanying him, a feature uncommon otherwise, suggests that she could influence his position in the country.

Most wonderful tomb in the Queen valley
Exclusive honors
Titles; "beautiful face" and "pretty with two feathers" could be taken as reference simply to the queen's physical appearance. Another describes her as "appeasing the gods". This expression is associated with kings; and states their adherence to and support of the ritual requirements of the cults. None of the Egyptian queens, so far as we know, had been held in such honor, for none had a temple dedicated to her jointly with a goddess, as was the case with Nefertari at Abu-Simbel..The temple facade has six statues, each 33 feet high, four of them representing the king and two belonging to the queen. The walls ot the temple are adorned with various scenes; some represent the pharaoh defeating his enemies while the queen stands behind him, others represent the king and the queen bearing offerings in the presence of the goddesses and deities, asking their blessings. The most interesting scene represents the coronation of Nefertari by Isis and Hathor. There, the figure of Nefertari stands at the side of the colossus of Ramses II and in the Ramseseum temple. She is represented dancing a ceremonial dance in front of the king during the feast of the god Min.



Her own tomb
Ramses II has a tomb for Nefertari hewn out in the Valley of the Queens called by the ancients "The Place of Beauty", this tomb is the most beautiful in the Valley of the Queens, and is on the whole worthy of her position in history. The decorative motifs on walls and ceilings are mythological and are concerned with life in the netherworld, meetings with gods, deities, genii and monsters, and the entry into the realm of eternity. In these scenes our queen is represented always wearing long, transparent white garments, with two long feathers over the vulture-like headdress of gold. She wears rich jewels, in addition to bracelets and a wide golden collar.

Description of the tomb
Outer doorway from entrance staircase into outer hall: the two lambs were inscribed with the name of Nefertari. The lintel over the doorway is decorated with a sundisk setting in the horizon flanked on both sides by Wadjet-Eye. The scene also included a depiction of Isis and Nephthys in falcon form. Left and right thickness of the door is decorated with the goddesses Nekhbet and Wadjet. The Outer Hall has an almost square format of 5.20m by 5.30m. A rock cut bench, with niches below it, designed to support part of the funerary equipment, projects from the western and northern walls. The long inscription above the bench is a rather garbled version of 17th Chapter of the Book of the Dead. The upper register is filled with various scenes, serving as illustrative register of the southern wall containing different scenes.

On the left, the queen is shown on a throne. In her right hand she holds a kind of wand, with the other she reaches for a game. The scene is placed in a kiosk made of reeds. Here the queen plays with her soul.
The next scene shows a bird with the queen's head, the Egyptian representation of the individual soul. The ba-bird is standing on a scale taking a shape of the tomb. The ba was a psychic force. The word was employed as a synonym of the manifestation of a god. Then the queen herself kneels in front of her soul, with hands uplifted in adoration of two juxtaposed lions, between them the sun's disk.

These scenes of the two lions mean "yesterday and tomorrow" or "the past and the future". Then, the graceful bird "benu" is the representation of the phoenix, the sacred bird of Heliopolis. The phoenix was regarded as the soul (ba) of Ra', but was also a manifestation of Osiris. The bird benu is followed by a multiple scene consisting of a shrine with a bier on which a prepared mummy of the queen is placed. This shrine is flanked on either side by representations of both goddesses Isis and Nephthys.  The next scenes consist of two figures, one squatted bearded deity who holds a palm branch, the other standing before him holding his two outstretched arms over two squares. Next is the seated figure of a falcon headed deity before a largescale "Sacred Eye". 


The decoration continues with the registers. They begin at the left with the scene of a cow resting on a support. The next illustration is a composite scene. Its center is a coffin with a jackal placed inside. It is surrounded on both sides by two mummiform figures. The right part of the upper register contains the four "Sons of Horus" accompanied by a fifth apparently Horus himself. To the right is the Jackal- headed Anubis, the god responsible for embalming. On the north side of the passage Osiris is shown in his shrineIn the recess the thickness of the passage is decorated on both 
 sides with the representation of a goddess Selket (Scorpion). West inner face of the recess, the decoration consists of a Djad pillar, the symbolic representation of Osiris. 

North face of the recess, the scene shows the goddess Isis leading Queen Nefertari to the right, in the realm of god Khepri. South face of recess is decorated with a depiction of Harsiese (Horus son of Isis) holding Nefertari by her hand and introducing her to Harakhty and the West (Hathor)...The scenes decorating the west wall of the side room show the queen bringing linen offering to Ptah. Behind the shrine of Ptah is a large Djad pillar, the symbol of Osiris. The scene on the north wall shows Nefertari paying her respects to the god Thoth. The left part of the wall is covered with a text of eight columns. It is a copy of Chapter 94 of the Book of the Dead






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Beautiful Queen


Not to be confused with Queen Nefertiti, whose image is well known from her statue now in Berlin, Neferati was the wife of Ramesses II - the longest ruling Pharaoh who reigned in the 19th Dynasty. When I say wife, I of course mean one of his many wives, as it was common for a Pharaoh to have more than one, but clearly from all the evidence at our disposal, she was his most significant partner.
She produced as many as ten children for Ramesses including Amenhirwenemef, his eldest son and Meritamen, his favourite daughter. Those mentioned and most of his offspring died before the demise of their father, who reigned for about seventy years. Clearly, it was the queen's function to produce heirs for her husband and she certainly did, but it was also her duty to support her husband in all ceremonial occasions. 


We have ample evidence that she did this to the full and she may have even accompanied her husband to many of his battles, most notably, his victory over the Hitittes at Kadesh in the early part of his reign. From the many surviving inscriptions we know that her titles included  Mistress of the South and the North and  Lady of the Two Lands . 


There are many monuments remaining in her honour, built by her husband who was a prolific monument builder. Although on the face of it these monuments were dedicated to his loving queen, they were in fact mainly built as a testament to himself and his legacy to Egypt. Regardless, we still see that there was a special relationship between them and we can clearly see that she was held in very high esteem. The temples at Abu Simbal are examples of this, where the queen is depicted as being the same size as her husband. 


Often in Egyptian monuments the queen appears in a much smaller scale to that of the Pharaoh, as is the case in other monuments concerning Nefertari.

Usually for the most part the Pharaoh died before his wife, but in this case, as was the case with most of his children, the reverse proved the rule, which left Ramesses in an unfamiliar position. He is said to have taken Iset-Nofret as his wife after the demise of Nefertari, who produced at least four children. There is some evidence to say that both Nefertari and Iset-Nofret were of a similar age, so it is likely both were producing offspring at the same time. This is not unusual for the time or for an Egyptian ruler as already alluded to earlier. Nefertari was buried in the Valley of the Queens where most of the 18th Dynasty queens were buried. 


Her tomb (QV66) was discovered in 1904 by Ernesto Schieparelli of the Turin Museum excavation group, but like many of the ancient tombs it had suffered greatly at the hands of tomb robbers. Some minor objects were found including shabti figures, a pair of the queen's scandals and the knob of a cane with an imprint of the cartouse of King Ay. The main treasure found here was of course the wall paintings. Although Schieparelli understood the significance of this, he could see that the paintings were in a very poor state. 


This was due to the poor quality of the tomb and in particular the limestone. The paintings were not painted directly on to the walls but on a thick layer of plaster, which coated the tomb. Deterioration due to landslides and the formation of salt deposits threatened these exquisite works of art. To the great credit of the Egyptian Antiquities Organization and the Getty Conservation Institute who worked jointly to carry out conservation work on this tomb, it is now open to visitors

It is obvious that many different artists or teams of artists were employed on this tomb and in some cases we can see that some of these artists were not afraid to experiment with new techniques such as shading and the use of red paint to highlight certain detail.


 It is not my intention to go into detail on these paintings here but as you can imagine most of these works depict Nefertari's progress from her death to eternal life in the afterlife. Her mummified body is depicted being protected by Isis and Nephthys, Anubis and the sons of Horus. She is shown playing the game of senet, which had a major significance for a person's journey in the afterlife. There are also many hieroglyphic texts and indeed the whole quality of this workmanship is superb. Having said this, we can also see the human side where there are some examples of slopy workmanship i.e. where paint was allowed to drip and some lines were drawn incorrectly. This adds to the whole character of the work.

Although we know some detail about Neferari's life from her tomb and the monuments in her honour, we certainly don't know all the details of her life and like many Ancient Egyptian figures we are left to speculate and use our imagination to paint a more complete picture. Maybe this is not such a bad thing, as in this case we have a reasonable template to work on. Part of the fascination with this culture is that we will never know for sure all the details and maybe this is the ways things should be.




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Queen Nefertari

During the nineteenth Dynasty a queen by the name of Nefertari was in power with Ramesses the Great.  She was one of many wives, but continued to remain one of his favorites.  Her birth parents remain a mystery, but it’s determined she is of royal heritage. It’s however known that she had a brother by the name of Amenmose who was the mayor of Thebes during her rule as queen. She had two sons, Amonhirwonmef, Prehirwonmef and two daughters named Merytamon, and Mertatum.

 Looking at all the monuments constructed it’s pretty evident she was of high importance.  She must’ve played an important role in her time.  Most depictions of the queen stand with Ramesses II, which might mean she might’ve had a major political influence on Egypt. Ramesses II also dedicated a temple to her called Abu Simbel. This temple is located south of Aswan near the second Cataract of the Nile.  This temple was designed with four large statues of Ramesses II with several small figures at his side.  The temple was dedicated to the goddess Hathor and Queen Nefertari

Nefertari was not the only Queen present during the rule of Ramesses II. In fact, Ramesses had a harem filled with many queens.  His children were estimated at one hundred or more. Ramesses refers to her as the most beautiful one.
            Her disappearance remains a mystery.  Experts aren’t sure if she died, or just remained part of the great harem.  Her tomb has been found and it remains a precious treasure to Egypt.  Her tomb is said to be one of the more extraordinary tombs found to date.  It’s located in The Valley of the Queens.





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Months Tombs of the Kings


Ramesses III

The tomb is sometimes referred to as the "Harpers Tomb" due to the two harpers playing to the gods in four of the chambers. Ten small chambers branch off of the main corridors. These were for the placement of tomb furniture.


Ramesses IV
Three white corridors descend to the sarcophagus chamber. The chambers ceilings depict the goddess Nut. The lid of the pink granite sarcophagus is decorated with Isis and Nephthys, which were meant to serve as guardians over the body. Their duties fell short, however, as the tomb was robbed in ancient times. Originally the priests placed the sarcophagus in Amenhotep II II's tomb in order to hide the body, which was a common practice.


Ramesses IX
Two sets of steps lead down to the tomb door that is decorated with the Pharaoh worshipping the solar disc. Isis and Nephthys stand behind him on either side. Three corridors lead into an antechamber that opens into a pillared hall. The passage beyond that leads to the sarcophagus chamber.


Merneptah
The steep descent into the tomb is typical of the designs of the XIX Dynasty. The entrance is decorated with Isis and Nephthys worshipping the solar disc. Text from the 'Book of the Gates' line the corridors. The outer granite lid of the sarcophagus is located in the antechamber, while the lid of the inner sarcophagus is located down more steps in the pillared hall. Carved on the pink granite lid is the figure of Merneptah as Osiris.
Originally built for Ramesses V, three chambers and a 4th pillared chamber was added by Ramesses VI. Complete texts of the Book of the Gates, the Book of Caverns and the Book of Day and Night line the chambers. Portions of the Book of the Dead are located in the pillared chamber, along with scenes of the skygoddess, Nut.


Seti I
The longest tomb in the valley, 100m, contains very well preserved reliefs in all of its eleven chambers and side rooms. One of the back chambers is decorated with the Ritual of the Opening of the Mouth, which stated that the mummy's eating and drinking organs were properly functioning. Believing in the need for these functions in the afterlife, this was a very important ritual. The sarcophagus is now in the Sir John Soane Museum, London.

Tuthmose III
The tomb of Tuthmose III is at the far end of the East Valley and is one of the earliest in the Valley. Its burial chamber is in the shape of a cartouche (oval-shaped) and its inscriptions are interspersed with stick figures. The approach to this unusual tomb is an ascent up wooden steps, crossing over a pit, and then a steep descent down into the tomb. The pit was probably dug as a deterrent to tomb robbers. Two small chambers, decorated with stars, and a larger vestibule are in front of the sarcophagus chamber, which is uniquely rounded and decorated with only red and black.

Amenhotep II
A steep flight of stairs and a long unadorned corridor lead to the sarcophagus chamber. Three mummies, Tuthmosis IV, Amenhotep II III and Seti II, were found in one side room and nine mummies were found in another.







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Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings is a valley in Egypt where for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for the kings and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom (the Eighteenth through Twentieth Dynasties of Ancient Egypt).[2][3] The valley stands on the west bank of the Nile, across from Thebes (modern Luxor), within the heart of the Theban Necropolis. The wadi consists of two valleys, East Valley (where the majority of the royal tombs situated) and West Valley. 

The area has been a focus of concentrated archaeological and egyptological exploration since the end of the eighteenth century, and its tombs and burials continue to stimulate research and interest. In modern times the valley has become famous for the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun (with its rumours of the Curse of the Pharaohs), and is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. In 1979, it became a World Heritage Site, along with the rest of the Theban Necropolis. 

The Valley was used for primary burials from approximately 1539 BC to 1075 BC, and contains some 60 tombs, starting with Thutmose I and ending with Ramesses X or XI.
The Valley of the Kings also had tombs for the favourite nobles and the wives and children of both the nobles and pharaohs. Around the time of Ramesses I (ca. 1300 BC) the Valley of the Queens was begun, although some wives were still buried with their husbands. 

The quality of the rock in the Valley is very inconsistent. Tombs were built, by cutting through various layers of limestone, each with its own quality. This poses problems for modern day conservators, as it must have to the original architects. Building plans were probably changed on account of this. The most serious problem are the shale layers. This fine material expands when it comes into contact with water. This has damaged many tombs, particularly during floods. 

The Valley of the Kings, in Upper Egypt, Thebes, the burial place of the pharaohs of the New Kingdom, 18th, 19th, and 20th Dynasties.

Most of the tombs were cut into the limestone following a similar pattern: three corridors, an antechamber and a sunken sarcophagus chamber. These catacombs were harder to rob and were more easily concealed. The switch to burying the pharaohs within the valley instead of pyramids, was intended to safeguard against tomb robbers. In most cases this did not prove to be affective. Many of the bodies, of the pharaohs, where moved by the Egyptian priests, and placed in several caches, during the political upheaval of the 21st Dynasty. 

Construction of a tomb usually lasted six years, beginning with each new reign.
The text in the tombs are from the Book of the Dead, the Book of the Gates and the Book of the Underworld. 

The Valley of the Kings has two components - the East Valley and the West Valley. It is the East Valley which most tourists visit and in which most of the tombs of the New Kingdom Pharaohs can be found.

By the end of the New Kingdom, Egypt had entered a long period of political and economic decline. The priests at Thebes grew in power and effectively administered Upper Egypt, while kings ruling from Tanis controlled Lower Egypt. The Valley began to be heavily plundered, so the priests of Amen during 21st Dynasty to open most of the tombs and move the mummies into three tombs in order to better protect them. Later most of these were moved to a single cache near Deir el-Bari. During the later Third Intermediate Period and later intrusive burials were introduced into many of the open tombs.

Almost all of the tombs have been ransacked, including Tutankhamun's, though in his case, it seems that the robbers were interrupted, so very little was removed.The valley was surrounded by steep cliffs and heavily guarded. In 1090 BC, or the year of the Hyena, there was a collapse in Egypt's economy leading to the emergence of tomb robbers. Because of this, it was also the last year that the valley was used for burial.The valley also seems to have suffered an official plundering during the virtual civil war which started in the reign of Ramesses XI. The tombs were opened, all the valuables removed, and the mummies collected into two large caches. One, the so-called Deir el-Bahri cache, contained no less than forty royal mummies and their coffins; the other, in the tomb of Amenhotep II, contained a further sixteen.

Exploring the Vally of the Kings
The Valley of the Kings has been a major area of modern Egyptological exploration for the last two centuries. Before this the area was a site for tourism in antiquity (especially during Roman times). This areas illustrates the changes in the study of ancient Egypt, starting as antiquity hunting, and ending as scientific excavation of the whole Theban Necropolis. Despite the exploration and investigation noted below, only eleven of the tombs have actually been completely recorded.
The Greek writers Strabo and Diodorus Siculus were able to report that the total number of Theban royal tombs was 47, of which at the time only 17 were believed to be undestroyed. Pausanias and others wrote of the pipe-like corridors of the Valley - i.e. the tombs. 

Clearly others also visited the valley in these times, as many of the tombs have graffiti written by these ancient toursits. Jules Baillet located over 2000 Greek and Latin graffiti, along with a smaller number in Phoenician, Cypriot, Lycian, Coptic, and other languages. 
Before the nineteenth century, travel from Europe to Thebes (and indeed anywhere in Egypt) was difficult, time-consuming and expensive, and only the hardiest of European travelers visited ­ before the travels of Father Claude Sicard in 1726, it was unclear just where Thebes really was. It was known to be on the Nile, but it was often confused with Memphis and several other sites. One of the first travelers to record what he saw at Thebes was Frederic Louis Norden, a Danish adventurer and artist. He was followed by Richard Pococke, who published the first modern map of the valley itself, in 1743. 

In 1799, Napoleon's expedition drew maps and plans of the known tombs, and for the first time noted the Western Valley (where Prosper Jollois and ةdouard de Villiers du Terrage located the tomb of Amenhotep III, WV22). The Description de l'ةgypte contains two volumes (out a total of 19) on the area around Thebes. 

Nineteenth Century
European exploration continued in the area around Thebes during the Nineteenth Century, boosted by Champollion's translation of hieroglyphs early in the century. Early in the century, the area was visited by Belzoni, working for Henry Salt, who discovered several tombs, including that of those of Ay in the West Valley (WV23) in 1816, and Seti I, KV17 the next year. At the end of his visits, Belzoni declared that all of the tombs had been found and nothing of note remained to be found.

In 1827 John Gardiner Wilkinson was assigned to paint the entry of every tomb, giving them each a designation that is still in use today ­ they were numbered from KV1 to KV21 (although the maps show 28 entrances, some of which were unexplored). These paintings and maps were later published in The Topography of Thebes and General Survey of Egypt, in 1830. At the same time James Burton explored the valley. His works included making KV17 safer from flooding, but he is more well known for entering KV5. 
In 1829, Champollion himself visited the valley, along with Ippolitio Rosellini. The expedition spend 2 months studying the open tombs, visiting about 16 of them. The copied the enscriptions and identfied the original tomb owners. In the tomb of KV17, they removed some wall decorations, which are now on dispaly in the Louvre, Paris.
In 1845 - 1846 the valley was explored by Carl Richard Lepsius' expedition, they explored and documented 25 main valley and 4 in the west.The later half of the century saw a more concerted effort to preserve rather than simply gathering antiquities. Auguste Mariette's Egyptian Antiqities Service started to explore the valley, first with Eugéne Lefébre in 1883, then Jules Balliet and George Bénédite in early 1888 and finally Victor Loret in 1898 to 1899. During this time George Daressy explored KV9 and KV6. 

Loret added a further 16 tombs to the list of tombs, and explored several tombs that had already been discovered. 

When Gaston Maspero was reappointed to head the Egyptian Antiquities Service, the nature of the exploration of the valley changed again, Maspero appointed Howard Carter as the Chief Inspector of Upper Egypt, and the young man discovered several new tombs and explored several others, clearing KV42 and KV20. 

Twentieth Century
Around the turn of the Twentieth Century, the American Theodore Davis had the excavation permit in the valley, and his team (led mosty by Edward R. Ayrton) discovered several royal and non-royal tombs (KV43, KV46 & KV57 being the most important). In 1907 they discovered the possible Amarna Period cache in KV55. After finding what they thought was the burial of Tutankhamun (KV61), it was announced that the valley was completely explored and no further burials were to be found.
Howard Carter then acquired the right to explore the valley and after a systematic search discovered the actual tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) in November 1922. 

At end of the century, the Theban Mapping Project re-discovered and explored tomb KV55, which has since be discovered to be probably the largest in the valley, and was either a cenotaph or real burial for the sons of Ramesses II. Elsewhere in the eastern and western branches of the valley several other expeditions cleared and studied other tombs. Recently the Amarna Royal Tombs Project has been exploring the area around KV55 and KV62, the Amarna Period tombs in the main valley. 

Twenty first Century
Various expeditions have continued to explore the valley, adding greatly to the knowledge of the area. In 2001 the Theban Mapping Project designed new signs for the tombs, providing information and plans of the open tombs. A new visitors' centre is currently being planned.On February 8, 2006, American archaeologists uncovered a pharaonic-era tomb (KV63), the first uncovered there since King Tutankhamun's in 1922. The 18th Dynasty tomb included five mummies in intact sarcophagi with coloured funerary masks along with more than 20 large storage jars, sealed with pharaonic seals

SAMPLE DECORATIONS
Decorations in the tombs vary greatly. Usually the sacred texts cover the walls and sarcophagus, collectively known as the 'Books of the Dead'. The text, was intended to aid the deceased, on his journey through the netherworld








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