The
first
Dynasty comprises eight kings buried at Abydos; a seal of impression
found in 1985 names the first
five with Narmer and with the king's mother Mer-Neit in sixth
place, and it confirms the sequence deduced from the layout of their tombs.
The great tombs at Saqqara are thought to be those belonging to
princely governors of the North because there is more than one per reign,
Saqqara
was the necropolis of Memphis and its use implies that the city
came into existence in the early first Dynasty: this concurs with
the late tradition that the first King of all Egypt founded
Memphis.
The creation of Memphis, where valley meets Delta, underlines the
role of the Nile River in tying the two lands together through transport
and communications, and its no coincidence that Memphis came into
existence at the same time that writing appeared in Egypt.
There
appears to be less evidence for the 2nd Dynasty kings than the 1st
Dynasty ones. During the excavation of the last 1st Dynasty
king, Qa`a, seal impressions of the 2nd Dynasty king, Hetepsekhemwy,
were found. It is thought that Hetepsekhemy may have completed
his predecessor's tomb.
It
is not certain where the early 2nd Dynasty kings were buried. There
are two tombs and enclosures at Abydos believed to belong to Peribsen
and Khasekhemwy, the last two kings of the 2nd Dynasty.
A
number of underground galleries have been discovered at Saqqara,
south of Djoser`s step pyramid complex. The tombs of the 2nd
Dynasty kings differ from the 1st Dynasty tombs in that they
are no longer lined with wood, but are only chambers made of mud brick.
Khasekhemwy`s
tomb at Abydos is the earliest known stone construction. The
central burial chamber was made of quarried limestone.
Some
2nd
Dynasty corpses have been found wrapped in linen bandages soaked in
resin and may be evidence of early mummification attempts.
Throughout
the early Dynastic periods the early unification of the state was developed.
Taxation was introduced in order to support state projects. Evidence
of trade with Sinai, Palestine, Lower Nubia and the
eastern desert has also been.
Due
to the "King List" known as the "Turin Canon" many of the
dates and names for the "2nd Dynasty" rulers are fairly certain.
The period of economic prosperity and a stable political situation continued
in the 3rd Dynasty. The king was believed to have special
powers given to him by the "Gods". A literate elite administered
the state and Egypt was almost self-sufficient. There were no external
enemies and it remained safe within its natural borders.
King
Djoser is one of the best-known rulers in early Egyptian history. He
is responsible for the building of the first structure built only from
stone. Djoser's tomb did not set out to become what it became, a
step pyramid. The plan was altered six times, as it was realized what could
be done using stone. It is made up of six steps of increasingly smaller
mastabas
and is 60 meters tall. A mastaba is a rectangular structure, which
looks like low mud brick benches that can be found outside Egyptian houses.
The tomb was in a chamber beneath the pyramid, below ground level.
Apart
from the tomb other stone structures of shrines and temple buildings were
built. It was in these that Djoser believed that he would continue
to rule effectively in the "afterlife".
It
is thought that the architect of Djoser`s pyramid and the inventor
of stone buildings was Imhotep. His name has been found on the base
of a statue of Djoser. Imhotep was believed to be a "son
of Ptah" and was the patron for physicians and scribes. His tomb has
not yet been found but is thought to be somewhere in the Saqqara
plateau. Imhotep
was high priest of Heliopolis.
It was here that the sun god, "Ra" (Ra-Atum) became important.
The kings were based in "White Wall", an area where the god Ptah,
was the main deity. However, Djoser was the first ruler
to do this.
The ruins of the administrative
capital "Inb-hdj" or
' White Wall'
Djoser`s
successors adopted the step pyramid as the normal royal tomb. However,
none were completed. Sekhemkhet`s pyramid was to the south west
of Djoser`s and set out to be more ambitious. Clay impressions of
seals containing
Sekhemkhet`s name were found in underground rooms.
The burial chamber with its sealed sarcophagus, made of Egyptian alabaster,
was empty. It appears that the main structure was abandoned when
it was 7 meters high.
Khaba
had a similar unfinished pyramid in north Saqqara. Sekhemkhet
and Khaba reigned for very short periods, which may be the reason
that their structures were never finished.
To be continued
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