Egypt's Making: The Origins of Ancient Egypt 5000-2000 BC

347 Pages·2003·9.05 MB·English

by  Michael Rice

EGYPT’S MAKING
Michael Rice’s bold, original work evokes the fascination and wonder of the
most ancient period of Egypt’s history, from the origins of the Egyptian
state to the end of the Old Kingdom. Combining detailed attention to
archaeological evidence with a dynamic and readable narrative, the text
covers a vast range of topics. These include
• the origins of the first Egyptians
• the roots of the kingship
• the development of the nation-state
• early cities such as Hierakonpolis, Naqada and Abydos
• the splendours of the Pyramid Age
• the nature and effects of Egypt’s contact with Western Asia
• the earliest development of the historic Egyptian personality.
The final chapter draws on Jungian theory, exploring the psychological
forces that contributed to Egypt’s special character, and which account for
her continuing allure up to the present day.
Wholly revised and updated in the light of the many discoveries made
since its first publications, Egypt’s Making is a scholarly yet imaginative
approach to this compelling ancient civilization.
Michael Rice has published extensively on Egypt and the Near East,
including Egypt’s Legacy (Routledge pbk 2003), Who’s Who in Ancient Egypt
(Routledge 1999), The Power of the Bull (Routledge 1997) and The Archaeol-
ogy of the Arabian Gulf (Routledge 1994). He has established museums
throughout the Arabian peninsula states. He was appointed a CMG in 2002
and awarded the Order of Bahrain (1st class) in 2003.

EGYPT’S MAKING
The origins of Ancient Egypt 5000–2000
BC
Michael Rice
Second Edition
First edition published 1990
Paperback edition first published 1991
Second edition published 2003
by Routledge
11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE
Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada
by Routledge
29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group
This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2004.
© 1990, 1991, 2003 Michael Rice
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publishers.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
A catalog record for this book has been requested
ISBN 0-203-42816-1 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN 0-203-43882-5 (Adobe eReader Format)
ISBN 0-415-26874-5 (hbk)
ISBN 0-415-26875-3 (pbk)
Formative influences in the political and social organization and in
the iconography of most ancient Egypt, the appearance of the earliest
evidence of the historic Egyptian identity, and the nature and extent
of Egypt’s contact with southwestern Asia, notably Sumer and Elam,
and the lands bordering the Arabian Gulf.

CONTENTS
List of illustrations ix
Introduction to the new edition xiii
Preface to the original edition xxi
Acknowledgements xxxi
1 The land of Egypt 1
2 The roots of the Egyptian State 20
3 The pursuit of the divine 40
4 The royal power centres 70
5 The Dual Kings 94
6 The legacy of the founder kings 132
7 The Third Dynasty: innovation 153
8 The pyramid age: the splendour of the Old Kingdom 172
9 The Old Kingdom: fulfilment and decline 189
10 The end of the Old Kingdom 213
11 Eastwards from Egypt 226
12 C.G. Jung and Ancient Egypt 244
Chronological table 274
Notes 276
Abbreviations 290
Bibliography 292
Index 301
vii

ILLUSTRATIONS
Figures
3.1 The rock drawings of southern Upper Egypt are often
of great complexity and vivacity 43
3.2 A remarkable carving on a rock face in the Wadi Adab 44
3.3 A very large ship, with a central cabin or shrine, with
many oarsmen indicated by the vertical lines on the
boat’s deck 45
3.4 Boats were of great symbolic importance to the
earliest inhabitants of Upper Egypt 46
3.5 A large, mud-brick built mastabatomb 48
3.6 An enigmatic statuette from El Amra 51
3.7.1 Borrowed from Western Asia in the
late fourth millennium is the recessed panelling which
articulates the exterior walls of the tombs 61
3.7.2 First Dynasty mastabas under excavation
at Saqqara 62
3.8 Theserekh, is derived from Western Asiatic seal
impressions of the late fourth millennium 63
3.9 Fantastic and composite animals are a feature of late
predynastic Egypt and of contemporary Near Eastern
cultures 68
4.1 In late fourth millennium Hierakonpolis, the temple
area is bounded by a revetment 79
4.2 Hierakonpolis revealed other evidences of apparent
contact with Western Asia 81
4.3 The temple in Hierakonpolis is the oldest known in
Egypt 84
4.4 Masks were an essential component in many of the rites
conducted in Egyptian temples in historic times 86
4.5 Lapis Lazuli was highly valued in late predynastic times 91
ix