TY - JOUR
T1 - Observations on monumental stone construction in ancient egyptian provincial temples under the early xith dynasty
AU - Demidchik, Arkadiy
N1 - Демидчик А.Е. О каменном строительстве в древнеегипетских храмах при ранней XI династии // Вестник древней истории. - 2019. - Т. 79. - № 3. - С. 549-568
PY - 2019/7/1
Y1 - 2019/7/1
N2 - Even though in the Old Kingdom the Egyptians already erected giant pyramids of stone for their pharaohs, provincial temples were still being constructed of nondurable mud-bricks. It is usually considered that the construction of stone temples was initiated in the provinces at the behest of the early XIth dynasty kings Wahankh Intef and Nakht-Nebtepnefer Intef (21st cent. BC). The article explores the Intefs’ incentive for such a grand and labour-intensive innovation, which happened amidst First Intermediate Period turmoil, at the moment when their fledgling Theban monarchy controlled only ten southernmost nomes. It is argued that the Intefs’ stone building in the provinces was mainly confined to the construction and redevelopments of the chapels of the goddess Satet and the god Khnum on the island of Elephantine of the archipelago of the First Cataract of the Nile. Close scrutiny of the inscriptions from the chapels proves that Satet and Khnum were invoked there primarily as the lords of the sources of the Upper Egyptian inundation, believed to be located at the First Cataract. This correlates well with the fact that deficient Nile floods and acute food shortages are mentioned in the First Intermediate Period and early Middle Kingdom writings far more often than in any other period of Egyptian history. It is highly probable that the Intefs undertook innovative stone construction on Elephantine first and foremost for the sake of deliverance from such calamities. Later, The Book of the Temple and the famous Famine Stele emphasized that it had been the deficiency of the Nile floods that had once forced kings to dramatically increase royal favours to provincial temples.
AB - Even though in the Old Kingdom the Egyptians already erected giant pyramids of stone for their pharaohs, provincial temples were still being constructed of nondurable mud-bricks. It is usually considered that the construction of stone temples was initiated in the provinces at the behest of the early XIth dynasty kings Wahankh Intef and Nakht-Nebtepnefer Intef (21st cent. BC). The article explores the Intefs’ incentive for such a grand and labour-intensive innovation, which happened amidst First Intermediate Period turmoil, at the moment when their fledgling Theban monarchy controlled only ten southernmost nomes. It is argued that the Intefs’ stone building in the provinces was mainly confined to the construction and redevelopments of the chapels of the goddess Satet and the god Khnum on the island of Elephantine of the archipelago of the First Cataract of the Nile. Close scrutiny of the inscriptions from the chapels proves that Satet and Khnum were invoked there primarily as the lords of the sources of the Upper Egyptian inundation, believed to be located at the First Cataract. This correlates well with the fact that deficient Nile floods and acute food shortages are mentioned in the First Intermediate Period and early Middle Kingdom writings far more often than in any other period of Egyptian history. It is highly probable that the Intefs undertook innovative stone construction on Elephantine first and foremost for the sake of deliverance from such calamities. Later, The Book of the Temple and the famous Famine Stele emphasized that it had been the deficiency of the Nile floods that had once forced kings to dramatically increase royal favours to provincial temples.
KW - Ancient Egyptian temples
KW - Elephantine
KW - Famine
KW - First Intermediate Period
KW - Khnum
KW - Satet
KW - famine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85083966191&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=42383929
U2 - 10.31857/S032103910007703-6
DO - 10.31857/S032103910007703-6
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85083966191
VL - 79
SP - 549
EP - 568
JO - Vestnik Drevnei Istorii
JF - Vestnik Drevnei Istorii
SN - 0321-0391
IS - 3
ER -