EGYPT 



2ND PREHISTORIC CIVILIZATION. 

 The 1st period, as we have said, 

 begins with S.D. 30, a number 

 assigned to leave room for any 

 earlier discoveries. By S.D. 36 

 considerable changes begin ; new 

 types of pottery rapidly appear, 

 and others die out between 38 and 

 43. The older stone forms cease at 

 S.D. 40, the newer forms begin at 

 39. New materials come in, silver 

 at 38, lazuli at 39, haematite at 40. 

 In every direction a new style be- 

 gins. In the pottery the character- 

 istic is a class of light brown hard 

 ware, decorated with painting in 

 red lines, and evidently copied 

 from stone forms, in place of the 

 basket patterns of the older pot- 

 tery. The links of various kinds 

 are with the E. rather than the 

 W., and it seems likely that the 

 capital was Heliopolis, which was 

 a prehistoric centre of worship. 



The climax of this civiliza- 

 tion was about S.D. 55. Much 

 more metal was used; the flint 

 flaking reached a perfection of skill 

 not known anywhere before or 

 since ; the hardest stones were 

 perfectly cut for vases ; gold, 

 amethyst, turquoise, obsidian, and 

 porphyry, all came into use ; 

 the invention of glazing applied 

 to stone started then. The spread 

 of commerce is shown by the figures 

 of large ships upon the pottery. 

 The 1st Historic Civilization 



In later prehistoric bodies there 

 is seen, in some forms, a consider- 

 able change toward the historic 

 types. Probably for some cen- 

 turies before tba 1st dynasty a 

 fresh race had been permeating the 

 country. At last a body of about 

 a tenth of the number of the male 

 population entered Egypt as con- 

 querors. They seem to have started 

 in Upper Egypt, and it is pro- 

 bable that they came across the 

 desert road from the Red Sea to 

 Koptos. They were of a higher 

 civilization than the natives, bring- 

 ing with them the elements of 

 writing, and a great artistic skill, 

 as well as more organization. They 

 held Upper Egypt at first, centre- 

 ing at Hierakonpolis (40 m. S. of 

 Thebes), and later at Abydos (40 

 m. N. of Thebes). Thence they 

 conquered down to near the 

 Fayum, where they centred about 

 S.D. 77-78. Memphis became the 

 capital in S.D. 79 under Menes and 

 his successors of the 1st dynasty. 



At this point we touch the con- 

 tinuous written history of the coun- 

 try. About the close of the IVth 

 dynasty the Egyptians set up an 

 engraved chronicle, known as the 

 Palermo stone, stating the main 

 event of every year, and the 

 height of the Nile, from the begin- 

 ning of the 1st dynasty. Later 



2816 



there were papyri containing com- 

 plete lists of the kings, with the 

 reign of each stated in years, 

 months and days, and summaries. 

 Parts of such a papyrus of the 

 XVIth dynasty remain, known as 

 the Turin papyrus. There are 

 monumental lists of kings at 

 Abydos, set up in the XlXtb 

 dynasty,but only of the best known 

 periods. Lastly, there are the 

 transcripts of a Greek version of the 

 history compiled by Manetho, 

 which, with many minor corrup- 

 tions, gives a consecutive record 

 of the whole of the dynasties. All 

 these records agree in their general 

 account, they agree with the total 

 reckoning quoted by Herodotus, 

 they agree with the various ex- 

 ternal checks astronomical and 

 others that can be discovered. 

 This account is therefore accepted 

 here ; but many writers prefer to 

 abandon the authorities, and con- 

 struct fanciful systems of shorter 

 length, bringing down the 1st 

 dynasty from 5500 B.C. of the 

 Egyptian record to about 3000 

 B.C. ; all dates before 1587 B.C. are 

 also reduced. 



The 1st dynasty (about 5600- 

 5300 B.C.) was the highest point of 

 the Third civilization. Much of 

 the old arts continued ; the hard 

 stone vases, the rich burials, the 

 style of pottery, all show con- 

 tinuity. Yet there was an immense 

 change : writing became usual ; a 

 large official class had arisen to 

 administer the country, each 

 office, with its seal, down to the 

 gatherer of lotus seed ; jewelry 

 shows skilful work ; building both 

 in wood and in brick was much 

 increased ; ivory carving was ex- 

 cellent for its natural character 

 and freedom of expression; the 

 use of copper was much extended ; 

 andglazing became a decorative art 

 for building. The Ilnd dynasty was 

 only a gradual decay, but the Illrd 

 shows a fresh influence which led 

 up to the greatest age of all. 

 Glories of the IVth Dynasty 



The IVth dynasty (about 4800 

 to 4500 B.C.) established the Fourth 

 civilization. The Egyptians here 

 reached the highest mastery of art, 

 of grandeur, and of conception. 

 Never has the immensity or the 

 accuracy of the great pyramid of 

 Khufu (Cheops) been equalled in 

 later ages ; never has there been a 

 greater expression of character and 

 dignity than in the portrait sculp * 

 tuie ; never has any people created 

 a greater mass of artistic detail for 

 their tombs, and presumably also 

 for their dwellings now lost to 

 sight. The personal character 

 shown in the portraiture is most 

 attractive ; the firmness with kind- 

 liness, the dignity unspoiled by 



EGYPT 



mere pride, the vigour, insight, 

 determination : all this agrees with 

 the ideal character set out in the 

 maxims of that age : " If thou art 

 found good in the time of pros- 

 perity, when adversity comes thou 

 wilt be able to endure " ; " Let thy 

 heart be overflowing, but let thy 

 mouth be restrained " ; ' " The 

 cautious man succeeds, the accu- 

 rate man is praised " ; "I am one 

 that smooths difficulties ; I am one 

 prudent in preventing and easing 

 grief, quieting ths mourner with 

 pleasant speech " ; " Make not 

 terror among men." During the 

 Vth and Vlth dynasties Egypt 

 retained its great civilization, 

 diminished in some respects, 

 with wider diffusion but less care 

 and splendour. By the Vllth dyn- 

 asty, about 4000 B.C., foreigners 

 were pressing into the country. 

 The old art lingered on in an 

 absurdly degraded form during 

 four centuries. 



The Coming of the Syrians 



The Xllth dynasty (about 3600- 

 3400 B.C.), established the Fifth 

 civilization. By the middle of the 

 Xlth dynasty the ponces of Thebes 

 began to spread i*L<?ir power, large 

 tombs were again excavated, and 

 monuments carved. The Xllth 

 dynasty reunited all the country, 

 and pushed up into Nubia, civilizing 

 and consolidating that region at 

 least as far as the third cataract 

 (lat. 20). The most magnificent 

 king of this age was Amenemhat 

 III, whose sepulchre was a tank, 

 cut and polished in a block of glass- 

 hard sandstone, 22 ft. long inside, 

 and weighing 100 tons. He re- 

 claimed a large part of the Fayum 

 which had been till then a swamp. 

 The whole character of the age has 

 less originality and freshness than 

 before, more regularity and exact 

 detail, and a more formal treat- 

 ment of every subject. The Syrians 

 were beginning to press into the 

 country, and in the decadent 

 dynasties, the XHIth and XlVth, 

 some even rose to be kings. These 

 were the forerunners of the great 

 Hyksos conquest about 2600 B.C. 



The XVIIIth-XXth dynasties 

 (1587-1102 B.C.) established the 

 Sixth civilization. The XVIIth 

 dynasty was a Nubian family 

 which headed the southern Egyp- 

 tians against the Hyksos, who were 

 finally expelled from Egypt by 

 Aahmes, the founder of the XVIIIth 



rasty. This revival centred speci- 

 at Thebes, which became the 

 largest city of the time, and has 

 left a great mass of temples and 

 painted tombs. The most import- 

 ant aspect of this age was the 

 foreign intercourse, by conquest 

 in Syria and by trade with Baby- 

 lonia, Crete, and Greece. 



