 |
|
Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt > Hotepsekhemwy Hotepsekhemwy
Hotepsekhemwy, also known as Bedjau or Baunetjer, was the first king of the Second Dynasty of Egypt. His name is a reference to the gods Horus and Seth "The Two Mighty Ones at Rest". Little is known about his reign. Manetho gave him a reign of 38 years, though little has been found to substantiate this claim, and there is little to show for such a long reign. According to some modern sources, his reign may have lasted for 15 to 25 years, with the absolute dates being 2845 until 2825 BC. During king Hotepsekhemwy era, an earthquake hit the vicinity of Bubastis in the Nile Delta. It is possible that king Hotepsekhemwy reached office by marriage to a princess. Thus we do not know if he was related to the old Thinite line of rulers or not. Thinis is believed to have been an ancient Egyptian capital city in Upper Egypt. In Manetho's chronological list, Thinis is attributed to being the home of the First and Second Dynastic kings, though no proof of this has been found. The location of the ancient city of Thinis is unknown, but there is the possibility it was located near or under the modern town of Girga. He is not thought to be the son of Pharaoh Qa'a, but possibly his son-in-law. Regardless, he made offerings in memory of the man and was possibly responsible for Qa'a's funeral. While Manetho provides no reason for the dynastic change between Qa'a and Hotepsekhemwy, it may have been the result of a shift in the royal power center to Memphis. Evidence exists that Hotepsekhemwy probably developed somewhat subtle and reasonable changes in both religion and the administration of Egypt. Some historians say that his brother started a military coup and threw him out of power. Sealings with the name of "Hotepsekhemwy" have been found outside the tomb of Qa'a at Abydos. He is named in a Greek form as Boethos and the Egyptian king lists calls him Bezau and Neter-bau. He is also attested by many inscriptions on stone vessels from the underground magazines under Djoser's pyramid. His name is also cut in to a granite statue of a long-lived priest and caretaker of his mortuary cult, who served under his two successors as well. His tomb has been identified in Saqqara; the substructure has survived but there are no remains of a superstructure. Not only did he change place of burial - he made a totally new type of tomb with a revolutionary new design for his last resting place. It was a huge complex of underground galleries hewn out in the bedrock, a gigantic work of a type that never had been done in Egypt or anywhere else on Earth before. Indeed this was a total change and break through in the technique of stone cutting and a milestone in human progress. It was found merely by accident in 1902 a bit south of the Djoser complex by the Italian archaeologist Barsanti. In the almost empty tomb numerous seals with the king's name could be rescued, and thereby identifying the owner. The monument seems to be in an unfinished stadium though the grave chamber and its side room were completed. Around 20 minor rooms around the king's bedroom just might have been made for his staff of servants, but this is very hypotetical. Above ground nothing is left of a superstructure (if there ever existed one) and later buildings have been built upon it perhaps unaware of its existence. After measuring the monument in 1902 it was closed and sealed, and it still awaits a real examination. The map drawn of its plan seem to be too symmetrical to be entirely correct. |
Mysteries Zone Network: For everyone who enjoys a mystery stories. Feel free link to any page(s) from this site. NOTE: Views expressed here are not endorsed by mysterieszone.com or any other sponsoring individuals or organizations. 2010 copyright by Mysteries Zone Resources, Privacy Policy |
