NMC101 Exam – Study Guide, Practice Questions & Revision Notes
Narmer (king)
c. 3150 BCE - ?
1st Dynasty, first king
Early Dynastic Period - correct answer ✔✔Narmer is best known for the great Narmer Palette,
discovered in Quibell's 1897-1898 excavation season at Hierakonpolis (Kom el-Ahmar). The
obverse of the palette is divided into three registers, the uppermost of which gives Narmer's
name placed in a serekh, flanked by human-faced bovines. The second register dominates the
obverse: Narmer, wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt, smites an enemy in a posture that
was to become emblematic of pharaonic power to the end of Egypt's pre-Christian civilization.
The third register shows dead, nude enemies. On the reverse of the palette, the upper register
of the obverse is duplicated. The second register shows Narmer wearing the Red Crown of
Lower Egypt, inspecting rows of nude, decapitated enemies. The third register shows a man
mastering serpent-necked lions, and the fourth register shows a bull destroying a town and
trampling a dead enemy.
Narmer was viewed as the dynasty's foundational king by his immediate successors. Similarly,
Egyptian sherds inscribed with the name of Narmer have been found in Lower Egypt (e.g.,
Minshat Abu Omar and Tarkhan) and in southern Palestine (e.g., Tel Erani and Tel Arad). The
precise historical import of these facts is difficult to establish, but at a minimum, Narmer's
presence was felt to some extent throughout Egypt and even into Palestine.
Narmer appears to have been buried in the Umm el-Qaab cemetery at Abydos.
*Djoser (king)
Ruled c. 2687-2668 BCE
3rd Dynasty, first king
Old Kingdom - correct answer ✔✔During whose reign the first pyramid (the Step Pyramid) was
built at Saqqara, the necropolis of Memphis, which was then the capital of Egypt.
,Khufu (king)
Ruled 2609-2584 BCE
Fourth Dynasty, second king
Old Kingdom - correct answer ✔✔Very little is known about Khufu (called Cheops in Greek),
although he built the most famous tomb in pharaonic Egypt—the Great Pyramid at Giza, one of
the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The Turin Canon ascribes to him a reign of twenty-three years, but it may have been much
longer. He succeeded his father, Sneferu; his mother was Queen Hetepheres I; and he had three
wives. Only one statue of Khufu—a small figurine found at Abydos—has survived, but his name
is preserved in inscriptions from various sites in Egypt, Sinai, and Byblos.
Khufu's most important achievement was the building of the Great Pyramid ("The Horizon of
Khufu") at a new site, the Giza plateau. Members of the royal family were buried in small
pyramids and tombs to the east of the Great Pyramid and officials of the reign to the west. A
cult pyramid was discovered to the southeast of Khufu's tomb. The design program of the entire
pyramid complex continued to be used until the end of the Old Kingdom.
He organized households and estates from various parts of Egypt to supply the labor, as well as
the food, clothing, and housing for the workers. In essence, the building of the Great Pyramid
was a national project that must have had a significant socializing effect on the conscripted
labor brought to Giza from the hamlets and villages of Egypt. The discovery of the workers'
town revealed support facilities, residential areas, and cemeteries for those who constructed
and maintained the pyramid complex. From an architectural point of view, the pyramid reveals
not only the brilliance and skills of the "Overseer of All the King's Works" and his architects but
also the ancient Egyptian achievements in engineering, astronomy, mathematics, and art.
*Harkhuf - correct answer ✔✔The tomb of Harkhuf has a lengthy text recording several
expeditions in the sixth dynasty, including the text of a letter from the youthful pharaoh Pepy II
(r. 2300-2206 bce ), which told Harkhuf to ensure the safe delivery of a pygmy to the royal
residence.
,The annals of the merchant Horkhuf have indicated that Wawat, Irtjet and Setju were on
occasion independent entities; at other times, they formed part of a single political unit under
one ruler. Although the rulers of those states were in a position to tax or otherwise hinder
Egyptian trading ventures—testifying to their power—still, they were forced to acknowledge the
military might of their southern neighbor, Yam. Horkhuf has informed us that on his return from
the south he was escorted, presumably through Lower Nubia, by soldiers provided by the king
of Yam.
Mentuhotep II (king)
Ruled 2011-2000 BCE
11th Dynasty
Middle Kingdom - correct answer ✔✔First pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom, reunited Egypt
following the First Intermediate Period.
Mentuhotep II's most ambitious and innovative building project remains his large mortuary
temple. The many architectural innovations of the temple mark a break with the Old Kingdom
tradition of pyramid complexes and foreshadow the Temples of Millions of Years of the New
Kingdom.[32] As such, Mentuhotep II's temple was certainly a major source of inspiration for
the nearby but 550-year later temples of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III.
However, the most profound innovations of Mentuhotep II's temple are not architectural but
religious. First, it is the earliest mortuary temple where the king is not just the recipient of
offerings but rather enacts ceremonies for the gods (in this case Amun-Ra).[33] Second, the
temple identifies the king with Osiris, a local Theban god which grew in importance from the
11th Dynasty onwards. Indeed, the decoration and royal statuary of the temple emphasizes the
Osirian aspects of the dead ruler, an ideology apparent in the funerary statuary of many later
pharaohs.[34]
Finally, most of the temple decoration is the work of local Theban artists. This is evidenced by
the dominant artistic style of the temple which represents people with large lips and eyes and
thin bodies.[35] At the opposite, the refined chapels of Mentuhotep II's wives are certainly due
to Memphite craftsmen who were heavily influenced by the standards and conventions of the
Old Kingdom. This phenomenon of fragmentation of the artistic styles is observed throughout
, the First Intermediate Period and is a direct consequence of the political fragmentation of the
country.
The temple is located at Deir el-Bahri.
Senwosret III (king)
Ruled 1878-1843? BCE
12th Dynasty, fifth king
Middle Kingdom - correct answer ✔✔Senwosret III was best known for his military
achievements, distinctive portraiture, imposing monuments, and administrative reforms; these
inspired both deification and his later incorporation into the legendary King Sesostris of classical
times.
He extended Egypt's southern boundary to Semna, at the southern end of the Nile's Second
Cataract, beyond which Nubians were permitted to pass only to trade or on official business.
Stelae at the boundary recorded that Senwosret III surpassed his forefathers, admonished the
Egyptians to maintain "my boundary," and described himself as aggressive, thoughtful, and
merciful, whereas he described the Nubians as avoiding confrontations—only to attack when he
withdrew. He built or expanded fortresses along the Nile from Buhen to Semna South and his
ships advanced at least as far as the Dal Cataract. In the Levant, he captured a district called
"Skmm," perhaps the biblical Shechem.
Senwosret III further consolidated Egypt's government by ending the authority of all but the last
of the nomarchs (the governors of the nomes, or provinces), a process started earlier in the
twelfth dynasty. The officials' sons were probably then brought into the bureaucracy at the
capital, rather than confirmed in their fathers' local positions.
Senwosret III became a patron deity in Nubia during the Middle Kingdom. Later, during the New
Kingdom, temples were dedicated to him there, and the Nubian king Taharqa had an altar
erected in his memory. Greek and Roman authors, most notably Herodotus and Diodorus
Siculus, combined recollections of Senwosret III, Senwosret I, and Ramesses II into accounts of a
king Sesostris—a conqueror, builder, and lawgiver.
Narmer (king)
c. 3150 BCE - ?
1st Dynasty, first king
Early Dynastic Period - correct answer ✔✔Narmer is best known for the great Narmer Palette,
discovered in Quibell's 1897-1898 excavation season at Hierakonpolis (Kom el-Ahmar). The
obverse of the palette is divided into three registers, the uppermost of which gives Narmer's
name placed in a serekh, flanked by human-faced bovines. The second register dominates the
obverse: Narmer, wearing the White Crown of Upper Egypt, smites an enemy in a posture that
was to become emblematic of pharaonic power to the end of Egypt's pre-Christian civilization.
The third register shows dead, nude enemies. On the reverse of the palette, the upper register
of the obverse is duplicated. The second register shows Narmer wearing the Red Crown of
Lower Egypt, inspecting rows of nude, decapitated enemies. The third register shows a man
mastering serpent-necked lions, and the fourth register shows a bull destroying a town and
trampling a dead enemy.
Narmer was viewed as the dynasty's foundational king by his immediate successors. Similarly,
Egyptian sherds inscribed with the name of Narmer have been found in Lower Egypt (e.g.,
Minshat Abu Omar and Tarkhan) and in southern Palestine (e.g., Tel Erani and Tel Arad). The
precise historical import of these facts is difficult to establish, but at a minimum, Narmer's
presence was felt to some extent throughout Egypt and even into Palestine.
Narmer appears to have been buried in the Umm el-Qaab cemetery at Abydos.
*Djoser (king)
Ruled c. 2687-2668 BCE
3rd Dynasty, first king
Old Kingdom - correct answer ✔✔During whose reign the first pyramid (the Step Pyramid) was
built at Saqqara, the necropolis of Memphis, which was then the capital of Egypt.
,Khufu (king)
Ruled 2609-2584 BCE
Fourth Dynasty, second king
Old Kingdom - correct answer ✔✔Very little is known about Khufu (called Cheops in Greek),
although he built the most famous tomb in pharaonic Egypt—the Great Pyramid at Giza, one of
the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The Turin Canon ascribes to him a reign of twenty-three years, but it may have been much
longer. He succeeded his father, Sneferu; his mother was Queen Hetepheres I; and he had three
wives. Only one statue of Khufu—a small figurine found at Abydos—has survived, but his name
is preserved in inscriptions from various sites in Egypt, Sinai, and Byblos.
Khufu's most important achievement was the building of the Great Pyramid ("The Horizon of
Khufu") at a new site, the Giza plateau. Members of the royal family were buried in small
pyramids and tombs to the east of the Great Pyramid and officials of the reign to the west. A
cult pyramid was discovered to the southeast of Khufu's tomb. The design program of the entire
pyramid complex continued to be used until the end of the Old Kingdom.
He organized households and estates from various parts of Egypt to supply the labor, as well as
the food, clothing, and housing for the workers. In essence, the building of the Great Pyramid
was a national project that must have had a significant socializing effect on the conscripted
labor brought to Giza from the hamlets and villages of Egypt. The discovery of the workers'
town revealed support facilities, residential areas, and cemeteries for those who constructed
and maintained the pyramid complex. From an architectural point of view, the pyramid reveals
not only the brilliance and skills of the "Overseer of All the King's Works" and his architects but
also the ancient Egyptian achievements in engineering, astronomy, mathematics, and art.
*Harkhuf - correct answer ✔✔The tomb of Harkhuf has a lengthy text recording several
expeditions in the sixth dynasty, including the text of a letter from the youthful pharaoh Pepy II
(r. 2300-2206 bce ), which told Harkhuf to ensure the safe delivery of a pygmy to the royal
residence.
,The annals of the merchant Horkhuf have indicated that Wawat, Irtjet and Setju were on
occasion independent entities; at other times, they formed part of a single political unit under
one ruler. Although the rulers of those states were in a position to tax or otherwise hinder
Egyptian trading ventures—testifying to their power—still, they were forced to acknowledge the
military might of their southern neighbor, Yam. Horkhuf has informed us that on his return from
the south he was escorted, presumably through Lower Nubia, by soldiers provided by the king
of Yam.
Mentuhotep II (king)
Ruled 2011-2000 BCE
11th Dynasty
Middle Kingdom - correct answer ✔✔First pharaoh of the Middle Kingdom, reunited Egypt
following the First Intermediate Period.
Mentuhotep II's most ambitious and innovative building project remains his large mortuary
temple. The many architectural innovations of the temple mark a break with the Old Kingdom
tradition of pyramid complexes and foreshadow the Temples of Millions of Years of the New
Kingdom.[32] As such, Mentuhotep II's temple was certainly a major source of inspiration for
the nearby but 550-year later temples of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III.
However, the most profound innovations of Mentuhotep II's temple are not architectural but
religious. First, it is the earliest mortuary temple where the king is not just the recipient of
offerings but rather enacts ceremonies for the gods (in this case Amun-Ra).[33] Second, the
temple identifies the king with Osiris, a local Theban god which grew in importance from the
11th Dynasty onwards. Indeed, the decoration and royal statuary of the temple emphasizes the
Osirian aspects of the dead ruler, an ideology apparent in the funerary statuary of many later
pharaohs.[34]
Finally, most of the temple decoration is the work of local Theban artists. This is evidenced by
the dominant artistic style of the temple which represents people with large lips and eyes and
thin bodies.[35] At the opposite, the refined chapels of Mentuhotep II's wives are certainly due
to Memphite craftsmen who were heavily influenced by the standards and conventions of the
Old Kingdom. This phenomenon of fragmentation of the artistic styles is observed throughout
, the First Intermediate Period and is a direct consequence of the political fragmentation of the
country.
The temple is located at Deir el-Bahri.
Senwosret III (king)
Ruled 1878-1843? BCE
12th Dynasty, fifth king
Middle Kingdom - correct answer ✔✔Senwosret III was best known for his military
achievements, distinctive portraiture, imposing monuments, and administrative reforms; these
inspired both deification and his later incorporation into the legendary King Sesostris of classical
times.
He extended Egypt's southern boundary to Semna, at the southern end of the Nile's Second
Cataract, beyond which Nubians were permitted to pass only to trade or on official business.
Stelae at the boundary recorded that Senwosret III surpassed his forefathers, admonished the
Egyptians to maintain "my boundary," and described himself as aggressive, thoughtful, and
merciful, whereas he described the Nubians as avoiding confrontations—only to attack when he
withdrew. He built or expanded fortresses along the Nile from Buhen to Semna South and his
ships advanced at least as far as the Dal Cataract. In the Levant, he captured a district called
"Skmm," perhaps the biblical Shechem.
Senwosret III further consolidated Egypt's government by ending the authority of all but the last
of the nomarchs (the governors of the nomes, or provinces), a process started earlier in the
twelfth dynasty. The officials' sons were probably then brought into the bureaucracy at the
capital, rather than confirmed in their fathers' local positions.
Senwosret III became a patron deity in Nubia during the Middle Kingdom. Later, during the New
Kingdom, temples were dedicated to him there, and the Nubian king Taharqa had an altar
erected in his memory. Greek and Roman authors, most notably Herodotus and Diodorus
Siculus, combined recollections of Senwosret III, Senwosret I, and Ramesses II into accounts of a
king Sesostris—a conqueror, builder, and lawgiver.
