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31-630: North of Nyuserre's sun temple is a cemetery dating back to the First Dynasty of Egypt (c. 3100–2900 BCE), where people belonging to the middle ranks of the Ancient Egyptian society were buried. The area was primarily used as a burial site during the 5th dynasty and became nearly obsolete as a necropolis after the 5th dynasty. The Sun Temple of Nyuserre was excavated by Egyptologists Ludwig Borchardt and Friedrich Willhelm von Bissing sometime between 1898 and 1901, on behalf of

62-595: A broader window of 3104 to 2913. Information about this dynasty is derived from a few monuments and other objects bearing royal names, the most important being the Narmer Palette and Narmer Macehead , as well as Den and Qa'a king lists. No detailed records of the first two dynasties have survived, except for the terse lists on the Palermo Stone . The account in Manetho 's Aegyptiaca contradicts both

93-425: A common point of reference. Further examination, however, is required to determine the exact role of the alabaster bins. A large, 30 x 10 m brick built sun barque buried in a mud-brick chamber was excavated to the south of the temple. In the covered corridor, on the east and southern edges of the temple, there were carved reliefs along the interior walls. The passageway was decorated with relief scenes depicting

124-402: A cow and her calf make up the remnants of a much larger animal husbandry scene. Nearly all reliefs at the site were removed, mostly to German collections, and many perished during World War II. Unfortunately as a result, today nearly all reliefs have been either destroyed or severely fragmented. The German archaeological expedition under the direction of Friedrich Wilhelm von Bissing uncovered

155-559: A free tenon eventually became one of the most important features in Mediterranean and Egyptian shipbuilding. It creates a union between two planks or other components by inserting a separate tenon into a cavity (mortise) of the corresponding size cut into each component." A study on First Dynasty crania from the royal tombs in Abydos generally demonstrated greater affinity with Kerma Kushites , and Upper Nile Valley groups. Moreover,

186-523: A pyramid complex in what was then the royal necropolis, 1 km (0.62 mi) to the south of Abu Gorab in Abusir . The temple was probably constructed late during Nyuserre's reign. It was built in honor of the Egyptian Sun god Ra and named ( Ssp-ib-R’ ) meaning “Re’s Favorite Place” or "Joy of Re." The temple consists of a rectangular walled enclosure, 100 by 76 meters with an entrance situated on

217-422: A square top. The obelisk itself, however, was constructed out of irregularly shaped limestone blocks. Estimates of the combined height of the obelisk and base vary, although the obelisk was most likely between thirty-five and fifty meters tall. An altar is located in the center of the courtyard, near the eastern face of the obelisk. It was constructed from five large blocks of alabaster , which are arranged to form

248-663: A symbol that has been translated as "May Ra be satisfied". Records recovered from Userkaf's sun temple, suggest that two oxen and two geese were sacrificed each day. On the North side of the courtyard are the remains of several storerooms, which may have been where the sacrificial animals were slaughtered. Along the east wall of the courtyard are a set of nine circular alabaster basins. It has been theorized that there were originally ten basins. Some scholars believe these basins were used to collect blood from animal sacrifice . To support this hypothesis, they point to evidence of grooves cut into

279-470: Is clearly demonstrated as existing during this dynasty by retainers being buried near each pharaoh's tomb as well as animals sacrificed for the burial. The tomb of Djer is associated with the burials of 338 individuals. The people and animals sacrificed, such as donkeys , were expected to assist the pharaoh in the afterlife . For unknown reasons, this practice ended with the conclusion of the dynasty. According to historian and linguist Christopher Ehret ,

310-714: Is of the same scale as the tombs of the (other) kings of that period. Akhet (season) The Season of the Inundation or Flood ( Ancient Egyptian : Ꜣḫt ) was the first season of the lunar and civil Egyptian calendars . It fell after the intercalary month of Days over the Year ( Ḥryw Rnpt ) and before the Season of the Emergence ( Prt ). In the Coptic and Egyptian calendars this season begins at

341-488: The sed-festival , an important Ancient Egyptian ritual of renewal. These carvings highlight Re's beneficent attitude towards Nyuserre's reign through episodes of the sed-festival. Such depictions, in fact, represent the most detailed display of this theme from the Old Kingdom. Similar sed-festival scenes also appear in the chapel towards the southern edge of the chapel. Additionally, in the short passageway connecting to

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372-557: The 34th and the 30th centuries   BC. In a 2013 study based on radiocarbon dates , the accession of Hor-Aha , the second king of the First Dynasty, was placed between 3111 and 3045 BC with 68% confidence, and between 3218 and 3035 with 95% confidence. The same study placed the accession of Den , the sixth king of the dynasty, between 2928 and 2911 BC with 68% confidence, although a 2023 radiocarbon analysis placed Den's accession potentially earlier, between 3011 and 2921, within

403-412: The 4th and early 5th dynasties. The image to the right shows a fragmented relief from the temple. The carving portrays Egyptians trapping birds in a clap net. The clap net itself is missing, but six men are shown in the lower register holding the rope that will pull the net shut. In the upper right register, two figures are shown caging two birds that have already been caught, while in the upper left corner,

434-542: The Berlin Museum. The sun temple is situated near Memphis , and is closely linked with the Abusir necropolis , both geographically and functionally. The temple was constructed on the orders of Nyuserre Ini , sixth king of the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt . The exact dates of his reign are unknown but it is estimated that he came to the throne early in the second half of the 25th century BCE. Nyuserre also built

465-455: The Egyptian sun god Ra . The recently discovered sun temple was made from mud bricks and was about 60 meters long by 20 m wide. According to Massimiliano Nuzzolo, co-director of the excavation, storage rooms and other rooms may have been served for cultic purposes and the walls of the building were all plastered in black and white. The L-shaped entrance portico had two limestone columns and

496-471: The Inundation was divided into four months. In the lunar calendar, each began on a dawn when the waning crescent moon was no longer visible. In the civil calendar, each consisted of exactly 30 days divided into three 10-day weeks known as decans . In ancient Egypt, these months were usually recorded by their number within the season: I, II, III, and IV Ꜣḫt . They were also known by the names of their principal festivals, which came to be increasingly used after

527-566: The Nile . In the lunar calendar, the intercalary month was added as needed to maintain the heliacal rising of Sirius in the fourth month of the season of the Harvest . This meant that the Season of the Inundation usually lasted from September to January. Because the precise timing of the flood varied, the months of "Inundation" no longer precisely reflected the state of the river but the season

558-431: The agricultural cycle). The vast illustrations of animal and plant life as well as human engagement with nature may be some of the earliest extensive corpus of such scenes. The artwork was likely commissioned by King Nyuserre himself. Although, the reliefs do not reflect typical royal funerary decoration scene during The Old Kingdom , and although skilfully designed, they are not as carefully executed as similar carvings from

589-412: The analysis too found clear change from earlier craniometric trends, as "lower Egyptian, Maghrebian, and European patterns are observed also, thus making for great diversity". The gene flow and movement of northern officials to the important southern city may explain the findings. Human sacrifice was practiced as part of the funerary rituals associated with all of the pharaohs of the first dynasty. It

620-604: The archeological evidence and the other historical records: Manetho names nine rulers of the First Dynasty, only one of whose names matches the other sources, and offers information for only four of them. Egyptian hieroglyphs were fully developed by then, and their shapes would be used with little change for more than three thousand years. Alena Buis noted: "Large tombs of pharaohs at Abydos and Naqada , in addition to cemeteries at Saqqara and Helwan near Memphis , reveal structures built largely of wood and mud bricks, with some small use of stone for walls and floors. Stone

651-413: The eastern edge of the complex. It is partially submerged and has suffered extensive damage. It is known that an entrance corridor ran from the portico through the building and led to a causeway on the opposite side. Inside the temple is a large, open courtyard. At the western end of the courtyard lie the ruins of a colossal stone obelisk . The obelisk had a pedestal red-granite base, sloping sides, and

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682-470: The eastern face. The complex is primarily built out of mudbrick covered with limestone , and is situated on the shores of the ancient Abusir lake bed. The main temple was built on a natural hill that had been enhanced. Artificial terraces on this hill were created, which then served as the foundation for the temple. Entrance to the temple is gained through a small structure called the Valley Temple, on

713-564: The first series of Egyptian kings to rule over a unified Egypt. It immediately follows the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt , by Menes , or Narmer , and marks the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period , when power was centered at Thinis . The date of this period is subject to scholarly debate about the Egyptian chronology . It falls within the early Bronze Age and is variously estimated to have begun anywhere between

744-627: The obelisk platform from the south, known as the Room of the Seasons, are detailed painted reliefs in limestone depicting two of the three Egyptian seasons, akhet (inundation) and shemu (harvest). The reliefs from the Room of the Seasons essentially illustrate the sun's life-giving and sustaining role in nature, particularly during the spring and summer seasons. Accompanying these seasonal scenes are illustrations of seasonal activities (i.e. netting fish, trapping birds, making papyrus boats, and phases of

775-601: The ritual practice of retainer sacrifice originated from the southern region in the Middle Nile. Ehret also stated that this cultural practice was shared with the Kerma kingdom of the Upper Nubian Nile region. Known rulers in the history of Egypt for the First Dynasty are as follows: (or ruled as regent to her son Den or ruled as both king/queen and regent). Merneith was buried close to Djet and Den. Her tomb

806-571: The ruins of large buildings of mudbricks beneath the sun temple of Nyuserre in Abu Gorab. It is possible that these represent the remains of the sun temple of Neferefre , called Ra Hotep , "Ra's offering table", although this is still conjectural. In August 2022, archaeologists from the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw announced the discovery of a 4,500-year-old temple dedicated to

837-408: The start of the month of Thout (about 11 September), continues through the months of Paopi and Hathor , before concluding at the end of Koiak (about 8 January). The pronunciation of the ancient Egyptian name for the Season of the Inundation is uncertain as the hieroglyphs do not record its vowels. It is conventionally transliterated Akhet . The name refers to the annual flooding of

868-409: The stone floor of the courtyard that may have been used to drain away the blood. Other researchers, however, think that the basins were probably only symbolic, or decorative, since no knives or other equipment related to sacrifice have been discovered in the area. It has also been hypothesized that these basins were used as leveling devices for large areas, linked together and filled with water to provide

899-548: Was partly made of white limestone . Dozens of well-preserved beer jars and several well-made and red-lined vessels, seal impressions, including seals of the pharaohs who ruled during the fifth and sixth dynasties were also uncovered. One of the earliest seals might belonged to pharaoh Shepseskare , who ruled Egypt before Nyuserre . 29°54′14″N 31°11′39″E  /  29.90389°N 31.19417°E  / 29.90389; 31.19417 First Dynasty of Egypt The First Dynasty of ancient Egypt ( Dynasty I ) covers

930-491: Was used in quantity for the manufacture of ornaments, vessels, and occasionally, for statues. Tamarix ("tamarisk" or "salt cedar") was used to build boats such as the Abydos boats . One of the most important indigenous woodworking techniques was the fixed mortise and tenon joint. A fixed tenon was made by shaping the end of one timber to fit into a mortise (hole) that is cut into a second timber. A variation of this joint using

961-474: Was usually the time of the annual flooding. This event was vital to the people because the waters left behind fertile silt and moisture, which were the source of the land's fertility. In the civil calendar, the lack of leap years into the Ptolemaic and Roman periods meant the season lost about one day every four years and was not stable relative to the solar year or Gregorian calendar . The Season of

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