Men of Bronze (55 page)

Shara Mountains

A range of jagged mountains dividing Arabia from Palestine, in the heart of what was once
Edom
(q.v.). Today, the area is part of southwestern Jordan. See
Sela
.

Shaykh

Archaic form of the Arabic title
sheikh
. Used here to denote the chieftain of a tribe of Bedouin.

Shedet

A city in the marshlands of the Faiyum, near Lake Moeris, She-det served as the cult center for the worship of
Sobek
(q.v.). The Greeks knew it as Crocodilopolis, the City of Crocodiles (modern Medinet el-Faiyum).

Shenu

The carved oval that encircled the royal names of Pharaoh, found on carvings, paintings, sculpture, and papyri. The
shenu
represented Ra’s eternal protection of the king. In modern Egyptology, the
shenu
is known as a
cartouche
.

Sile

A fortified town on Egypt’s northeastern frontier, Sile was part of the chain of fortresses known as the
Walls of the Ruler
(q.v.). Its location north of the vale of
Tumilat
(q.v.) made it the perfect base of operations for the Medjay, who could patrol the surrounding desert for signs of Bedouin raiders while guarding Tumilat’s valuable springs and cisterns. Because of its Medjay garrison, Sile had a reputation for being rough-and-tumble.

Sinai

The desolate peninsula on Egypt’s eastern border that served as a buffer with
Palestine
(q.v.). Mountainous inland and fading to rocky desert on its edges, the Sinai provided abundant mineral reserves — notably turquoise, copper, and tin — for the Egyptians to exploit. Clashes with the peninsula’s Bedouin inhabitants were frequent, and the Egyptians often mounted punitive expeditions to re-establish control over the region’s mines and quarries.

Sobek

An ancient Egyptian crocodile god considered one of the first beings to emerge from the watery chaos, called
Nun
, at the moment of creation. At
Shedet
(q.v.), in the Faiyum, the center of the worship of Sobek, crocodiles were held to be sacred. In other regions, though, priests ritually slaughtered the animals, equating Sobek with
Seth
(q.v.), the lord of confusion. In art, the Egyptians depicted Sobek either as a crocodile or as a man with a crocodile’s head.

Sokar

The god of the necropolis at Memphis, worshiped in conjunction with
Ptah
(q.v.) and
Osiris
(q.v.) since the Old Kingdom (2686-2125 BCE). In some reliefs, Sokar is represented as a heavy-limbed dwarf attended by hawks; in others, as a mummiform figure with a hawk’s head bearing crook, flail, and staff. See
Saqqara
.

Solar Barque of Ra

The great boat used by the sun god to traverse the sky; a poetic analogy for the sun.

Sphinx

A statue of a recumbent lion with a human or animal head used in temple architecture as guardians over the processional paths and entryways leading to the shrine’s heart. The human-headed sphinxes symbolized Pharaoh’s power as a living god.

Stelae

(Greek “standing stone;” sing.
stela
. Egyptian
wedj.)
An inscribed stone often erected to commemorate an event or to mark a boundary. Mortuary stelae often recounted the achievements of the deceased.

Strategos

Greek term for the general in command of an army.
Ta-Meht

The Egyptian name for the Nile delta; synonymous with the ancient kingdom of Lower Egypt. Upper Egypt, to the south, was known as
Ta-Resu
.

Tartarus

A cold, gray region of the Greek afterlife where the souls of men and women dwelt while awaiting their turn to drink the waters of the river Lethe (“Forgetfulness”). Chasms dotted the landscape of Tartarus, and in their depths black Hades, god of the dead, meted out punishment to the wicked. See
Elysium
.

Temple of the Hearing Ear

A niche or series of niches, some quite elaborate, in the outer court of a temple where common Egyptians could address their prayers to the gods. In our modern conception, a temple was a place where suppliants could go to converse with the gods through prayer, meditation, and sacrifice; to the Egyptians, a temple was the dwelling place of the gods, and as such, they were off limits to all but high ranking priests and Pharaoh. Only the outer courts were open to commoners, and through the temple of the Hearing Ear they had indirect access to the inner sanctuary.

Thebes

(Egyptian
Waset
, modern Karnak and Luxor.) A prominent city in upper Egypt from the New Kingdom (1550-1069 BCE) onward, and the center of the worship of
Amon
(q.v.). Thebes was located on the Nile’s eastern shore, roughly 500 miles south of Memphis and modern Cairo. It stood across the river from a vast necropolis containing, after the pyramids at Giza, some of Egypt’s most stunning mortuary complexes, including the rockcut tombs of the Valley of the Kings. Perhaps the city’s greatest adornment, though, was the massive temple complex dedicated to Amon, called
Ipet-isut
(Egyptian “Most Select of Places”), approximately 247 acres of shrines, temples, gardens, lakes, and chapels. Taken as a whole,
Ipet-isut
represents the largest religious structure ever built by the hand of man. Though the capital shifted north to Sais during the Late Period (664-332 BCE), Thebes remained a significant force in national politics.

Thoth

(Egyptian
Djehuty
.) The Egyptian god of learning and wisdom, patron of scribes and protector of the priest-physicians. Though normally depicted as an ibis-headed man, Thoth was also associated with the baboon and often assumed this form. The Greeks identified him with their own Hermes. His cult center was in Upper Egypt, at the town of Khemenu (Greek Hermopolis, modern el-Ashmunein).

Tumilat

A fertile valley connecting the eastern Nile delta with the
Bitter Lakes
(q.v.) and the Red Sea. Its pools and springs presented a tempting target to the water-deprived Bedouin of
Sinai
(q.v.).

Tyre

Situated a few hundred yards off the Phoenician mainland, the city of Tyre occupied the two largest of a chain of islands, joined by an embankment and a mole to create a pair of excellent harbors. The basis of Tyre’s vast maritime empire was the Lebanese cedar and the
murex
, a species of mollusk that, when boiled, produced a deep purple dye. Tyrian ships ranged the Mediterranean, trading dye and lumber for other commodities — from gold and silver to papyrus and ostrich feathers. Colonists from Tyre founded the North African city of Carthage, c. 814 BCE.

Uadj-Ur

(Egyptian “Great Green”.) The Mediterranean Sea.
Uadjet

(Egyptian “healthy eye”.) The Eye of
Horus
(q.v.). Considered the most powerful talisman in ancient Egypt, the Eye symbolized protective strength, watchfulness, and the dominance of good over evil. In mythology,
Seth
(q.v.) plucked out Horus’ left eye in battle as the latter sought to avenge the murder of his father,
Osiris
(q.v.). Once Horus was victorious, his mother,
Isis
(q.v.), restored his damaged eye.

Uraeus

Golden image of the cobra-goddess Wadjet, her hood extended in warning, which was attached to the brow of royal crowns and headdresses. The cobra was expected to protect Pharaoh by spitting flames at any who would harm him.

Ushabti

(Egyptian “the Answerers”.) Small
faience
(q.v.) figurines intended to accompany the deceased on their various travels through the afterlife. They were expected to fulfill whatever responsibilities the gods might ask of the deceased, such as manual labor or errand-running. Most tombs included a full complement of
ushabti
— one for every day of the year plus extras to serve as overseers and managers — roughly four hundred figurines.

Vizier

(Egyptian
tjaty.)
The chief minister of Egypt, answerable only to Pharaoh. The vizier controlled the food supply, the reservoirs, kept a census on herds, and arbitrated territorial disputes and personal conflicts among the governors of Egypt’s provinces. At times, the vizier also controlled access to Pharaoh’s person. The office virtually demanded a man of uncommon intelligence and zeal who could be trusted with the business of court; often, the post served as a training ground for royal princes (as well as the occasional queen or princess).

Walls of the Ruler

A series of fortresses along Egypt’s eastern border designed to stem the influx of foreigners into the Nile valley. They were garrisoned by elements of the regular army, as well as the Medjay, whose patrol routes took them from Pelusium on the Mediterranean coast to the Gulf of Suez. The Walls of the Ruler were first erected in the Twelfth Dynasty (1985-1773 BCE).

War Crown

(Egyptian
khepresh.)
The bulbous blue helmet, made of electrum, worn by Pharaoh on campaigns and during military processions.

Way of Horus

The road connecting Egypt with southern Palestine. It begins at Pelusium in the eastern Delta and passes through
Sinai
(q.v.) and the
Negev Desert
(q.v.) before reaching Gaza. From there, it continues on into the Phoenician littoral.

Yeb

Known today as Elephantine Island, Yeb occupies the middle of the Nile near the First Cataract (one of six white-water rapids near the Nubian border), facing the modern city of Aswan. The ancient Egyptians considered the island to be of strategic importance; its fortress gave Pharaoh’s troops command of the surrounding waterways. Yeb also served as the cult center of the god
Khnum
(q.v.) and was the site of an important
Nilometer
(q.v.).

Zagros Mountains

A snow-capped mountain range in the heart of Media, its peaks rising to heights between twelve and fifteen thousand feet as it runs southeast from Mesopotamia. The summer capital of the Persian Empire, Ecbatana, lay in the Zagros Mountains, six thousand feet below the summit of Mount Alwand.

Early Dynastic Period: c. 3000-2686 BCE

Old Kingdom: 2686-2125 BCE

First Intermediate Period: 2160-2055 BCE

Middle Kingdom: 2055-1650 BCE

Second Intermediate Period: 1650-1550 BCE

New Kingdom: 1550-1069 BCE

Third Intermediate Period: 1069-664 BCE

Late Period: 664-332 BCE