Lab’ayu (fl. 14th century b. c.e.) Prince of Canaan during the Amarna Period

The prince’s correspondence with amenhotep iii (r. 1391-1353 b. c.e.) demonstrates the role of vassal states in the vast EGYPTIAN empire of that historical period. Lab’ayu, whose capital was at Sechem, raided his neighbors in the hill country of northern Palestine, and Prince BIRIDIYA of AR-MEGIDDO wrote to Amenhotep III to complain about the problem. Lab’ayu was warned by Egyptian officials and sent word to Amenhotep III that he was innocent of all charges and loyal to the pharaoh. The Canaanite prince died in the reign of akhenaten (1353-1335 b. c.e.).

See also amarna letters.

Labyrinth This is the Greek name given to the pyramid complex of amenemhet iii (1844-1797 b. c.e.) at HAWARA, near the faiyum. The exact purpose of the complex has not been determined, but the name was bestowed upon the site because of the architectural complexity of the design. Shafts, corridors, and stone plugs were incorporated into the pyramid, and a central burial chamber was fashioned out of a single block of granite, weighing an estimated 110 tons. There are also shrines for NOME deities in the structure and 12 separate courts, facing one another, and demonstrating the architectural wonders of the site. An obvious burial complex, the Labyrinth has also been identified as an administrative or cultic center of the time.

Ladder A mystical symbol associated with the cult of the god OSIRIS, called a magat. Used as an amulet, the ladder honored the goddess nut, the mother of OSIRIS.

Models of the ladder were placed in tombs to invoke the aid of the deities. The ladder had been designed by the gods to stretch mystically when Osiris ascended into their domain. As an amulet, the ladder was believed to carry the deceased to the realms of paradise beyond the grave.

Ladice (fl. sixth century b. c.e.) Royal woman of the Twenty-sixth Dynasty

The consort of amasis (r. 570-526 b. c.e.), Ladice was a cyrenaica noble woman, possibly a member of the royal family of that state. Her marriage was undoubtedly part of a treaty between Egypt and cyrene in North Africa.