Dagi (Dagy) (fl. 21st century b. c.e.) Official of the Twenty-first Dynasty
He served montuhotep ii (r. 2061-2010 b. c.e.) at deir EL-BAHRI on the western shore of the Nile. Dagi was the superintendent of the southern domains of thebes, which was used as an administrative center for the rulers of the Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 b. c.e.). He was buried in Thebes, having erected a tomb on the western shore near the royal necropolis area.
Daily royal rites The ceremonies of the divine royal cult that were listed on the temple walls at abydos and recounted in Egyptian papyri, these were rites dedicated to the god AMUN and date from the New Kingdom Period (1550-1070 b. c.e.). The deity was honored by the ruler or by his priestly representative in the great Theban temples each day The god Amun was offered unguents, wine, incense, and articles of fine clothing and jewelry at the start of the services. Lavish care was taken of the statues of Amun in the temple, reserved in sanctuaries and hidden from the view of the noninitiated commoners. Only the highest-ranking priests and members of the royal family could enter the sealed chambers of Amun to perform the morning greetings, the washing rituals, and the clothing ceremonies. Each priest knew that he was acting solely as a substitute for the ruler. It was only in the name of the pharaoh that such ceremonies could be performed, because the pharaoh alone was the official representative who could fulfill the royal obligation designed to bring about the grace of office in return.
Most New Kingdom (1550-1070 b. c.e.) rulers performed the rites personally when they were in Thebes. In other temples the same ceremonies were conducted before other deities. Again, the cult priests were aware that they were substitutes for the ruler. The pharaoh went to the temple to “visit his father” each day, a poetic form for the ceremony. When the pharaoh, or his high-ranking representative, arrived in the shrine, he was greeted by a priest wearing a costume representing the god. The double crown of Egypt was offered to the king as part of the ceremony, and a masked priest embraced the royal person in a fatherly manner.
Dating back to the ancient times, the ritual was believed to impart to the king the SA-ANKH, the “Life-Giving Waters,” sometimes called the “Fluids of Life.” The original concept of the sa-ankh was part of the cult of OSIRIS and re, although the horus rituals at edfu used the same tradition. On some occasions the ruler nursed from the breasts of a statue of hathor, isis, or sekhmet. In this manner he received divine life, a grace that he was able to extend to the people in turn. magic was thus achieved, and a pact was acknowledged between the deity and the ruler and the people. In some eras it was believed that these ceremonies allowed the ruler not only to receive divine life but to transmit it back to the god in return, thus providing a daily mystical communion. Such rites were designed to give an outward and visible sign of something spiritually experienced.
See also gods and goddesses; temples.
Dakhla One of Egypt’s major oases in the western, or LIBYAN desert, the oasis of Dakhla was called “the Inner oasis” from archaic times and was located directly west
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Of the region of kharga oasis. The capital was Balat in the historical period of the Old Kingdom (2575-2134 b. c.e.), and there was a necropolis. Mut is the newest capital. The necropolis at Dakhla has yielded 80 mummies, some displaying symptoms of leprosy, a disease found in Egypt in the very late eras. A shrine at the oasis was discovered, and representations of 47 deities were displayed within the structure. There were Sixth Dynasty (2323-2150 b. c.e.) mastabas near Balat. There are also tombs from the First Intermediate Period (2134-2040 b. c.e.) and a temple of mut from the Ramessid Period (1196-1070 b. c.e.) at Dakhla. Sites uncovered at Dakhla include masara, Bashendi, and Sheikh Mufta. Prehistoric documentation of habitation is also available there.
Dakka A site in nubia (modern Sudan), on the west side of the modern High Aswan Dam, started by the Meroitic ruler arkamani, r. c. 220 b. c.e. The Ptolemaic Period (304-30 b. c.e.) rulers completed temples on the site. Dakka was a cultic center for the deities thoth and ISIS. The temples honoring these gods were elaborate.
Dal Island A site overlooking the second cataract of the Nile, where it enters the gorge called batn el-hagar, or “the Belly of Stones.” senwosret iii and other members of the Twelfth Dynasty (1991-1783 b. c.e.) maintained canals near the site. Such waterways provided safe passage for military and trade vessels. Later pharaohs, such as TUTHMOSIS III (r. 1479-1425 b. c.e.), reopened the canals and improved them for rapid descent to the Nubian territories (modern Sudan).
See also military.
Damanhur (Timinhor) A site in the western Nile Delta, no longer standing but in ruins. The Egyptians called the site Timinhor, the City of horus. In the Ptolemaic Period (304-30 b. c.e.) the site was called Damanhur Hermopolis Parva.
Damietta (1) This is the modern name given to the branch of the NILE River on the eastern side of the Delta.
Damietta (2) (Dumyat) A site located on a narrow strip of land between the Phatnitic arm of the Nile and Lake Manzala, Damietta thrived in early Egyptian times as a port city.
Danaus The legendary clan leader and son of Belus, Danaus was supposedly a ruler of Egypt and brother of the legendary Aegyptus. Driven out of Egypt by his brother, Danaus took his 50 daughters, the Danaids, to Argo in Greece. The 50 sons of Aegyptus followed and wed Danaus’s daughters. He had commanded these women to slay their husbands, and all obeyed, except
Hypermesta, who spared her spouse, Lycneus. The Danaids were punished for their cruelty by eternally having to fill bottomless vats with water.
Darius I (Selutre) (d. 486 b. c.e.) Persian emperor and ruler of Egypt in the Twenty-seventh Dynasty Darius I reigned from 521 b. c.e. until his death, with the throne name of Selutre, which meant “the Likeness of Re.” Egypt was part of the Sixth Persian Satrapy, along with the Libyan Oases and Cyrenaica. Darius I was the successor and probably the son of cambyses and had to put down rivals who vied for the throne. One historical document states that Darius avenged his father’s murder at the hands of a Magi named Gaumata before visiting Egypt. His favorite wife was artystone, who bore him two sons.
Darius I was militarily trained, having campaigned in India and Syria. His reign was beneficial to Egypt because of his administrative concerns. He used the cartouche of Egypt and other pharaonic traditions to keep peace, and he was firm about the authority of his officials and about maintaining a mercenary garrison on the elephantine Island. He also aided the temples, restoring their annual incomes and coded laws. Darius I erected a temple to HIBIS in the kharga oasis and completed necho ii’s canal linking the Red Sea and the Nile. In 490 b. c.e., the Greeks defeated the Persians at Marathon, prompting an Egyptian revolt as well. Darius I set out to put down the rebels but died and was buried in the cliff site of Nagh-i-Rustam at Persepolis (in modern Iran) and was succeeded on the throne by xerxes i.
He is mentioned in the Petition of Pete’ese. An Egyptian style statue of Darius I was discovered in Susa, in western Iraq.
Darius II (Ochus) (d. 405 b. c.e.) Persian emperor and ruler of Egypt in the Twenty-seventh Dynasty He was the successor of artaxerxes i as the Persian emperor and as a ruler of Egypt, reigning from 423 b. c.e. until his death. Darius II was the son of Artaxerxes I by a Babylonian concubine, thus considered illegitimate in matters concerning the throne. When Artaxerxes I died in 424 b. c.e., Darius II, then called Ochus, was a satrap in a remote part of the empire.
He was married to his half sister, parasites, an ambitious and energetic woman with a personal fortune. Darius II usurped the throne of Persia from the rightful heir, his brother xerxes, and then faced other relatives who rebelled against him. He killed aristocratic clans and maintained control, earning a reputation for cruelty and the name “Nothus,” or bastard.
Egypt, meanwhile, showed some resistance in the region of sais. The Nile Delta was far enough removed from Persian intrigues to function in a semi-independent fashion. Darius II completed the temple of hibis in the
KHARGA Oasis and installed Persian style tunnels and pipes for delivering water. Darius II also added to the codified laws of Egypt. During his reign, the Jewish temple on elephantine Island was razed. Darius Il’s satrap, or governor, one ARSAMIS, investigated and discovered that the priests of the Egyptian god khnum had arranged the devastation by bribing the local commander of the Persian forces.
Darius II continued his efforts to stem the rising Greek ambitions and to put down sporadic revolts throughout the empire. He was on a campaign north of Media when he became ill and died. His successor was
ARTAXERXES II.
Darius III Codoman (d. c. 332 b. c.e.) Persian emperor and ruler of Egypt in the Thirty-first Dynasty He ruled Egypt from 335 b. c.e. until his death. A cousin of ARSES (Artaxerxes IV), Darius III was installed on the throne when bagoas, the murdering eunuch of the court, killed the rightful heir, a prince of the line. Darius III, however, forced Bagoas to drink his own poison, ridding the empire of the slayer.
MAZEUS was the Persian satrap of Egypt appointed by Darius III. Darius ruled only three years in Egypt before he faced Alexander iii the great at issus. He fled from the field, abandoning his mother, wife, and children to the Greeks. Darius III then tried to make peace and to ransom his family, but his efforts were in vain, as the Greeks continued to conquer former Persian areas, including Egypt. He faced Alexander again at gaugamela and once again fled from the battle. The satrap of Bactria, Bessus, murdered Darius III. This last Persian ruler of Egypt was buried at Persepolis. Mazeus, Darius Ill’s Egyptian satrap, welcomed Alexander into Egypt.
Dashur A site on the Libyan Plateau, south of saqqara, that served as a necropolis for early Egyptian royal clans, two massive stone pyramids of snefru (r. 2575-2551 b. c.e.) of the Fourth Dynasty are at Dashur, as well as the pyramidal complexes of senwosret iii (r. 1878-1841 b. c.e.), amenemhet II (r. 1929-1892 b. c.e.), and amen-EMHET III (r. 1844-1797 b. c.e.) of the Twelfth Dynasty
The northern pyramid of Snefru, called “Snefru Gleams,” was built out of local limestone and enclosed with the higher grade Tureh limestone. Once higher than the famed pyramid of khufu at giza, this is the Red Pyramid, considered the first successful structure of its type. The square of the pyramid was 721 feet and it was designed to stand 341 feet in height. There are three chambers within, all with corbelled roofs, but there are no signs of a royal burial present. The valley and mortuary complex have not been uncovered.
The southern pyramid complex of Snefru is called “the Bent Pyramid” or “Rhomboidal Pyramid.” It was constructed out of local limestone and encased with Tura limestone, laid in sloping courses. Many theories have evolved concerning the change in angle evident in the mortuary structure. The pyramid’s original angle was obviously too steep and had to be altered. There is a descending passage inside, with a corbelled roof and lower chambers in which cedar beams were used. A mortuary complex was found beside Snefru’s southern pyramid, consisting of a small shrine, a limestone slab, and an elaborate offering table. Two large stelae flanked the temple, which was surrounded by a mud-brick wall. The valley TEMPLE, part of the complex, is a rectangular building with sculpted friezes and a tenemos wall.
The pyramidal complex of Senwosret III has a MORTUARY TEMPLE and a valley temple, linked by a causeway The complex, now in ruins, was built of mud brick and encased with bonded limestone blocks. The interior burial chamber was lined with red granite, and the sarcophagus was made of the same stone. A gallery on the northeast side leads to the royal tombs of family members. There are four ruined mastabas on the northern side and three on the southern side. Individual burial chambers provided a cache of jewelry from Senwosret III’s female relatives. Three cedar boats were also uncovered, and a stone wall surrounded the site.
The pyramidal complex of amenemhet ii was built of brick, designed with a foundation of compartments that were filled with sand. There is a vast causeway and a mortuary temple that contains slabs inscribed with the name of the god amun. The pyramid was once covered with limestone, and a sandstone sarcophagus was found in the interior burial chamber. To the west are the pyramids of Amenemhet Il’s queen and four princesses.
The pyramidal complex of amenemhet iii, called “Amenemhet Is Beautiful” by the Egyptians and now listed as the Black Pyramid, is the last major structure in Dashur. The pyramid was made out of mud brick with a black basalt pyramidion. A causeway paved with limestone slabs, a valley temple, and a residence for mortuary priest officials complete the complex. The pyramid, a CENOTAPH, was originally 26 and a half feet in height and 344 feet square. This complex was also the burial site of the mysterious awibre hor.
Death See eternity.
“Debate of a Man with His Soul” This is a didactic text found in the BERLIN papyrus 3024, sometimes called “The Man Who Tired of Life.” Dated probably to the Twelfth Dynasty (1991-1783 b. c.e.) and the work of an unknown sage, the text is not complete but clearly delineates the troubles of an Egyptian of that period who fears death but wants to exit from his world. The terrors of death and the blessedness of the world beyond the grave are beautifully demonstrated. The soul becomes reconciled with the man as he perceives death as the true homeland of all created beings.
Deben An Egyptian unit of weight, equivalent to 32 ounces or 91 grams, a kite was a weight unit equivalent to one-tenth of a deben, 3.33 ounces or 9.1 grams.
See also coinage.
World History
