High Gates of Medinet Habu Crenelated towers added a distinctive touch to medinet habu, the migdal-style fortified temple complex erected by ramesses iii (r. 1194-1163 B. C.E.) on the western shore of the Nile at Thebes. The gates provided an immense entranceway and contained upper chambers. These suites, beautifully decorated, were used by Ramesses III and his harem.
Hippopotamus A former denizen of the Nile in ancient Egypt, associated with religious and cultic traditions, the hippopotamus was viewed in two forms, as Herpest and TAWARET. Herpest was a symbol of HORUS’s victory and an emblem displayed in the temple of edfu. Tawaret was the protector of women in childbirth. In some eras, the hippopotamus was viewed as set, the slayer of OSIRIS. This resulted in the animal being hunted in some regions and honored in others. Snoring hippopotami were the cause of a quarrel between Sekenenre ta’o ii (r. c. 1560 b. c.e.) and the hyksos ruler apophis (r. c. 1585-1553 b. c.e.), commemorated in the QUARREL OF APOPHIS AND SEKENENRE (ta’o ii). The quarrel led to the Theban advance on Apophis’s domains in the eastern Delta and the eventual expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt.
Hittite Alliance An Egyptian text translated from the cuneiform, describing the pact between Egypt and the HITTITES and recorded on the walls of temples of karnak and at the ramesseum, the alliance was formed between RAMESSES II (r. 1290-1224 b. c.e.) and the ruler of the Hittite empire, hattusilis iii (d. c. 1250 b. c.e.). It was the result of a series of military confrontations over decades. Written in Akkadian and signed by Ramesses II, the treaty forged a reasonable approach to the division of territories and vassal nations. An unusual extradition clause was part of the alliance. A silver tablet was sent to Egypt by the Hittites, requesting this truce. Ramesses II played host to a delegation from that land for the occasion. Three versions of the treaty are still in existence. One was inscribed on the wall of karnak, and one was kept at per-RAMESSES. The Hittites kept one at Hattusas. The treaty ended years of military confrontations and also served as a pact of alliance in times of danger. This event was also commemorated in a legendary manner in the bentresh STELA.
Suggested Readings: MacQueen, J. G. The Hittites: And Their Contemporaries in Asia Minor London: Thames and Hudson, 1996; Bryce, Trevor. Kingdom of the Hittites. Oxford, U. K.: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Hittites They were a people called the Great Kheta (Khenta) from Anatolia (modern Turkey) who arrived on the scene as a military power around 2000 b. c.e. Called also “the Sons of Heth,” the Hittites had a tomb complex at Alaca Huyuk in Anatolia in 2500 b. c.e. They came originally from the Anatolian Lake District of the area once called Lydia. They were in Hattusas, their capital near the Kizilirmak River, by c. 1800 b. c.e., remaining as a power until c. 1200 b. c.e.
The Hittites spoke an Indo-European language and wrote in the Hittite-Luwian script, uncovered at Hattusas, Boghazkoy in central Anatolia. Coming into the area from their original homeland in the lower Danube, from the
Black Sea to the Caucasus, this group arrived in central Anatolia c. 1840 B. C.E., destroying a native culture of the region, Karum II. Evidence of the Hittite migration from the Caucasus has been documented. At times they were accompanied by other groups, such as the Luwians, who disappeared after their arrival in the region. Hattusas was originally the center of the Hattic peoples, who vanished.
The Hittite ruler Anitta of Kussara had warned his people not to enter Hattusas, but the capital was founded by HATTUSILIS I and strengthened. The Hittites began their reign, which they called “the kingdom of thousands of gods.” In c. 1610 B. C.E., mursilis i attacked the city of Aleppo in northern Syria and then took Babylon. He was murdered on his return to Hattusas, and Babylon and other cities were freed. The succeeding kings, however, started the Hittite empire.
When the Hittites threatened the mitannis, Egypt responded as an ally, tuthmosis iv (r. 1401-1391 b. c.e.) sided with the Mitannis, forcing the Hittites to assume the role of the enemy. The growing enmity between Egypt and the Hittites was fueled as well in the days following the death of tut’ankhamun (r. 1333-1323 b. c.e.). His widow, ANKHESENAMON, offered herself and her throne to Hittite ruler suppiluliumas i. He sent his son, Prince zan-NANZA, to marry the young queen, but the son was slain at the border.
RAMESSES II (r. 1290-1224 b. c.e.) had to fight the Hittites led by King muwatallis at kadesh on the Orontes River. Both sides claimed victory after a series of conflicts, including spies and ambushes, but the Egyptians and the Hittites recognized a stalemate. The battle of Kadesh is documented in Egyptian reliefs and in Hittite Akkadian language cuneiform tablets. After more years of conflict, both sides agreed to a treaty, sealed by the marriage of Ramesses II to a Hittite princess, the daughter of HATTUSILIS iii (d. c. 1250 b. c.e.) and Queen pedukhipa.
The Hittites are described in historical contemporary records as a people skilled in the forging of iron. They were fierce warriors who wore heavy coats and boots with upturned toes. Their capital had a double wall fortification that spanned a deep gorge. They worshiped Heput, the mother goddess, and Teshub, a god of weather. The capital also had a natural rock sanctuary. The eventual destruction of the Hittite capital, Hattusas, and the Hittite empire was brought about during the reign of ramesses iii (1194-1163 b. c.e.) by the sea peoples, who were later defeated in Egypt. The capital collapsed, replaced by Neo-Hittite sites that were conquered by the Assyrians.
Hiwa Semaina This is a predynastic (before 3,000 b. c.e.) site on the eastern bank of the Nile, stretching from Hiwa to Semaina and depicting Naqada I and II cultures. An ancient mine and a predynastic necropolis were discovered there, as well as graves dating to the Old Kingdom (2575-2134 b. c.e.). Settlement remains on the site have also been cataloged.
Honey A natural product manufactured by bees and used in Egypt as a sweetener but associated as well with medical practices, honey was a symbol of resurrection and was deemed a poison for ghosts, the dead, demons, and evil spirits. A New Kingdom (1550-1070 b. c.e.) lullaby lists the fatal qualities of the substance as warning to any ghosts attempting to steal a baby.
Hor-Aha (Menes) See aha.
Hor Awibre (fl. c. 1760 b. c.e.) Ruler of the Thirteenth Dynasty, who reigned only a few months He is mentioned in the Royal TURIN canon, and his name appears on monuments from tanis in the north to the ELEPHANTINE Island in ASWAN. Hor Awibre was buried in the pyramidal complex of amenemhet iii (r. 1844-1797 b. c.e.) at DASHUR, probably as a measure of security in a troubled period. A remarkable wooden statue of Hor Awibre as a KA was discovered at his burial site. The statue, bearing the outstretched arms of the ka on his head, depicts the youthful ruler completely naked.
Horemhab (Djeserkheprure) (d. 1307 b. c.e.) Fourteenth and last ruler of the Eighteenth Dynasty He reigned from 1319 b. c.e. until his death. His name meant “horus in Celebration.” Horemhab came from HERAKLEOPOLIS and claimed a noble title, although no ancestral records document this. A military man, Horemhab rose through the ranks, serving in ’amarna and then becoming the general of Egypt’s army under tut’ankhamun (r. 1333-1323 b. c.e.). He remained in power during the reign of Tut’ankhamun’s successor, aya (2) (1323-1319 b. c.e.), and then assumed the throne, marrying mutnodjmet (1), possibly a sister of Queen NEFERTITI. Intent upon destroying any vestiges of the ’Amarna Period, Horemhab officially dated the start of his reign to the death of amenhotep iii (r. 1391-1353 b. c.e.) and set about destroying the tombs and buildings of the ’Amarna episode. The tomb of Tut’ankhamun was saved by the intervention of maya, Horemhab’s trusted official.
Horemhab distinguished his reign with extensive programs designed to bring order, to defend the nation’s borders, and to rebuild Egypt’s religious institutions. Although he had been honored by akhenaten (r. 1353-1335 b. c.e.) at ’Amarna, and possibly bore the name Pa’atenemhab in that court, Horemhab continued to erase all trace of the Atenists.
He finally demolished ’Amarna and dismantled Aya’s tomb and mortuary temple, erasing all names and faces recorded in these monuments. From the Delta to Nubia (modern Sudan) he destroyed all traces of the god aten. He especially focused on HUY (1), the viceroy during the ’Amarna interlude, and attacked the city of akhmin, the allies of Akhenaten.
Restoring Egypt’s military, Horemhab once again nurtured vassal states and received delegates and tributes. He moved Egypt’s capital back to Memphis and set about restoring temple properties, building and rebuilding sections of KARNAK and Nubian shrines. When the tombs of TUTHMOSIS IV (r. 1401-1391 b. c.e.) and Tut’ankhamun were invaded by robbers and vandalized, he restored them.
His most ambitious and beneficial act was the reestablishment of law and order in the Nile Valley. His famous edict reestablishing various laws was found on a fragmented stela in Karnak. The edict concerned itself with legal abuses taking place because of the laxity of Akhenaten’s rule. Horemhab declared that officials of the state and provinces would be held accountable for cheating the poor, for pocketing funds, and for misappropriating the use of slaves, ships, and other properties. The ruler singled out higher ranked officials, promising swift judgments and even the death penalty for offenses. The edict also announced the appointment of responsible men as viziers and gave information about the division of the standing army into two main units, one in Upper Egypt and one in Lower Egypt. Horemhab not only published his edict throughout the land but also took inspection tours to make sure that all of the provisions were being carried out in the remote regions as well as in the cities.
When Horemhab approached his death without an heir, he appointed a military companion to succeed him, RAMESSES I. He built two tombs, one in saqqara (Memphis) and one in the Theban necropolis, the valley of THE KINGS. He was buried in thebes. The Memphis tomb was erected before his ascent to the throne, and it became the burial place for Mutnodjmet and his first wife, ame-NIA, a commoner.
His tomb in the Valley of the Kings is long and straight but unfinished. It begins with a steep descent through undecorated corridors to a false burial chamber with pillars. The inner rooms are elaborately decorated, and a red granite sarcophagus was provided for burial. The remains of four other individuals were also discovered in the tomb, possibly members of Horemhab’s family. The tomb in Saqqara (Memphis) has magnificent reliefs and sumptuous remains of funerary regalia. His mummy was not found in either tomb.
Horhirwonmef (fl. 13th century b. c.e.) Prince of the Nineteenth Dynasty
He was a son of ramesses ii (r. 1290-1224 b. c.e.), the twelfth son designated as the heir to the throne but dying before his father. Horhirwonmef was depicted in luxor Temple reliefs as leading prisoners at the battle of KADESH. He was buried in thebes.
Horizon A spiritual symbol, the akhet was a metaphysical term used to describe shrines and other religious objects. The horizon was the universe, both in the past and in the present. Temples and shrines were considered the actual land of glory in which the gods resided through time. The actual plots of land upon which temples stood were called the primeval mounds of creation. The akhet symbol depicted two mounds side by side with a space in which the sun appeared at dawn.
The AKER lions guarded the horizon, which was called the home of horus. The pylons and gates of temples reproduced the image of the two mounds side by side, framing the light, thus serving as true images of the horizon. The window of appearance used in temples and capital cities by the royal families was associated with the horizon.
Hor of Sebennytos (fl. second century b. c.e.) Prophet of the Ptolemaic Period known for his ability to foresee the future
He had an audience with ptolemy vi philometor (r. 180-164, 163-145 b. c.e.) in Alexandria, on August 29, 168 B. C.E. During this court session Hor predicted that the hated Seleucid king antiochus iv would leave Egypt in peace. Antiochus had invaded the Nile area in 170 B. C.E., taking control of the child ruler. A Seleucid governor remained in Alexandria when Antiochus left, administrating Egypt until Antiochus’s return in 168 b. c.e.
The Romans, already a power in the Mediterranean world, sent Papillius Laenas to Antiochus’s camp in pelu-SIUM in the Delta to announce that Rome wanted the Seleucids out of Egypt, drawing a line in the sand to demonstrate the threat that Rome’s legions offered. Anti-ochus and his people left the region within a month, and Hor achieved considerable recognition for predicting this. He may have been a true seer or may have had advance word of the Roman intentions. Hor was the administrator of the sacred ibis cult in Memphis. The ibis was a symbol of the god THoTH.
Horse A domesticated animal introduced into Egypt in the Second Intermediate Period (1640-1532 b. c.e.), probably by the invading hyksos, there was a burial site for a horse at the fortress of buhen in nubia (modern Sudan) that dates to the Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 b. c.e.), but the animal was not seen extensively at that time. The Hyksos left a horse burial at Deir el-Dab’a in the Delta.
The horse was used by the Hyksos in chariot forces. The Egyptians under kamose (r. 1555-1550 b. c.e.) and then ’ahmose (r. 1550-1525 b. c.e.) adopted the chariots and bred the available horses in order to campaign against the Hyksos outposts. The original horses introduced did not carry human riders, but the Egyptians adapted them over time. By the middle of the Eighteenth Dynasty (c. 1391) horses became valued gifts sent by the Egyptian pharaohs to neighboring vassal kings and allies.
The Egyptian adaptation of the animal, and the formation of the dreaded cavalry units of the Nile forces, enabled the pharaohs to achieve their vast empire. RAMESSES II (r. 1290-1224 b. c.e.) had a pair of favorite horses that pulled his royal chariot and helped him escape the hittite ambush by Muwatallis and his forces at KADESH. The horses were named “Victory in Thebes” and “Mut Is Pleased.” These steeds were well cared for and stabled at the royal residence. Other pharaohs employed Hurrians, well known for their skills with horses, and the cavalry of the empire period was well supplied with new products of the ongoing breeding programs.
Her Shed See SHED.
Herurre (fl. 19th century b. c.e.) Expedition leader and mining official of the Twelfth Dynasty Horurre served amenemhet iii (r. 1844-1797 b. c.e.) as seal-bearer, director of gangs (work groups), friend of the Great House (the palace), and expedition leader. He left a STELA inscribed with his biographical details in serabit EL-KHADIM, a turquoise mine in the sinai. He dedicated a temple altar and two other stelae to the goddess hathor on the site. A temple had been erected at a cave, invoking Hathor as “the Lady of Turquoise.”
Herus The Greek name for the Egyptian Hor, one of the oldest deities of the nation. The original form of Horus was that of a falcon or hawk. He was a solar deity, considered a manifestation of the pharaoh in the afterlife. Early inscriptions depict Horus with his wings outstretched as a protector of the nation’s rulers. In the Early Dynastic Period (2920-2575 b. c.e.) and into the Old Kingdom (2575-2134 b. c.e.) the rulers used the god’s name as part of their royal titles. The serekh (1), the earliest of the pharaoh’s symbols, depicted a falcon, or hawk, on a perch for djed (c. 2850 b. c.e.). As a result, devotion to Horus spread throughout Egypt, but in various locales the forms, traditions, and rituals honoring the god varied. In each nome cult center Horus was known by a different epithet.
In the form of Horus the Elder, the god’s eyes were the sun and the moon, and his battle with the god set epitomized the eternal struggle between darkness and light, good and evil. Horus was called Haroeris by the Greeks when they came to Egypt. As Horus of Gold, Hor Nubti, the god was the destroyer of Set. The Egyptian name Harakhte meant “Horus of the Horizon,” who merged with Re at Heliopolis, gradually losing identity and becoming Re-Harakhte.
Horus the Behdetite was a celestial falcon god with a great shrine at Edfu. When his father was attacked by Set and his fellow demons, this Horus soared up into the air to scout the terrain for demons. He was called Horus
Horus, the great deity of Egypt, depicted as a hawk or falcon in a temple sanctuary. (Courtesy Steve Beikirch.)
Netj-Hor-Atef, Horus the Avenger of His Father. Turning into a winged sun disk, he attacked Set’s forces and battled them, on the earth and in tuat, the Underworld. The war was almost endless, but Horus proved victorious. As a result, the emblem of the sun disk became a popular symbol in Egypt. This Horus was also depicted in reliefs as the protector of Egypt’s dynasties. One of the most famous Horus images can be found in the statue of KHAFRE (r. 2520-2494 b. c.e.) in the Egyptian Museum in cairo. The falcon protects the head and shoulders of the seated pharaoh.
Hor-sa-iset, or the Greek Harsiesis, was one of the most popular forms of Horus in Egypt. This was the Horus, Son of ISIS. As a child the god was called Har-pocrates by the Greeks and Horpakhered by the Egyptians and was a much-loved deity The Horus, Son of Isis, had been sired by the dead OSIRIS and hidden on the island of chemmis by his goddess mother. The goddess WADJET, the protector of Lower Egypt, stayed on the island as a serpent to keep watch over the child and his mother. While Set’s henchmen sought the divine pair, Wadjet kept them covered with reeds and papyrus. This Horus suffered many assaults while still a child but survived to attack Set in vengeance for the death of Osiris. Victorious at last, having suffered the loss of one eye in combat with Set, Horus became Horu-Semai-Taui, the Horus, Unifier of the Two Lands. He reestablished the authority of Osiris over the eternal realms and began the solar cycles of life on the Nile. In the New Kingdom (1550-1070 B. C.E.), both Horus and Set were depicted as the gods who brought the double crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt to the ruler. The Set-Horus-Osiris legends continued throughout Egyptian history, varying with each new generation.
Originally, Horus was called “the far one,” depicted as a man or as a falcon-headed man. He was also revered as Hor-a’akhuti (Horakhte), the sun god on two horizons, part of his cult as Harmakhis. As Hor-Khenti-khati, he was Horus in the Womb, as Hor-sa-Aset, he was the son of Isis. The blind Horus, representing night sky without a moon, was Hor-Khenti-an-ma’ati. The god’s other titles included Hor-Hekenu, the Horus of Praises; Hor-Merti, the Hawk Headed; and Horus-An-Mutef, Horus, the Pillar of His Mother.
Horus Eye An occult symbol of Egypt, associated with the deity horus, who lost an eye in his battle to avenge his father, OSIRIS, set caused this wound, and ISIS restored the eye, which was called “the healthy eye” ever after. It was considered a powerful symbol. The amulet depicting the Horus Eye was fashioned out of blue or green faience or from semiprecious stones.
Quantity” He also offered to intercede for all generous donors in the afterlife.
Hotepsekhemwy (Boethos, Buzau) (fl. c. 2770 B. C.E.) Founder of the Second Dynasty of Egypt He may have been related to Qa’a, the last ruler of the First Dynasty who died c. 2575 B. C.E. His name meant “Pleasing in Might.” A Thinite, Hotepsekhemwy was listed as Boethos by manetho and Buzau in other accounts. He did not erect a tomb at abydos, preferring southern Saqqara, but he did build a temple there. His SEREKH (1) designs were discovered near the pyramid of UNIS (r. 2356-2323 b. c.e.). Various speculations have been made concerning the actual site of Hotep-sekhemwy’s tomb. The burial place, a site in saqqara, may have been obscured or demolished when Unis erected his own complex.
House of Adorers An institution associated with the temple of Amun during the New Kingdom (1550-1070 B. C.E.), also called the House of the Adoratrices, the institution was part of the evolving roles of women as the god’s wife of amun. The services and practices of this religious organization were absorbed into the God’s Wife of Amun after the New Kingdom collapsed. Then the office, restricted to women of royal rank, assumed political as well as cultic powers.
World History
