Kingdom Period (1550-1070 b. c.e.) governed three provinces of the eastern territories beyond the nation’s border regions and quite possibly some western border regions as well. The scope of Egypt’s empire was vast, ranging from just north of Khartoum in modern sudan to the Euphrates River. These officials had prominent roles during the era of Egypt’s empire.
See also EGYPTIAN empire.
Granicus This was the site of the victory of Alexander III THE GREAT (r. 332-323 B. C.E.) over the Persians. In Asia Minor, the river Granicus was the battleground between Alexander’s army of a reported 32,000 infantry and 5,100 cavalry troops, and the forces of darius iii
CODOMAN. Fresh from the victory on Granicus’s banks, the Greeks attacked Sardis, Miletus, and Halicarnassus, all Persian strongholds.
Granite A stone called mat by the Egyptians, much prized from the earliest dynasties and quarried in almost every historical period, hard granite was mat-rudjet. Black granite was mat-kemet, and the red quarried at ASWAN was called mat-en-Abu. Other important mines were established periodically, and granite was commonly used in sculptures and in reliefs. It served as a basic building material for Egyptian mortuary temples and shrines. Made into gravel, the stone was even used as mortar for fortresses, designed to strengthen the sun-dried bricks used in the construction process.
Great Cackler See geb; goose.
Greatest of Seers A title used for some of the prelates of the temples at karnak, Memphis, and Heliopolis, the name refers to rituals involving oracles, record-keeping, and probably astronomical lore.
Great Primeval Mound See primeval mound; pay
LANDS.
Great Pyramid See fita; pyramids.
Great Sphinx See fita; sphinx.
Nation, sharing mutual skills and developing city-states. The nearby Minoan culture, on Crete, added other dimensions to the evolving nation.
By 1600 B. C.E., the Greeks were consolidated enough to demonstrate a remarkable genius in the arts and in government. Democracy or democratic rule was one of the first products of the Greeks. The Greeks also promoted political theories, philosophy, architecture, sciences, and sports and fostered an alphabet and biological studies. The Greeks traveled everywhere to set up trade routes and to spread their concepts about human existence. The Romans were themselves influenced by Greek art and thought and began to conquer individual Greek city-states. By 146 B. C.E., Greece became a Roman province.
In Egypt, the Greeks were in the city of naukratis, developed during the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (664-525 B. C.E.). Naukratis was a port city, offering trade goods from around the known world and pleasures that enticed visitors. The brother of the Greek poetess Sappho lost his fortune and his health while residing in Naukratis and courting a well-known courtesan there. During the persian occupation of the Nile (525-404 b. c.e. and 343-332 B. C.E.), Naukratis and the Greek traders did not fare well. When ALEXANDER III THE GREAT (r. 332-323 B. C.E.) defeated the Persians and founded Alexandria, Naukratis suffered economically and politically. The last dynasty in Egypt, however, was Greek, founded by ptolemy i soter (304-284 B. C.E.) and ended with Cleopatra vii (51-30
B. C.E.).
Greece This ancient peninsula on the Aegean Sea was invaded around 2100 b. c.e. by a nomadic people from the north, probably the Danube Basin. The original inhabitants of the Greek mainland were farmers, seamen, and stone workers. These native populations were overcome, and the invaders merged with them to form the Greek griffin (gryphen) A mystical winged lion with an eagle head, used as a symbol of royal power in Egypt. NIUSERRE, (Izi; r. 2416-2392 b. c.e.), of the Fifth Dynasty used the griffin in his sun temple at ABU ghurob. The pharaoh is depicted in a relief as a griffin destroying Egypt’s enemies.
World History
