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'Twas just re-thinking that ancient Egypt novel I've long wanted to write. Originally I was going to make it fantastical, with completely fictional characters and a completely made-up plot, but now I feel it would be better if I based it more on real Egyptian history. For my subject I have chosen the little-known 12th dynasty Pharaoh Sobekneferu, who was a female ruler like Hatshepsut but didn't enjoy as much success as a ruler. And I want to explore exactly what gave her trouble...
Sobekneferu of the 12th Dynasty My depiction of Pharaoh Sobekneferu (1806-1802 BC), the last ruler of the Egyptian 12th Dynasty. She interests me not only because she was a female Pharaoh who predated the more famous Hatshepsut, but because she had such a short reign and presided over the end of Egypt's "golden age" during the Middle Kingdom. One has to wonder why...
In case you're curious about the dress's color scheme, it has a crocodilian inspiration since she was named after the crocodile god Sobek.
Sobekneferu's Nile Valley A map of the Nile Valley as it may have looked in the reign of Pharaoh Sobekneferu (1806-1802), the last of Egypt’s great Middle Kingdom Pharaohs. At this time the northerly Nile Delta (also known as Ta Mehu or Lower Egypt) lies under the control of a non-Egyptian known as Nehesi, who rules from the city of Hawara (or Avaris). Sobekneferu’s domain, called Kemet, covers Upper Egypt at this point, though she also has frontier outposts in Wawat (Lower Nubia). In the far south there is the kingdom of Kush, which currently has its capital at Kerma. As far as I know, the king of Kush’s name at this time remains lost to time’s ravages, but for my purposes I shall call him Menkhaf.
None of these three powers gets along with the rest all that well. If Sobekneferu had her way, Nehesi and his foreign goons would leave the Delta back to her control, and her dynasty has a long history of rivalry with Kush too. However, if she were to make a move against any one of her enemies, she might need to ask the other enemy for help…
Posts: 7069 | From: Fallbrook, CA | Registered: Mar 2004
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All right, I've put together a cast of characters for my Sobekneferu story:
Sobekneferu: She is Pharaoh of Kemet (Egypt) and the story’s protagonist. After her incompetent uncle and predecessor Amunmose misruled their kingdom for ten years, Sobekneferu wants more than anything to bring it back to its former glory. She also wants to reclaim the Nile Delta from the aggressive Hebrew invader Moshe.
Sekhemre: He is Amunmose’s nephew and Sobekneferu’s younger cousin as well as her chief military aide. He resents that Sobekneferu got the throne instead of him and hungers for the opportunity to seize it from her.
Moshe: He is a Hebrew prophet and warlord who has seized control of the Nile Delta. Rendered lame by a battle injury in his youth, Moshe has turned to religion to justify his rule and has come to believe that he has a divinely ordained mission to conquer all Kemet.
Aaron: He is Moshe’s younger brother and champion warrior for the Hebrew occupation forces in the Delta. He doesn’t share Moshe’s zealous convictions, but he does have the hots for the beautiful young Sobekneferu. He would really like to marry her and become her Prince Consort. He will function as a love interest for Sobekneferu.
Menkhaf: He is the Pharaoh of Kush (Nubia) and an old enemy of Sobekneferu’s father Amenemhat. His country has a long history of rivalry with Kemet, yet the desperate Sobekneferu sees in him a potential ally in her struggle against Moshe.
Amunmose (dead): He was Pharaoh of Kemet before Sobekneferu, having inherited the throne from his brother Amenemhat. His incompetent and corrupt misrule left the once proud country crippled and vulnerable to Hebrew invasion. Sobekneferu killed him in self-defense after he tried to force himself onto her.
Amenemhat (dead): He was Sobekneferu’s father and Pharaoh of Kemet before his brother Amunmose. Although he could be cruel to his enemies (especially the Kushites), he was a strong and effective ruler for his own kingdom, so Sobekneferu regards him as her role model as well as a beloved parent.
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One of Egypt's greatest dynasties, the 12th, originated from dark-skinned Nubian stock, according to conservative Egyptologist F. Yurco (1989). The 12th Dynasty ruled approximately 1000 years BEFORE the so-called "black" 25th Dynasty. Quote 2:
"the XIIth Dynasty (1991-1786 B.C.E.) originated from the Aswan region.4 As expected, strong Nubian features and dark coloring are seen in their sculpture and relief work. This dynasty ranks as among the greatest, whose fame far outlived its actual tenure on the throne. Especially interesting, it was a member of this dynasty- that decreed that no Nehsy (riverine Nubian of the principality of Kush), except such as came for trade or diplomatic reasons, should pass by the Egyptian fortress at the southern end of the Second Nile Cataract. Why would this royal family of Nubian ancestry ban other Nubians from coming into Egyptian territory? Because the Egyptian rulers of Nubian ancestry had become Egyptians culturally; as pharaohs, they exhibited typical Egyptian attitudes and adopted typical Egyptian policies."
- (F. J. Yurco, 'Were the ancient Egyptians black or white?', Biblical Archaeology Review (Vol 15, no. 5, 1989)
"Among the foreigners, the Nubians were closest ethnically to the Egyptians. In the late predynastic period (c. 3700-3150 B.C.E.), the Nubians shared the same culture as the Egyptians and even evolved the same pharaonic political structure." - (F. J. Yurco, 'Were the ancient Egyptians black or white?', Biblical Archaeology Review (Vol 15, no. 5, 1989)
-------------------- Note: I am not an "Egyptologist" as claimed by some still bitter, defeated, trolls creating fake profiles and posts elsewhere. Hapless losers, you still fail. My output of hard data debunking racist nonsense has actually INCREASED since you began.. Posts: 5905 | From: The Hammer | Registered: Aug 2008
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