Netjerikhet Djoer History

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Netjerikhet Djoser, sometimes referred to by Zoser, was the 2nd King of Egypt's 3rd Dynasty, and probably the most famous king during this time period. Although there have been issues with the dates as to when he actually reigned, Most Historians believe that Djoser’s reign lasted between circa 2635 and 2610 BC. In modern inscriptions he is known by his Horus and Nebt-names, Netjerikhet, "the divine of body"( Clayton). Though the name Djoser may have been the king's birth name it only ever appears in later records. The earliest evidence that the two names belong to the same pharaoh is found on an engraving on a large rock on the island of Sehel. As the records for the royal family at this time was not as complete or clear as it could have been, Djoser’s parentage is largely unknown, but Nimaethap, the wife of Khasekhemwi, has been found to hold the title "Mother of the King". This makes it likely that Netjerikhet Djoser was her son, with Khasekhemwi his father(Friedman). When the pharaoh took the throne nearly five thousand years ago, he inherited a kingdom that had only recently emerged from a long period of civil war. In the beginning the country had been divided into two regions, Lower Egypt (the Delta) and Upper Egypt (the Nile Valley). They two regions were very different. They had different economies, lifestyles, belief systems and artistic traditions. The struggle lasted for many years before the kingdom was forged together. This event took place an estimated 250 years before Djoser took the thrown. However, the union between the two was fragile at best, separatism was strongly present in the north. Before Djoser’s reign, the years were filled with turmoil and civil war. The royal cemeteries show signs of destruction. Exper... ... middle of paper ... ...ieved the world was created. The blue-green color represented creation and rebirth. Approximately 36,000 tiles of this type were used in these two tomb areas(Clayton). Despite the many precautions and traps the builders built into the step pyramid, time and robbers have taken their toll on the structure and the king that calls the pyramid home. Archeologists have only been able to recover fragments of the Pharaoh many kings after have sought to imitate and was later worshiped as a god. All that remains today is the mummified left foot of the once great Pharaoh (National Geographic: Egypt) The construction of the Djoser’s step pyramid would launch the beginning of an ambitious pyramid building program that would end with the Great Pyramids at Giza. Imhotep, the man credited with designing the step pyramid, would eventually be deified some 1,400 years later (Grimal).

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