Khasekhemwy (2732—2705)

Cartouche of King Khasekhemwy

Khasekhemwy (2732—2705) was the fifth pharaoh of the 2nd Dynasty was likely responsible for the union of Upper and Lower Egypt. Not much is known nearly him, save the fact that he undertook big military campaigns. A statue of him which occupies in the Cairo Museum, demonstrates the first use of hard stone work during this stop. He is responsible for the building of a large granite door jamb inside the temple of Hierakonpolis, and for the construction of many of the mortuary complexes at both Saqqara and Abydos.

The most outstanding figure from the second dynasty and probably the whole Early Dynastic Time, was pharaoh Khasekhemwy. He really should have the title "Unifier of the two countries". Afterward winning the fight against the North that had went during the prevail of his predecessor. He chose Hierakonpolis in the far southern to be his capital and it was the first and last time the united Egypt was ruled from there. It took some effort to win the war and inscriptions from granite vessels discovered in his capital tells about his fights with the North, described as "rebels".

Being diplomatic he did not favour any of the main gods Horus and Set when the military fight was over. He simply put them both atop of his serek, thereby hoping to make peace and order to the country. He as well changed his name putting to it an additional -WY making it say - "The Two Powers Come Forward", instead of single one (Set) that he had before. In result he also put another commander's staff to his serek thereby making his different political view visible.

Statue of King Khasekhemwy

He as well made a campaign in to Nubia and adopted a new title: "overseer of the outside lands" that shows his involvement to keep contact abroad. His names has thus been discovered all the way up to Byblos in Syria. His tomb a little aside the others in Abydos is a remarkable construction unlike any of the earlier memorials there. The design is a somewhat (diplomatic?) mix between the north style mastaba-tombs and the traditional square constructions from the south. On top of all he placed it on "neutral" ground some 100 metres aside the old cemetery. He also held the tradition from most of the earlier kings by making an inclosure 1,8 kilometres towards the Nile from his tomb, probably for rituals of his mortal fad.

The size was far bigger then his predecessors: 69 m in length and 10-17 metre wide made of walls a good 2 m high. When it was dug in 1900 it still contained half a dozen applies such as chisels and woodcutting tools made of copper. In the middle was the grave chamber built in stone, the first of its kind. The ability to handle this material was shown for the first time in Egyptian history by the statues of Khasekhemwy that have survived from a find in Hierakonpolis. If they are portraits more such than gods images, the king seems to be a man with a discovered look in his face, and a firm mind, and this seems to have been the characteristics of the pharaoh. The most strikingly remain from him is the huge building he made at the capital Hierakonpolis. On the west side of the Nile a bit inside the desert lies the oldest known monumental building of sun-dried bricks in Egypt.