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| Den | | ab. 2975 B.C. till ab. 2935 B.C. | | 6. Pharaoh of the 1. Dynasty | | | Pharaonic names: | Nesw-bity: | see name chaos | | Horus: | Hor-Den (Serekh) | | Nebty: | see name chaos | | Golden Horus | see name chaos |
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The best attested ruler of the 1st Dynasty
Without doubt, Den is the best attested ruler of the whole first dynasty. It is said, he brought prosperity to his realm and the time
of his rulership is connected to many innovations. It was a time of technological and social raise. And even when his rulership was of
course still connected to older rites, like human sacrifices at his burial, it is notable, that Den, the richest and mightiest of those
early pharaohs had the lowest number of subsidiary burials near his tomb. Den was a God-King, as were all pharaohs. But he was one, who
didn't need to document that post-mortem anymore. The swing to accest a king as God because what he was, not what the priests did, was
in motion.
Another detail is notable: Den was the first pharaoh to use the title "King of Lower and Upper Egypt" and also the first one
depicted wearing the red and white double crown, which would be later such an inevitable depiction of Egyptian kings. He was the first.
This indicates, that during his rulership, the integration of the two parts of Egypt was basically a fact. The kings before him, even while
ruling over a country united by the military strength of the pharaoh, ruled basically over a split country. In Den's time, it was actually
one for the first time.
Tomb and Technology
Technology in those early phases of history means mostly architecture. The floor of Tomb T in Umm al-Qua'ab, Den's tomb, is made from red and
balck granite. This is the first time, hard stone instead of the usual granite is used in Egyptian architecture - long before the legendary
Imhotep allegedly invented this technique for Pharaoh Djoser's pyramid in Saqquara at the beginning of the 3rd dynasty.
The significance of using stone is a multiple one. First, it showed off, how rich Den was and thus is another indicator for the prosperity of
his realm during this rulership. But there is more to it. Egyptian belief was focused on the life after death. Ceram, not without reason,
wrote, that all life in Egypt was basically some kind of way to the death. Not in the physical sense, but in a spiritual sense. It was
a testphase in which one had to lead a good and just life to earn the afterlife. Even the pharaoh. So this death cult, that makes the ancient
Egyptian culture so fascinating, sometimes in a morbid way, was important. And thus, especially the tomb of a God-King was showcase and
technological driving power. To work with stone demands to have the tools to work that stone. Which, for a people basically having only
stone tools would be a technological quantum leap. To build the finest and one of the biggest tomb in the area, also in competition with
tombs built much later, was a challenge. Not only for some crafters, but also for those who made their tools, for the workers and for the
architects, who built that thing. And thus, there is another significance to see: When did those people built this tomb?
Now, what sounds like a quite stupid question, has indeed a deeper hidden meaning. This was a big project, it called for a lot of workers.
Most people in Egypt were basically farmers and the Nile brought by his regular floods and the fertile Nile mud, those floods left behind,
three harvests a year. Problem is, while the floods were ging on, farmers could only sit around and had no income.
Sure, slaves worked on those tombs. Some. But the mass of workers were free farmers, who used the time they couldn't farm and during that
time, they were paid and fed by the king. Later, when the pyramid building would begin, this was already an established mechanism of Egyptian
life. But it started here. The older tombs were built with relative low effort, but the moment, hard stone came into play, stone had to be
broken, transported, worked, tools had to be produced and specialists knowing how to use those tools had to be trained. What Den'S tomb
basically documents is a change in Egyptian society when it comes to work. The crafter pops up as a new specialized branch of workers and
probably even the artist. Both were supported by probably thousands of temporary workers with low to no skills. But every season, those
workers returned and learned more about the tools used to build this monument. Egypt became a tool society and spawned new professions.
The result is, in the context of what they had, quite impressive. Tomb T is the first royal tomb in Egypt, that was accessible via a flight
of stairs. All older tombs were filled basically though the roof. This indicates the possibility, that the tomb was also used as
extra-storehouse during the lifetime of Den and certainly, it would have allowed to add grave goods later in services for the dead king. In
other words, those services as for other deities were established at Den's time and made this change in architecture necessary.
In the original layout, a wooden door was located about half-way up the stairs. Now, a wooden door doesn't sound like much. But Egypt was
and is a desert country. They had clay, sand, some rock, a little gold they mined mostly at the Sinai and they had even less wood. Wood in
ancient Egypt meant to use a material that was rarer than gold. And thus, the number of people who knew how to work with wood was necessarily
small. Still there had to be one or this door wouldn't be there.
A portcullis was placed at the entrance of the burial chamber as well to keep grave robbers out. Now, aside of the use of wood also here, the
building of a portcullis calls at least for some understanding of basical physical laws. On an empiric level, someone building a portcullis
has to know about moving parts and, in complexer versions, counter weights. That's a new one in Egypt's technology too.
And there is another detail. I wrote already about the red and black stone. Now, that material came from Aswan. There are 230 miles or 370 km
between Aswan and Abydos as the crow flies. No problem for a modern semi-rig to carry some tons of granite over. The only problem: No crows
and surely no semi-rigs back in the days. The Egyptians had to use the Nile and then carry or roll the stones over logs all the way to the
construction site. That means logistics and again technological knowledge. And of course a lot of muscle power. But, that is the significant
point here, they did it, they were obviously able to do it. This shows, how quick things developed in Den's time because there is not much
evidence for such skills before Den's time except for some little details in Merneith's tomb. Only that one was also built by Den.
Name chaos
As Den is the best attested pharaoh in the 1st Dynasty, there is also a lot written about him, by him, and in connection with him. The result
is a flood of names all referring tot he same man and it is a little hard to figure out, which names were actually used formally in his days,
which ones were later forms or nicknames and which ones were honor names of all kinds. Den was also known as Hor-Den (his Serekh-name),
Dewen, Udimu, Nisut-Bity-Khasty (means "King of Lwoer and Upper Egyt, the one of the two deserts" and was probably his
throne name), Seaptju (on the Abydos king list, which appears to be a shortform of "He of the Great Districts" and refers maybe
to the original "two deserts" symbol, that was misread in ramesside times), Iaret-nebu-shen (Golden Cobra, which maybe connects to his fathers serpent name), Oúsaphaîdos (by
Manetho) and Quenenti (on the Palermo Stone).
So, he had a lot of names, which normally in Egyptian history indicates his importance. However, the most important name, the Serekh-name
Den or Dewen (depending who tries to read the hieroglyphs) is well attested on earthen seal impressions, ivory labels and vessels made
from schist, diorite and marble (again hard materials that needed tools to work them). Later writings, for example the Medical Papyrus of
Berlin, refer to Den up to the ramesside era. The name means "He, who brings water" and is a reference to the Nile floods.
Length of reign
Svholars like to fight. They don't look like that, but honestly, they like to fight, especially other nerds. What they love to fight about is
usually estimation and interpretation. And nobody should believe, this is limited to modern scholars, that is going on since centuries or,
given Egyptian history, since millenia. So, Manetho credited Den with 20 years of rulership. The Royla Canon of Turin (aka the Turin Stone)
is damaged and doesn't give a clue, so the only other source is the Palermo stone, which indicates a reign of 42 years for Den.
Now, it had to be more than 20 years. Manetho has to be wrong. Den's impact was just too big to be achieved in merely 20 years. And we know,
Den had to come on the throne in young years because Merneith retired obviously as soon as her son had reached an acceptable age to take
over. However, 42 years is a little too long. Because it would bring us in conflict with later pharaohs and their times of rulership. To make
things worse, one has to remember, the Palermo stone was engraved during the 5th dynasty. That is 25th century B.C. or about 300 years after
Den's death. Quick, do you remember who was President of the US 300 years ago and when he exactly moved to the White House? No? Forget about
it, it was a trick question, there was no President and no White House 300 years ago. Still, I bet someone actually tried to remember a
President and threw some names around. So the little trick question served to show, what 300 years can do to the accuracy of history. And
the "writers" of the Palermoe stone (rather masons?) were also 300 years away from Den. So, to me, an estimation of 30 to 40 years
would be for now exact enough without claiming an accuracy that technically can't even exist.
We know a lot about his time as king, but it reads a little differnet depending on how it is interpreted, so lets have a look and make
up our own opinion:
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According to some archaeologists, Den had to share the early years of his reign with his mother Merneith. There is no argument about the
meaning of it. Den was simply to young when his father died, to take over the power. So Merneith jumped in. The question is, was Merneith
formally a pharaoh or not? Given, that her tomb is right between the other royal tombs and it is a main burial not a subsidiary one to her
brother and husband's, she was buried as king, not as regular queen. That is the more significant as she wasn't ruler at the time of her
death, but appears to have retired years before, when Den took over. So by all means, Merneith was a pharaoh and Egyptian titulary had to
deal suddenly with a pharao(ret) which was another first one for them. However, it explains the many changes, Den invented at his own
court, when it comes to titles, rites and rituals and court rules. This wasn't just a pharaoh who sat down one morning and said "now we do
it all different". That was something that grew out of the special situation of that court. Den had his behavioral markers carved in stone
for us to read, so had Merneith and so had his father Djet. More they really couldn't do for our understanding, so, read those damn things
please. Djet had permitted, not formally, but because he probably felt it as support, the Merneith became a political power. Ahaneith meybe
was good in bed or a politically convenient secondary marriage, but she played no role. And when Merneith gave birth to the heir of the
throne, she gained even more power. And still, nothing indicates, Djet was in any way pissed. And still, while mistresses, consorts and
probably also Ahaneith was sacrificed at Djet's funeral, Merneith not only survived but took power. And she kept it, till her son was old
enough to take over. So please, ask the mothers of your own children, wouldn't it be ogical, she trained him by letting him participate? He
was a kid, he wasn't the ruler, the repsonsibility was hers, but she involved him early. And that way, the story made sense. Especially,
since it wasn't the first time in Egyptian history, only it was the first time, it took so many years. Queen Neithotep appears to have
ruled also for a short time after the death of Pharaoh Narmer. So what we have here is a queen not in her role as queen but as Pharaoh, as
actually ruling king, even she basically only held the place warm till her son was old enough. And a mother who used the situation to teach
her son how to be a good and successful king. Given his record, she did a good job.
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After he took over, or maybe starting late during the reign of his mother, Den started out with some creative activity. One can't but see him
as a little bit nerdy, in the good way. So he or someone near to him invented the numbering hieroglyphs. Prior to this, events were only
recorded as signs or miniatures, sometimes preceded by a renpet-hieroglyph indicating,t he writer was talking about a "year". But as
important as those "numbers" were for recording history, they had a much wider use, for example for calculating taxes. Without numbers, a
tax system is unthinkable. Well, in fact, without numbers, also building pyramids some centuries would be impossible. And the bigger tombs
of the next dynasty, would they be possible without the ability to calculate weights and angles? Which means, his first little invention
made anything later possible in the first place. Talking nerd-impact here.
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The MacGregor label shows Den in the first depiction of an Egytian king with Nemes-crown (aka war crown). The typical pose of smiting
enemies was already invented earlier, but this one os really artisticly developed since it'S earliest forms. This is not a waise king,
sitting on his throne, this is a warrior, first ande foremost, smashing enemies, we can identifiy as Asians, in royal rage with his war
mace. And this even is, to make things clear also described on the label as "First smiting of the East". Which indicates, other were to
follow. So we can assume, Den had some military activity during his reign.
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The invention of numbers also influenced recording history and thus, we know some events and in which year they happened. But keep in
mind, this record is from the Palermo stone and thus 300 years distant in time from Den:
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4th year: First time counting of gold (the tax system starts to get precise)
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5th year: Escort of Horus (whatever that's supposed to mean) and 2nd census of cattle count
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7th year: Escort of Horus, 3rd cattle count
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18th year: The making of a statue for Wed-Wadjet
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19th year: Smiting of the Setjet people
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20th year: Creation of the Mafdet-fetish; raising of the Sentj-pillars.
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21st year: Smiting of the Tjesem people.
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22nd year: Visit to the royal domain of Semer-Netjeru; first celebration of the Hebsed.
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28th year: Visit to the temple of Ptah... (rest is missing).
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29th year: Smiting of the Iuntju people.
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30th year: Appearance of the king of Lower- and Upper Egypt; 2nd celebration of the Hebsed.
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31st year: Planning for the construction of the eastern and western canals through the districts of the Rehyts.
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32nd year: 2nd celebration of the Djet-festival.
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33rd year: Stretching the cords (foundation ceremony) for the divine fortress Isut-Netjeru (“thrones of the gods”).
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34th year: Stretching the cords for the royal palace of the divine fortress Isut-Netjeru by the high priest of Seshat.
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35th year: Inauguration of the sacred lakes at the divine fortress Isut-Netjeru; royal hippopotamus hunt.
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36th year: Residing at Heracleopolis and at the lake of the god Herishef.
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37th year: Sailing trip to Sah-Setni; foundation/destruction of the city Wer-Ka.
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38th year: Creation of a statue for the god Sed.
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39th year: Appearance of the king of Lower- and Upper Egypt; 1st race of the Apis-Bull.
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40th year: Creation of a statue for the goddesses Seschat and Mafdet.
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41st year: Appearance of the king of Lower- and... (rest is missing)
As I said: The Palermo stone was written 300 years alter and in a time, Den was already far legend. The writers compiled data and we
don't know the source of their information. So it is probably wise to take those years with a grain of salt. Interesting in this aspect
is also, that the hebsed, a throne jubilee, which included also some tests whether the king was still able to rule, is documented for
the 30th year of his reign. Most later kings would have had a hebset also for the 40th year, but there is nothing of that documented on
the Palermos stone. So some questions are still open.
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Den dies, after a long reign and a successful one and is interred in Tomb T, right next to the tombs of his parents.
Family and court
As we heard now several times, his mother was Merneith. As the sister of his father, she was also his aunt, so well ... Den had also some
wifes: Semat, Nakht-Neith and maybe a lady named Qua-Neith. Nothing indicates this list is complete and for good measure, we should
assume also some consorts and mistresses estra.
So it is no miracle, he had numerous sons and daughters and even contemporary chroniclers (conteporary to him, that is) didn't bother to
list them all. Notable are Anedjib, who became Den's successor and Semerkhet, who became AnedJib's successor (even scholars like to fight
over that king).
Also his court is well reasearched. Probably because the mass of saif court was strangled and buried right next to his tomb. Subsidiary
tombs and palatial mastabas at Sakkara held the bodies of high officials such as Ipka, Ankh-ka, Hemaka, Nebitka, Amka, Iny-ka and Ka-Za. In
a subsidiary tomb at Den´s necropolis, the rare stela of a dwarf named Ser-Inpu was found. No mentioning, what that dwarf's function was at
the court.
Still, keep in mind, Den was a mighty ans successful king. So while the number of subsidiary burials from his father, via his mother to
him decreased, we can assume, his court wasn't smaller, rather, it was bigger. Den's rulership was a first peak time for Egypt. But there was
already a shadow over it. When Den died, how old was his oldest son? We don't know exactly, but since the heirs to the throne were
married early and to youg girls, who gave foten birth the first time with 13 or 14 years of age, ... well, add to that thrity or forty
years? And if Anedjib was born before his father became king, he had to be almost fifty when he finally became king. A prince that had
waited, probably impatiently, for decades.
| | ... back |
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Tue, May 17, 2016
12:00 AM CT
Daniel Lee Siebert
Daniel Lee Siebert is now also in our serial killer collection. A more or less garden variety strangler type who got away longer than necessary bacause some big PDs dropped the ball ... and left it to smaller ones, to get the job done.
| Fri, Dec 18, 2015
12:00 AM CT
Christman Genipperteinga
THe legendary robber along the wine road Trier-Cologne made it finally into our collection. With a total of 970 victim, including six of them his own children, he is currently the most prolific serial killer in the Collection.
| Thu, Oct 22, 2015
12:00 AM CT
Gerard John Schaefer
The allegedly most prolific Florida Serial Killer, "Killer Cop" Gerard Schaefer, finally also made his way into out collection.
| Thu, Sep 24, 2015
12:00 AM CT
Royal Russel Long
Long was quite messed up in the investigation of the Wyoming Rodeo Murders, but details show, he was another kind of animal, y typeless pedophile serial killer. Now his file is in our collection.
| Mon, Aug 17, 2015
12:00 AM CT
The Wyoming Rodeo Murders
A story of misperceptions and midnless cabinet cleaning by police authorities that ended up with someone getting away with at least two murders on young women. Now in our collection.
| Wed, Jul 15, 2015
12:00 AM CT
Joseph Vacher, the French Ripper
Now new in our collection: Joseph Vacher, the French Ripper. The first case, blood spatter analysis was used in a court trial world wide!
| Sat, Jun 20, 2015
12:00 AM CST
No new addition in June
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| Sat, May 16, 2015
12:00 AM CT
The Beauty Queen Killer
New in the serial killer collection: Christopher Wilder, the Beauty Queen Killer. A case that shows how nonsensical the disctinction between serial and spree killers really is.
| Thu, Apr 16, 2015
12:00 AM CT
Burton W. Abbott
Abbott killed only one victim, a case that caused some public attention in 1955. But he showed all hallmarks of a fledgling serial killer and thus, we added him to our collection.
| Mon, Mar 16, 2015
12:00 AM CT
Darren Deon Vann
Ha is basically the usual garden variety strangler case if it wouldn't be for the early warnings statistical data cretated about serial killer activity in Gary/Indiana. Now he is in our collection.
| Wed, Mar 4, 2015
12:00 AM CT
Apologies!
Due to technical problems, the March article was up late. Take my apologies for this glitch.
| Mon, Feb 16, 2015
12:00 AM CT
Affaire of the Poisons
We have added the infamous Affaire of the Poisons to our collection. With more than 80 offenders, it breaks a little the format, but well, it's one of the biggest cases of "organized" crime ever, so how can we let it out?
| Mon, Dec 8, 2014
12:00 AM CT
Joseph Bryan
Once he made the FBI Ten Most Wanted list, now nobody remembers the case anymore. Nevertheless, the father of all allegedly schizophrenic serial killers has entered our collection.
| Fri, Nov 7, 2014
12:00 AM CT
The Trailside Killer
David Joseph Carpenter has now become also part of the Serial Killer Collection ... complete with profile.
| Tue, Oct 7, 2014
12:00 AM CT
The Vampire of Duesseldorf
Peter Kuerten aka The Vampire of Duesseldorf roamed the city at the River Rhine for more than two years and left behind a trail of bodies-
| Fri, Sep 12, 2014
12:00 AM CT
The Grim Sleeper
Lonnie Franklin aka The Grim Sleeper has been added to our serial killer collection
| Thu, Aug 14, 2014
12:00 AM CT
Michael Lee Lockhart
... and with a little delay, another serial made it into the serial killer collection. Michael Lee Lockhart, not so much interesting for his "achievements" but because his case appears as if he became a psychopath only after a serious head injury.
| Tue, Aug 12, 2014
12:00 AM CT
A Game of Daggers
Diane's new novel A GAME OF DAGGERS is now available at Amazon for Kindle. A story of murder, mayhem and political intrigue set up in the year of the Lord 1096.
Pope Urban II has called for a crusade, but this news has yet to reach Cornwall. And people there have anyway to deal with other problems from storms to wreckers on their coast and when some murdered men are discovered on the beach, nobody guesses, this is only the prelude to much greater events coming to the so remote shores ...
| Sat, Jul 5, 2014
12:00 AM CT
Ivan Hill
Ivan Hill, as the first of the many serial killers, who haunted Los Angeles in the 80s and 90s, is now added to our serial killer collection.
| Sun, Jun 8, 2014
12:00 AM CT
Raya and Sakina
The famous Egyptian serial killers have become part of our collection. And as so often, things are not as simple as the urban legend tries to tell us.
| Thu, May 1, 2014
12:00 AM CT
Dagmar Overbye
The infamous Danish baby farmer has been added to our Serial Killer Collection.
| Thu, May 1, 2014
12:00 AM CT
Pharaoh Djoser added to the Egyptian Collection
I finally came around to add a new pharaoh to our collection: Djoser, 1st Pharoh of the 3rd Dynasty.
| Fri, Apr 4, 2014
12:00 AM CT
The Green River Killer
This month, we added Gary Ridgway to our serial killer collection, a case, not so much interesting for the profiling but for the lessons about case organization to be learned from it.
| Tue, Mar 4, 2014
12:00 AM CT
Manson Family
The "Manson Family&quo; has been added to our serial killer collection. Especially interesting for those who think, brain washing isn't possible.
| Fri, Feb 7, 2014
12:00 AM CT
Hans van Zon
Dutch serial killer Hans van Zon joined our serial killer collection. Not entirely voluntarily though.
| Mon, Jan 6, 2014
12:00 AM CT
The Syracuse Dungeon Master
John T. Jamelske aka the Syracuse Dungeon Master has been added to our Serial Killer Collection. While not a seria killer but a serial rapist, Jamelske represents a similar psychopathology as some OCD type serial killers, for example Dahmer and therefore is some valuable object for studies.
| Thu, Jan 2, 2014
12:00 AM CT
Khasekhemwy
The last of the 2nd dynasty pharaohs, the man who re-united Egypt, is now also in the Egyptian collection.
| Thu, Dec 12, 2013
12:00 AM CT
Pharaoh Sekhemib added to the Egyptian Collection
I finally came around to add Pharaoh Sekhemib to the collection, the sixth of the 2nd Dynasty. So, with some luck, I can finish this year the 2nd dynsty, only one, Khasekhemwy is left.
| Tue, Dec 10, 2013
12:00 AM CT
The Riha disappearance
In 1969, Dr. Thomas Riha disappeared and in the subconsequent series of events, Gloria Tannenbaum was arrested for forgery and under suspicion of two other homicides. She plead not guilty by reason of insanity and got away with it. The case has now been added to our serial killer collection.
| Mon, Nov 4, 2013
12:00 AM CT
Richard N. Clarey jr.
Clarey is one of the lesser known serial killers, skirting the definition a little. Still, for some reasons an interesting case.
| Wed, Oct 2, 2013
12:00 AM CT
Now in the collection: William E. Cosden
A garden variety sexual predator, notable only because his existence shows, how wrong the idea of 1 monster at 1 time in 1 area is.
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