The Development Of Egypt During The Reign Of Den, King Of Dynasty One

Cultural and administrative developments during the reign of Den, king of Dynasty One

As king of Egypt in the middle of Dynasty One, Den displayed both an adherence to a solidifying royal tradition and an enthusiasm for innovation. We can see from written, visual, and archaeological evidence how he built on established precedent to put his own unique mark on the culture and administration of Early Dynastic Egypt. He distinguished the united status of Egypt and his image as its ruler, increased administrative bureaucracy, pursued foreign interests in the Near East, and reformed funerary architecture and practice.

During his reign, Den emphasised his role as leader of a unified Egypt. He is the first king attested to have a nsw-bity name, which

From the time of his predecessor Djer, sealings from royal and private tombs began to name state institutions (estates and royal domains); now they started to identify the officials who managed the domains by their names and titles, usually ‘administrator’, ‘controller’ or ‘executive’. Sealings like these, and the many labels from Den’s reign - the largest amount from the Early Dynastic period, referencing royal rituals and events - suggest that writing was a key part of the Early Dynastic administration’s system of political control. The magnificent tomb and multiple inscriptional mentions of Hemaka, Den’s ‘chancellor’ and manager of a royal estate, indicate that the king delegated power to a range of officials. This structure is also indicated by the dramatic increase in elite tombs during this period. Further administrative evidence suggests the consolidation and organisation of wealth: we see the first appearance of the title that later came to mean ‘treasurer’ (then likely the office responsible for receiving deliveries from estates) and the start of references from royal and elite tombs to royal treasuries. Amongst these developments, in year x+4 of Den’s reign the Palermo Stone records a ‘census of all the people of the north, west and east’. We have little further evidence for this project, but at the least, we can say that it indicates Den’s desire to keep informed of the population of the state he led

There are a distinctively large number: well over 30, spread across tombs at Abusir and Helwan and mastabas at Saqqara and Abu Rawash. This increase is likely not simply because Den’s reign was fairly long and prosperous, but also because the structure of the administration changed and so there were more bureaucratic positions to be occupied. The most lavish elite tomb lies at Saqqara and belongs to Hemaka, Den’s chancellor and possibly the most important figure in government after him. In fact, it was initially misattributed to Den, due to its huge collection of fine goods, the largest collection yet of archaic objects. They range from inlaid gaming discs to a wooden box containing one of the oldest surviving papyri. Other fine grave goods dating to Den’s reign have been discovered, such as several complete Early Dynastic stone vessels. These are notable for their wide, experimental array of forms, from imitation reed baskets to flowers. In this way Den had a visible, though more indirect effect on the trend for elite burials of his