Know Thyself

SENUSRET II: WASETIAN NSUT OF THE 12TH DYNASTY

Khakheperre Senusret II, who ruled Kemet between roughly 1897 and 1878 BCE, has often been remembered as a “quiet” nswt-bjtj of the Twelfth Dynasty. Unlike the warrior-kings of earlier centuries or his own son Senusret III, his reign is not filled with accounts of battle and conquest. But recent archaeological discoveries and scholarly reassessments show that his importance lies elsewhere: in the management of land, water, and people, and in the subtle ways he reshaped Kemet’s infrastructure, religion, and political balance.

Senusret II was the son of Amenemhat II and part of a lineage that had worked tirelessly to stabilize the Two Lands after the chaos of the First Intermediate Period. His throne name, Khakheperre, meaning “The Soul of Re Comes into Being,” linked him to the solar creator, while his personal name, Senusret (“Man of the Goddess Wasret”), recalled his great-great-grandfather and signaled continuity within the dynasty. Evidence from a double-dated stela at Konosso suggests that he may have shared a co-regency with his father before ruling on his own. This possibility has stirred debate among historians: some argue for a nineteen-year reign, while others contend that he ruled for closer to a decade, with his authority blending into that of Amenemhat II.

What set Senusret II apart was his vision for the Faiyum oasis. He invested heavily in transforming this natural depression into a breadbasket for the kingdom. The king ordered the regulation of the Bahr Yussef canal, which flowed into Lake Moeris, and constructed a massive dike at El-Lahun along with a web of drainage canals. These works reclaimed thousands of acres for cultivation, allowing farmers to expand the black land (Kmt) at the expense of marsh and desert. This was more than engineering; it was ideology in action. In reshaping the landscape, Senusret embodied the pharaonic role of establishing ma’at—order, fertility, and balance—over the unpredictable forces of nature.

The pyramid he built at El-Lahun further symbolized this new orientation. Unlike the stone giants of the Old Kingdom, it had a mudbrick core with limestone casing and was surrounded by an unusual trench system designed to protect it from water damage. Recent geophysical surveys have revealed that the pyramid complex was more than a tomb: anomalies in the ground suggest buried chambers and large mudbrick buildings that may have served as warehouses. These discoveries paint a picture of a funerary complex that doubled as a logistical hub, where goods could be stored and redistributed, reinforcing the king’s role as provider.

Equally revealing is the nearby pyramid town of Kahun, or Hetep-Senusret. This planned settlement housed the workers who built and maintained the royal projects. Its streets were laid out with almost mathematical precision, with larger homes for officials and overseers and rows of smaller dwellings for laborers. Excavations have uncovered administrative papyri, household tools, and even fragments of clothing, offering a rare window into the daily life of Middle Kingdom Kemetyu. The very existence of such a carefully designed community demonstrates Senusret II’s emphasis on order, hierarchy, and the integration of ordinary people into the machinery of royal power.

Religion during his reign also took on a distinctive cast. In the Faiyum, the crocodile god Sobek rose to prominence, reflecting both the watery environment and the king’s irrigation projects. Sobek was a dangerous but protective deity, embodying the fertility of the marshes and the strength of the Nile. By associating himself with Sobek’s cult, Senusret II reinforced his image as a ruler who could command the waters and harness their power for Kemet’s prosperity. Artifacts from royal burials, such as the jeweled pectorals of his daughter Sithathor-Yunet, show exquisite craftsmanship and solar imagery that link the king’s household with cosmic order and rebirth.

If Senusret II is remembered today as a “peaceful” ruler, it is not because his reign was uneventful but because his victories were waged against different enemies: famine, disunity, and the unpredictability of the Nile. His policies established systems of food storage, irrigation, and settlement that ensured stability long after his death. When his son, the more militant Senusret III, inherited the throne, he did so with the foundation of a secure and prosperous heartland.

In many ways, Senusret II’s legacy has been overshadowed by his son’s military exploits, but his quiet genius deserves recognition. He was a technocrat-king who understood that the strength of Kemet lay not only in spears and chariots but in fertile fields, strong flood defenses, and the careful management of human communities. His reign reminds us that power in Kemet was measured not just in monuments and conquests, but in the ability to sustain life, order, and abundance for generations to come.

Reconstruction Artist: Know Thyself Institute

Source: egypt-museum.com/statue-of-senusret-ii/
Date of creation: 1897-1872 BCE, Middle Kingdom
Collection: Museum / Kopenhagen, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek
Origin: Intact tomb found in 1903 at Assiut, Egypt.
Inventory number: AEIN 659

Shell Pendant with the Name of Senwosret II
Source: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/549518?utm…

"King of Upper Kemet…Beautiful is the Ka-Soul of Ra who appears in Waset"

Black African Origins of Ancient Egypt | Documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYnUa...

Visit our official website for Merch:
www.knowthyselfinstitute.com/shop

"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~ 35th & 36th Principles of Ma'at

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3 4

3 months ago | [YT] | 324

Know Thyself

THE ANCIENT AFRICAN ORIGIN OF THE PHOENICIANS

This finely worked ivory figurine depicts a man leading a gazelle while carrying a monkey on his shoulder and the pelt of a leopard in his hand. The figure wears a patterned loin cloth, and his hair is carefully detailed in short twisted locs arranged in layered concentric rows, a hairstyle seen among ancient Egyptians and Nubians, reflecting cultural exchange across the eastern Mediterranean and influence Nile Valley culture had over the Levant.

The figurine was discovered in the Assyrian city of Nimrud and is believed to have been produced by Phoenician artisans native to the Levant, who were renowned for their mastery in ivory carving. Phoenician style ivories are distinguished by their use of Kemetian-inspired imagery, such as sphinxes and figures wearing pharaonic crowns—combined with elaborate carving techniques including openwork and colored glass inlay. Such figures likely adorned luxury furniture or ceremonial objects within Assyrian palaces. Phoenicians are considered culturally and genetically connected to Nile Valley African populations that migrated into the Near East and settled in the Levant.

The combination of exotic animals, elaborate dress, and distinct craftsmanship underscores the wealth and reach of the Assyrian court, while also showing how Phoenician artistry links ancient African, Levantine, and Mesopotamian societies. This piece provides a vivid glimpse into the interconnected trade, artistic influence, and cultural exchanges of the ancient Near East.

The Phoenicians, renowned across the Mediterranean as master seafarers, merchants, and cultural intermediaries, were remembered by ancient writers as a people whose roots lay not in the Levant but further south, in Africa. Several classical texts, as well as linguistic and archaeological evidence, suggest that the Phoenicians were migrants from the Red Sea–Horn of Africa region who later established themselves along the eastern Mediterranean coast.

Herodotus, in Histories (I.1), reports Persian accounts stating:
“This people, who had formerly dwelt on the shores of the Erythraean Sea, having migrated to the Mediterranean and settled in the parts which they now inhabit, began at once, they say, to adventure on long voyages, freighting their vessels with the wares of Egypt and Assyria.”

This passage indicates that the Phoenicians originally lived along the shores of the Erythraean Sea, modern day Eitrea, (commonly identified with the Red Sea) before migrating northward to the Mediterranean. The Ancient Kemetyu (Egyptians) used the name “Djahi” for the Phoenicians, consistently describing them as “kinsmen and allies”, rather than strangers. Archaeological evidence of maritime connections between the Horn of Africa, Arabia, and the Levant dates back to the third millennium BCE and the migrations of Africans into the Levant date back to the Neolithic era.

"Ehret cited other genetic evidence which had identified the Horn of Africa as a source of a genetic marker “M35 /215” Y-chromosome lineage for a significant population component which moved north from that region into Egypt and the Levant."

Ehret, Christopher (20 June 2023). Ancient Africa: A Global History, to 300 CE. Princeton University Press. pp. 97, 167:
www.academia.edu/121820837/Ancient_Africa_a_global…

While the Phoenicians are best known as Levantine traders, their ancestral traditions, classical accounts, and archaeological evidence point further south, to the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, as their original homeland, known as the Land of Punt to the ancinet Kemites. The association of Canaan with “Kin-Anu,” the Kemetian designation of Phoenicians as “Djahi,” and recognition of their African-linked culture in classical sources situate them within an African cultural continuum. Connections to Punt and the Horn of Africa demonstrate that Phoenicians carried maritime skills, cultural legacies, and ancestral memory from Africa into the wider ancient world.

While their origins of culture and orignal peopling may have come from Northeast Africa the Phoenicians were not a homogenous ethnic group but rather a mosaic shaped by geography, trade, and centuries of cultural exchange. Emerging from the broader Canaanite world, they were deeply rooted in the indigenous populations of the eastern Mediterranean, yet their constant interaction with neighboring Egyptians, Mesopotamians, and Anatolians layered new influences onto their genetic and cultural identity. As skilled seafarers and traders, the Phoenicians carried this mixed heritage across the Mediterranean, leaving traces in North Africa, Iberia, and even as far as the Atlantic coasts. What defined them was less a single bloodline and more a shared language, maritime economy, and cosmopolitan outlook that absorbed and integrated surrounding peoples into their networks.

The seafaring capabilities of peoples along the Red Sea support the tradition of a northward migration. Linguistically, Phoenician belongs to the Semitic family, but the Semitic expansion itself is widely believed to have originated in Africa before spreading into Arabia and the Levant, further reinforcing the memory of an African cradle. The Hebrew Bible preserves echoes of this shared origin. Cushites (Ethiopians) and Sidonians (Phoenicians) are often associated in genealogies, with the text stating that “Cush fathered Nimrod, and Sidon was the firstborn of Canaan” (Genesis 10:6–15, NIV), suggesting a memory of kinship or proximity. Some scholars trace Canaan to “Kin-Anu, meaning belonging to the Anu,” a designation linked to the early African founders of Nile Valley civilization, remembered as native Africans who carried their culture from Kemet into the Levant. The worship of deities such as Astarte/Ishtar further illustrates continuities between the Horn of Africa, southern Arabia, and the Levant.

The Phoenicians’ greatest legacy is the written word, a gift that ultimately shaped the English alphabet. Yet the origins of this legacy lie in Africa, along the Nile, where the ancient Egyptians created Medu Neter around 3200 BCE. Medu Neter was a sophisticated system of symbols that combined images and sounds, used to record religion, law, history, and culture. It reflected the intellectual and spiritual achievements of Nile Valley civilizations and stands as one of the earliest known forms of writing in human history.

Over time, the complexity of hieroglyphs inspired neighboring peoples to create simpler scripts. The Proto-Canaanite alphabet distilled Egyptian symbols into consonantal sounds, which the Phoenicians later refined into a streamlined system of twenty-two letters. By prioritizing sound over image, the Phoenicians enabled literacy to spread widely across the Mediterranean, carrying forward the innovations first developed by African scribes.

The Greeks adopted Phoenician letters, adding vowels, and this system passed through the Etruscans to the Romans, forming the Latin alphabet that underpins modern English. Every letter we use today traces its intellectual ancestry to Africa, where the first abstractions of the written word were conceived. The history of writing is, above all, a testament to African ingenuity. From Medu Neter to the Phoenician alphabet, the intellectual achievements of Nile Valley civilizations were transmitted across continents and millennia, leaving an enduring legacy that shapes the written language we use every day.

Did History Lie About the Phoenicians? Short Film | WATCH NOW: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCtMS...

"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~ 35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at, Papyrus of Ani, Ru Pert Em Heru

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3

3 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 354

Know Thyself

REMETCH 𓂋𓍿𓀀𓁐 𓏥 EGYPTIAN MAN FROM THE TOMB OF RAMSES III

In the Tomb of Ramses III, Book of Gates, Fourth Division, lower register, Scene 30, the term Remetch is used to identify the Egyptian men depicted on the temple walls. This image, which can be viewed on the Theban Mapping Project website, clearly shows hieroglyphs labeling this individual as Remetch—a term referring specifically to native Egyptians. Despite this explicit identification, dishonest scholars claim these men were "erroneously" labeled, and are actually Nubians. The idea that ancient Kemetic scribes—would misidentify their own people is not only implausible, it is insulting.

Such claims reflect a deeper issue in the field of Egyptology: the imposition of racial and geopolitical biases imposed onto ancient African civilizations. To assert that the scribes mislabeled Nubians as Egyptians in a scene designed to depict the races of the world, is to ignore the cultural, historical, and linguistic integrity of Kemet. This revisionist view prioritizes modern agendas over primary sources, undermining the authority of the very people who produced these texts and images.

Tomb of Ramses, Book of Gates, Fourth Division, lower register, Scene 30: thebanmappingproject.com/index.php/images/15652jpg

The idea that the ancient scribes "erroneously" labeled these men as "Egyptians" is absurd. The false claim that these are acutally Nubians is born from a modern ethnic view of ancient Nile Valley Africans born out of modern Egyptian nationalism and anti-African sentiment. The misclassification of the "Remetch" as Nubians illustrates a troubling trend where modern racial categories are superimposed onto ancient peoples, leading to significant misunderstandings of their identities

His elaborate robe and attire indicate he was Egyptian elite with high status within Kemetic society. Despite this, some scholars have misrepresented these figures as Nubians, and claim they are a misinterpretation that reflects the eurocentric biases which have long distorted the field of Egyptology. According to the Book of Gates, the Remetch and the Nehesy are the Children of Ra, or, the Children of the Sun. It states that the Remetch were formed from the tears of Ra, while the Nehesy were born from his seed, which emphasizes their ancestral relationship. This mythological account serves to underline the idea of a shared lineage and kinship deeply rooted in the ancient African pastoralists who first populated the Nile Valley.

Asiatics and Libyans on the other hand were created by Set, the goddess of war and destruction, implying a more distant or even adversarial origin. This distinction reflects how the Remetch viewed themselves and their southern neighbors (Nubians) as part of an extended family, while casting the eastern and western foreigners in a different light, suggesting their classification as external or marginal groups within the Egyptian worldview. As Dr. Maria Gatto, a prominent archaeologist and specialist in Northeast African civilizations, emphasizes, “Nubia is Egypt’s African ancestor,” highlighting the foundational role Nubia played in the emergence of Kemetic culture.

This relationship was not merely transactional but deeply cultural, as the political and spiritual ideas that emerged in Nubia significantly influenced the development of early Egyptian civilization. Dr. Christopher Ehret, a Distinguished Research Professor of History at the University of California, Los Angeles, supports this view, emphasizing the foundational role of Nubian influence:

“Cultural formations in Nubia gradually spread into southern Egypt, culminating in the unified Egyptian state around 3100 BCE...The Qustul, (Nubian ceremonial center) elite and ruler in the second half of the fourth millennium participated together with their counterparts in the communities of the Naqada culture of southern Egypt in creating the emerging culture and paraphernalia of pharaonic culture.”

Christopher Ehret, The Civilizations of Africa: A History to 1800 (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2002), 45.

The most stunning find is the seal with the name "Ta-Seti" that yields the most staggering implication, regarding the relationship between Nubia and Egypt in prehistory: and here is the significance.

"By 3,500 BCE, a cultural world of sacral chiefdoms and petty sacral kingdoms was gradually coming into being in Nubia, and the ideas that undergirded these social formations also took hold in the far south of Egypt. Recent archaeological work shows that this political and cultural outlook then spread from southern Egypt northward into Lower Egypt after perhaps 3300, culminating in the establishment of a unified Egypt around 3,100 BCE. For a while between 3,400 and 3200 BCE, the most powerful of the small states may have been Ta-Seti, actually located in the northern Nubian stretches of the Nile, just south of Egypt. The pictorial documents left by its kings reveal Ta-Seti's claim to having conquered and ruled over Upper Egypt for the time. The kingdom had strong connections both up and down the Nile. Imported items from as far north as the Syria-Palestine region turn up in the grave goods of the rulers.”

Larry Ross, Nubia and Egypt: From Prehistory to the Meroitic Period, Edwin Mellen Press, 2012, p. 73-75: www.researchgate.net/publication/283504727_Nubia_a…

These studies shows that ancient Egyptians and Nubians were closely related biologically, sharing common ancestry shaped by the early peopling of the Nile Valley. These connections were reinforced by thousands of years of interaction—through migration, trade, and colonization—along the Nile River. Remarkably, a Mesolithic Nubian population, from before 6,000 BCE, was found to have biological ties with both later Nubian and Egyptian groups. This suggests that the genetic roots of both civilizations run deep and are tightly intertwined, reflecting a shared African heritage that predates the rise of Pharaonic Egypt.

"I was established by the might of Ra, chosen by Amun, to renew the monuments of the ancestors and make whole again what was broken."

— Inscription attributed to Menpehtyre Ramessu, Karnak Second Pylon reliefs

Message to Metatron Part II: Smiting of the Snake Oil Scholar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TL9Ba...

"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~ 35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at, Papyrus of Ani, Ru Pert Em Heru

Skip the Carousel

1 2

3 months ago | [YT] | 413

Know Thyself

ABISHA THE HYKSOS 𓋾𓈎𓈉

Abisha was a Levantine-born pastoralist and herdsman who lived during the Second Intermediate Period of Kemet (c. 1650–1550 BCE), an age when the Hyksos (Heqau-Khasut, “Rulers of Foreign Lands”), a confederation of Asiatic peoples largely Semitic-speaking from Retjenu (Syria-Palestine), immigrated to the Nile Valley and settled in the eastern Nile Delta and along the coastlines of North Africa. Over time, towns like Avaris (Tell el-Dab‘a) became overrun by Asiatic immigrants, enabling the Hyksos to dominate Lower Kemet and subvert the authority of the pharaonic kingdom in the south. Abisha’s very name carried Semitic roots, reflecting the West Asiatic heritage of the Hyksos and the migration that brought his people into the Nile Valley, where they blended their pastoral traditions with the complex society of Kemet.


The Hyksos co-opted certain aspects of Kemetic rulership, such as taking on royal titles, using throne names, and honoring the Egyptian gods. Yet it remains unclear whether this reflected genuine assimilation or a strategic effort to legitimize their rule and gain acceptance while maintaining a distinct Semitic identity. This tactic was not unique to the Hyksos; centuries later, during the Third Intermediate Period, Libyan rulers similarly appropriated the resources of royal tombs and coffers to consolidate power and integrate themselves into the pharaonic tradition. Greco-Roman rulers would follow suit following the long trend of co-opting ancinet African culture and tradition. What is clear is that the Hyksos retained their distinctive Heka Khasut title and Semitic/Amorite personal names.

Their rule caused significant political and cultural disruption, as they overthrew native rulers and challenged the authority of the southern pharaohs, unsettling societal structures and disrupting Nile Valley civilization. Egyptian sources record them desecrating temples and oppressing the local population. Moreover, the Hyksos exerted economic control over the fertile Nile Delta, dominating trade routes and resources, redirecting wealth away from Pharaonic instututions. Some scholars have suggested that a fragment of a cuneiform tablet found in Avaris might indicate diplomatic contacts with prominent Amorite networks, potentially including the Old Babylonian dynasty of Hammurabi.

However, this claim is highly speculative: the fragment is incomplete, and its contents remain unpublished or untranslated, offering no direct evidence of formal political correspondence. While Mesopotamian writing and Near Eastern-style artifacts in Avaris show cultural contact, they do not prove high-level diplomacy. The Hyksos were likely a regionally concentrated group who relied on local military and administrative structures, lacking the sophistication to sustain major international relations. Later Kemetic sources remembered the Hyksos in deeply negative terms, portraying them as foreign invaders who disrupted Maat, the cosmic order and divine law of Kemetic society. The historian Manetho, writing in the third century BCE, described the Hyksos as:

"...unexpectedly, from the regions of the East, invaders of obscure race marched in confidence of victory against our land without difficulty or even battle. By main force they easily overpowered the rulers of the land, they then burned our cities ruthlessly, razed to the ground the temples of the gods, and treated all the natives with a cruel hostility, massacring some and leading into slavery the wives and children of others... He had his seat at Memphis, levying tribute from Upper and Lower Egypt, and leaving garrisons behind in the most advantageous positions. Above all, he fortified the district to the east, foreseeing that the Assyrians, as they grew stronger, would one day covet and attack his kingdom."

- Source: Manetho, Aegyptiaca, frag. 42, 1.75-79.2 — arce.org/resource/hyksos/

This account reflects the trauma caused by this foreign incursion. For the people of Waset (Thebes) in Upper Kemet, the Hyksos rulers of the Delta were not legitimate pharaohs but usurpers. The royal family of Seqenenre Tao initiated campaigns to reclaim the Delta, a struggle continued by his son Kamose and ultimately by Ahmose I, whose campaigns would expel the Hyksos, reunify the Nile Valley, and lay the foundation for the New Kingdom. Ahmose I is often viewed as the fulfillment of Kemetic lore, particularly the Prophecy of Neferti, which foretold:

"There is a king who will come from the south...He is the son of the Land of the Bow (Nubia), he is a child of the Heartland of Nekhen (near Aswan). He will take up the White Crown, he will raise up the Red Crown, he will unite the Two Mighty Goddesses, he will appease the Two Lord Gods, with what they desire."

– Prophecy of Neferti

Kamose’s stela recounts his own campaigns against the Hyksos:

"I sailed north to my victory to drive back the Asiatics, my courageous army in front of me like a flame of fire, with the Bowmen of the Medjay upland of our encampment ready to seek out the Asiatics."

– Stela of King Kamose

Though history records the Hyksos as invaders, Abisha represents the ordinary Aamu who lived and died in that liminal age: farmers, herdsmen, and traders whose labor sustained the foundations of Hyksos power in Kemet. His life unfolded under foreign authority, caught between the ambitions of the Hyksos and the eventual resurgence of native kingship. Ultimately, Ahmose I expelled the Hyksos, restored Kemetic unity, and fulfilled the Prophecy of Neferti by establishing the New Kingdom. Abisha embodies the countless individuals whose daily work underpinned the occupation, illustrating the human dimension of this turbulent era and the ways ordinary people shaped life under foreign rule.

Artwork created by ©KnowThyself Institute
All rights reserved

Skip the Carousel

1 2

3 months ago | [YT] | 101

Know Thyself

KEMETIC (ANCIENT EGYPTIAN) INFANTRY TROOPS

The Kemetic army was not an institution from Kemet’s earliest beginnings but rather a product of necessity. During much of the Old Kingdom (c. 2686–2181 BCE), Kemet relied on seasonal militias drawn from peasant farmers. These levies defended local territories and served the state when called upon, but there was no standing, professional army due to the foundational principles of the nation which promoted morality and an ethical society. Due to external threats from Asiatics, Bedouins, Libyans, and incursions along the southern border, however, Kemet was eventually compelled to organize permanent military forces. By the Middle Kingdom, a professional army had emerged, complete with Nubian archers, chariotry, and elite divisions, reflecting not only the evolution of warfare but also the enduring balance between Maat’s principles and the practical realities of state defense.

The collapse of central authority during the First Intermediate Period (c. 2181–2055 BCE) exposed Kemet’s vulnerability. Rival nomarchs, provincial governors, raised their own militias, while Asiatic groups migrating across the Sinai into the Delta placed growing pressure on the land. This instability revealed a critical truth: part-time militias alone were insufficient. Civil war, famine, and foreign threats compelled the state to create a permanent military structure. By the Middle Kingdom, a professional Kemetic army had emerged, with full-time soldiers, fortified garrisons, and campaigns into Nubia and the Levant to secure borders.

Infantry remained the backbone of this new army. Troops were organized into divisions named after major gods such as Amun, Ra, and Ptah, and drilled for discipline and cohesion. Their standard weapons included spears and javelins for both thrusting and throwing, composite bows for ranged warfare, axes and the sickle-shaped khopesh sword for close combat, and large leather-and-wood shields. Armor was minimal, often made of linen or leather, since mobility and endurance mattered more in the desert environment than heavy protection. Soldiers wore simple kilts, never headgear, and certainly not the nemes crown, which was reserved exclusively for kings.

The next great transformation came after the Hyksos occupation during the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1650–1550 BCE). The Hyksos introduced the horse-drawn chariot and advanced bronze weaponry. In response, the restored Kemetic rulers of the New Kingdom forged a modern army that blended native infantry with Nubian archers, Asiatic-style chariots, and foreign mercenaries. Even with these additions, infantry troops remained the foundation of military power. They marched across Nubia, Canaan, and Syria in the great campaigns of Thutmose III and Ramesses II, forming the solid ranks behind which Kemet’s empire was built.

Military service became both a duty and a path to advancement. Soldiers could earn land, titles, and wealth, rising into the elite. The army also became a stabilizing political force, ensuring the pharaoh’s dominance and preventing the fragmentation that had once left Kemet open to Asiatic invasion.

The Kemetic Army was born out of crisis, forged in the crucible of the First Intermediate Period and the Asiatic threat. Its infantrymen carried the burden of that transformation, evolving from peasant militias into a disciplined professional corps that secured Kemet's borders, expanded its empire, and preserved one of the world’s greatest civilizations for nearly two millennia.

Modern depictions frequently show the army wearing helmets, elaborate head coverings, or even the nemes crown, when in fact no soldier wore such headdresses. Many of these headpieces were added to hide their natural Afro-textured hair. Even more misleading is the tendency to whitewash ancient Egyptians, portraying them with pale skin tones that do not reflect their true appearance or to suggest they had tans. One such false interpretation can be seen on the on the website “Egyptian Museum” who states the following:

“The group consists of forty soldiers arranged in ten lines. They are colored reddish brown, their strong tan indicating their continuous and elaborate open-air training. They have a tidy haircut which covers their ears and a very short kilt to facilitate movement, and they carry lances and shields.”

— Source: egypt-museum.com/model-of-ancient-egyptian-soldier…

This interpretation attempts to obscure the historical reality by suggesting that their naturally dark skin was merely the result of tanning, a claim unsupported by evidence. Thousands of years of artwork on temple walls consistently depict ancient Egyptians with dark skin and tightly coiled, Afro-textured hair. This was the dominant phenotype within the Nile Valley, which aligns with the appearance of modern-day Afar, Oromo, Bishari, Beja, and other Northeast African populations, as confirmed by both genetic and anthropological studies showing that ancient Egyptians cluster closely with these groups.

Near the tail end of the Kemetic civilization, during the 26th Dynasty, Kemet had endured centuries of successive invasions, foreign domination, and shifts in religious and social hierarchies. It was in this turbulent context, during the reign of Pharaoh Psammetichus II (595–589 BCE), that a large group of Kemetic soldiers defected to Ethiopia. Herodotus recounts:

“These were two hundred and forty thousand Egyptians of the warrior class, who revolted and went over to the Ethiopians for the following cause:—In the reign of Psammetichos garrisons were set, one towards the Ethiopians at the city of Elephantine, and others at various points along the southern frontier. The soldiers were forced to serve in these outposts far from the Nile Valley, under difficult conditions. Discontented with their duties, they departed from Egypt and crossed into Ethiopia. There they offered themselves to the Ethiopian king, who received them, gave them land to settle, and incorporated them into his army.”

— Herodotus, Histories 2.30, lexundria.com/hdt/2.30/mcly?utm_source=chatgpt.com

Stationed far from home under harsh conditions at Kemet's southern borders, these soldiers—later known as the Asmach or Sapaei—offered their military expertise to the Ethiopian king, who welcomed them and granted them land to settle. This event highlights both the mobility of ancient peoples and the role of the Egyptian military as a cultural and political force beyond the Nile Valley.

This defection of Kemetic soldiers to Ethiopia was not an isolated event, but part of a broader historical trend. Over the centuries, especially during the Late Period and into the Greco-Roman era, large numbers of Kemetic people migrated south and west seeking relief from harsh garrison duties, heavy taxation, and political instability. These migrations spread Kemetian culture, military expertise, and labor across neighboring regions, highlighting the mobility of ancient populations and the enduring influence of Kemetic civilization even as foreign powers assumed control.

“The king is strong in his armies; his soldiers are like a flood, arranged in companies and squadrons, armed with shield and spear, disciplined in the conduct of war.”

— Ramesseum inscriptions, Thebes, New Kingdom, 19th Dynasty

Reconstruction created by Know Thyself


"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~ 35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at

Skip the Carousel

1 2

4 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 471

Know Thyself

THE GREAT AMENHOTEP III & MIGHTY QUEEN TIYE: 18TH DYNASTY

Father of the famed “heretic Pharaoh,” Akhenaten, and grandfather to the famous King Tut, Amenhotep III was one of Kemet's (Egypt’s) greatest Nsut’s "nswt-bjtj" (Pharaohs) and the most successful of the 18th Dynasty.

Amenhotep III’s greastest accomplishment was his construction of Nsut Towi known as Karnak to modern Egyptians. Nsut Towi which translates to "Throne of the Two Lands", was located in Upper Kemet in the historical city of Waset known as Thebes to the Greeks and translates to the “City of the Scepter". Popularly known as the “Theban Kingdom” or more accurately the “Wasetian Kingdom”, this was the spiritual and political seat of power in the southern most regions of the nation that held dominion over Lower Kemet and the Mediterranean.

The Temple of Nsut Towi was dedicated to the Nubian Netjer (diety) Amun, the God of all Gods whose birthplace was Gebel Barkal located in modern day Sudan. It was in Upper Kemet Amenhotep undertook most of his elaborate building projects with two of his most important Temples being built in Nubia, most likely to honor his wife Queen Tiye’s Nubian origins.

Amenhotep's temple is located in Nubia, in the town of Soleb, in present day Sudan and was dedicated to the Netcher (Deity), Amun Re. His wife was the powerful Queen Tiye known for her intellectual and political acumen. Amenhotep III genuinely loved and honored his wife, and regarded her as a partner in his life. He devoted a number of shrines in her honor and constructed a temple dedicated to her in Nubia in the city of Sedeinga, also in present day Sudan.

Temple of Soleb in Nubia:
whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/6596/

Temple of Sedeinga, Nubia:
discoversudan.de/en/travel/sudan/locations/sedeing….

During his reign, Kemet enjoyed wealth, peace and stability. When Amenhotep III died, he left behind a country that was at the very height of its power and influence, commanding immense respect in the international world.

“My rays encompass all lands which You have made. All beings in the sky and those who fly with their wings, the deserts of Retjenu and the lands of Kush, and the Black Land of Kemet—you place every person in their rightful station. You provide their daily sustenance, assigning to each the portion that is theirs. You reckon the span of their lives. The Two Lands celebrate daily at Your rising; humans awaken, stand on their feet; You have awakened them.”

— Excerpt from the Great Hymn to Aten, attributed to Nesu Bity Akhenaten, beloved of the Aten

* * *

Queen Tiye or "Taya", as she was indigenously known, was a Kemetic Queen of Nubian descent. The Statuette of the Lady Tiye depicts a young Tiye prior to her marrigage. Although she was not of royal blood, her family was well-respected within Kemet, and she married Amenhotep III, a noble Kemetic King.

"Her parents' names, some claim, are not Egyptian, and it has been suggested that they were Nubian. Scholars who have noted Tiye's unusual role in the affairs of state point to the Nubian custom of female rulers. The Candaces of Nubia were all strong female rulers, and so some scholars speculate that perhaps Tiye felt free to wield power in the same way as a male ruler because of her upbringing and heritage."

- World History Encyclopedia: www.worldhistory.org/tiye

Queen Tiye governed the 18th dynasty besides her husband as a wise advisor and powerful ruler. She was not only one of Africa's greatest queens, but also one of history's most powerful women. This can be attributed to her significant influence in Kemet during her husband and son's reign. During her husband's reign, she was referred to as the "Great Royal Wife." Queen Tiye was a prominent figure in the public arena and wielded great power in administering state affairs. She was responsible for communicating with foreign rulers, and the Amarna letters are a testament to the admiration and respect bestowed upon her by foreign leaders.

The mighty Queen Tiye ruled with the same authority as a man and exercised her power in equal measure with the great kings of the ancient world. Her death marked the end of the 18th dynasty's illustrious reign and her legacy established her as one of Africa's greatest women rulers.

“She is the Lady of All Lands, the One who unites with the beauty of the Sun. My love for her is in my heart. None can rival her among all peoples.”

— Inscription from the Temple of Soleb, Nubia (commissioned by Amenhotep III)

Artwork by Know Thyself

Sources:
Wall Painting of Amenhotep III:
collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010012168

Statuette of the Lady Tiye:
www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544524

"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~ 35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at

Skip the Carousel

1 2

4 months ago | [YT] | 315

Know Thyself

ASIATIC INVASION OF ANCIENT KEMET

Over the centuries the Pharaonic Kings of Waset, in Upper Kemet battled for control of the nation with the Libyan chieftains of the Delta, raiding Bedouin parties from the Sinai Peninsula and invading forces from the Levant and Anatolia. The reunification of the nation under Mentuhotep the second ushered in a new sense of security throughout the country and established Kemet’s Middle Kingdom, an era that was to become a golden age for artistic and literary creation and a truly revolutionary period in regard to spirituality and political systems of governance. However, this golden age would be interrupted by political and social instability which would come to be known as the Second Intermediate Period.

The papyrus below shows the image of an Eurasian captive known to the ancient Kemetyu as "hekau khasut" 𓋾𓈎𓈉 better known as the Hyksos. Originally known as the Aamu 𓂝𓄿𓅓𓅱 they originally came as Asiatic Immigrants migrating back to Africa via the Levant originating in Retjenu which is modern day Syria which they settled before migrating from their homeland in the Western Steppe in and around the region of the Caucus Mountains.

The first Sub-Arctic Caucasian (Indo-European) migrations from the Caucasus Mountains began around 7000 BCE, and by 1700 BCE these Sub-Arctic Caucasians, along with Western Eurasians populations settled in the Levant, Delta regions and along the coastlines of North Africa. In some places they eventually would outnumber native Africans, such as in the city of Avaris and Sais, which was predominantly an Asiatic city by the year 1650 BCE. The Aamu were nomadic goat herders thought to have migrated to the Nile Valley from Retjenu (modern-day Syria), with older origins in and around the region of the Caucasus Mountains.

It is worth noting that this same wider Sub-Arctic Caucasian population, including early Slavic peoples from the Black Sea region, would later be at the center of the world’s first historically documented large-scale slave trade, in which Eurasians sold other Eurasians into bondage. These early Slavic populations gave rise to the very word “slave,” a term rooted in their own ethnonym. This institution of slavery persisted for over 3,000 years, embedding itself deeply into the economic and political systems of the ancient world.

Centuries before this slave trade reached its height, Kemet itself suffered invasions that brought mass enslavement from war captives. The Ptolemaic historian Manetho records one such event, the Hyksos incursion, in the following account:

"Tutimaeus. In his reign, for what cause I know not, a blast of God smote us; and unexpectedly, from the regions of the East, invaders of obscure race marched in confidence of victory against our land without difficulty or even battle. By main force they easily overpowered the rulers of the land, they then burned our cities ruthlessly, razed to the ground the temples of the gods, and treated all the natives with a cruel hostility, massacring some and leading into slavery the wives and children of others. Finally, they appointed as king one of their number whose name was Salitis. He had his seat at Memphis, levying tribute from Upper and Lower Egypt, and leaving garrisons behind in the most advantageous positions. Above all, he fortified the district to the east, foreseeing that the Assyrians, as they grew stronger, would one day covet and attack his kingdom."

Source: Manetho, Aegyptiaca, frag. 42, 1.75-79.2 — arce.org/resource/hyksos/

The Hyksos conquerors ushered in what would become known as the 14th Dynasty of Kemet and the beginning of the Second Intermediate Period which was known as a dark age in Kemetic history which would span across the 14th, 15th, 16th, and 17th Dynasties. This would be the first time in recorded history that a foreign dynasty would rule over the whole of the nation, before native rulership would once again be established during the 18th Dynasty around 1550 BCE.

Danielle Candelora, an Egyptian archaeologist and assistant Professor of Ancient Mediterranean History at SUNY Cortland, goes on to say,

“Later in the Second Intermediate Period, the native Egyptian kings ruling the south from Thebes (Waset) began a campaign to expel the Hyksos and usher in the 17th Dynasty. The mummy of Seqenenre Taa was discovered riddled with battle wounds, including a fatal ax strike on the forehead that forensically matches a West Asian style ax. The next Theban king, Kamose, erected multiple stelae at Karnak Temple recording his own campaign, further vilifying the Hyksos...These stelae reference the Egyptian conquest of several cities, including the protracted siege of Avaris itself. Records of Kamose cease after his third regnal year, and his brother (or son) Ahmose took up the campaign.

The Autobiography of Ahmose, son of Ibana, a soldier under Ahmose and later kings, records the destruction of Avaris and expulsion of the Hyksos. But no solid evidence supports such destruction. Instead, archaeological material at Tell el Dab’a indicates a West Asian population continued to live there into the New Kingdom, raising questions about how many people were actually expelled. Regardless, later Egyptian texts (Speos Artemidos Inscription of Hatshepsut) continued to malign the Hyksos. They were also mocked in literary tales like the Tale of Apepi and Seqenenre.”

Source: www.touregypt.net/manethohyksos.htm

While many Western Eurasians and Sub-Arctic Caucasians from the Black Sea region entered into the nation as slaves, many came as immigrants to find work and managed to establish a large presence in the city of Avaris. Avaris became their stronghold and was an economic epicenter and trading hotspot, which attracted many more from the Near East to the Nile Valley. While there is evidence of populations from as far as Cyprus settling in the Delta region during this time period, the most populous group by far, even outnumbering the native Kemites, were populations from the Levant. It was during this time period foreign nomarchs in the Delta became more powerful than the Pharaonic Kings of Waset in the South. Following the death of King Amenemhat the Fourth, these foreign rulers were able to found their own government and usher in the 14th Dynasty.

They ruled from the city of Avaris, controlled the eastern Delta, and perhaps all of Lower Kemet becoming politically and economically independent from the native kingship in Waset known as Thebes to the Greeks. The 14th Dynasty was a foreign occupation. They ruled for nearly two centuries and left little to no records. This breakdown in Kemetic governance and values would leave the nation vulnerable and give rise to the invasion of the Hyksos. “During their rule, Hyksos kings were constantly renegotiating their identities as the context demanded, emphasizing Kemetic traditions or their West Asian origins. They adopted elements of Kemetic kingship, including royal titles, throne names, hieroglyphic inscriptions, scribal activity and worshiping the Kemetic pantheon.”

The Hyksos did not control all of Kemet. Instead, they coexisted with the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Dynasties, which were based in the city of Waset. Warfare between the Hyksos and the pharaohs of the late Seventeenth Dynasty eventually culminated in the defeat of the Hyksos by Ahmose the First, who founded the Eighteenth Dynasty of Kemet. In the following centuries, the Kemites would portray the Hyksos as bloodthirsty and oppressive foreign rulers. While Kamose would be the first to initiate the expulsion of the Hyksos, it was Ahmose who would complete this mission and gain control of the Delta region back from the Hyksos, banishing them from the land and ushering in the 18th Dynasty.

"I sailed north to my victory to drive back the Asiatics, my courageous army in front of me like a flame of fire, with the Bowmen of the Medjay upland of our encampment ready to seek out the Asiatics." – Stela of King Ahmose

The victory of Ahmose and the rise of the New Kingdom did not end the presence of foreigners in Kemet, nor the practice of taking large numbers of them as prisoners of war. This policy continued into the reign of Rameses III, as vividly recorded in the Great Harris Papyrus:

“I dispatched the warriors from Kush and from the southern lands, men renowned for their bows and their swiftness, to guard the southern boundaries and to fight alongside the forces of the King of Upper and Lower Kemet.

I brought back in great numbers those that my sword has spared, with their hands tied behind their backs before my horses, and their wives and children in tens of thousands, and their livestock in hundreds of thousands. I imprisoned their leaders in fortresses bearing my name, and I added to them chief archers and tribal chiefs, branded and enslaved, tattooed with my name, their wives and children being treated in the same way.”

— Great Harris Papyrus, trans. Alan Gardiner (1955)

This record not only illustrates the military dominance of Kemet in the post-Hyksos era but also underscores a recurring theme in Kemetic statecraft — the integration of foreign captives into the economic and military systems, often by force, as both a deterrent and a demonstration of royal authority.

"I am the protector of the two lands; I repel the rebels and destroy the enemies of the king. I am the guardian who watches over the land, whose spear brings justice."

— Pyramid Texts, Utterance 303, Saqqara, 5th Dynasty (c. 2400 BCE)

Black African Origins of Ancient Egypt | The Debate is Over:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYnUa...

"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at

Skip the Carousel

1 2

4 months ago | [YT] | 155

Know Thyself

NILOTIC ORIGINS OF HIEROGLYPHICS (MEDU NETER)

Although the ancient Kemetyu language, indigenously fall into the modern language family of Afro-Asiatic, there is nothing Asiatic about it. It was created in Africa, by Africans...Asiatics played no part in its creation.

Mdw Ntchr known today as hieroglyphs was the writing system of ancient Kemet (Egypt). The translation of the two words means: sacred script or divine word. According to Historian Dr. Theophile Obenga, "Egyptian Hieroglyphic Writing is the oldest writing system in the world dating to the age of African antiquity as far back as 3400 BC when the Pre-Dynastic Nubians of ancient Egypt developed the Medu Neter writing system in the Nile Valley during the era of Kemetic Civilization."

Diodorus Siculus made the claim that the Hieroglyphs were actually an Ethiopian script, which was held sacred by the Egyptians and was learned and transmitted only within the priestly families of Egypt. Among the Ethiopians the script was so common that most Ethiopians knew how to read and write in hieroglyphs. Here is the excerpt:

“We must now speak about the Ethiopian (Nubian) writing which is called hieroglyphic among the Egyptians, in order that we may omit nothing in our discussion of their antiquities.”

- The Library of History of Diodorus Siculus Vol II, Book III

Source: penelope.uchicago.edu/.../Diodorus_Siculus/3A*.htm…

Egyptian scholar Gamal Mokhtar argued that the inventory of hieroglyphic symbols derived from "fauna and flora used in the signs [which] are essentially African" and in "regards to writing, we have seen that a purely Nilotic, hence African origin not only is not excluded, but probably reflects the reality".

Ancient Civilizations of Africa Vol 2 (Unesco General History of Africa (abridged)) (Abridged ed.). London [England]: J. Currey. 1990. pp. 11–12.

Some scholars in the past suggested the Medu Neter was developed in the Levant by Semitic people. Although these theories have long been put to rest in academic communities some still repeat these long outdated notions. EW Budge, like Egyptian scholar Gamal Mokhtar agreed in a Nilotic origin, denoting or belonging to a subgroup of Nilo-Saharan languages spoken in Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, and Kenya.

"It is impossible for me to believe that Egyptian is a Semitic language fundamentally. There are a very large number of words that are not Semitic and were never invented by a Semitic people. These words were invented by one of the oldest African people of the Nile valley of whose written language we have any remains. Their home lay far to the south, and all that we know of Predynastic Egypt suggests that it was in the neighborhood of the Great Lakes."

- EW Budge, Hieroglyphic Dictionary, Dover, 1920
It is pretty safe to say that the Gyph for "face" in the Medu Neter language confirms the Nilotic origins put forth by Budge, Mokhtar and others.

Visit our Virtual Museum:
www.knowthyselfinstitute.com/museum

"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at

Skip the Carousel

1 2

4 months ago | [YT] | 269

Know Thyself

MEDJAY WARRIOR: ELITE PARAMILTARY UNIT

The Medjay were originally a semi-nomadic people whose homeland was in the eastern desert in Nubia, ranging from Kemet (Egypt) to the Red Sea. They are mentioned as early as 2400 BC, when Kemetic texts recorded them as warriors serving within the Kemetic military, the police force as well as administrators within the Government. Later ancient texts also document their presence as soldiers at fortresses built along the Iteru (Nile) in Ta-Nehesy (Land of the Nubians). Their role serving as forces of authority was so enduring that by the time of the New Kingdom the name Medjay had become synonymous with the word for police. The Medjay's closet living ancestors are the Beja and live in the Sudanese states of Red Sea around Port Sudan, River Nile, Al Qadarif and Kassala, as well as in Northern Red Sea, Gash-Barka, and Anseba Regions in Eritrea, and southeastern Egypt.

The first mention of the Medjay in written records dates back to the Old Kingdom, when they were listed among other Nubian peoples in the Autobiography of Weni, who was at the time a general serving under Pepi I Meryre (reigned 2332–2287 BC). During this time the term "Medjay" referred to people from the land of Medjay, a district thought to be located just east of the Second Cataract in Nubia. Nubia was referred to as Ta-Seti, meaning "Land of the bow", by the Kemetyu (ancient Egyptians) and the people there were renowned for their military skills, particularly as archers. Ta-Seti was both the name for Nubia and the name of the first nome of Kemet which was a Nubian province often called Yebu or Elephantine to the Greeks (modern day Aswan).

The Inscription of Weni: Weni the Elder was a court official of the 6th dynasty (Old Kingdom ca. 2332–2283 BC). Part of the inscription is carved on a monolithic slab of limestone which formed one wall of his single-room tomb-chapel. It reads:

"When his majesty took action against the Asiatic Sand-dwellers, his majesty made an army of many tens of thousands from all of Upper Egypt: from Yebu (Aswan) in the south to Medenyt in the north; from Lower Egypt: from all of the Two-Sides-of-the-House, and from Sedjer and Khen-sedjru; and from Irtjet-Nehesy, Medja-Nehesy, Yam-Nehesy, Wawat-Nehesy, Kaau-Nehesy; and from Tiemeh-land.

His majesty sent me at the head of this army, there being counts, royal seal-bearers, sole companions of the palace, chieftains and mayors of towns of Upper and Lower Kemet, companions, scout leaders, chief priests of Upper and Lower Kemet, and chief district officials at the head of the troops of Upper and Lower Kemet, from the villages and towns that they governed and from the Nehesy (Nubians) of those southernly lands.

I was the one who commanded them while my rank was that of overseer of 'royal tenants' because of my rectitude, so that no one attacked his fellow, so that no one seized a loaf or sandals from a traveler, so that no one took a cloth from any town, so that no one took a goat from anyone. This army returned in safety, It had ravaged the Sand dwellers' land."

During the Second Intermediate Period (1650–1550 BC), Kemet was weakened by the immigration of the Heqa Khaseshet, an Asiatic people known to the Greeks as "Hyksos" or the "shepherd kings", from the near east who invaded and established a dynasty in Lower Kemet and the Delta, keeping the nation divided for several centuries. Both the First and Second Intermediate Periods were known as dark ages within Nile Valley history. It was Ahmose I who was finally able to expel the foreigners in the Delta, unite the country and establish the 18th Dynasty which ruled over all of Kemet, beginning the New Kingdom period in 1550 BC. The Medjay were instrumental in his campaign as well as future campaigns which would solidify the divine authority of the Wa-Setian Kings of the south over Lower Kemet and the Delta region and expelling the foreigners.

"I sailed north to my victory to drive back the ASIATICS, my courageous Army in front of me like a flame of fire, with the Bowmen of the Medjay upland of our encampment ready to seek out the Asiatics." - Stela of King Kamose, 17th Dynasty.

By the Eighteenth Dynasty during the New Kingdom, the Medjay were an elite paramilitary police force. Archers formed the core of Kushite armies as well that vied with Kemet for control over parts of the Nile valley, conquered Kemet in the 8th century BCE and expelled the Libyan usurpers. Nearly a century later they would ally with the Kushites and Upper Kemites to confront the troops of the Assyrian empire. The skill of Medjay archers made them valued members in the military forces of other lands. Kemetic texts as early as 2400 BC note Nehesy in Kemetyu armies having military alliances. Representations of Medjay warriors appear in Kemetic tomb models, reliefs, and paintings in all periods of ancient Egyptian history. Nubian archers also served as warriors in the imperial army of Persia in the first millennium BCE and their presence in Persia was documented on a relief from the Apadana palace (c. 500 BC) where it shows a Kushite delegation into Persia during the ruled of Xerxes I.

The Medjay were known for their long bows. Assyrians nicknamed them the “pupil smiters” not only were they known for shooting out the eyes of their target from a distance but they also mastered the "Double" tap where they would fire off two arrows in rapid succession. Kushite arrows were also often poisoned-tipped. One historical source notes:

"So from the battlements as though on the walls of a citadel, the archers kept up with a continual discharge of well aimed shafts, so dense that the Persians had the sensation of a cloud descending upon them, especially when the Kushites made their enemies’ eyes the targets…so unerring was their aim that those who they pierced with their shafts rushed about wildly in the throngs with the arrows projecting from their eyes like double flutes."

- Jim Hamm. 2000. The Traditional Bowyer's Bible, Volume 3, pp. 138-152.

After they defeated the Assyrians apparently the Assyrians began to hire regiments of Kushite Soldiers on contingency and the legend of the Medjay's was known globally. When the Arabs invaded Nubia around 7 century AD they gave the Nubian army the nickname “archers of the eyes” and they too also feel victim to the pupil smiters. The Nubians constituted an "African front" that barred Islam's spread, along with others in Central Asia, India and the Anatolian/Mediterranean zone. Whereas the Islamic military expansion began with swift conquests across Byzantium, Central Asia, the Maghreb and Spain, such quick triumphs were stopped dead in their tracks at the Sudanic border.

"I am the protector of the two lands; I repel the rebels and destroy the enemies of the king. I am the guardian who watches over the land, whose spear brings justice."

— Pyramid Texts, Utterance 303, Saqqara, 5th Dynasty (c. 2400 BCE)

(Translation from: James P. Allen, The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts, 2005)

© KnowThyself Institute | www.KnowThyselfInstitute.com
All rights reserved

Purchase Merch to Support our Efforts:
www.knowthyselfinstitute.com/shop

"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~35th & 36th Principals of Ma'at

Skip the Carousel

1 2

5 months ago | [YT] | 269

Know Thyself

QUEEN KAWIT: HIGH PRIESTESS OF HET-HERU

Queen Kawit was a royal consort of Nsut (Pharaoh) Mentuhotep II during the 11th Dynasty of ancient Kemet (circa 2061–2010 BCE). She held the titles King’s Beloved Wife, King’s Ornament, and Priestess of Het-Heru—the goddess of love, beauty, music, fertility, and divine kingship, later known to the Greeks as Hathor. Kawit was one of several royal women entombed at the Deir el-Bahari mortuary complex, a monumental temple project built by her husband on the west bank of Waset (modern-day Luxor). Her ornately decorated chapel was discovered alongside those of five sister-wives, suggesting a deliberate architectural and ritualistic placement that points to more than domestic significance.

Kawit is believed to have originated from a noble family in the Nome of Waset (the 4th Upper Egyptian nome), aligning her geographically and politically with the central power of the reunifying Theban state. Her status as a priestess of Het-Heru—whose cult was intimately tied to death, rebirth, and royal legitimacy—implies that her role was both spiritual and political. She likely served in the goddess’s temple as both a ceremonial officiant and as a legitimizing presence for Mentuhotep II’s rule.

The presence of multiple royal women who were priestesses of Het-Heru in the funerary temple may reflect a calculated strategy by Mentuhotep II to integrate religious authority into his consolidation of power during Egypt’s reunification after the First Intermediate Period. These women may have been daughters of regional elites, embedded within the court both as symbols of alliance and subjects of surveillance. Queen Kawit’s burial thus embodies a fusion of dynastic politics, religious function, and royal image-making that characterized the dawn of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom

The reconstruction is based off the sarcophagus of Queen Kawit, the wife of King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep, the founder of the Middle Kingdom. The outer faces are beautifully decorated with daily life scenes, in this carving she is depicted drinking from a chalice, while one of her maids is twisting her afro into short, layered locs. She holds a mirror in her free hand. This is her natural afro textured hair, not a wig!

In another scene, she is shown holding a lotus flower to her nose while dipping her finger in an unguent container held up by a servant. Her chest lies in front of her, the jewelry inside it depicted one on top of the other. Other scenes show cows being milked or calves breastfeeding. The combination of beauty, seen in the mirror, jewelry, and unguent, together with the lotus, the cows, and milk, together form very clear allusions to fertility, youth, rebirth, and Hathor, the goddess of love, beauty, fertility, music, and motherhood. To view her sarcophagus follow the link below.

Sarcophagus of Queen Kawit:
egymonuments.gov.eg/en/collections/kawit-sarcophag…

“I am the primeval lady of all who live by Ma’at… I am she who elevates his glory.”

— Hymn of Hathor, Evocative of Queen Kawit’s sacred role as ḥm.t‑nṯr ḥwt‑ḥrw

Digital Reconstruction of Hemet-Nesut Kawit:
This photorealistic reimagining of Hemet-Nesut Kawit, beloved consort of Nsut-Bity Mentuhotep II and priestess of Het-Heru, was created by the Ankh I’ĀM Restoration Project — an initiative of the Know Thyself Institute dedicated to reviving the memory, humanity, and cultural dignity of Nile Valley Africans.

Ankh I’ĀM 𓋹 𓇋𓄿𓅓, meaning Living Memory, is drawn from the ancient Medu Neter phrase Ankh iꜥm, invoking remembrance as sacred resistance and enduring legacy.

Rẽ-member. Rẽ-claim. Rẽ-store.

© KnowThyself Institute | www.KnowThyselfInstitute.com
All rights reserved

Purchase Merch to Support our Efforts:
www.knowthyselfinstitute.com/shop

"I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds." ~ 35th & 36th Principles of Ma'at, Papyrus of Ani, Ru Pert Em Heru

5 months ago | [YT] | 226