Peru-nefer

Last updated May 31, 2024

Many naval bases were located in and around Egypt in the ancient times of this world. The particular naval base of Peru-nefer was one of the bases established in the Eighteenth Dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt. Perunefer is, according to Manfred Bietak, identified with Tell el-Daba or Ezbet Helmy. Support for this theory comes from excavations and digs that were conducted around the area the naval base was believed to be.

Overview

The pharaohs believed to be responsible for this 18th Dynasty naval base are Tuthmosis III (reigned 1479 – 1425 BCE) and Amenhotep II (reigned 1427–1401 BCE), located near the Nile Delta. According to Labib Habachi's research, Perunefer was located at Tell el-Daba and Qantir, which he identified with Avaris/Piramesse. These identifications were proved by the excavations of the Austrian Institute and the Pelizaeus Museum, Hildesheim respectively. Although this information is provided, no Eighteenth Dynasty remains were missing from the site. When military installations were made from the Eighteenth Dynasty, evidence was found in Perunefer's favor. Detailed work from Tuthmosis III and Amenhotep II were found in the form of paintings. These paintings were later to be known as the Minoan wall paintings. Along with these recent discoveries, two large harbor basins were found. Jean-Phiippe Goiran and Hervé Tronchère were the paleogeographers who found the evidence of the two harbours. These two men were specialists in the study of ancient harbours, and had access via the canals to the harbours. According to their evidence, they make the assumption that Perunefer accommodated hundreds of ships in the eighteenth dynasty. The first harbour was hard to date, but early evidence pointed to the time of Horemheb. Horemheb created a project to build a wall which covered access to the canal which was examined. The second harbor was just beside a recently discovered Hyksos palace, probably belonging to Khyan, which hints at its date. It was found in a strange spot of the Nile channel, which was believed to have a seasonal lake from time to time. On the stela of King Kamose of the Seventeenth Dynasty, he mentions destroying hundreds of ships in a large basin, which leads us to believe that our second harbor of Perunefer would be located here.

The significance of Perunefer goes slightly beyond the Eighteenth Dynasty though. The harbours were still in use during the Nineteenth Dynasty, according to Papyrus Anastasi III. The palaces involved and some of the pottery found were excavated around this area, and Tuthmosis III and Amenhotep II are mentioned along with that. Biatek actually was one of the historians involved with this project, and uncovered an even more interesting find. A pot was found that some believe was the pot that Moses could have used during that time. Perunefer is very obscure and there is not much information about this ancient naval base. The Egyptians and their leaders found Perunefer to be of importance, and it continued to thrive.

All of the historic information of the naval base is primarily covered by the historian, Manfred Bietak, University of Vienna. In one of his most recent articles about Perunefer, he discusses more about the Minoan paintings and just how pharaonic Perunefer was. When the Austrian Archaeological Institute dug the site of Tell el-Daba, as discussed earlier, it was revealed that the site spanned thirteen acres. Two palaces were located on this land which had a unique taste. The Minoans used a lot of symbolism involving the bull. The bull shows up many times in these palaces and paintings, which were of high quality. According to Biatek, the existence of the hitherto enigmatic palace complexes were supported by the discovery. Keftiu ships were also found to be docked at Perunefer as according to the British Museum Papyrus 10056.

The location of Perunefer is believed to be at the site of Tell el-Daba. Tell el-Daba is located on the East end of the Nile River on the Delta. The map above shows the alleged location of Tell el-Daba, and the believed to be location of the naval base, Perunefer. Other ports’ locations are also given on this map, and it seems as if Perunefer had one of the more desirable locations than nearly all of them. The other ports and their harbours are located out of the way of the Nile and more East than the Delta. Perunefer appears to be right on the Nile, and shows to be a good location for trade and a great location for civilizations to reside.

Perunefer is much more significant than the average port. This important naval base was used by two well known pharaohs and in use throughout the eighteenth and nineteenth dynasties. Manfred Biatek and other smaller historians helped to bring Perunefer to others, but it seems as if it didn't catch on. The Minoans, Egyptians, and many others are involved in the history of Peru-nefer.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis, Egypt</span> Ancient capital of Inebu-hedj, Egypt

Memphis, or Men-nefer, was the ancient capital of Inebu-hedj, the first nome of Lower Egypt that was known as mḥw ("North"). Its ruins are located in the vicinity of the present-day village of Mit Rahina, in markaz (county) Badrashin, Giza, Egypt. This modern name is probably derived from the late Ancient Egyptian name for Memphis mjt-rhnt meaning "Road of the Ram-Headed Sphinxes".

The Hyksos, in modern Egyptology, are the kings of the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt. Their seat of power was the city of Avaris in the Nile Delta, from where they ruled over Lower Egypt and Middle Egypt up to Cusae.

The New Kingdom, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire, was the ancient Egyptian nation between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC. This period of ancient Egyptian history covers the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties. Through radiocarbon dating, the establishment of the New Kingdom has been placed between 1570 BC and 1544 BC. The New Kingdom followed the Second Intermediate Period and was succeeded by the Third Intermediate Period. It was the most prosperous time for the Egyptian people and marked the peak of Egypt's power.

Manfred Bietak is an Austrian archaeologist. He is professor emeritus of Egyptology at the University of Vienna, working as the principal investigator for an ERC Advanced Grant Project "The Hyksos Enigma" and editor-in-chief of the journal Ägypten und Levante and of four series of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oriental and European Archaeology (2016–2020).

Avaris was the Hyksos capital of Egypt located at the modern site of Tell el-Dab'a in the northeastern region of the Nile Delta. As the main course of the Nile migrated eastward, its position at the hub of Egypt's delta emporia made it a major capital suitable for trade. It was occupied from about the 18th century BC until its capture by Ahmose I.

God's Wife of Amun was the highest-ranking priestess of the Amun cult, an important religious institution in ancient Egypt. The cult was centered in Thebes in Upper Egypt during the Twenty-fifth and Twenty-sixth dynasties. The office had political importance as well as religious, since the two were closely related in ancient Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malkata</span> Archaeological site of Egypt

Malkata, is the site of an Ancient Egyptian palace complex built during the New Kingdom, by the 18th Dynasty pharaoh Amenhotep III. It is located on the West Bank of the Nile at Thebes, Upper Egypt, in the desert to the south of Medinet Habu. The site also included a temple dedicated to Amenhotep III's Great Royal Wife, Tiy, which honors Sobek, the crocodile deity.

Sharuhen was an ancient town in the Negev Desert or perhaps in Gaza. Following the expulsion of the Hyksos from Egypt in the second half of the 16th century BCE, they fled to Sharuhen and fortified it. The armies of Pharaoh Ahmose I seized and razed the town after a three-year siege.

The necropolis of El-Khokha is located on the west bank of the river Nile at Thebes, Egypt. The necropolis is surrounds a hill and has five Old Kingdom tombs and over 50 tombs from the 18th, 19th and 20th dynasties as well as some from the First Intermediate Period and the Late Period.

The Theban Necropolis is a necropolis on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes (Luxor) in Upper Egypt. It was used for ritual burials for much of the Pharaonic period, especially during the New Kingdom.

Pi-Ramesses was the new capital built by the Nineteenth Dynasty Pharaoh Ramesses II at Qantir, near the old site of Avaris. The city had served as a summer palace under Seti I, and may have been founded by Ramesses I while he served under Horemheb.

Seuserenre Khyan (also Khayan or Khian was a Hyksos king of the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt, ruling over Lower Egypt in the second half of the 17th century BCE. His royal name Seuserenre translates as "The one whom Re has caused to be strong." Khyan bears the titles of an Egyptian king, but also the title ruler of the foreign land. The later title is the typical designation of the Hyksos rulers.

Tell el-Dab'a is an archaeological site in the Nile Delta region of Egypt where Avaris, the capital city of the Hyksos, once stood. Avaris was occupied by Asiatics from the end of the 12th through the 13th Dynasty. The site is known primarily for its Minoan frescoes.

Nehesy Aasehre (Nehesi) was a ruler of Lower Egypt during the fragmented Second Intermediate Period. He is placed by most scholars into the early 14th Dynasty, as either the second or the sixth pharaoh of this dynasty. As such he is considered to have reigned for a short time c. 1705 BC and would have ruled from Avaris over the eastern Nile Delta. Recent evidence makes it possible that a second person with this name, a son of a Hyksos king, lived at a slightly later time during the late 15th Dynasty c. 1580 BC. It is possible that most of the artefacts attributed to the king Nehesy mentioned in the Turin canon, in fact belong to this Hyksos prince.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT19</span> Theban Tomb

The Theban Tomb TT19 is located in Dra' Abu el-Naga', part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. It is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian Amenmose, who was the high priest of Amenhotep of the Forecourt during the early Nineteenth Dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT172</span> Theban tomb

The Theban Tomb TT172 is located in El-Khokha, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor.

The Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt is classified as the first dynasty of the New Kingdom of Egypt, the era in which ancient Egypt achieved the peak of its power. The Eighteenth Dynasty spanned the period from 1550/1549 to 1292 BC. This dynasty is also known as the Thutmoside Dynasty) for the four pharaohs named Thutmose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT226</span> Theban tomb

The Theban Tomb TT226 is located in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna, part of the Theban Necropolis, on the west bank of the Nile, opposite to Luxor. It is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian Heqareshu (Hekreshu), who was an Overseer of the King's Tutors during the reign of Tuthmosis IV in the Eighteenth Dynasty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TT64</span> Theban tomb

The Theban Tomb TT64 is located in Sheikh Abd el-Qurna. It forms part of the Theban Necropolis, situated on the west bank of the Nile opposite Luxor. The tomb is the burial place of the ancient Egyptian Hekerneheh, who was a King's Tutor of Prince Amenhotep during the reign of Tuthmosis IV and lived into the reign of Amenhotep III in the Eighteenth Dynasty.

The Minoan wall paintings at Tell el-Dab'a are of particular interest to Egyptologists and archaeologists. They are of Minoan style, content, and technology, but there is uncertainty over the ethnic identity of the artists. The paintings depict images of bull-leaping, bull-grappling, griffins, and hunts. They were discovered by a team of archaeologists led by Manfred Bietak, in the palace district of the Thutmosid period at Tell el-Dab'a. The frescoes date to the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt, most likely during the reigns of either the pharaohs Hatshepsut or Thutmose III, after being previously considered to belong to the late Second Intermediate Period. The paintings indicate an involvement of Egypt in international relations and cultural exchanges with the Eastern Mediterranean either through marriage or exchange of gifts.

References

Manfred Bietak, "Peru-nefer; The Principal New_Kingdom Naval Base" Egyptian Archaeology 34 (2009), pp.15-17.
PhD, Bryant G. Wood. "New Discoveries at Rameses." Accessed November 28, 2017. http://www.biblearchaeology.org/post/2008/10/New-Discoveries-at-Rameses.aspx#Article.
Manfred Bietak, “Minoan Presence in the Pharaonic Naval Base of “Peru-nefer”. Cretan Offerings: Studies in Honour of Peter Warren, BSA Studies 18, London 2010: British School at Athens, 11-24., 2010.

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.