The Walls of the Ruler[1][2] was a fortification, or possibly a whole string of them, built by Amenemhat I in the 14th nome of Lower Egypt to protect the eastern approaches to Egypt.[1] It succeeded the Old Kingdom Walls of Sneferu.[3]
The Walls of the Ruler are mentioned in the Tale of Sinuhe[2] and in the Prophecy of Neferti.[4] No remains have been found.[1] New Kingdom depictions show forts which had a secured supply of water and were surrounded by crocodile-infested ditches or canals which were spanned by bridges.[3]
Cultural impact
editAlfred J. Hoerth speculates that in the biblical tradition of the Exodus, Moses led the Israelites south to Pithom and Etham; would he had led the people northwards toward the Promised Land, they would have most likely encountered the Walls of the Ruler. It would not have been possible for a large group of people to go undetected pass these fortifications.[5]
A fictionalized version of the Walls of the Ruler are present in the first DLC (The Hidden Ones) of the 2017 video game Assassin's Creed Origins. Unlike real-life accounts of it, it is located on the Sinai Peninsula, rather than mainland Egypt.
References
edit- ^ a b c Ian Shaw, The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, Oxford University Press 2000, p. 159
- ^ a b Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature, volume 1, University of California Press 1973, p. 224
- ^ a b Robert Morkot, The Egyptians: An Introduction, Routledge 2005, p. 42
- ^ Aidan Dodson, Monarchs of the Nile, American University in Cairo Press 2000, p. 57
- ^ Hoerth, Alfred J. (1998). Archaeology and the Old Testament. Michigan: BakerAcademic. pp. 166–167. ISBN 978-0-8010-3625-5.
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