periods there were viziers for both the Upper and Lower
Kingdoms as well as Kush, or NUBIA(modern Sudan).
flagstaffs The symbolic poles used in the front of the
PYLONS(entrance gates) at all major temples and shrines.
Originally the cult centers had two insignias of the god
visible in the court of the shrine. Called senut, the
flagstaffs in their original form were adorned with reli-
gious symbols and perhaps even with clan and NOME
totems. When the rulers began their massive building
programs along the Nile, they copied the original cultic
design pioneered in temples and in the first capital of
MEMPHISand erected tall poles upon which the particular
pendant of the temple or the god could be displayed. The
poles were made of pine or cedar and tipped with elec-
trum caps.
flail A royal symbol of Egypt, used with the CROOKto
represent the majesty of the rulers of the Two Lands, the
flail, carried originally by the god OSIRIS, is normally dis-
played in the hands of deceased rulers. It was once
described as a whip but now is believed to represent the
labdanisterion,the instrument used by early goatherds in
the Near East. Such a symbol, dating back to ancient
times, would have had magical connotations. Agricultural
workers used the flail to gather labdanum, an aromatic
shrub that yielded gum and resin. The crook and the flail
were both identified with the god OSIRIS’s patronage of
vegetation and eternal life. It associated each new ruler
with the past traditions and with Osiris, thus providing
the people with a clear image of an unbroken line of
divinely inspired pharaohs.
Flies of Valor An Egyptian military decoration com-
posed of golden fly forms attached to a chain, the decora-
tion was given to Queen AH’HOTEP (1) by her son
’AHMOSE(r. 1550–1525 B.C.E.)during the struggle with
the HYKSOS(c. 1555–1532 B.C.E.). Queen Ah’hotep pro-
vided strong leadership as regent during ’Ahmose’s first
decade and made vital resources available throughout
Egypt’s rebellion against Hyksos domination. The actual
reason for choosing the fly as a symbol of bravery is no
longer understood.
“Fluid of Life” See DAILY ROYAL RITES;SA-ANKH.
Followers of Horus These were three distinct groups
of ancient Egyptians, each with a unique role in the life of
the nation. The first group, the supernatural, hence magi-
cal company bearing this name, were creatures who sup-
posedly followed the god HORUS, the son of ISISand
OSIRIS, in his predynastic battles at EDFUand in the Delta.
Such companions were called heru-shemsuand were hon-
ored in all Horus temples. They are depicted in the tomb
of KHERUEF, an official in the reign of AMENHOTEP III
(1391–1353 B.C.E.). These Followers of Horus were por-
trayed as bearing clubs and other weapons. They served
as veteran forces in the predynastic wars, especially at
Edfu. In the mortuary texts, the Followers assume even
more dramatic roles. They purify the deceased on their
journeys and are described in some documents as predy-
nastic rulers who welcome the dead into their domains of
eternal bliss.
The second group of Followers is associated with the
SOULS OF PEand the SOULS OF NEKHEN, the legendary god-
like kings before the Early Dynastic Period (2920–2575
B.C.E.). At the various Osirian and Horus festivals, a third
group called the Followers of Horus conducted mock bat-
tles with others called the FOLLOWERS OF SET. The Horus
Companions always won those “wars.”
The Followers of Horus, deemed both mythical com-
panions and predynastic rulers of legend, may have been
the confederation of nome warriors who followed the
Thinite ruler NARMERnorth in his quest to overcome the
Delta and unify Egypt. They may also have been mem-
bers of the ruler’s retinue, accompanying him when he
conducted his biennial tours of inspections along the
NILE. The mock battles, in which the Followers of Horus
always proved victorious, commemorated the traditions
and religious commitments of earlier eras and con-
cretized the Horus cult.Followers of Set Agroup of Egyptians who partici-
pated in staged mock battles in the ceremonies honoring
OSIRISand HORUS, the Followers of Set were always over-
come by the opposing members of the FOLLOWERS OF
HORUSin these mock struggles because the Horus associ-
ates represented good. They were called mesu-betesht,or
desheru,the red ones, and they were believed to be trou-
blemakers who followed “the Bringer of Chaos,” the god
Set. They were called “the red ones” because they suppos-
edly had red faces and red hair. The Followers of Set
appeared prominently in the later part of the Nineteenth
Dynasty (1307–1196 B.C.E.). They were recorded as
drunkards, womanizers, and rebels who threatened the
spirit of MA’ATon the Nile. Such evildoers were cursed as
ones who could not reach paradise in the West (AMENTI)
but would rot in the desert wastes as food for the birds
and rodents.foods The dietary products of the Egyptians were
among the most diverse and plentiful in ancient times.
Egypt was always called “the breadbasket of the world”
by contemporary nations, and the rich annual agricul-
tural harvests in the Nile Valley were envied by the rulers
of other lands. The Romans, especially, recognized the
value of Egypt, and after the suicide of CLEOPATRA VIIin
30 B.C.E. they guarded the land as a unique provider of
the empire.foods 139