CODOMAN. Fresh from the victory on Granicus’s banks,
the Greeks attacked Sardis, Miletus, and Halicarnassus,
all Persian strongholds.
granite A stone called matby the Egyptians, much
prized from the earliest dynasties and quarried in almost
every historical period, hard granite was mat-rudjet.Black
granite was mat-kemet,and the red quarried at ASWANwas
called mat-en-Abu. Other important mines were estab-
lished periodically, and granite was commonly used in
sculptures and in reliefs. It served as a basic building
material for Egyptian MORTUARY TEMPLES and shrines.
Made into gravel, the stone was even used as mortar for
fortresses, designed to strengthen the sun-dried bricks
used in the construction process.
Great Cackler See GEB;GOOSE.
Greatest of Seers A title used for some of the prelates
of the temples at KARNAK,MEMPHIS, and HELIOPOLIS, the
name refers to rituals involving ORACLES, record-keeping,
and probably astronomical lore.
Great Primeval Mound See PRIMEVAL MOUND; PAY
LANDS.
Great Pyramid See FITA;PYRAMIDS.
Great Sphinx See FITA;SPHINX.
Greece This ancient peninsula on the Aegean Sea was
invaded around 2100 B.C.E. by a nomadic people from the
north, probably the Danube Basin. The original inhabi-
tants of the Greek mainland were farmers, seamen, and
stone workers. These native populations were overcome,
and the invaders merged with them to formthe Greek
nation, sharing mutual skills and developing city-states.
The nearby Minoan culture, on Crete, added other
dimensions to the evolving nation.
By 1600 B.C.E., the Greeks were consolidated enough
to demonstrate a remarkable genius in the arts and in
government. Democracy or democratic rule was one of
the first products of the Greeks. The Greeks also pro-
moted political theories, philosophy, architecture, sci-
ences, and sports and fostered an alphabet and biological
studies. The Greeks traveled everywhere to set up trade
routes and to spread their concepts about human exis-
tence. The Romans were themselves influenced by Greek
art and thought and began to conquer individual Greek
city-states. By 146 B.C.E., Greece became a Roman
province.
In Egypt, the Greeks were in the city of NAUKRATIS,
developed during the Twenty-sixth Dynasty (664–525
B.C.E.). Naukratis was a port city, offering trade goods
from around the known world and pleasures that enticed
visitors. The brother of the Greek poetess Sappho lost his
fortune and his health while residing in Naukratis and
courting a well-known courtesan there. During the Per-
sian occupation of the Nile (525–404 B.C.E. and 343–332
B.C.E.), Naukratis and the Greek traders did not fare well.
When ALEXANDER III THE GREAT (r. 332–323 B.C.E.)
defeated the Persians and founded Alexandria, Naukratis
suffered economically and politically. The last dynasty in
Egypt, however, was Greek, founded by PTOLEMY I SOTER
(304–284 B.C.E.)and ended with CLEOPATRA VII(51–30
B.C.E.).griffin (gryphen) A mystical winged lion with an
eagle head, used as a symbol of royal power in Egypt.
NIUSERRÉ, (Izi; r. 2416–2392 B.C.E.), of the Fifth Dynasty
used the griffin in his sun temple at ABU GHUROB. The
pharaoh is depicted in a relief as a griffin destroying
Egypt’s enemies.griffin 155