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Lab’ayu(fl. 14th century B.C.E.) Prince of Canaan dur-
ing the Amarna Period
The prince’s correspondence with AMENHOTEP III (r.
1391–1353 B.C.E.) demonstrates the role of vassal states
in the vast EGYPTIAN EMPIREof that historical period.
Lab’ayu, whose capital was at Sechem, raided his neigh-
bors in the hill country of northern Palestine, and Prince
BIRIDIYAof AR-MEGIDDOwrote to Amenhotep III to com-
plain about the problem. Lab’ayu was warned by Egyp-
tian officials and sent word to Amenhotep III that he was
innocent of all charges and loyal to the pharaoh. The
Canaanite prince died in the reign of AKHENATEN
(1353–1335 B.C.E.).
See also AMARNA LETTERS.
Labyrinth This is the Greek name given to the pyra-
mid complex of AMENEMHET III(1844–1797 B.C.E.) at
HAWARA, near the FAIYUM. The exact purpose of the com-
plex has not been determined, but the name was
bestowed upon the site because of the architectural com-
plexity of the design. Shafts, corridors, and stone plugs
were incorporated into the pyramid, and a central burial
chamber was fashioned out of a single block of granite,
weighing an estimated 110 tons. There are also shrines
for NOMEdeities in the structure and 12 separate courts,
facing one another, and demonstrating the architectural
wonders of the site. An obvious burial complex, the
Labyrinth has also been identified as an administrative or
cultic center of the time.
ladder A mystical symbol associated with the cult of
the god OSIRIS, called a magat.Used as an AMULET, the
ladder honored the goddess NUT, the mother of OSIRIS.
Models of the ladder were placed in tombs to invoke the
aid of the deities. The ladder had been designed by the
gods to stretch mystically when Osiris ascended into their
domain. As an amulet, the ladder was believed to carry
the deceased to the realms of paradise beyond the grave.
Ladice(fl. sixth century B.C.E.) Royal woman of the
Twenty-sixth Dynasty
The consort of AMASIS(r. 570–526 B.C.E.), Ladice was a
Cyrenaica noble woman, possibly a member of the royal
family of that state. Her marriage was undoubtedly part
of a treaty between Egypt and CYRENEin North Africa.
Lady of the House of Books See SESHAT.
Laenas, Papillius See ANTIOCHUS IV.
Lagus(fl. fourth and third centuries B.C.E.)Greek mili-
tary companion of Alexander the Great and the father of
Ptolemy I Soter
Lagus served ALEXANDER[III]THE GREATin campaigns and
aided Ptolemy’s career. He was married to ARSINOE(5),
the mother of PTOLEMY I SOTER. The Ptolemaic royal line
(304–30 B.C.E.) was called the Lagide Dynasty in honor
of Lagus’s memory.
Lahun, el- A site in the FAIYUMregion of Egypt, located
south of CROCODILOPOLIS (Medinet el-Faiyum), the
necropolis of KAHUNis located there as well. The river
BAHR YUSEF(not of biblical origin, but honoring a local
hero of Islam) enters the Faiyum in this area. El-Lahun
was a regulating station for the Faiyum and the Bahr
