the Egyptians for the casings of pyramids, was abun-
dant at various sites throughout the Nile Valley. Granite
was found in Aswan in two varieties: the red, called
Syenite by the Greeks (after Syene, Greek for Aswan),
and the black. Basalt, calcite, diorite, obsidian, por-
phyry, quartzite, and serpentine were among the miner-
als quarried. A variety of semiprecious stones were also
mined.
The quarry sites of the Nile Valley included
el-Tureh (Tura), a site opposite Giza, where fine
limestone was extracted
Gebel el-Ahmar,northeast of modern Cairo, which
yielded quartzite
Bersha,near el-Tureh (Tura), known for limestone
Gebel el-Silsileh,north of Aswan, a source of sand-
stone
Hatnub,near ’Amarna, quarried for alabaster
Ibhet,south of Aswan, contained black granite, with
red granite available from other quarries in the
territory
Gebelein,south of Luxor, offering beige limestone
Qurna,a source of dolomitic limestone near Thebes
Wadi Hammamat,containing graywacke, near Kop-
tos
Aswan, which offered sandstone (quartzite) and
granite and served as the southern boundary
Nubia,an important source of hard stones and min-
erals, modern Sudan.
Western Desert,providing diorite gneiss and possi-
bly carnelian, west of the Nile.
Wadi el-Hudi,yielding amethyst, south of Thebes.Quarry Map See BEKHEN QUARRY MAPS.
Quban (Contra-Pselkis) It was a fortress located
opposite el-DAKKAand occupying a strategic position just
south of the first cataract of the Nile in NUBIA(modern
Sudan). Three circular walls with rounded bastions pro-
tected the fortress at Quban. SENWOSRET I(r. 1971–1926
B.C.E.) probably originated the first defense elements
here. Quban’s fortress was refurbished by the rulers of the
Ramessid Period (1307–1070 B.C.E.) when they gar-
risoned Egyptian holdings in northern Nubia. AMEN-
EMHET III (r. 1844–1797 B.C.E.), TUTHMOSIS III (r.
1479–1425 B.C.E.), and RAMESSES II(r. 1290–1224 B.C.E.)
made major renovations on the site.
Qubbet el-Hawwa A site on the bluff at ASWAN, over-
looking the Nile, called “the Dome of the Wind,” it is a
necropolis containing tombs from the Old Kingdom
(2575–2134 B.C.E.) and the Middle Kingdom (2040–1640
B.C.E.). Some military and trade expedition leaders were
buried at Qubbet el-Hawwa, including HARKHUF, PEPI-
NAKHT, and SARENPUT.
queens The royal consorts of the rulers of ancient
Egypt who derived their rank and powers from their hus-
bands, these women were themselves often the daughters
of rulers, but they could be aristocrats or even common-
ers. In some instances women of the harem, or lesser
wives, attained the rank of queen by giving birth to an
heir. In the CARTOUCHESof royal Egyptian women, the
designations “King’s Daughter,” “King’s Wife,” or “King’s
Mother” were carefully applied. Though many princesses
of the royal line did not marry their brothers, or half
brothers, the firstborn royal daughter often did.
As queens, royal wives administered the palace and
the harems and had some say in state affairs of the nation
or the capital. Queen mothers, whether royal or com-
moner, those who had given birth to an heir, were ele-
vated in the reigns of their sons and given additional
honors. They were distinguished by wearing the vulture
crown.
In some periods the rulers married their daughters
also. AKHENATEN, for example, married several of his
daughters, and RAMESSESIImade his daughters consorts
after their mothers died or retired. AMENHOTEP III was
encouraged by Queen TIYE(1) to marry their daughters,
Princesses SITAMUN(2) and ISET(3), probably in the hope
of increasing the number of heirs to the throne.
Some queens were from foreign lands. KIYA, the wife
of Akhenaten, was believed to be a MITANNIprincess, and
MA’AT HORNEFRURÉ, wife of Ramesses II, was probably the
HITTITEprincess mentioned in the BENTRESH STELA. TUTH-
MOSIS IIIhad three Syrian wives, daughters of chieftains,
who were buried in separate tombs and provided with
duplicate funerary regalia. Amenhotep III married a
princess from Babylon.
Egyptian princesses were not given in marriage to
cement foreign alliances, no matter how persistent the
requests, until the late eras of Egypt, when foreign groups
held the throne. To enhance his prestige, one Asiatic ruler
wrote that he would accept any Egyptian woman of high
birth as his bride, knowing that he could pass her off as a
princess to his own people. Those princesses who did not
marry heirs to the throne wed officials or remained at
court unmarried.
There were queens who usurped the throne or held
political power temporarily as regents for their minor
sons. Regents include MERNEITH of the First Dynasty
(2920–2770 B.C.E.), believed to have been the wife of
DJETand the mother of DEN, and ANKHNESMERY-RÉ(2) of
the Sixth Dynasty (2323–2150 B.C.E.), who served as
coregent with her brother, the vizier DJAU, for PEPI II.In
the New Kingdom (1550–1070 B.C.E.) two female regents
assumed the throne themselves: HATSHEPSUTof the Eigh-
teenth Dynasty (1550–1307 B.C.E.) and TWOSRETof the
Nineteenth Dynasty (1307–1196 B.C.E.). A woman ruler,
NITOCRIS(1), ended the Sixth Dynasty, according to some
lists, and another, SOBEKNEFERU, closed the Twelfth
Dynasty (1991–1783 B.C.E.).326 Quarry Map