The ancient Egyptians and Libyans in ancient Egypt 3500 years ago
We see high-resolution statues of Libyans as they were represented by the ancient Egyptians or the Libyans in ancient Egypt 3,500 years ago.
We note four classifications for four Libyan tribes:
1- Al-Tahnu: The country of Al-Tahnu is located to the west of the course of the Nile Valley because it is always mentioned in various texts when mentioning the names of the countries that lie to the west of Egypt. Dr. Ahmed Fakhry believes - based on the opinions of other scholars - that the country of Al-Tahnu represented Fayoum, the oases, Wadi Al-Natroun, and Cyrenaica. . François Chamoux saw that the country of the Tahnu includes all the regions west of the Nile Valley, including the southern regions. We note that starting from the Fifth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom until the Eighteenth Dynasty, the word Tahnu came to refer to Libya and the ancient Libyans in general. The German scholar (Holscher) believes that the Tahnu tribes lived in the Nile Delta and were expelled from this fertile region by the kings of the Lower Egypt region, when it was unified with the Upper Egypt region. This appears to be true, and this is supported by Gardner’s statement that images of Tahnu appear in ancient Egyptian inscriptions. It is as if there was a close kinship between them and the ancient Egyptians, and this kinship is evident through their clothing, which is completely consistent with Egyptian clothing, as they used to attach tails to these clothes like the ones the Pharaohs used to attach, and they decorate their foreheads with a tuft of hair that mimics the image of the holy uraeus of the Pharaohs’ kings. This kinship also appears clear through Their human characteristics, as they were dark-skinned like the Egyptians, and they used to cheat like them as well, and they used to wear offerings to cover their private parts, like the Egyptians in prehistoric times. From these various pieces of evidence, some scholars have concluded that the ancient Egyptians trace their origins back to the ancient Libyans, as these scholars confirm that the Egyptians came from In the Nile Valley from an early time as hunters and livestock herders Then they later became settled farmers. Without a doubt, what is meant here by the ancient Libyans are the inhabitants of the Sahara Desert, who reached an advanced stage of civilization in the Neolithic period. We have previously indicated that credit goes to them for the transfer of pastoralism and agriculture towards the Nile Valley in the beginning and then Later to the rest of North Africa.
2- Al-Tamhou: Gardner believes that the country of Al-Tahnu extends along the western borders of Egypt to Tripoli in the west and Nubia in the south, while Ahmed Fakhry believes that the Al-Tamhou were stationed in the same homeland as Al-Tahnu after they controlled them, in addition to their control over the oases with fertile land spread to the west. From the Nile Valley, it is believed that they spread south as far as Darfur. As for the origin of the erasure, two theories have emerged on this subject: The proponents of the first theory believe that the erasure came as immigrants from the continent of Europe to North Africa and then penetrated to the south. They believe that they are descended from the Vandal tribes or any other northern race. The owners of this theory rely as evidence for this through the characteristics that It is distinguished from being erased from the rest of the Libyans, such as: yellow hair, blue eyes, and white skin, but this theory is not consistent with what we have proven above about the presence of this population group with yellow hair and white skin in the Sahara Desert since the sixth millennium BC, and it contradicts what archaeological research has confirmed about the non-use of Man to the sea before the fifth millennium BC, In addition to the absence of any evidence indicating that European population groups arrived in the Sahara region as immigrants in any period of ancient history, it is worth noting that the first European contact with the North African region was around the end of the second millennium BC with the arrival of groups known as the Sea Peoples who tried Settlement in the Nile Valley region, and as is known to everyone, this attempt was not successful in any case. As for the proponents of the second theory, they believe that the erasure were African citizens who took their way from the southwest of the desert, heading towards the north and northeast. Some scholars believe that the people whom the scholars called The name of the group is (C), and those whose traces were found in the Nubia region are a branch of the Tamha tribe, and they are Libyan. Orrick Betts points out that their remains are consistent with those of ancient Libyans, as he mentions some evidence that proves this connection, including:
A- The skulls and hairs of group (C) do not differ from the skulls of the Mediterranean race, which includes the ancient Libyans in general and the Tamah group in particular.
B- The owners of group (C) followed a method of burial, and a pattern of building circular graves, which is the same as that known to the inhabitants of the Sahara and North Africa, which is known as stoning.
C- The engraved drawings depict the men of Group (C) wearing clothes in the form of ribbons that intersect on the chest and a feather on the head, which are the same features that distinguished the ancient Libyans whom we got to know through ancient Egyptian documents in the pre-dynastic period and the beginning of the dynasties, and these are features known before that to Inhabitants of the Sahara Desert. Orrick Betts souligne que leurs restes concordent avec ceux des anciens Libyens, car il mentionne certaines preuves qui prouvent ce lien, notamment :
A- Les crânes et cheveux du groupe (C) ne diffèrent pas des crânes de la race méditerranéenne, qui comprend les anciens Libyens en général et le groupe Tamah en particulier.
B- Les propriétaires du groupe (C) ont suivi une méthode d'inhumation et un schéma de construction de tombes circulaires, qui est le même que celui connu des habitants du Sahara et de l'Afrique du Nord, connu sous le nom de lapidation.
C- Les dessins gravés représentent les hommes du groupe (C) portant des vêtements en forme de rubans qui se croisent sur la poitrine et une plume sur la tête, qui sont les mêmes caractéristiques qui distinguaient les anciens Libyens que nous avons connus grâce à l'Égypte ancienne. documents de la période pré-dynastique et du début des dynasties, et ce sont des caractéristiques connues avant cela des habitants du désert du Sahara. D- The men of Group (C) use the arrow and bow, which is one of the weapons that were known in the Sahara Desert before it was known to the people of Nuba.
E- The belonging of the inhabitants of Group (C) to erasure is supported by the pottery and graves found in Wadi Hour, which is located 400 kilometers southwest of the Third Cataract. Through comparison, it became clear that this pottery is similar to the pottery of Group (C). It is worth noting that this pottery was found on the migration route of the Tamhou from their original homeland, which most researchers see as the Sahara desert region before drought struck. Based on all of this, it can be concluded that Al-Tamhou, the residents of Group C, and the residents of Wadi Hour all came from the Sahara Desert after drought struck it. Libu or Ribu: Most scholars believe that the Libu or Ribu were inhabiting the current region of Cyrenaica, and their lands may have extended eastward to the oasis region, especially the Siwa Oasis. It is likely that the Qahaq and Isbat groups were living in the same area controlled by the Libu or Ribu groups, and the oldest mention of the groups is The Lipo or Ribo was during the reign of Ramesses II, and from that date these groups began to play an important role in the history of the conflict between ancient Egypt and the ancient Libyan tribes, as they participated as leaders in the wars that took place against King Merneptah, and they also participated in the wars that took place against Ramesses III. We believe that the name Libo, since the beginning of the late period of ancient Egyptian history, has become a symbol of the entire region that lies to the west of the Nile Valley region. Consequently, the names of the rest of the other groups disappeared. Based on all of this, this name came to mean to the Greeks at times all the population groups located to the west of Egypt up to the Gulf of Sirte, and at other times all of North Africa, and sometimes the entire African continent. What supports the emergence of the name Lipo and the disappearance of the rest of the names is that painting. Which was found a while ago and dates back to the era of King Sheshenq. It includes the names of the Libyan peoples. It is a painting called (the Nine Nations Painting). It appears from this painting that the Ribo or Libo replaced the previous traditional name by which the Libyan tribes were known, which was Al-Tahnu. We find another document that indicates To Libo as a general designation for the entire region that lies to the west of Egypt, It is a document dating back to the reign of King Sheshenq IV (763-757 BC) and refers to a prominent Libyan figure called Hitehnakar. This document described him as the Great of Libo. It appears from these documents that the region remained known as Libu throughout the period following the New Kingdom in the history of ancient Egypt. We believe that it For this reason, the Greeks called the region they colonized in the Green Mountain, Libya, because it was the only part of North Africa they were familiar with.
4- The Mashwish: Researchers believe that the Mashwish inhabited the northern regions of the Libyan Desert, and some believe that their homes extended westward to the areas that represent present-day Tunisia. Some scholars believed that the Mashwish were the same as the Mexis whom Herodotus referred to as residing to the west of Lake Tritonis, but With the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt, the Meshwesh began to gather around Egypt's western borders seeking permanent residence around the Nile Valley Delta. By referring to the documents that refer to the wars that took place between them and the Egyptians, it becomes clear that the Meshwesh wanted to settle in Egypt, and they declared this themselves, despite the fact that they and their allies, the Libyans, They failed to reach the Nile Delta through war, but they were able to settle in many areas of Egypt Whether in border garrisons or by joining the army as mercenary soldiers. The Egyptian army, starting from the Twentieth Dynasty, consisted exclusively of Libyans, and the kings of Egypt at that time provided these soldiers with gifts of land as their wages, which led to the formation of military communities in which the leadership was exclusively for the Libyans, and some elements arrived from the Meshwesh - as we have seen. - To important positions in the royal court and to leadership positions in the army, and some of them - like Sheshenq - were able to assume power in some regions of Egypt, where he combined the civil and religious authorities in his hands. Thus, with complete ease, Sheshenq was able to seize power in Egypt as soon as the last king of the same family died. Thus, the Meshwish was able to form the Twenty-Second Dynasty, which ruled Egypt for nearly two centuries.
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