UNESCO Ancient Civilizations of Africa (Editor G. Mokhtar)

Nubia before Napata ( — JIOO to — 750)
The most revealing of the inscriptions of these Aswan nobles relates to
the life of Harkhuf, the famous caravan leader who served in the reigns of
Merenre and Pepi II. He led four missions to the land of Yam, a region
not yet identified but certainly beyond the Second Cataract to the south.
Three of these expeditions 25 were made during the reign of King
Merenre and the fourth under King Pepi II. On the firstjourney Harkhuf
and his father were commissioned to 'explore a road to Yam', a mission
that took them seven months to accomplish. The second journey, which
Harkhuf made alone, lasted for eight months. In this journey he took the
Elephantine road (the desert road starting on the west bank at Aswan)
and returned through Irtet, Mekher and Tererés. Here Harkhuf makes it
clear that the lands of Irtet and Setu were under the jurisdiction of a single
ruler. His third journey was undertaken along the oasis route. During this
journey he learned that the chief of Yam had gone to Libya to conquer it.
He followed him into that country and managed to appease him. He
returned from this journey 'with 300 donkeys loaded with incense, ebony,
oil, panther skins, elephant tusks, tree trunks and many other beautiful
objects'. When he passed north through the territories of Irtet, Setu and
Wawat, which were now united under one chief, Harkhuf was conducted
by a military escort from Yam. On the fourth and last expedition Harkhuf
brought back from the land of Yam a dancing dwarf for the young King
Pepi II, who was extremely delighted with it.
But from the tombs of Pepinakht, another monarch of Elephantine who
held office under King Pepi II, we learn that in spite of the general good
relations between the Egyptians and the Nubians (which certainly was
profitable to both) during the sixth dynasty peace was at times seriously
disturbed in Nubia. It seems that there were periods of trouble when
Egypt was compelled to resort to force of arms. Pepinakht was sent once
to 'hack up Wawat and Irtet'. He may be regarded as successful in his
errand for he killed large numbers of Nubians as well as capturing
prisoners. He made a second expedition to the south with the aim of
'pacifying these countries'. This time he was able to bring two Nubian
chiefs to the Egyptian court.
The C-Group period
Towards the end of the Egyptian Old Empire 26 or sometime during
the period of Egyptian history called by Egyptologists the First Intermediate
Period (—2240 to — 2150) 27 there appeared in Lower Nubia a new
independent culture (with different characteristic objects and different
burial traditions) known to archaeologists as the C-Group. Similar to its
25. ibid., Vol. I, pp. 333-5.
26. B. G. Trigger, 1965, p. 87.
27. A. J. Arkell, 1961, p. 46.
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