Page:The Pharaohs and their people; scenes of old Egyptian life and history (IA pharaohstheirpeo00berkiala).pdf/84



Successors of Amenemhat I.—Two Provinces added to Egypt.

The stone for the sarcophagus of King Amenemhat was hewn in the valley of Hammamat, and he was laid to rest in his pyramid called Kha-nefer, the 'Beautiful Rising,' leaving behind him an honoured name and an inheritance of peaceful days. Usertesen, his son and successor, reigned in profound tranquillity, and turned his attention to the temples of the gods, which were neglected and falling into decay. They were, he said, the only monuments that could truly confer immortality on a king. First of all, he called together an assembly of the chief men of the land in that ancient home of Egyptian wisdom and learning, the City of the Sun, to consult about a temple that should be raised, 'worthy of the name of Ra.' Usertesen himself laid the