N
Nabu
​
Nabu (in ancient Babylonian language meaning ‘The Announcer’) is the Babylonian god of wisdom, learning, prophecy, and writing. The people prayed to him for an abundant harvest and to bless all growing things. His name refers to his prophetic powers in calling forth words and the visions of prophecies.
​
Nanshaya
​
The young Babylonian-born oracle was sent to ancient Egypt as a slave and became an influential personality in the court of the pharaoh. Her quest to fulfil an ancient prophecy is the main line in this novel.
​
Nanshe
​
Nanshe was the Babylonian goddess of social justice and divination, whose popularity eventually transcended her original boundaries of southern Mesopotamia toward all points throughout the region in the 3rd millennium BCE.
In all the inscriptions and hymns which mention her, Nanshe is portrayed as kind, compassionate, welcoming, and wise.
She watched over the orphans and widows and supervised fairness in human behaviors. She also was the goddess of fresh water, birds and fish and fertility. In addition, the Babylonian people believed that she helped the prophets and fortune tellers by allowing them to interpret their dreams accurately. Her popularity grew when she became connected to commerce as the ‘Lady of the Storerooms’. In this role, she ensured the weights and measures were correct.
​
Nebamun
​
Captain of Troops of Police on the West of Thebes, Standard-bearer of the Royal Barque during the reign of Amenhotep III. He was the secret lover of princess Nebetah. (His tomb is in Thebes,TT 90)
Nebetah
Nebetah’s name means ‘Lady of the Palace’. Like Henuttaneb’s (her elder sister), her name was also frequently used as a title for queens. She was possibly one of the youngest of the royal couple’s children since she does not appear on monuments on which her elder sisters do. However, she is shown on a colossal statue from Medinet Habu.
Nebetah was the third daughter of Amenhotep III. and his ‘Great Royal Wife’ Tiye, and a younger sister of Akhenaten.
Unlike her sisters Sitamun and Isis, she was never elevated to the rank of a queen, and her only known title is ‘King’s Daughter Whom He Loves’ (which was a rather unusual title for a princess). Although she was depicted alongside her royal parents and appeared in some inscriptions, she ceased to be mentioned sometime during the reign of Amenhotep III. suggests that she might have died at a young age.
​
Nebibi
(See Nebetah)
​
Nebmaatra
​
Prenomen of Amenhotep III (See Amenhotep III)
​
Nebu
(See Nebushazzar)
​
Nebushazzar
​
Nebushazzar (Nebu) was a high priest of Marduk in the city of Dur Kurigalzu during the reign of Kadashman Enlil I. In Babylonian society, high priests were equal to the king in power and honor because they were considered as mediators between the gods and the people. Therefore, ordinary Babylonians highly respected the priesthood, who - to their beliefs - could gain favors from the gods, especially the patron god or goddess of their city.
The job of the Babylonian high priests and priestesses was to please the gods, divine their will and communicate it to the ruler and the people. In exchange, they received respect, honor and luxurious comforts for their duties and responsibilities.
Each city was organized around Marduk’s temple, which was a complex of buildings including the actual worshipping temple, chambers for the priests and priestesses, workshops and public areas.
Nebushazzar, as an ‘en’ or chief priest, oversaw all sacred and religious duties of all the other priests and priestesses in Dur Kurigalzu.
Nebushazzar was the adoptive father of Nanshaya after saving her life as a toddler.
Neferronpet
Neferronpet was the royal butler of the king’s chamber during the reign of Amenhotep III. Like all good butlers, he is claimed on a portrait statue as ‘Pure of hands’ in bronze calcite. (Tomb TT249/ Thebes)
Neferut
Young women in the harem bore the title Neferut which means ‘beauty’ and may have been given to women who played music or danced to please the king. Colourful paintings in the tombs depict attractive women playing flutes and percussion instruments. A reference to these women is made in the Westcar papyrus, which tells how King Sneferu had forty women row and sing for him in the palace lake.
​
Nekhbet
Nekhbet (Nekhebet, Nechbet) was the goddess who protected the royal children and, in later periods, all young children and expectant mothers. Her role became prominent, especially during the 18th dynasty when she and Wadjet offered protection to all women in the royal family. This was indicated by the two uraei (royal serpents) on their headdress. Some queens wore the vulture headdress with the uraei indicating their connection to the goddess.
Nekhbet was the patron goddess of Upper Egypt, appearing as one of the ‘Two ladies’ in the Nebty name of the pharaoh (with her counterpart, Wadjet). She was also called “Hedjet” (White Crown), referring to the crown of Upper Egypt, and often appears as the heraldic sign representing Upper Egypt.
Nekhbet’s other name was “pr wr” (‘Lady of the Great House’), and traces of this we can find in the main temples of Upper Egypt.
Nekhbet was generally depicted as a woman wearing the crown of Upper Egypt or the vulture headdress. However, occasionally we can see her on paintings or reliefs as the divine wet nurse of the pharaoh. She also often appears in vulture form hovering above the king, holding the “shen” (the hieroglyph of eternity) and the royal flail (representing pharaonic authority).
Just like many other Egyptian deities, Nekhbet also had a darker side. She was believed to be one of the goddesses bearing the ‘Eye of Ra’ title. She was often represented as a vulture flying above the pharaoh in a battle and offering him protection while threatening his enemies. (See Eye of Ra, and Wadjet)
Nephtys
Nebtho (in Greek Nephtis) was the Egyptian goddess of the air and the head of the family. She had the title of the ‘Mistress of the House’. She was created as the counterpart experience of Isis. She was a protective goddess who symbolized the death experience, while Isis represented the birth practice.
Nephthys was the daughter of Geb (god of the earth) and Nut (goddess of the sky) and the sister of Isis. She was Seth’s sister and wife. One of the legends says that she seduced Osiris and gave birth to Anubis (who was then raised by Isis), although in other myths, Nephthys was barren. Therefore, she was associated with vultures (Egyptians believed the vultures couldn’t have children) and with mourning. Therefore, Nephthys was a key figure in Egyptian funeral rites.
The appearance of Nephthys and Isis is very similar. Their headdresses can only differentiate them. Nephthys is wearing a basket on her head. However, she is sometimes depicted as a hawk or a mourning woman.
Neytahut
Neytahut, or ‘The city of the lions’ (in Greek’ Leontopolis’), was a city name in the central Nile Delta. It was the centre of the lion cult (many goddesses had lions as their sacred animals), with numerous temples dedicated to the lioness goddess Sekhmet, and her son, Maahes, the lion prince. Neyahut was the capital of the 11th nome of Lower Egypt. (See nome). Today, the site’s name in Arabic is Tell el-Muqdam (‘M‘und of the city’).
Nibmurayewa / Nimmuwarea
The name of Amenhotep III. is in the correspondence with the Babylon kings in the Amarna letters. These letters are an archive of correspondence written on clay tablets with cuneiform letters. They hold mostly diplomatic messages between the Egyptian administration and its representatives in Canaan and Mesopotamia.
The Amarna letters reveal a treasury of knowledge concerning their times’ political relations and social customs. For example, a correspondence between Amenhotep III. and the Babylonian king Kadashman-Enlil I. shows a fascinating negotiation involving Amenhotep’s procurement of a Kadashman-Enlil I.’s daughter as a bride for gold. Several letters involve urgent requests for military aid.
Ningal
Ningal was the sister of Kadashman Enlil I. Amenhotep III married her at the early stage of his reign for political reasons.
Nome
The word ‘Nome’ - originated from the Greek word ‘nomos’, meaning law, custom, governate - is used in Egyptology for the provinces of Egypt. The ancient Egyptians called the districts’ sepat’, and each administrative division had an individual name attached to it. There were 42 provinces, 22 in Upper and 20 in Lower Egypt.
Since the Old Kingdom (c. 2575–c. 2130 BC.), the Egyptians divided the country into regions, and this system of order continued until the Muslim conquest (640 AD).
Each ‘nome’ was administered by a district governor, who levied taxes, administered justice, and maintained an army.
Nuba - Nubia
Nubia was an ancient region in northeastern Africa. It extended from the Nile River valley (from the first cataract in Upper Egypt) to the shores of the Red Sea (east), to about Khartoum- today Sudan (south) and to the Libyan Desert (west). Nubia was traditionally divided into two regions: Kush (naming it as such from the 18th dynasty) in the south and Wawat (between the first and second cataract of Aswan).
Gold was the primary resource exploited by the Egyptians, and Kush produced significant amounts of this precious metal. The endless supply of gold made Egypt powerful, and it was a crucial component to the pharaohs to maintain diplomatic relations.
Nubia is full of spectacular monuments, such as the oldest pyramid in Egypt, named the ‘Hebno’ Pyramid.
​
Nuti
(See: Henuttaneb)
Nuwe
(See: Thebes)
