Kahun 1990–1800 BCE

Kahun (El Lahun) is an ancient town in Upper Egypt, close to the Faiyum oasis and 2,625 ft (800 m) from the Pyramid of Senusret II (1897–1878 BCE). Built by the pharaoh to house the personnel involved in the construction of his pyramid, excavation of Kahun has revealed a wealth of objects, such as tools and serving plates, providing a ‘time capsule’ of domestic life in the 12th Dynasty. There is evidence to show that the community consisted of districts demarcated by social class, with the conscripted workforce, almost certainly slaves, living in barracks. The pharaoh’s mortuary temple faces his pyramid, with the cemeteries scattering the site belonging to wealthy members of Senusret’s court who were buried, as was customary, near the pharaoh. Most of the buildings are mud brick, with the larger buildings such as the acropolis and temple faced with stone.