The Old Kingdom is the name commonly given to that period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – this was the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley (the others being Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom). The History of Ancient Egypt spans the period from the early predynastic settlements of the northern Nile Valley to the Roman conquest in 30 The Predynastic Period of Egypt (prior to 3100 BC is traditionally the period between the Early Neolithic and the beginning of the Pharaonic monarchy beginning with King The Protodynastic Period of Egypt (generally dated 3200 BC - 3000 BC) refers to the period of time at the very end of the Predynastic Period. The Archaic or Early Dynastic Period of Egypt immediately follows the unification of Lower and Upper Egypt c The First Intermediate Period is the name conventionally given by Egyptologists to that period in Ancient Egyptian history between the end of the Old The Middle Kingdom is the period in the history of Ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Fourteenth Dynasty The Second Intermediate Period marks a period when Ancient Egypt once again fell into disarray between the end of the Middle Kingdom, and the start of the New The New Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in Ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and The Third Intermediate Period refers to the time in Ancient Egypt from the death of Pharaoh Ramesses XI in 1070 BC to the foundation of the The Late Period of Egypt refers to the last flowering of native Egyptian rulers after the Third Intermediate Period from the 26th Saite Dynasty into Persian The Ptolemaic dynasty (sometimes also known as the Lagids, from the name of Ptolemy I's father Lagus) was a Hellenistic Macedonian royal family Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River The Middle Kingdom is the period in the history of Ancient Egypt stretching from the establishment of the Eleventh Dynasty to the end of the Fourteenth Dynasty The New Kingdom, sometimes referred to as the Egyptian Empire, is the period in Ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and The Old Kingdom is most commonly regarded as spanning the period of time when Egypt was ruled by the Third Dynasty through to the Sixth Dynasty (2686 BC – 2134 BC). Third Dynasty The Third Dynasty of Ancient Egypt is the first dynasty of the Old Kingdom. The Third Fourth Fifth and Sixth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the title " Old Kingdom " Many Egyptologists also include the Memphite Seventh and Eighth Dynasties in the Old Kingdom as a continuation of the administration centralized at Memphis. This is a partial list of Egyptologists. An Egyptologist is any Archaeologist, Historian, linguist, or Art historian who specializes in The Seventh, Eighth, Ninth Tenth and Eleventh (Thebes only Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title First Intermediate Period The Seventh, Eighth, Ninth Tenth and Eleventh (Thebes only Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title First Intermediate Period Memphis was the ancient capitol of the first nome of Lower Egypt, and of the Old Kingdom of Egypt from its foundation until around 2200 BC and The Old Kingdom was followed by a period of disunity and relative cultural decline referred to by Egyptologists as the First Intermediate Period. The First Intermediate Period is the name conventionally given by Egyptologists to that period in Ancient Egyptian history between the end of the Old
The royal capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom was located at Memphis, where Djoser established his court. Memphis was the ancient capitol of the first nome of Lower Egypt, and of the Old Kingdom of Egypt from its foundation until around 2200 BC and Netjerikhet or Djoser ( Turin King List "Dsr-it" Manetho "Tosarthros" is the best-known Pharaoh of the Third dynasty The Old Kingdom is perhaps best known, however, for the large number of pyramids, which were constructed at this time as pharaonic burial places. A pyramid is a Building where the upper surfaces are triangular and converge on one point For this reason, the Old Kingdom is frequently referred to as "the Age of the Pyramids. "
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The Beginning: Third Dynasty
The first notable pharaoh of the Old Kingdom was Djoser (2630–2611 BC) of the Third Dynasty, who ordered the construction of a pyramid (the Step Pyramid) in Memphis' necropolis, Saqqara. The Pyramid of Djoser(Zoser, or step pyramid ( kbhw-ntrw in Egyptian) is an archeological remain in the Saqqara necropolis Egypt Saqqara or Sakkara, Saqqarah ( Arabic: سقارة is a vast ancient burial ground in Egypt, featuring the world's oldest standing Step Netjerikhet or Djoser ( Turin King List "Dsr-it" Manetho "Tosarthros" is the best-known Pharaoh of the Third dynasty The Pyramid of Djoser(Zoser, or step pyramid ( kbhw-ntrw in Egyptian) is an archeological remain in the Saqqara necropolis Egypt Saqqara or Sakkara, Saqqarah ( Arabic: سقارة is a vast ancient burial ground in Egypt, featuring the world's oldest standing Step An important person during the reign of Djoser was his vizier, Imhotep. G47-tZ1-A1The vizier was the highest official in Ancient Egypt to serve the king or Pharaoh Imhotep (sometimes spelled Immutef, Im-hotep, or Ii-em-Hotep, circa ( fl
It was in this era that formerly independent ancient Egyptian states became known as nomes, ruled solely by the pharaoh. A nome (from Νομός “district” was a subnational administrative division of Ancient Egypt. Subsequently the former rulers were forced to assume the role of governors or otherwise work in tax collection. Egyptians in this era worshiped their pharaoh as a god, believing that he ensured the annual flooding of the Nile that was necessary for their crops. This article is about the contemporary North African ethnic group Egyptian views on the nature of time during this period held that the universe worked in cycles, and the Pharaoh on earth worked to ensure the stability of those cycles. They also perceived themselves as a specially selected people, "as the only true human beings on earth". [1]
Golden Age: Fourth Dynasty
The Old Kingdom and its royal power reached their zenith under the Fourth Dynasty, which began with Sneferu (2613–2589 BC). The Great Sphinx of Giza (أبو الهول "The Father of Fear" is a half-human half-lion Sphinx statue in Egypt, on the Giza Plateau at the The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three You may have been looking for the Great Pyramid of Giza. For the three pyramids of Giza visit the Giza pyramid complex. The fourth dynasty of Ancient Egypt is characterized as a Golden age of the Old Kingdom. Sneferu, also spelled as Snefru or Snofru (in Greek known as Soris) was the founder of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt, reigning Using a greater mass of stones than any other pharaoh, he built three pyramids: a now collapsed pyramid in Meidum, the famous Bent Pyramid in Dahshur (another failure), and the small Red Pyramid, also in Dahshur. Located about 100km south of modern Cairo, Meidum or Maidum (ميدوم is the location of a large Pyramid, and several large mud-brick Mastabas The Bent Pyramid, located at the royal Necropolis of Dahshur, approximately 40 kilometres south of Cairo, of Old Kingdom Pharaoh Sneferu Dahshur (Arabic دهشور Dahšūr, in English often called Dashur) is a royal Necropolis located in the Desert on the west bank of the This article is about the pyramid For the Silent Hill monster see Pyramid Head.
Sneferu was succeeded by his son, Khufu (2589 - 2566 BC) who built the Great Pyramid of Giza. Khufu (in Greek known as Χέωψ Cheops; ˈkiɑps was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt 's Old Kingdom. The Great Pyramid of Giza, also called Khufu's Pyramid or the Pyramid of Khufu, and Pyramid of Cheops, is the oldest and largest of the three Later Egyptian literature describes him as a cruel tyrant, who imposed forced labor on his subjects to complete his pyramid. After Khufu's death his sons Djedefra (2528–2520 BC) and Khafra (2520–2494 BC) may have quarreled. Khafre also refers to a block cipher Khafra or Khafre ( Greek Χεφρήν, Chephren) The latter built the second pyramid and (in traditional thinking) the Sphinx in Giza. The Great Sphinx of Giza (أبو الهول "The Father of Fear" is a half-human half-lion Sphinx statue in Egypt, on the Giza Plateau at the You may have been looking for the Great Pyramid of Giza. For the three pyramids of Giza visit the Giza pyramid complex. Recent reexamination of evidence has suggested that the Sphinx may have been built by Djedefra as a monument to Khufu.
The later kings of the Fourth Dynasty were king Menkaura (2494–2472 BC), who built the smallest pyramid in Giza, Shepseskaf (2472–2467 BC) and Djedefptah (2486–2484 BC) . Menkaura (or Men-Kau-Re Mycerinus in Latin; Mykerinos in Greek) was a Pharaoh of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt (c Shepseskaf was a son of Menkaure who succeeded his father on the throne Djedefptah is a shadowy figure whose existence is questionable
Decline and collapse: Fifth – Eighth Dynasties
The Fifth Dynasty began with Userkhaf (2465–2458 BC), who initiated reforms that weakened the Pharaoh and central government. The Third Fourth Fifth and Sixth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title Old Kingdom. After his reign civil wars arose as the powerful nomarchs (regional governors) no longer belonged to the royal family. A civil war is a War between a State and domestic political actors that are in control of some part of the territory claimed by the state Nomarchs were the semi- Feudal rulers of Ancient Egyptian provinces The worsening civil conflict undermined unity and energetic government and also caused famines. But regional autonomy and civil wars were not the only causes of this decline. The massive building projects of the Fourth Dynasty had exceeded the capacity of the treasury and populace and, therefore, weakened the Kingdom at its roots.
The final blow was a severe drought in the region that resulted in a drastic drop in precipitation between 2200 and 2150 BC, which in turn prevented the normal flooding of the Nile. The 42 kiloyear BP aridification event was one of the most severe climatic events of the Holocene period in terms of impact on cultural upheaval The Nile (النيل, Ancient Egyptian iteru or Ḥ'pī, Coptic piaro or phiaro) is a major north-flowing River [2] The result was the collapse of the Old Kingdom followed by decades of famine and strife. An important inscription on the tomb of Ankhtifi, a monarch during the early First Intermediate Period, describes the pitiful state of the country when famine stalked the land. Ankhtifi was the Nomarch of Herakleopolis and a supporter of the Herakleopolitan based 10th dynasty which was locked in conflict with the Theban The First Intermediate Period is the name conventionally given by Egyptologists to that period in Ancient Egyptian history between the end of the Old
References
- ^ Ancient African Civilizations to ca. 1500: Pharaonic Egypt to Ca. 800 BC, by Dr. Susan J. Herlin, 2003, p 27.
- ^ Jean-Daniel Stanley et al. (2003). "Nile flow failure at the end of the Old Kingdom, Egypt: Strontium isotopic and petrologic evidence". Geoarchaeology 18 (3): 395-402. doi:. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.
Further reading
- Jaromir Malek, In the Shadow of the Pyramids: Egypt During the Old Kingdom, University of Oklahoma Press, 1986. ISBN 0-8061-2027-4
- Egyptian Art in the Age of the Pyramids, New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1999. ISBN 0-87099-906-0 (catalogue for travelling exhibition of the same name)
External links
- Middle East on the Matrix: Egypt, The Old Kingdom — Photographs of many of the historic sites dating from the Old Kingdom
- Old Kingdom of Egypt- Aldokkan
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