FIRST INTERMEDIATE PERIOD



This was a very troubled time. There was a breakdown of centralized government, with many kings having overlapping reigns. Montuhotep established order from his capital at Thebes.

About this time the Old Kingdom state collapsed. Egypt simultaneously suffered political failure and environmental disaster. There was famine, civil disorder and a rise in the death rate. With the climate of Northeast Africa becoming dryer, combined with low inundations of the Nile and the cemeteries rapidly filling, this was not a good time for the Egyptians.

The years following the death of Pepy II are most obscure. The only person from this era to have left an impression on posterity is a woman called Nitokris who appears to have acted as king. There are no contemporary records but Herodotus wrote of her:

'She killed hundreds of Egyptians to avenge the king, her brother, whom his subjects had killed, and had forced her to succeed. She did this by constructing a huge underground chamber. Then invited to a banquet all those she knew to be responsible for her brother's death. When the banquet was underway, she let the river in on them, through a concealed pipe. After this fearful revenge, she flung herself into a room filled with embers, to escape her punishment.'

For a time petty warlords ruled the provinces. Then from the city of Herakleopolis there emerged a ruling family led by one Khety who for a time held sway over the whole country. However, this was short lived and the country split into North, ruled from Herakleopolis and South, ruled from Thebes.

Whereas the Theban dynasty was stable, kings succeeded one another rapidly at Herakleopolis. There was continual conflict between the two lands which was resolved in the 11th dynasty.




SEVENTH AND EIGHTH DYNASTIES
2152 - 2130 Netrikare Menkare Neferkare II Neferkare III Djedkare II Neferkare IV Merenhor Menkamin I Nikare Neferkare V Neferkahor Neferkare VI Neferkamin II Ibi I Neferkaure Neferkauhor Neferirkare II Attested Kings about whom nothing more is known: Wadjkare Sekhemkare Iti Imhotep Isu Iytenu
NINTH AND TENTH DYNASTIES
2135 - 2074 Neferkare Several kings named Kheti Meri-Hathor (?) Merikare


11TH DYNASTY 2074-1937

  • Inyotef I - Sehertawy - 2074-2064 B.C.

    Inyotef I was the founder of the 11th Dynasty. He took Thebes as the Capitol of Egypt and ruled it from 2074 till 2064 BC. He was the son of Montuhotep I, the "elder". The king took over a divided Egypt and tried to reunite the north and the south under his power. Herakleopolitans ruled Northern Egypt during the period of the 9th and 10th Dynasties' kings. Inyotef was buried in Thebes in the mortuary complex that he built. His royal successors honored his mortuary complex and did not modify it.

  • Montuhotep III - Sankhkare - 1956-1944 B.C.

    The fifth king of the 11th Dynasty was the son of Montuhotep II and Queen Tem. His preference was for the arts and rebuilding. He also opened trade with the Red Sea region and was involved with the Wadi Hammamat quarrying operations. He built a shrine to the god Thoth near Deir el Bahri. His mortuary temple was never finished.

  • Montuhotep IV - Nebtawyre - 1944-1937 B.C.

    The sixth king of the 11th Dynasty was the son of Montuhotep III and Queen Imi. Following in his father�s footsteps, Montuhotep carried on with mining and quarrying. He had an immense sarcophagus lid quarried in Wadi Hammamat which was later sailed down the Nile to the tomb site. Montuhotep founded the harbor town of Kuser on the Red Sea. The Egyptians, preparing for a journey to Punt, needed a harbor town for the shipbuilding operations. Many of these projects were conducted by Montuhotep's�s successor, Amenemhet.



    12TH DYNASTY - 1937-1759 BC

  • Amenemhet I - Sehetepibre - 1937-1908 B.C.

    This 11th Dynasty vizier assumed the throne when Montuhotep IV died. It is believed that Amenemhet usurped the throne from the reigning king. He campaigned against the Libyans and the Asiatics in the Sinai. There he erected the Wall of the Prince to guard the eastern borders. He also built a trading post in Nubia at Kerma. He named his capital city, (on the border of Upper and Lower Egypt), Itj-Tawy, 'Seizer of Two Lands.'

    Among his many wives was Nefrutotenen, mother of Senwosret I. Amenemhet made Senwosret I co-ruler in 1971 B.C. Amenemhet's line, from non-royal birth, began a golden age for Egypt. The Testament of Amenemhet , included in the Milligan Papyrus and the Papyrus Sallier II, was written as a commemorative following Amenemhet's death. The Testament defines royal obligations and the needs of the people. It states that there are perils awaiting a king that is not alert to those around him. It also states that loneliness and personal sacrifice make for a good king.

    The 12th dynasty kings worked hard to restore royal prestige, seriously damaged by civil war and periodic famine. Its kings, living near Memphis, reduced provincial power and developed a loyal central elite, using subtly propagandistic literature to encourage recruitment and transform the royal image from insecure war leader to confident, semidivine ruler. The external situation remained dangerous. The northern Nubian and Sinai buffer zones were reoccupied and, for the first time, heavily fortified. Foreign trade and diplomatic contact expanded, but Egyptian activity was more restricted than in the Old Kingdom.

    Social change was considerable. People had become more conscious of their individual rights, and royal policy had to both satisfy and temper this. Religion was affected; funerary beliefs and rituals once largely restricted to kings now spread throughout all classes. During the First Intermediate Period Egyptians had felt less dependent on the state, stressing their economic self-sufficiency, and even under the 12th dynasty royal policies encouraged the growth of a middle class, buried in well-furnished tombs and active at cult centers such as Abydos. Osiris, formerly a royal funerary god, became accessible to all.

    Architectural remains are now more varied. At Kahun, a large town was divided up into zones of better and poorer houses, reflecting socioeconomic differences; superbly designed fortresses were built in Nubia; and the ground plans of several temples have survived.

    Some kings built cenotaphs (dummy tombs) at Abydos, where many private memorial chapels of unique type have also recently been discovered.

    Funerary remains continue to be the best source of artforms. At Thebes a new type of royal tomb developed, culminating in the unique terraced monument of Nebhepetre topped, not by a pyramid, but by a cubical version of the primeval mound. The pharaohs of the 12th dynasty, anxious to be identified with the autocratic Old Kingdom, revised the classic complex pyramid but included unusual subterranean elements evoking the mythical tomb of Osiris.

    Royal statues were often idealized, but some depicted a care-worn and more realistic figure. The elite continued to be buried in mastabas and rock-cut tombs, decorated first in awkward but striking styles reflecting the breakdown in centralized stylistic norms, but later returning to more sophisticated, traditional modes.

    Amenemhet I was murdered in 1962 BC

  • Senwosret - Kheperkare - Sesostris I - Senusret I - 1917-1872 B.C.

    The second king of the 12th Dynasty was the son of Amenemhet I and Queen Nefrutoten. Senwosret served as co-ruler with his father for more than ten years. He received news of his father's death while away on a campaign. During his reign he extended Egypt's borders to the area between the Second and Third Cataract. He established the fortress of Kerma. Senwosret mined gold, copper and granite. After securing Egypt's borders he erected buildings along the Nile and refurbished existing temples. He built a funerary complex at Lisht. His pyramid consisted of separate compartments filled with sand and then covered with limestone. A second layer of stone completed the structure. His son, Amenemhet II, served with him as co-ruler and assumed the throne when Senwosret died in the 45th year of his reign.

    Shrine of Senusret I

  • Amenemhet II - Nubkaure - 1875-1840 B.C.

    Amenemhet II was co-ruler with his father Senwosret I for three years. Upon his father�s death, Amenemhet II became the third king of the 12th Dynasty. His only campaign was in Nubia. Instead of military expeditions he directed his attention toward internal affairs and the nomarchs. These nomarchs were nobles of Egyptian provinces, or nomes, and served as the kings representatives. Raising their own armies, they defended their own borders. During times of weak kings the nomarchs became more independent and were easily provoked by royal orders. Amenemhet was buried in Dashur.

  • Senwosret II - Sesostris II -Khakheperre - 1842-1836 B.C.

    Senwosret II was the fourth king of the 12th Dynasty. He ruled the country from 1842 till 1836 BC. The king ruled the country before he claimed his throne during the period when his father, Amenemhet II, was ill before he died. Senwosret II conducted many agricultural projects in Faiyum that transferred thousands of marshlands into fields. His goal was to establish a strong economic base for Ancient Egypt. The king conducted many military campaigns in Nubia and extended his kingdom's border further south. Also, Senwosret II protected the minerals in Nubia and Sinai and continued extracting natural resources from them. He built a pyramid near Faiyum which was destroyed by Ramesses II.

  • Senwosret III - Sesostris III - Khakaure - 1836-1817 B.C

    The fifth king of the 12th Dynasty was the son of Senwosret II. Being a 'man of the people' he supported the rise of the middle class. These people were farmers, artisans, merchants and traders. Also active militarily, he extended Egypt�s borders in Nubia to Wadi Halfa. He built mortuary complexes at Dashur for his wives and daughters.

    He fixed Egypt's southern border above the second cataract of the Nile. He also waged campaigns aimed at combating the Libyans of the Western Desert and retaining Egyptian influence and trade ties with Syria and Canaan. He supervised the design and construction of numerous public works and curbed the power of the nobility. These efforts led to an ever greater centralisation of the administration and concentration of power in the capital, with an accompanying growth of well-being and a decline of the provinces.

  • Amenemhet III - Nimaatre - 1817-1772 B.C.

    The son of Senwosret III and Queen Sebekshedty-Neferu, this sixth king of the 12th Dynasty was to be the most remarkable king of that era. He completed the building of the great waterwheels of the Faiyum, thus diverting the flood waters of the Nile into Lake Moeris. The irrigation system and an overflow canal, was used to drain the marshes. An estimated 153,600 acres of fertile land was reclaimed from the water. Amenemhet raised two colossal statues of himself nearby to celebrate this feat. Among his many achievements was the famous Labyrinth, also known as the Pyramid of Hawara, one of the great wonders of the ancient world. The central burial chamber of the pyramid, carved from a single block of granite, is estimated to have weighed 110 tons. His pyramidal tomb was built at Dashur, which he abandoned in favor of the Hawara Pyramid. Amenemhet mined copper from the Sinai and local mines, and had many quarries. He provided the workers with housing and protection from the Bedouins.

    He completed the building of the great waterwheels of the Faiyum, thus diverting the flood waters of the Nile into Lake Moeris. The irrigation system and an overflow canal, was used to drain the marshes. An estimated 153,600 acres of fertile land was reclaimed from the water. Amenemhet raised two colossal statues of himself nearby to celebrate this feat. Among his many achievements was the famous Labyrinth, also known as the Pyramid of Hawara, one of the great wonders of the ancient world. The central burial chamber of the pyramid, carved from a single block of granite, is estimated to have weighed 110 tons. His pyramidal tomb was built at Dashur, which he abandoned in favor of the Hawara Pyramid. Under Amenemhet copper was mined in the Sinai and local mines, often under dreadful conditions for the miners.

  • Amenemhet IV - Maakherure - 1772-1763 B.C.

    This seventh king of the 12th Dynasty was probably the son of Amenemhet III. He co-ruled with Amenemhet III and a temple at Medinet Madi in the Faiyum was probably built by both kings. Due to his father�s long reign, Amenemhet IV was old when he assumed the throne. He had no male heir and was succeeded by his sister, Neferusobek.

  • Neferusobek - Sobekkare - 1763-1759 B.C.

    Neferusobek was the eighth queen of the 12th Dynasty. She ruled the country from 1763 till 1759 BC. Some historians say that she was the daughter of Amenemhet III and half sister of Amenemhet IV, her predecessor. Neferusobek was mentioned in the Karnak, Saqqara and Turin List of Kings. Three statues and a sphinx for her were found near the Nile Delta.



    13TH DYNASTY (1783 - 1640 BCE)
    
     Wegaf  1783-1779
     Amenemhat-senebef
     Sekhemre-khutawi
     Amenemhat V
     Sehetepibre I
     Iufni
     Amenemhat VI
     Semenkare
     Sehetepibre II
     Sewadjkare
     Nedjemibre
     Sobekhotep I
     Reniseneb
     Hor I
     Amenemhat VII
     Sobekhotep II
     Khendjer
     Imira-mesha
     Antef IV
     Seth
     Sobekhotep III
    
    _
    
    Neferhotep I 1696 - 1686 - 
    Neferhotep I was the 22nd king of the 13th Dynasty. He ruled
    Egypt from 1696 till 1686 BC. He was the son of a temple priest in
    Abydos. His father's position helped him to gain the royal image
    as the king because he did not have any royal blood in his family.
    Neferhotep is inspirited on some stones discovered near Byblos.
    Also, they found other stones in Aswan that were carved with
    texts which documents all his reign. It seems that all his power
    reached the Delta in the north and the Nubian Nome in the sout
    
    _
    
     Sihathor 1685 - 1685
     Sobekhotep IV 1685 - 1678
     Sobekhotep V 1678 - 1674
     Iaib 1674 - 1664
    
    -
    
    Ay 1664 - 1641
    Ay was the 27th king of the 13th Dynasty. He ruled Egypt from
    1664 till 1641 BC. The king did not have any royal blood. He 
    was from Avaris, a city located in Eastern Delta that was 
    heavily populated with Heksus. The Heksus are the Asiatics 
    who controlled Northern Egypt till 1500 BC. Ay built his 
    pyramid near Avaris but only ruins remain from his temple. 
    
    - 
    
     Ini I
     Sewadjtu
     Ined
     Hori
     Sobekhotep VI
     Dedumes I
     Ibi II
     Hor II
     Senebmiu
     Sekhanre I
     Merkheperre
     Merikare 
    
    With the decline of the 13th Dynasty, Egypt lost much of its power and cohesion. The military leaders and soldiers stationed in Nubia became more and more independent. Some of them may even have permanently settled in Nubia. The fortresses built along the Eastern border were either abandoned, or control over who passed the borders was not as strict as it used to be. Canaanite nomads entered the country freely. Most of these Canaanites settled and became traders, farmers or craftsmen, but at least one of them, Khendjer, became a king. By the end of the 13th Dynasty, the Eastern Delta was populated mostly by Asiatics.



    SECOND INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (1640-1540) - (14th, 15th, 16th, 17th Dynasties)



    HYKSOS

    During the early 2nd Intermediary Period, a group of Asians, known as the Hyksos, established their own dynasties in Egypt. Little is known about their origins, or about the way they gained control over large parts of Egypt. It is commonly assumed that they invaded Egypt and overtook it by force. This theory may be supported by the name the Egyptians themselves gave to the Hyksos: "rulers of the foreign countries", which may indicate that the Hyksos ruled outside Egypt before invading it.

    The weakness of the Egyptians at the beginning of the 2nd Intermediary Period may have invited a military invasion. On the other hand, there is no real proof of military conflicts between the Egyptians and the Hyksos at the end of the Middle Kingdom. It is also possible that the Asian settlers who had been coming to Egypt for some generations had become so powerful, that they were able to gain political control and establish their own dynasties, without a military show of force.

    The fact that some of them used Egyptian names and that they did not try to integrate their own Asian heritage into the Egyptian culture, may indeed lead to suppose that the Hyksos had been living long enough in Egypt before they seized power to have adapted themselves to the Egyptian culture.

    By whatever means the Hyksos came into power in Egypt, they were largely accepted throughout the country as the ruling dynasty. They did, however, tolerate other dynasties to coexist with their own. The 15th Dynasty was not the only dynasty of Hyksos: there was also the less important 16th Dynasty, about which little is known. It is possible that there were still some kings of the 13th Dynasty who ruled a part of the country.

    The kings of the 14th Dynasty are said to have ruled the Western part of the Delta. And in Thebes ruled an Egyptian house: the 17th Dynasty. Although the time the Hyksos ruled Egypt has often been depicted as a time of chaos and misery (especially by later generations of Egyptians), it was also a time of technological advance. Before the Hyksos, Egypt has stayed largely ignorant of the advances made in the rest of the Ancient Near East.

    Copper and bronze were introduced into Egypt during this period, together with many new tools and, most importantly, weapons. The rule of the Hyksos during the 2nd Intermediary Period would prepare the Egyptian for the adventure of the New Kingdom.

    Around 1550, the 17th Dynasty first started opposing the dominion of the Hyksos kings. A New Kingdom tale teaches us how the Hyksos king Apophis sent a letter to the Theban king Seqenenre, complaining that the noise made by Seqenenre's hippopotamuses prevented him from sleeping. Seqenenre, of course, would not take such an insult, but unfortunately, this is where the story breaks of. That this story may have been based on fact, is suggested by the mummy of Seqenenre, which shows that he died a violent death, perhaps on the battlefield.

    The first historically recorded traces of a war against the Hyksos are dated to the reign of Seqenenre's son, Kamose. Two stelae commemorate Kamose's struggle against the Hyksos and their vassals. Against the advice of his council, Kamose started or continued the war, punishing all those who had collaborated with the foreigners. He almost succeeded in conquering Avaris, the capital of the Hyksos in the Delta, but he too may have fallen on the battlefield. It would be Kamose's younger brother and successor, Ahmose, who would finally succeed in overthrowing the Hyksos. With his reign, a new period of prosperity and wealth would begin: the New Kingdom.�

    
    
    

    DYNASTIES CONTINUED

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