A quick summary of ancient Egypt to help you understand one of the most important, influential and complex cultures in the Bronze Age.
One starry night over Egypt, the god Khonsu began his journey over the heavens, having seen all the devastation across the world. The rise and fall of nations through the many centuries, he finally turns his eyes and smiles, for Egypt had changed so much, yet it still stood proud as ever. After all that has happened in the history of man, his nation still stands.
A Quick Summary Of Ancient Egypt: The Early Dynastic Period of Egypt: Birth of Pharaonic Civilization (3100 BC-2686 BC)
The sun rises over an Egypt now unified under the first pharaoh, Narmer (also called Menes).
In the Pre-Dynastic age, before Narmer, two kingdoms existed: Upper and Lower Egypt. Upper Egypt was closer to modern Sudan to the south, while Lower Egypt was in the north, closer to Southern Europe. This was the view because the Nile River flowed through Sudan and down the Nile Delta into the Mediterranean.
A Quick Summary Of The Old Kingdom Of Ancient Egypt (2686 BC-2181 BC)
Egypt now unified steps into what historians call the Old Kingdom, starting in 2686 BC and ending in 2181 BC. The Old Kingdom saw advancements in architecture, art and technology and was a nation on the rise. This period in Egyptian history saw the construction of Egypt’s Greatest pyramids, such as the Pyramids of Giza, Khafre, and Menkaure, named after the pharaohs who constructed them.
Agriculture had always played a significant part in the Egyptian economy, generating abundant food thanks to the Nile River’s annual flooding. This played an important role in Egypt’s prosperity.
The Old Kingdom improved Egypt’s organisation and administration. Officials now oversaw the governance of Egyptian agriculture, trade, and religion.
This was an era where a strong central government was introduced, the idea of divine kingship in Egypt, where the pharaohs were believed to be god-kings. But trouble loomed over the marvellous land of Egypt. District and religious class officials began to gain power over their regions. Coupled with a series of droughts lasting from 2200-2150 BC led to civil unrest. Soon, the decentralisation of the government led to the fading of the importance of the Capital, Memphis.
Order soon broke down, and the unrest led to the reformation known as the First Intermediate period.
This golden age had passed, and the days ahead looked bleak for this great land.
A Quick Summary Of The First Intermediate Period (2181 BC-2055 BC)
Following the collapse of the Old Kingdom and the rise of the First Intermediate Period, there was still widespread famine. This period was a dark age in Egyptian history. This was a time of chaos in Egypt, a time of desecration of temples, artwork and statues.
Egypt was now split between Heracleopolis in Lower Egypt and Thebes in Upper Egypt. Local governors ruled over small parts of Egypt. Any semblance of a united kingdom under one pharaoh was gone.
Inscriptions also mention invaders from the Middle East ( mainly from modern Palestine and Lebanon).
Inscription from Ankhtifi’s tomb: “The Asiatics are coming; there are none among them whom one can fight. No one indeed can stand before them.”
But dawn was breaking over Egypt, and the gods would smile again over its people.
A Quick Summary Of The Middle Kingdom of Egypt (2040 BC-1782 BC)
After a dark episode of division and famine in the land of Egypt, Egypt would see a reunification under Mentuhotep II, who took advantage of revolts in Upper Egypt to take control of Herakleopolis and reunify Egypt.
Now that Egypt was secure, it turned its attention to Nubia, a land rich in incense, ivory, ebony, and gold. Egypt had already sent incursions to Nubia for many years. Soon, Egypt sought to consolidate its power and permanently take and incorporate Nubia into its territory. After many campaigns and building a series of fortifications along the Nile, Lower Nubia soon came under Egyptian control. And Upper Nubia was soon under Egyptian influence.
Egypt then turned its gaze to the land of Cannan (modern Palestine, Lebanon). Under Senworset III, who also campaigned in Nubia, he sent his armies to the Levant and made them vassals of Egypt.
The Sebek-khu Stele: “His Majesty proceeded northward to overthrow the Asiatics. His Majesty reached a foreign country of which the name was Sekmem. Then Sekmem fell, together with the wretched Retenu.”
Following this, migration of people from the Levant known as the Hyksos began moving into the Nile Delta region of Egypt (northern Egypt to us) and settled there.
A Quick Summary Of the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt (1700 BC-1550 BC)
The death of Queen Sobekneferu (1806-1802 BC) saw a downward spiral for Egypt as she had no heirs, and Egypt was divided into smaller dynasties again.
The newly arrived Hyksos people took advantage of this turmoil and established their city-state of Avaris in Lower Egypt.
Seeing this Egyptian weakness, Nubia invaded and took back land, fortresses, and much-needed resources such as the gold mines.
Only a small semi-independent native state existed in Thebes, now merely a vassal of the Hyksos.
The Hyksos largely adopted Egyptian culture, such as religion and in how they depicted themselves.
Inscription from the Carnarvon Tablet: To what effect do I perceive it, my might, while a ruler is in Avaris and another in Kush, I sit joined with an Asiatic and a Nubian, each man having his (own) portion of this Egypt, sharing the land with me. There is no passing him as far as Memphis, the water of Egypt. He has possession of Hermopolis, and no man can rest, being deprived by the levies of the Setiu. I shall engage in battle with him, and I shall slit his body, for my intention is to save Egypt, striking the Asiatics.
The Hyksos held its grip on Egypt for over a century until they were finally overthrown. Seqenenre Tao, who lived from 1560-1558 or 1555 BC, defeated the Nubians to the south. However, Ahmose I’s liberation of Lower Egypt from the Hyksos drove them out permanently. A new dynasty was set up, and a new and prosperous era known as The New Kingdom began.
A Quick Summary Of The New Kingdom (1549 BC-1069 BC)
The New Kingdom was a time of prosperity in Egypt.
Egypt had never been under any serious threat of foreign occupation before. The Hyksos left a deep scar in the minds of the Egyptians. Egypt turned militaristic. Earlier, one in every one hundred men was called up to serve. Now, it was one in every ten. The pharaohs were expected to campaign in foreign lands so Egypt would never fall to foreign influence.
They met a powerful nation and waged war with the Matanni, which occupied modern northern Syria and southeast Turkey. Most famously at one of the most significant battles of the bronze age, Megiddo.
Canaanites and Syrian kingdoms attempted to rise against Egypt, but Egypt squashed the rebellions under Amenhotep II.
After a century of constant war between Egypt and the Mitanni, they finally settled for peace. But that peace would not last long as the Assyrian and emerging Hittite Kingdom would conquer the Mitanni empire.
Under Akhenaten, he abolished the pantheon of Egyptian gods. He established the worship of a single god, Aten, and moved the capital city to Akhentaten. He could not or would not answer the calls for help from the collapsing Mitanni empire.
Under Tutenkhamen (1334-1325 BC) and Horemheb (1321-1293 BC), restoring the old pantheon of gods and opening many of the temples again was one of his first and very popular actions.
Horemheb had no heir and would give the throne to his friend Ramses I (1293-1291 BC), whose Kingdom was one of the most stable and prosperous. However, his son Seti I was the first to battle the Hittites, and his son fought them at Kadesh—the biggest battle of the Bronze Age.
Egypt’s Fall
Under Ramses II, Egypt crushed many revolts at home and in Cannan and fought off Lybian raiders.
The Hittite empire collapsed due to widespread famine and the incursion of maritime groups of raiders known as the sea peoples who ravaged the coasts of Anatolia and the Levant. They even tried and failed, thanks to Ramses III, to invade Egypt with the help of Lybian tribes. However, rather than killing them all, Egypt sought to hire them as mercenaries.
The Sea Peoples
Not much is certain about the identity of the mysterious sea peoples. Still, most of the evidence, such as the weapons and armour and a few inscriptions about them, tell us they were probably a confederation of peoples from the Aegean, the rest of southern Europe, and some of Anatolia’s coast areas.
Also, an interesting new field of science called archeogenetics has shed some light on this mystery. DNA studies on people in the Levant in some of the cities that the sea peoples were sent to, such as Askalon, almost all but confirm a southern European connection, specifically a Mycenaean one. However, much more work must be done to know their origins decisively.
Inscription on the Medinet Habu Second Pylon:
“The foreign countries made a conspiracy in their islands. All at once, the lands were removed and scattered in the fray. No land could stand before their arms: from Hatti, Qode, Carchemish Arzawa and Alashiya on, being cut off [i.e. destroyed] at one time. A camp was set up in Amurru. They desolated its people, and its land was like that which has never come into being. They were coming forward toward Egypt while the flame was prepared before them. Their confederation was the Peleset, Tjeker, Shekelesh, Denyen and Weshesh lands united. They laid their hands upon the land as far as the circuit of the earth, their hearts confident and trusting: ‘Our plans will succeed!'”
Due in part to the sea peoples, all the kingdoms of the Middle East collapsed or contracted, as was the case for Assyria and Egypt.
However, this is only a quick summary of ancient Egypt, and we will give the sea peoples their dedicated post.
Quick Summary Of The Third Intermediate Period (1069 BC-653 BC)
Egypt became bankrupt and could not hire any of its enemies. The Lybians invaded and took over much of Upper Egypt, while the high priests ruled Thebes in Lower Egypt. The Kushites invaded northward and incorporated Egypt into the Kushite Empire, where they oversaw many building projects, such as the widespread construction of pyramids and restorations of monuments.
Due to the expanding Assyrian empire, it was only inevitable that they would come to blows, leading to the Assyrians taking Egypt and pushing the Kushites back into Nubia between 671 and 667 BC.
A Quick Summary Of The Late Period (653 BC-332 BC)
The Assyrians left Egypt under vassals known as the Saite Kings of the Twenty-Sixth Dynasty. But under Psmatik I, it was briefly freed from the Assyrians with the help of Greek mercenaries. Egypt might have seen a new golden age with a growing economy and a resurgence of culture. Still, in 525 BC, the powerful Persian empire took possession of Egypt but eventually handed it over to Alexander the Great without resistance.
A Quick Summary Of The Ptolemaic Period (332 BC-30 BC)
Under Greece, the Ptolemaic Dynasty would emerge. They adopted much of the Egyptian culture and even portrayed themselves as pharaohs. Alexandria became the new capital, a city famous for its culture and learning, with the most well-known project being the Library of Alexander.
After instability caused by infighting among the Greek families and native revolts, Rome, heavenly reliant on grain from Egypt, became interested in the political unrest and sent legions to secure it and incorporate it into their empire.
A Quick Summary Of The Roman Period (30 BC-64 AD)
Under Rome, Egypt’s culture was slowly forgotten, and Roman and Greek culture was adopted.
Egypt became one of the most important provinces in the Roman Empire. Providing much-needed grain for its legions, it became the breadbasket of the Roman Empire.
Christianity became the main religion by the end of the first century AD.
Egyptian hieroglyphics were completely forgotten until they were deciphered many decades later by Athanasius Kircher in the 17th century.
The god Khonsu began his journey over the heavens, having seen all the devastation across the world, confident that Egypt, as it had before, would endure any calamity that came across it.
This has been a quick summary of ancient Egypt; we will cover much more. We could do a whole post on just one of these periods or dynasties of ancient Egypt. This post does not do justice to the depth and richness of Egypt’s history, and rather than a quick summary of ancient Egypt, we will take a deeper dive into more aspects of ancient Egypt.
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