The 1,850 years of Egypt’s Predynastic era (5000 B. C.E.-3150 B. C.E.) were busy times of intense cultural and agricultural development, population growth, widespread settlement, and the adoption of hieroglyphic writing. Egypt’s population was about 1 million by the time King Narmer united the “two lands” in 3100 B. C.E.
The 375 years of the Early Dynastic Period (3000 B. C.E.-2625 B. C.E.) saw the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under strong central rule. During Dynasties 0 to 3 the capital city of Memphis was founded, and Egypt’s huge, bureaucratic government rapidly developed.
The Old Kingdom (2625 B. C.E.-2130 B. C.E.) was the age of the great pyramids. In statues of themselves, Old Kingdom rulers have a calm, godlike peacefulness. They knew they were assured of eternal life. They probably did not care much about everyday, earthly matters or the troubles of the peasants. They are portrayed speaking directly to the gods and thinking lofty thoughts. They did not hesitate to pour all Egypt’s resources into building lavish tombs for themselves.
By the end of the Old Kingdom, Egypt’s population had grown to 2 million, mostly extremely poor peasants. There was general unhappiness with increasingly expensive royal building projects. Powerful, wealthy local rulers started ignoring the king, and splintered Egypt into independent feudal provinces.
Climate changes brought a disastrous series of low Niles, causing crop failures, widespread famine, and the miseries of the First Intermediate Period (2130 B. C.E.-1980 B. C.E.). For 150 years, Egypt suffered chaos, civil war, and famine.
The Middle Kingdom (1980 B. C.E.-1630 B. C.E.) was a glorious but restrained era of reform and cultural restoration. In statues of themselves, Middle Kingdom rulers have the worried, care-worn expressions of men facing many real-world problems. They were wealthy and powerful, but also hard workers, running a huge, unwieldy government. They saw what chaos and civil war can do to their country. They did not want a repeat. For 350 years, Egypt enjoyed peace, prosperity, increased trade, and great practical achievements. The population grew to about 2.5 million. For the first time, Egypt had a middle class.
The Second Intermediate Period (1630 B. C.E.-1539 B. C.E.) brought Egypt’s worst nightmare: rule by foreigners. Another period of climate change and unstable Nile years brought crop failure, famine, and civil disorder. The Hyksos (“rulers of foreign lands”), foreigners of Semitic origin, took advantage and seized the throne, holding it for more than 100 years. Because they were foreigners, the Hyksos were hated. But they brought much-needed fresh ideas and cultural innovations to Egypt. After a long, difficult power struggle, a group of princes from the city of Thebes drove the Hyksos from Egypt.
The New Kingdom (1539 B. C.E.-1075 B. C.E.) was Egypt’s imperial age. At its greatest extent, Egypt’s empire stretched from the fourth cataract of the Nile deep in Nubia all the way to the Euphrates River in Asia. Egypt was powerful and wealthy beyond compare-the world’s first superpower. The imperial pharaohs of the New Kingdom have
Proud, confident faces. They owned the world. They thought extremely highly of Egypt, and even more highly of themselves. No boast was too grand, no monument too large, no conquest too challenging for these mighty pharaohs. For more than 450 years, Egypt, now home to about 3 million people, was on top of the world. Gold, gifts, plunder, and tribute flowed in like the Nile floods. But winds of change were blowing.
During the 419 years of the Third Intermediate Period (1075 B. C.E.-664 B. C.E.) Egypt’s power weakened and, eventually, the empire came to an end. By around 1000 B. C.E., Egypt was just about bankrupt.
World History
