All civilizations, no matter how great they are, eventually fall. Historians, with the benefit of hindsight, can sometimes see evidence of a civilization's impending (that is, upcoming) decline even at a time when that civilization appears to be strong and healthy. Thus although the Old Kingdom still flourished in the Fifth Dynasty of the 2400s b. c., there were already signs that its best years lay in the past. Like their predecessors in the Fourth Dynasty, the kings of the Fifth Dynasty built pyramids, but theirs were neither as impressive nor as lasting. The pharaoh Nyuserra, for instance, built a pyramid whose name means “the places of Nyuserra are enduring.” This proved ironic, because that pyramid today is little more than a heap of stones
The rule of the Memphis pharaohs still seemed strong during the Sixth Dynasty, one of whose kings was Pepi II. Pepi held power longer than any leader in history: he ruled from 2246, when he was just six years old, to 2152 b. c.—ninety-four years. The end of Pepi's reign marked the end of the Old Kingdom. With the beginning of the Seventh Dynasty, Egypt entered what is called the First Intermediate Period. (The word intermediate refers to something that divides.) This period of about 125 years divided the Old Kingdom from the Middle Kingdom.
Why did the Old Kingdom decline? There were several reasons. One was the rise of nomarchs, or governors of provinces, who challenged the authority of the pharaohs. There was also an increase in government bureaucracy, which put further strain on the system. A bureaucracy is a web of offices and officials who create conflicting, often unnecessary, and sometimes senseless rules and regulations, thus making it hard for anyone to get anything done. Furthermore, there was
A widespread sense of disillusionment, an emotional state that occurs when people lose their old beliefs without finding something new to believe in.
Writings from the era, particularly those of the scribe and wise man Ipuwer (IP-oo-weer) suggest that society was in a state of upheaval. The old faith in the pharaohs no longer motivated the people; indeed, the rulers of the Ninth and Tenth dynasties were former nomarchs who had seized power. Ipuwer wrote of increasing suicides, and of a social order that had been turned upside-down: “Look! The poor of the land have become rich; the possessor of things [has become] the one who has nothing.” Another scribe wrote about an increasing attitude of dishonesty among people: “To whom do I speak today? / Brothers are evil, / Friends of today are not of love.”
To top it off, it appears that during this time there was also a famine, or a period when there was not enough food for everyone. Stability only began to return with the Eleventh Dynasty, which established its capital at Thebes (pronounced like “thieves,” but with a b instead of a v.) Finally, a king named Mentuhotep II (min-too-HOE-tep) united all of Egypt under his rule in about 1986 b. c. This effectively ended the First Intermediate Period and ushered in the second great age of ancient Egypt, the Middle Kingdom.
World History
