Middle Kingdom andCultural Transformation

Chronology

3100 – 2686 BC Early Dynastic (Dynasty 0 – 2)2686 – 2181 BC Old Kingdom (Dynasty 3 – 6)2181 – 2025 BC First Intermediate Period (Dyn. 7 – 10)2025 – 1700 BC Middle Kingdom (Dyn. 11 – 13)1700 – 1550 BC Second Intermediate Period (Dyn. 14 – 17) 1550 – 1069 BC New Kingdom (Dyn. 18 – 20) 1069 – 664 BC Third Intermediate Period (Dyn. 21 – 25)664 – 332 BC Late Period (Dyn. 26 – 31) 332 – 30 BC Ptolemaic Period

The Forgotten, Ignored, Misunderstood Kingdom

(Selected)

Old Kingdom RulersFifth Dynasty• Userkaf (ca. 2465-2458 BC)• Sahure (ca. 2458-2446 BC)• Unas (ca. 2356-2323 BC)

Sixth Dynasty• Teti (ca. 2323-2150 BC)• Pepi I (ca. 2289-2255 BC)• Pepi II (ca. 2246-2152 BC)

clevelandart.org

metmuseum.org

brooklynmuseum.org

First Intermediate Period

• “Collapse” of Old Kingdom

• Rise of the nomarchs

Stela of Tetu and Nefertjentet, Thebes; Met, NYC

Stela of Intef, Thebes; British Museum

Stela of Maati and Dedwi; Brooklyn Museum

Ancient Egypt’s Industrial Revolution

• King’s victims of their own success

• Distribution of wealth, luxury commodities now available to larger segments of the population

• “Democratization”

Admonitions of Ipuwer• Papyrus Leiden 344

“Indeed, the desert is throughout the land, the nomes are laid waste, and barbarians from abroad have come to Egypt.Indeed, men arrive [. . .] and indeed, there are no Egyptians anywhere.Indeed, gold and lapis lazuli, silver and turquoise, carnelian and amethyst, Ibhet-stone and [. . .] are strung on the necks of maidservants. Good things are throughout the land, (yet) housewives say: "Oh that we had something to eat!"Indeed, [. . .] noblewomen. Their bodies are in sad plight by reason of their rags, and their hearts sink when greeting [one another]. Indeed, chests of ebony are broken up, and precious ssnDm-wood is cleft asunder in beds [. . .].Indeed, the builders [of pyramids have become] cultivators, and those who were in the sacred bark are now yoked [to it].”

Middle Kingdom

Mentuhotep II (ca. 2030 – 2000 BC)

Twelfth Dynasty (ca. 1980 – 1800 BC)

• Amenemhat I• Senwosret I• Amenhemhat II• Senwosret II• Senwosret III• Amenemhat III• Amenhemhat IV• Sobekneferu

Lisht, Lahun, Dahshur

Monumental Changes

Tomb of Meketre (ca. 1981 – 1975 BC)

Tomb of Khety, Beni Hasan

Beni Hasan

39 rock-cut tombs of nomarchs of the Oryx nome

Qubbet el-Hawa

Coffin Texts

Golden Age of Art and Literature

History of development of Egyptian

Ivory labels from Tomb U-j at Abydos

Ivory label of King Den from Abydos

Cursive hieroglyphs

Hieratic

Demotic

Coptic

August 24, 394 AD

Last known hieroglyphic inscription carved at the temple of Philae in Aswan

Hieratic died out in the 3rd

century AD

Last known demotic text dates to 452 AD