A brief history of Egyptian Civilization: Part 4
The first Intermediate period: 2181–2055 BC
This period is often termed as the dark age in the glorious history of ancient Egypt and is started with the end of the old kingdom when the power of the king at the centre fell. The local rulers, who are called nomarch, grew so much in power that some of them even replaced the king. This period was a period of instability amongst the kings who changed frequently and must have brought so much chaos and destruction to the common people.
This phase includes 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th dynasties and a part of 11th dynasty. Then an 11th dynasty king Mentuhotep II from upper Egypt conquered the lower Egypt and unified it. Thus ended this intermediate period and started the Middle Kingdom.
Intermediate period: At the end of the old kingdom, the region of Egypt was divided between two competing power. One ruled in lower Egypt, i.e in northern Egypt, from its capital Herakleopolis. Other power ruled from its capital Thebes in upper Egypt.
These two power often fought with each other to gain the upper hand which must have created chaos in the country. It is believed that temples and other monuments were destroyed in this period. That is why historians called this period a dark age.
But the historians of today believed that this period was more like a transition period. Not a dark age, but a thriving age for the commoners.
At the time of the old kingdom, only the kings and the nobles could afford to build such elaborate tombs for their afterlife. The king and nobles alone had all the resources for this and other luxuries in the old kingdom.
But the king spent those resources to build their tombs and other monuments and that habit diminished coffers. With the elaborated rituals, the priest class grew more powerful in resources. Then, gradually the local ruler grew more powerful than the kings at the centre. The local ruler could afford to build their tombs and have other artwork. The tombs of local rulers did not survive because they were not made by stones as the king of the old kingdom did. But texts survived to tell their stories.
As the demand for this artwork grew, so the quality of them diminished considerable, making this period a dark age for the person who valued art.
But this stage was far from the dark age. It is the thriving period for the commoners but the dark age for the nobles and rulers who were fighting for power.
Dynasties of this age: This period consists of 7th and 8th, 9th, 10th and a part of 11th dynasty. There is very little information regarding 7th or 8th dynasty. Rulers of the 7th dynasty could be the high officials developed at the time of 6th dynasty who tried to seize the throne. And the rulers of 8th dynasty could be the descends of 6ht dynasty who must have tried to take back their throne. But nothing significant is known about this period. The kings did not have the resources to build their tomb which could have told their history like the kings of the old kingdom had done.
Power bases
Herakleopolis: After this period of 7th and 8th dynasty, Herakleopolis rulers arose in lower Egypt which had 19 kings and formed the 9th and 10th dynasties. Or perhaps the rulers at the old capital, Memphis changed their capital to Herakleopolis and that gave the nomarch at the Thebes an opportunity to seize the power vacuum. Nothing is certain about the origin these rulers.
Historians are not even certain about the founder of 9th dynasty and Herakleopolis rulers. Some believed that it was Akhthoes who founded this dynasty and others believed that it was Wahkare Kheti I, or perhaps Kheti II founded it.
Thebes: Perhaps at the same time as these rulers in the lower Egypt, 11th dynasty at the upper started in upper Egypt. Some scholars believed it was Theban nomarch Intef who founded it. He challenged the rulers of Herakleopolis and his descendants gradually overpowered the other local rulers. Menuhotep I declared the Thebes the true capital of Egypt and started conquering the nomes of Upper Egypt. His descendent Wahankh Intef II was tilted as the king of upper and lower Egypt. He conquered the ancient city Abydos where the old Egyptian kings were buried. And claimed to be the true successor of the old kingdom. He built the monuments and temple like the kings of the old kingdom and was succeeded by Nakhtnebtepnefer Intef III who conquered Asyut from Heracleopolis kings. He was succeeded by Mentuhotep II who finally defeated the Herakleopolis kings in the lower Egypt and unified it with upper Egypt.
And with this unification, the first intermediate period ended and the Middle Kingdom started.
