|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
the first intermediate period | the second intermediate period | the third intermediate period | the late period The so-called "Intermediate" phases of Ancient Egyptian history refer to the periods when there was little or no strong central government and the ruling structure of the country was fragmented or divided. These periods tend to be thought of as inferior times throughout Egypt's history, when the state was divided and the wealth of the country waned, although in fact these situations did in fact occur during more "normal" times too. There are three "intermediate periods" which fall between the old, middle and and new kingdoms and the late period, and each one tends to involve a transition period, where a gradual breakdown in central power would result in the rise of various regional rulers. The First Intermediate Period
The two Herakleopolitan Dynasties were initially somewhat unstable, with frequent changes of rulers taking place. Upper Egypt was controlled by a rival Theban family, the 11th Dynasty. However, as the authority of the Herakleopolitan government began to grow, down in Upper Egypt the authority of the Theban Dynasty also increased. Mounting hostility between the two often resulted in clashes along the border just north of Abydos. Eventually the country was finally reunified by Mentuhotep I of the 11th Dynasty in Thebes, thus creating the period we refer to today as the Middle Kingdom. The Second Intermediate Period The original chaos and turmoil that was considered to be the Second Intermediate Period, now does not appear to be as bad as previously thought. In fact the transition from the 12th to 13th Dynasty appears to have been a smooth one, with the 13th Dynasty lasting around seventy years and managing to keep a degree of control over both Upper and Lower Egypt. The central government and the country itself was relatively stable throughout most of the 13th Dynasty. It was around the time of the death of the last but one ruler, Ay, when the Delta area broke away from the central government and formed its own petty kingdom, that the confusion begins. In come the Hyksos
Whilst the Hyksos kings controlled the north of the country, "native Egyptian" rulers were establishing the 17th Dynasty in Thebes. These Theban kings ruled an area from Elephantine near the first cataract, up to Abydos, and actually managed to more or less continue with the culture that had prevailed during the Middle Kingdom period. The last two rulers of this native Egyptian dynasty in Thebes, Seqenenre Tao and his son Kamose, campaigned openly against the Hyksos rulers and eventually Ahmose I, the first ruler of the 18th Dynasty, successfully drove them from power and was able to establish the New Kingdom phase. The Third Intermediate Period The increasing power of the priesthood of Amun at Thebes during the latter years of the 20th Dynasty, finally came to a head under Ramesses XI. Herihor, the High Priest, enforced his supremacy over the last of the Ramessides and created a ruling class of High Priests of Amun at Thebes. Herihor in fact ruled alongside Ramesses XI, Herihor ruling from the south of the country, and Ramesses ruling from Pi-Ramesse, the capital established by Ramesses the Great. Herihor died about five years before Ramesses XI, and was replaced by Piankh, who may have been his son-in-law, although both Piankh and Ramesses XI seem to have died at about the same time.
The ruling families of the north and the south were correlated by marriage. During the later 19th and 20th Dynasties, power and control had moved from Upper Egypt to Lower Egypt (the Delta). The High Priests of Amun had become a self ruling separate entity. After the death of Ramesses XI in around 1070, Smendes proclaimed himself king ruling from the Delta, establishing the 21st Dynasty. During the reign of Smedes, the Delta capital was transferred from Pi-Ramesse to Tanis. When Smendes gained the throne in the north, Pinedjem I, the son of Piankh, became the High Priest of Amun in the south at Thebes. It should be mentioned that mostly throughout this period, the High Priests at Amun, whilst firmly in control of the south, nominally deferred to the northern king, allowing him to rule, at least in name, the whole of Egypt. Smendes origins are unclear, it is thought he had married one of Ramesses XI's many daughters. Whilst he ruled in the Delta, civil war still raged around Thebes. Psusennes I, the next delta king, made efforts to link the two ruling families together with the marriage of his daughter Isiemkheb to the High Priest Menkheperre. A temple dedicated to the deities associated with Thebes, Amun, Mut and Khonsu was built at Tanis. The establishment of rival Dynasties
The establishment of these rival dynasties basically resulted in the 22nd - 24th Dynasties all ruling simultaneously in different parts of the country. A Kushite 25th Dynasty, had gained power in the Theban region, whilst the 24th Dynasty were still ruling from Sais. The 25th Dynasty, characterised by intermittent Nubian domination started well, but ended with the country suffering severely from Assyrian invasions in 671 and 663 BC. Around 664 BC Psamtek I became king, and within four years had entire control of the Delta. From this strategic position, he was finally able to reunify the country, and thus introduced new era of Egyptian nationalism. This period of cultural change was expressed primarily by sculpture and painting which was often consciously modelled on earlier work of the Old and Middle Kingdom.
The expansion and military activity of both Assyria and Babylonia had threatened and subdued Egypt. Now a new contender for power was appearing on the scene. Persia had already waged war against the Greeks, and Egypt was now no match for the might of the Persian Empire. Note: The Saite Period, although here included as part of the Third Intermediate Period, is also often regarded as the first part of the Late Period. We have therefore, for arguments sake, also included this period as a part of our Late Kingdom information window. IMPORTANT NOTE: The precise dates of the Egyptian Dynasties and of individual reigns are still the subject of much scholarly debate. Students and other individuals who use this website should therefore be aware that the dates shown for the dynasties and individual reigns throughout this site may sometimes differ to the dates that are used in other publications.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
