The Middle Kingdom

The Middle Kingdom was from 2125 to 1650 B.C. It was generally a peaceful time. But at certain times many enemies were trying to push borders of Egypt outward. The Middle Kingdom started with king Nebhepetre Mentuhotep I who united all of Egypt again. He ruled for 51 years and his reign brought stability to Egypt.

The Eleventh Dynasty marks the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. Under the kings in the Middle Kingdom, trade with foreign countries began again, irrigation projects were repaired, and text writing began from scratch. The powers of many kings really didn't return to Egypt during that time. As the king's of Egypt began to regain authority over Egypt, wealth and population began to grow again. Much of the population came from non-Egyptians who migrated to the Nile for a good life. The foreigners greatly influenced the course of history in the Middle Kingdom.

The prosperity of this time lasted for a short period of time. Many kings of the Middle Kingdom greatly weakened the throne of Egypt. The dynasties went fom the eleventh to the seventeenth. During Amenemhet the third's reign, Egypt was properious until the flood of the Nile began to decrease. During the Thirteenth Dynasty the kings managed to keep control of the country of Egypt. (Bauer 178-179)

During the Forteenth Dynasty the kings began to weaken and lose power. The Hyksos invaded during this time and took over Egypt for two centuries. The word Hyksos means "ruler of foreign lands". The rule of the Hyksos brought the Bronze Age and with them they brought better weapons. In many ways the Hyksos were beneficial to the Egyptians. The Middle Kingdom was a turbulent period. Corruptions and rebellions were common in the Middle Kingdom. In the end new kings arose and pushed out the foreigners. This was the time when the New Kingdom began.

In the Middle Kingdom was a golden period for art and literature, with it many new ideas were introduced. The kings of the Middle Kingdom continued to build pyramids almost as big as the Great Pyramids, but less expensive. King Mentuhotep II seized control of Egypt and established the Eleventh Dynasty in the Middle Kingdom.

The rulers of the Middle Kingdom were known as savers in times of hardship. The Middle Kingdom also restored the sacral kingship and relflected upon that kingship. Egypt was strong and powerful for a time but later on it grew weaker and weaker. A reason why it became weaker was because of enemies attacking and weakening the strong points of the kingdom. The reason for the fall of the Middle Kingdom is unclear. The fall seems to resemble the fall of the Old Kingdom. (Assmann 119-120)

Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Acient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007
Assmann, Jan. The Mind of Egypt. New York: Henry Holt & Company, Inc, 1996

The Old Kingdom

The Old Kingdom in Egypt was the period from about 2650 to 2134, which was the richest and most creative period in Egyptian history. All the pyramids were built at this time. These pyramids were built in the lifetime of four kings, Snofru, Cheops, Chephren, and Mycerinus.

The fourth dynasty is the beginning of the Old Kingdom. This was the Golden Age when the pyramids at Giza were built as tombs for the three Pharaohs. They were Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. It is these monuments that have been greatly remembered through out history. During the fifth and sixth dynasties of the Old Kingdom, the pharoahs began to loose power and control.

In the third dynasty the pharoahs were Sanakhte, Djoser, Sekhemkhet, Khaba, and Huni. In the fourth dynasty the pharoahs were Snefru, Cheops, Dfedefre, Chephren, Menkaura, Shepseskaf, and Djedefptah. In the fifth dynasty the pharoahs were Userkaf, Sahure, Neferirkare, Shepseskare, Neferefre, Nyuserre, Mankauhor, Djedkare, and Unas. In the sixth dynasty the pharoahs were Teti the first, Userkare, Pepi the first, Merenre the first, Pepi the second, Merenre the second, and Nitocris.

The second king of the Third Dynasty was Djoser. He ruled for about two decades and he built the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. During his reign, Egypt experienced a seven year famine. The fifth king of the Third Dynasty was Huni who ruled for about 24 years. He built or at least started the pyramid at Meidum. This pyramid was however the first square ground plan.

Sneferu was the first king of the Fourth Dynasty. He was an active leader. He began trade with the Mediterranean nations . Sneferu built the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. Khufu was the second king of this dynasty. Little is known about Khufu but he is greatly remebered for building the Great Pyramid. Khafre was the fourth king of this dynasty. He built the Pyramid of Khafre and many historians believe he built the Great Sphinx at Giza.

The second king of the Fifth Dynasty was Sahure who established the Egyptian navy and a fleet to trade with Palestine. Nyuserre was the sixth king of this dynasty. He is famous for his solar temple and his pyramid at Abu Sir. Unas was the ninth king of this dynasty. His pyramid was the very first to carry inscriptions. Later on these became known as the famous, "Pyramid Texts." Pepi the first was the third king of the Sixth Dynasty. He took the offensive military role. The fifth king of this Dynasty was the son of Pepi the first who was Pepi the second. He took the throne when he was only 6 years old and reigned for 94 years. The "Pyramid Texts" were a decoration for the burial chambers or tombs of the pharoahs of the Fifth Dynasty. (Bauer 116)

The Old Kingdom was a great flourishing of thoughts, creativity, and technical advances. The Old Kingdom is also known as the "Age of Stone." Though the dynasties of the kingdoms are a useful tool for studying Ancient Egypt they don't help us understand how the Egyptians viewed their world then.

The Old Kingdom was a period of stability and prosperity in Egypt. Some of the largest monuments were the king's tombs in the Old Kingdom. After the wasteful Fourth Dynasty, a dreadful drought came which ended the Old Kingdom. The combination of the drought and overplanting had shrink streams and rivers which caused the Old Kingdom to come to an end. The Sixth Dynasty was the last of the Old Kingdom. (Bauer 117 & 131) (Kemp 125)

Kemp, Barry. Think Like an Egyptian. New York: Penguin Group, Inc, 2005
Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Ancient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007

Pharoah Khufu

Khufu was the son of Snefera and Queen Hetephere. His full name was Khnum-Khufwy, which means "the god." Khufu is also known as Cheops, who was the second king of the Fourth Dynasty. Khufu is greatly known for building the Great Pyramid at Giza. His only surviving statue is the smallest piece of Egyptian sculptures ever discovered. Khufu reigned from 2589 to 2566,which was about 23 years.

The Great Pyramid at Giza is the only remaining ancient wonder that is still standing today. Khufu's great pyramid was made of 2.3 million blocks of granite and limestone. Each block weighed about 2.5 to 15 tons. King Khufu picked the spot of his great pyramid. In 2566, the pyramid was done. It was 481 feet tall.

Not much is known of Khufu's personal life or his accomplishments. But his most famous undertaking was the Great Pyramid at Giza. There was two theories for the building of his pyramid. First that slaves were forced to work until the task was done and the other was that there was hundreds of skilled workers who were payed to complete the pyramid. Today there is no remains of the mummy that have been found due to his tomb being robbed.

The Great Pyramid has been the center of more theories than any other structure. Khufu's had six sons, many did not succeed at building any pyramids but one did. Khafre built a pyramid called the"Second Pyramid." Khufu is best known for building one of the largest pyramids today. Khufu was so busy with the pyramid that he closed down all the temples to stop people from worshipping him. Khufu wanted to gain as much power as he could but he was running out of money to do this. So it was said that he placed his daughter in a room with men to entertain them and the money she made was to be passed on to him. (Bauer 84-87)

King Khufu was portrayed as a cruel ruler unlike his father Snefera. Snefera was a calm and gentle man who was very helpful to the Egyptians. Though Khufu was cruel, he had built the largest pyramid around. In the Fourth Dynasty was the first period in which mummification took place. It was not very successful but it was useful when using the linen bandages. The Fourth Dynasty was also the mark that peaked of the great pyramid building. Cheops whose Egyptian name was Khufu was the second king of the Fourth Dyansty. (Kemp 86) (Maisels 70)

Though the Great Pyramid at Giza has so much fame, not much is known about Khufu. An ancient wooden boat was found in a pit at the base of the pyramid. Inside this a small statue of Khufu was found. The statue is really all we have of him. The pyramid had three burial chambers. The first was underground which was carved into bedrock. The second one was the "queens chamber," And the third one was the king's chamber in which a red granite sarcophagus was placed.

Bauer, Wise, Susan. The History of the Ancient World. New York: Norton & Company, Inc, 2007

Kemp, Barry. Think Like an Egyptian. New York: Penguin Group, Inc, 2005

Maisels, Keith, Charles. Early Civilizations of the Old World. London: Florence Group, Inc, 1999

The Code of Hammurabi

The Code of Hammurabi was written in 1750 B.C. by the King Hammurabi. The code was the most complete collection of the Babylonian laws There was 282 laws and each one covered a different aspect of life.

The Code of Hammurabi was written to encourage people to accept the king, who was trying to give common day rules to the people to follow. The laws ranged from private to public matters. The code of laws applied to the entire society. A person who failed to follow the laws were punished. Each mistake had a different penality.There was three classes, the patricians, the commoners, and the slaves. The purpose of the Code of Hammurabi was to use power to create common bonds amoung the people.

Hammurabi's stele was written in Akkadian, the Babylonian lanuage. Originally the code was in Babylon's temple of Marduk. Although the code is not the first legal code, it's the best preserved ancient law in the world today. The stele was more than just a educational tool. It was a code of the rules which was established by an authority. The Code of Hammurabi was a model for the schools of scribes, who were to copy it for many years.

Hammurabi's code is the oldest set of laws known to exist today. The code is significant because it allowed all the people to understand the laws that governed their lives. It's unique because it is one of the only laws written down.

Hammurabi felt that he had to write the laws to please the gods. He did'nt consider himself a god though but he did call himself "the favorite of the gods." The laws were clearly stated so that there was no excuses or explanations for the mistakes the people made. The code of Hammurabi was very important and he wanted it to last forever. Those laws can help us understand Hammurabi a little more than what we already know.