Egyptian History
Middle Kingdom to Demise
Page 2 of 2 — There was a gulf between Upper and Lower Egypt, and they began to fall into disarray. Before the time of Pepi, more and more power was slipping away from the wise eye of “divine” Pharaoh. The two portions of Egypt were lead by two viziers, whom could have had more power than Pharaoh towards the end. This, coupled with the aforementioned famines and other problems, lead to the splitting of Egypt.
After a few unsuccessful attempts at re-unification, Amenemhat I brought the kingdoms together and established a capital in Lower Egypt circa 2055 B.C. He was, however, assassinated, but the reigns of the kingdom were quickly taken over by Amenemhat’s son, preventing the kingdom from falling back into chaos.
Although the Middle Kingdom was certainly not as good for Egypt’s glamour as the Old Kingdom was, some advances and interesting things did happen. Egypt was more aggressive at this time, pressing into Syria and Nubia. Trade expanded, and the pyramids were retired for a more conventional resting place. Since many of the once-great pyramids of the Old Kingdom had been violated and plundered by grave robbers, the pharaohs of the Middle Kingdom decided to place their tombs within great cliffs. One of these areas was the great Valley of the Kings. The burial complexes inside of these rocks were almost as amazing as the great pyramids, but were much more subtle and usually kept secret (or so the architects thought). Apparently the Egyptians were moving towards practicality instead of a display of power in this period.
Another contributing factor that would aid the Egyptians in the future was the introduction of the war chariot. It was brought by the Hyksos, whom were planning to make war, into Egypt. These power-hungry vandals attacking Lower Egypt and brought an end to the Middle Kingdom, but made way for something much grander.
The New Kingdom brought immense wealth into Egypt, comparable to that of the Old Kingdom. It brought them back the lands of Nubia.
Circa 1379 B.C., some trauma happened to the Egyptian way of life. The pharaoh Akhenaton pushed away the gods of his fathers and centered worship around the god Aten, all but forbidding worship of the other traditional gods. It is said he even carved names of gods off of their temples and destroyed their statues. After his death, the worship was fortunately restored. His may-be brother Smenkhkare then took over the kingdom, but died a short while after. At this time, a new pharaoh was crowned. He was one of the most famous, whether it is deserved or not, of the Egyptian dynasties. His name was Tutankhamun, or King Tut. His reign was not all that wonderful, still trying to recover from his father’s tyranny. Due to unknown causes, perhaps murder or a chariot accident, Tutankhamun was killed around his eighteenth birthday and buried in the Valley of the Kings.
After this unfortunate event, some positive things did begin to occur. The following pharaohs began to restore the traditional religion of Egypt, undoing the damage Tut’s father had invoked.
When the Egyptians come into play in Rome: Total War, they had been conquered by Alexander the Great. There were Hellenicized. Alexander established his capital in a new city, Alexandria. After Alexander’s death, General Ptolemy Soter took over Egypt. This time seemed to be good for the Egyptians, as everything was outwardly Egyptian as far as customs went. However, their culture was coming to its end. Perhaps it had already reached it.
After this period, Egypt saw occupations by Rome. However, the times of the pharaohs would never return. Egypt, though prosperous, was very quickly losing its heritage. After this came the Christian period, in which many Egyptians became Coptic Christians. Then came the Arabs, and then the Ottomans, all of the above leaving lasting impressions on Egypt. The likes of which are beyond the scope of this overview, but Egyptian history from this point on becomes mingled in that of other cultures. The true Egyptians died with the last pharaoh of Egypt.
In conclusion, the Egyptians were perhaps one of the most diverse, interesting and powerful people in the ancient world, or by any standard. They are subjects of great study, and their wonders can still be seen standing today. They stand as a reminder of the greatness of Egypt.