Mummies for Dummies
An impossible 5-minute chronology of Ancient Egypt
I know virtually nothing about Ancient Egypt, and this is a source of shame. When prompted, the thought process might go like this: “Ancient Egyptians, they, uhhh, built the pyramids, right? Cleopatra was like a queen of it? And they rode chariots? Or is that the Romans…The Mummy is a classic movie though.”
In an attempt to tackle my ignorance, I paid a visit to the London British Museum, and its massive Ancient Egyptian exhibit. It is a vast and beautiful building, impossibly replete with artefacts. One cannot leave without learning something about an old civilisation. To be frank, the displays are almost gluttonous, and the museum’s existence seems a stark reminder of the British Empire’s unapologetic plunder of faraway lands, Egypt included. The whole thing felt like witnessing a stranger at a bar boast about their drunken, consensually-ambiguous one-night stand.
The British Museum knows plenty about Ancient Egypt, though. There is no claim of expertise from me here - far, far from it. But, if you feel like you could know more, let’s pick up our game together. We’ll summarise Ancient Egypt’s distinct eras chronologically, spanning a brain-liquefying 3000 years. Of course, this chronology is also told from a particular perspective and is not representative of all historical views.
The Dynasties of Egypt
Egypt emerged as a unified state around 3000 B.C. and the rule of Egyptian kings (or Pharaohs) is today divided into 31 “Dynasties”. According to Wikipedia, a Dynasty is a series of rulers sharing a common origin.
These 31 Dynasties are grouped into periods of stability, known as the Old, Middle and New Kingdoms, punctured by two unstable periods, known as Intermediate Periods. Ultimately, the Persian Empire was responsible for bringing this all to an end (more on this later).
The Old Kingdom (c. 2686-2181 B.C.)
This was the first great long period of stability and prosperity for Egypt. Many pyramids were built to house deceased and mummified royal family members, including the Great Pyramid of Giza, which was built around 2570 B.C. The empire was protected geographically by seas to the north and desert to the south, and trade and mining boomed. However, climate change began to affect the growth of food crops and the kingdom experienced a famine, and was thrown into disrepair.
The First Intermediate Period (c. 2181 - 2055 B.C.)
This was a dark time, in which Egypt split into two power bases, Upper Egypt (geographically South, where the Upper Nile runs through) and Lower Egypt (Geographically North, where the Lower Nile feeds into the Mediterranean Sea). Not much is known about this period, but it was chaotic and full of conflict. Eventually, Mentuhotep II, ruler of Upper Egypt, conquered Lower Egypt and this marked the beginning of the Middle Kingdom.
The Middle Kingdom (c. 2025 - 1795 B.C.) - The Second Intermediate Period (c. 1795 - 1550 B.C.)
Mentuhotep II’s family consolidated this unification for generations to come, and Egypt flourished with more temples and pyramids being built, commerce and art blossomed. However we start to see a bit of a theme here. A succession of weak rulers created political instability and once again Egypt divided itself into various dynasties. Much of Egypt came under the control of Palestinian rulers, a people who had migrated to the kingdom peacefully over the course of centuries. Native Pharaohs clung on to the South, ruling from the southern city of Thebes. Eventually, these native Pharaohs won a war against the Palestinians of the north, and a Pharaoh named Ahmose II founded the New Kingdom.
The New Kingdom (1550 - 664 B.C.)
This was a long period in which Egypt became the most dominant empire in the world at the time. The nearby kingdoms of Kush and Nubia (towards modern north-central Africa) were crushed, and all their gold and trade networks fed Egypt’s commercial power.
Up to this point, Ancient Egypt was polytheistic, worshipping gods such as Horus (God of light), Amun (God of air), and Anubis (God of the dead). A brave visionary (and possibly mad) Pharaoh came along, named Akhenaten, circa 1350 B.C. He threw a multi-thousand year belief system into upheaval by promoting the God Aten as the one true Sun God, and prohibiting worship of other deities. As you can imagine, the ordinary Egyptian would have been perplexed by Akhenaten’s bizarre decision. His vision was short-lived though. His successor, Tutunkhamun, scrapped the worship of Aten around only a few years later around 1330 B.C. and returned to the traditional worship of multiple Gods.
Ramesses II (known as Ramesses the Great) was a famous pharaoh and he built lavish temples, many of which can be seen today in the modern Egyptian cities of Luxor and Abu Simbel. He also famously fought with the Hittite civilisation over expansion into Syria, before agreeing the first known peace treaty with them.
Decline
Things began to unravel for Ancient Egypt around 1069 B.C. Egypt lost its unity and multiple regional kingdoms sprang up, which were vulnerable to invasion from the neighbouring kingdoms of Kush and Assyria, with King Piye of Kush invading and establishing himself as ruler circa 744 B.C.
Over the next couple of centuries, the mighty empire of Persia was to gain a foothold in Egypt, and a once formidable kingdom was made a mere province. Despite a number of revolts, independence was well and truly lost when the last native Pharaoh, Nectanebo II, was unable to stop a 2nd Persian Invasion in 340 B.C.
Like every good piece of history, the highest drama is saved for last. Incredibly, only 10 years after the Persian occupation, the legendary Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, scything through his opposition and establishing his trusted general Ptolemy as proxy ruler. The Ptolemaic dynasty then ruled from a new roost, the city of Alexandria, and a new Greco-Egyptian God, Serapis, was to be worshipped. The native Egyptians were very much reluctant subjects, loathe to be receptive to much cross-cultural exchange.
In 30 B.C, Rome became the last conquerors of Pharaonic Egypt following a major battle at Actium. Cleopatra VII (yes, there were more than one, but VII was the most famous due to her dalliance with Julius Caesar) was the ruling Pharaoh queen at the time, and she committed suicide. Her son by Julius Caesar, Ptolemy XV, assumed power but was later ordered to be assassinated by the first-ever Roman Emperor, Augustus.
There you have it, I’ve unceremoniously crammed 3000 years’ worth of rich history into an ill-fitting post, for your educational sake. And if you feel like your feeble grasp on Ancient Egypt is marginally stronger, it would mean a lot to me, so please let me know.