Reputation in History
Reputation in History © Nick Taylor – Relief of Xerxes I Modern and ancient scholars often portray Xerxes I as a tyrant. His rule over ancient Egypt was harsh, disregarding local customs and beliefs left and right. Xerxes decided not to follow the ideas set by his predecessors, the notion that ruling with a fair, light […]
First Intermediate Period (2181 – 2055 BC)
First Intermediate Period (2181 – 2055 BC) The First Intermediate Period began sometime after the death of Pepi II, who had lived to be into his 90s, which meant that he had outlived his heirs. That caused problems with the succession, and the growing power of the provincial governors exacerbated matters. © Udimu – Soldier Figurines […]
Second Intermediate Period (1650 – 1550 BC)
Second Intermediate Period (1650 – 1550 BC) For much of this time, Egypt was under the control of the Hyksos, a Canaanite tribe from the north-east. They sacked Memphis which was then the capital and seized control of the country. Many Egyptians fled to Thebes where they eventually organized a resistance. The Hyksos had a major influence on the Egyptian […]
THE DEVELOPMENT OF PROFESSIONAL WARFARE
The Narmer Palette, an ancient Egyptiancermonial engraving, depicts the great king Narmer (c. 3150 BCE) conquering his enemies with the support and approval of his gods. This piece, dating from c. 3200-3000 BCE, was initially thought to be an accurate historical depiction of the unification of Egypt under Narmer, the first king of the First Dynasty. Recent revisions in scholarship, […]
Ancient Egyptian Agriculture
Agriculture was the foundation of the ancient Egyptian economy and vital to the lives of the people of the land. Agricultural practices began in the Delta Region of northern Egyptand the fertile basin known as the Faiyum in the Predynastic Period in Egypt (c. 6000 – c. 3150 BCE), but there is evidence of agricultural use and overuse of the land dating back to […]
Isis | The Goddess of Fertility
Isis was the ancient Egyptian goddess of marriage, fertility, motherhood, magic and medicine. Many myths and legends exist about Isis in Egypt and Egyptian literature uses several names and titles for this goddess. Worship of Isis, her temples and her cult spread through Egypt and parts of Europe. Names, Titles & Roles Isis is the “Goddess […]
Animal Husbandry, Crops, & Products in egypt
The Egyptians maintained a largely vegetarian diet. Meat was expensive, could not last long as there was no concept of refrigeration, and so was primarily reserved for nobility, the wealthy, and for festivals and special occasions. Animals used for meat included cattle, lambs, sheep, goats, poultry, and for the nobles, antelope killed in the hunt. […]
New Kingdom of Egypt
The New Kingdom (c. 1570- c.1069 BCE) is the era in Egyptian history following the disunity of the Second Intermediate Period (c. 1782-1570 BCE) and preceding the dissolution of the central government at the start of the Third Intermediate Period (c. 1069-c. 525 BCE). This is the time of Imperial Egypt when it extended its reach beyond the former borders to create an empire. It is […]
Neglecting Egypt’s Allies
The pharaoh as a servant of the gods, and identified with a certain god (most often Horus), was common practice in ancient Egyptian culture, but no one before Akhenaten had proclaimed himself an actual god incarnate. As a god, he seems to have felt that the affairs of state were beneath him and simply stopped attending to […]
Third Intermediate Period of Egypt
The Third Intermediate Period (c. 1069-525 BCE) is the era following the New Kingdom of Egypt (c. 1570-c.1069 BCE) and preceding the Late Period (c.525-332 BCE). Egyptian history was divided into eras of ‘kingdoms’ and ‘intermediate periods’ by Egyptologists of the late 19th century CE to clarify the study of the country’s history, but these designations were not used by the […]
