The Middle Kingdom

For One hundred years after the fall of the Old Kingdom, Egypt was divided into dozens of independent states. Egypt was then reunited by Mentuhotep II. The reuniting of Egypt marked the beginning of the Middle Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom lasted from 2040-1552 B.C. The Middle Kingdom consisted of four dynasties.

The eleventh dynasty was the first dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. The eleventh dynasty ruled from 2133-1991 (140 years). It consisted of seven rulers. Many great things were accomplished in the eleventh dynasty. Heracleops was defeated, Egypt was reunited, and trade with the Red Sea, via the Wadi Hammamat, was resumed.

The twelfth dynasty ruled from 1985-1773 (212 years). It consisted of 8 rulers. The twelfth dynasty represented the cultural and political apex of the Middle Kingdom. During this dynasty Memphis was made the capital of Egypt. Kings of this dynasty also built pyramids. These pyramids were poor in quality, but respectable in size.

The thirteenth dynasty ruled from 1773-1650 B.C. (113 years). The number of rulers in the thirteenth dynasty is unknown. The shift from the twelfth dynasty to the thirteenth dynasty was very undramatic. During this dynasty Egypt had power over Lower Nubia. This dynasty came to an end by military defeat to the Hyksos.

The fourteenth dynasty ruled from about 1786-1603 B.C. This dynasty represents the last period and decline of the Middle Kingdom.

"These kings appear to have gradually lost their grasp over Egypt. A Fourteenth Dynasty appeared in the Delta region, but the pharaohs of this dynasty seem to have been minor monarchs in the Delta region."(source)

Lassieur, Allison. The Ancient Egyptians. San Diego, Ca: Lucent Books, 2001.

Romer, John. People of the Nile. New York: Crown Publishers, 1982.

The Old Kingdom

The time period, in Egyptian history, that we refer to as the Old Kingdom, is 2650-2134 B.C. It was the most wealthy and creative period in Egyptian history. It is also known as the golden age of pyramids,because all the pyramids built in Egypt, were built during the old kingdom.

Djoser(2630-2611 B.C.), the first notable pharaoh of Third Dynasty, ordered the construction of a pyramid in Memphis. In this era ancient Egyptian states became solely ruled by the pharaoh.

"The Fourth Dynasty (2613-2494BC) was characterized by expansionism and pyramid construction. King Sneferu constructed the Red Pyramid at Dahshur near Saqqara and the Pyramid of Meidum in Al-Fayoum. He also sent military expeditions as far as Libya and Nubia. During his reign trading along the Nile flourished. Sneferu's descendants, Cheops (Khufu), Chephren (Khafre) and Mycerinus (Menkaure) were the last three kings of the Fourth Dynasty. These three pharaohs built the pyramids of Giza."(source)

The Fifth Dynasty (2490-2330 B.C.) was marked by a decline of the pharaohs' power and wealth. Pharaohs started to share power with the aristocracy and high officials. The worship of the sun god Ra was also spread during the fifth dynasty.

The kings of the sixth dynasty, were forced to send explorers to Nubia, Libya, and Palestine, to put down the separatists. These expeditions further eroded central authority. Just as fast as the old kingdom exploded with wealth and creativity, it fell into disarray.

"When the Memphite government collapsed at the end of the Sixth Dynasty, it ushered in a century of famine and trouble. Perhaps it was the long reign of Pepi II, over ninety years according to ancient sources, that weakened the reins of the central government, or a series of low, or destructively high Nile floods which brought famine. Large scale buildings and works of art cease and it is probable that the tombs and pyramids. were entered and robbed at that time. It was not until the country was reunited under a new line of rulers from the southern city of Thebes in the Eleventh Dynasty that prosperity was restored."(source)

Lassieur, Allison. The Ancient Egyptians. San Diego, Ca: Lucent Books, 2001.

Romer, John. People of the Nile. New York: Crown Publishers, 1982.

King Khufu

Khufu, who was also known as Cheops, was the son of King Snefru and Queen Hetep-heres I. He had four wives, two of them were unknown queens, the other two were Meritates and Henutsen. Khufu had six sons and three daughters. He eventually became the second king of the fourth Dynasty, in the Old kingdom.(Clayton,42)

One of Khufu's great accomplishments was the building of the Great Pyramid of Giza. Out of the four pyramids at Giza, Khufu's is the largest. This pyramid contains more than two million stones, that weigh about 2.5 tons each. It also is one of the seven wonders of the world. Not only was Khufu's pyramid the largest of the ones at Giza, it is the largest stone structure in the world.(Lassieur,37)

The location of the Great Pyramid was important because the plateau on which it was built was made of limestone, which the pyramid was constructed of. The Great Pyramid was finally completed in 2566 B.C. Each side of the pyramid was originally 754 feet in length, but now each side is 745 feet in length. The pyramid was originally 481 feet tall. Currently the pyramid is 449 feet tall.

In order to build the Great Pyramid, a great deal of manpower was necessary. Khufu had the advantage of witnessing the construction of pyramids of his father, Sneferu. This knowledge of basic pyramid structure, could have helped him while building the Great Pyramid.

Besides being the largest and most detailed pyramid in the world, the Great Pyramid served as the tomb of Khufu. There has been a discovery of boats in this tomb. It is believed that the boats were needed in order for the King to complete his journey to the after-life.

Today the Great Pyramid is the most visited site in Egypt, though it lacks its original luster "The Pyramid of Khufu, though not the oldest in Egypt, nevertheless has become a symbol of long lasting durability.(source)

Lassieur,Allison. The Ancient Egyptians. San Diego, California. Lucent Books, Inc. 2001

Clayton,Peter. Chronicle of the Pharaohs. New York:Thames and Hudson Inc. 1994

Hammurabi's Code

The Code of Hammurabi is the oldest known set of laws. The purpose of the code was to protect all classes of Babylonian society. Hammurabi's code consisted of 282 laws.

The code was inscribed on an eight foot tall stela, which was set up in the temple of Marduk. It is numbered from 1-282, but numbers 13 and 66-99 are missing. These numbers most-likely got rubbed off of the stone.

Everybody had to follow the code,but punishments weren't the same for every person. Punishments varied depending on the status of the offender and the circumstances of the offenses. The code was out on display for all to see. The reason for this was so that no man was able to use the excuse of ignorance to the law.

The code of Hammurabi was way ahead of its time. Hammurabi purposely had the laws carved into stone so that they were immutable. Hammurabi intended the code to be applied to a much larger area than it was.

The code of Hammurabi was discovered in December of 1901 in Iran. It is now on display in the Louvre in Paris. The code of Hammurabi was a vital piece of history. Without it there would be a civilization that existed, but had no record of existence.