The First Intermediate Period in Ancient Egypt: Dynasties Seven to Ten

Causes of Political Fragmentation after the Old Kingdom Collapse

The Ipuwer Papyrus depicts the state of Egypt in the last days of the Sixth Dynasty. The country's centralized authority had collapsed, and its borders were open, and large groups of Bedouins living on the borders, especially from the east, came and looted the people. The security men, instead of standing up to the trespassers, became looters and killers, so a revolution broke out that destroyed everything, and the anger of the people extended to the wealthy and looted their homes.

If we search for the fate of the royal house, we know the answer from the news that Manetho, and the names that remain in the Turin Papyrus, the Abydos King List, the Saqqara King List, and others.

The Ipuwer Papyrus.Source

The Enigmatic Seventh Dynasty and Its Seventy Kings in Seventy Days

Manetho mentions that after the fall of the Sixth Dynasty, the Seventh Dynasty arose, and seventy of its kings ruled for seventy days, and whatever we try to explain this, we cannot find what we can call a convincing answer, and the closest thing to the mind is that perhaps seventy senior officials and provincial governors gathered and formed a governing body from themselves, calling each of those seventy a king or ruler.

But this system . In other words, this type of government, to which the Egyptians were not accustomed. In any case, most historians now tend to say that the days of this dynasty ended in the same year, meaning that the year 2280 B.C. is the last year of the rule of the ancient state is at the same time the beginning of the seventh dynasty and the era of the first period and the first years of the eighth dynasty, which ruled for only 38 years.

Competing Dynasties: The Rise of the Eighth and Ninth Dynasties in Egypt

But Professor Hanns Stock in his book Die erste Zwischenzeit Ägyptens on this era believes that a number of kings ruled in the Seventh Dynasty in Memphis and provides a list of their names. But at the same time, from the reign of the third king, a new royal family began in Upper Egypt at Qift or Abydos, the eighth dynasty and its founder Netjerkare.

Another dynasty also began in Ihnasiyyah (Heracleopolis Magna), the ninth dynasty, whose founder was Khety I.

But the most likely opinion is that the seventh dynasty did not rule in Memphis for more than a few months, then it was followed in Memphis by a new ruling family from one of the branches of the old royal house who also ruled in Memphis and the number of its kings was fifteen, and they did not rule in Qift or Abydos as some researchers have said.

Warlords and Regional Rule in First Intermediate Period Egypt

The country was disjointed, and the sea side in particular was under the plunder of Bedouin gangs that spread fear among the people, who did not find anyone to stand up to them.

In Central Egypt and Upper Egypt, the situation was relatively better if the ruler of each region was independent and imposed his authority on it. In such circumstances, each powerful ruler tries to annex the properties of his neighbors and subject them to him, and the people remain in constant pain because of the raids to which they are exposed and because of the killing, destruction and looting that results from the wars.

Political Strategies of the Eighth Dynasty Kings in Memphis

The kings of the Eighth Dynasty probably ruled in Memphis. But they depended on the support of some powerful houses in the provinces, so they were friendly with them and granted them some privileges, and the days have preserved for us in the ruins of the temple of the god Min in Qift a few decrees granted by the last three kings of the eighth dynasty to members of this house, so they cherished them and put their images inscribed on stone tablets in the temple.

But the influence of the eighth dynasty did not last long, and we soon see a new ruling house taking over the king and making his capital in Ihnasiyyah (Heracleopolis Magna), one of the ancient cities of religious importance.

Kings of Ihnasiyyah - Ninth and Tenth Dynasties

We do not know anything about the conflict that may have occurred between the princes of Ihnasiyyah and the last king of the Eighth Dynasty in Memphis, and we do not know anything about the attitude of the provincial governors towards the new dynasty when it was established, but it can be said that the general situation did not differ much from before, and the new kings continued to try to befriend the powerful rulers and use their help.

Origins and Tyranny of Khety I: Founder of the Ninth Dynasty

We know from the Turin Papyrus that the number of kings of this dynasty is thirteen, the names of many of them were lost due to the destruction of this papyrus, and that they ruled for 109 years and the founder of this dynasty (Meryibre) (Khety) is Khety I, who was described by Manetho as an oppressor and tyrant, at whose hands the people suffered all kinds of violence and severity more than at the hands of any king before him, and that he remained in his oppression and tyranny until he became insane in his last days and his life ended when a crocodile killed him.

We do not know much about this king, nor do we know which regional rulers stood by his side, or how successful he was in restoring order to the Delta despite all his wars and cruelty, but we doubt that the situation changed much, as the regional rulers remained as influential as in the Eighth Dynasty, and the Delta remained vulnerable to the frequent Bedouin invasions.

The Ninth Dynasty found itself in need of the support of some provincial rulers who ruled their countries semi-independently, who continued to build their tombs near their cities, and paid tribute to the Ihnasiyyah kings as a symbol of their loyalty, but they relied only on themselves to protect their territories, protect themselves, and collect taxes from their followers.

In Eusebius' version of Manetho, we read that the number of kings of the tenth dynasty was nineteen who ruled for 185 years and states that both dynasties ruled in Ihnasiyyah, but modern research proves to us that the number of kings of the ninth dynasty was more than four, according to the Turin Papyrus, and their number may have reached thirteen people who ruled for 109 years.

As for the kings of the Tenth Dynasty, there were only five kings who ruled for 71 years, and that this family was almost contemporary with the princes of Thebes, who later fought wars with the Ihnasiyyah people, which ended with the elimination of the House of Ihnasiyyah and the Eleventh Dynasty of Thebes.

In fact, we hardly know anything about the kings of the Ninth Dynasty except a little, and Egypt in their days was similar to what it was during the Eighth Dynasty, that is, weak kings living in the capital with hardly any influence in the provinces, and princes or governors of the provinces, each of them independent about him, and some of them are linked to the royal house in Ihnasiyyah (Heracleopolis Magna) by a bond of ties, and others are independent about him, and the country in general has disintegrated, and its arts have been delayed and weakened.

From the time the kings of the dynasty sat on the throne, a strong house emerged in Thebes, whose members considered themselves more worthy of the king than Ihnasiyyah, but the loyalty of some other strong houses to the kings of Ihnasiyyah (Heracleopolis Magna), especially the princes of Asyut in Central Egypt, to their north, and another house in Armant to their south, made the task of the princes of Thebes difficult and not easy.

Ankhtifi of Mo’alla and the Southern Resistance to Thebes

On the walls of the tomb of El Mo'alla (between Luxor and Esna) we read some of the events that took place in those days. Ankhtifi was the ruler of the three southern provinces of Elephantine, Edfu and Armant, i.e. his influence extended from Nubia to the borders of the fourth province, Thebes.

Tomb of Ankhtifi, el-Mo'alla, Egypt

Ankhtifi boasts of his power and the strength of his soldiers who spread fear when they went out to war and talks about the famine that spread in Upper Egypt, and only his region survived because he helped the people, distributed grain to them, and protected the weak from the strong until that ordeal passed peacefully.

It is likely that there was a war between him and the prince of Thebes, who united with those who were north of him, especially the House of Qift and perhaps the House of Dandarah as well, but the result of that war did not change the princes, as Ankhtifi remained ruler of his three provinces loyal to the House of Ihnasiyyah.

Ankhtifi lived in the early days of the Tenth Dynasty during the reign of King Neferkare, the second king of this family, whose name is mentioned in the tomb, but the power of this family did not last long, and we do not know whether this was due to the increase in the power of Thebes or the weakness of those who succeeded this powerful man in ruling the south, and perhaps both.

After Neferkare, a powerful king, Wahkare (Khety III), sat on the throne of Ihnasiyyah, who left his will to his son, a will that sheds great light on that era.

Inside the tomb of Ankhtifi, el-Mo'alla, Egypt

Military Conflicts between Heracleopolis and Thebes

This king began to cleanse the delta from the chaos that prevailed in it due to the presence of Bedouin gangs that were spreading panic and robbing people. After the situation became somewhat stable, he wanted to get rid of the princes of Thebes and their allies in the south, so a war took place between the two teams in the Thinis region near Abydos, in which the princes of Ihnasiyyah won with the help of the princes of Asyut, but the princes of Thebes returned and recovered what they lost under the leadership of (Intef), who not only restored the Thinis fortress but advanced north until he captured the city of Kom Ishqau (Aphrodito) in the tenth region of Upper Egypt, that is, to the border of Asyut.

During the reign of King Ihnasiyyah Merykare, son of Khety IV, the troubles increased as Thebes was ruled by a strong ruler, Mentuhotep II, who resumed the war and eliminated the Asyut princes, then rushed north and captured El Ashmunein (Hermopolis), leaving the Ihnasiyyah kings only a little of Central Egypt and a shaky influence in the delta.

The Legacy of the First Intermediate Period and the Rise of the Middle Kingdom

Merykare died and was succeeded on the throne by another Khety, the fifth, during whose reign the events of the story of The Eloquent Peasant took place, but this king did not stay long on the throne, as the armies of Thebes attacked again and destroyed the Ihnasiyyah family and subjugated all Egypt, and the Eleventh Dynasty began a new era, and Egypt returned to its ancient unity ruled by one king, and the Middle Kingdom also began.

These are the main lines of the history of that dark age, but before moving on to another era, we must talk in some detail about two points, namely:

1 - The will of Khety IV to his son Merykare.

2 - The effects of that era

The will of King Khety IV to his son Merykare:

One of the most important ancient sources for studying the situation in Egypt in the late days of Ihnasiyyah is that papyrus that contains the advice and directives that King Khety IV addressed to his son King Merykare, as we see in it a lot of important information about that mysterious era Khety tries to give a summary of his experiences to his son so that he does not fall into the mistakes he fell into, and begins these tips after the introduction, which is now lost, by warning his son that any follower who speaks too much and has many followers behind him, this person causes division among the people, and advises him by saying : Expel him, kill him, erase his memory and his followers who love him.

He advises his son to follow the path of his fathers and grandfathers, to read the books of wisdom they left behind, not to do evil, to be patient, and to leave behind a good memory of people's love for him.

Khety warns his son against greed and advises him to take care to stabilize his borders, and to elevate and strengthen his men, he says to his son:

What a great person is great when his close men are great, and what a brave king who has helpful men, and what a great and powerful king who has many nobles, and he frequently advises his son to follow the truth and administer justice and warns him against oppressing the widow, and recommends him not to deprive anyone of his father's wealth and not to dismiss employees from their jobs, but at the same time he gives him a firm commandment by saying: Beware of punishing people for no fault of theirs, do not kill, for that does not do you any good, but punish by beating and arresting, and things will be fixed in the country.

For the first time in the history of Egypt, we read in this advice about the existence of a court after death before which a person stands before the judge, and only good deeds will benefit him, as his deeds will be stacked next to him.

Khety refers to the youth and advises his son to take care of them and bring them close to him, give them fields and reward them by giving them some cattle, but he strongly warns him not to favor the son of a rich person over the son of a poor person, but to value each person according to his personal competence.

He then proceeds to mention the division that occurred in Egypt and tells his son that no one is without enemies, and that the enemies within Egypt are restless, and then intercedes by saying that the ancients had predicted that one generation would oppress another and that Egypt would fight even in the cemetery and demolish the graves.

Khety is undoubtedly referring to a war between the north and the south, as he advises him immediately afterward to improve his relations with the south, and if no tribute of grain comes from them, their friendship is enough, and he advises him to be content with what he has of bread and beer. He tells his son that granite can be obtained without hindrance, and warns him not to attack the monuments of others and that he should obtain the necessary stones from the quarries of Tura to build his grave, and not to take stones from the ruined graves of others.

He mentions what he suffered as a result of his collision with the south and says to his son: Look, there was a calamity during my reign. The regions of Thinis have been destroyed. It really happened because of what I did, but I didn't know about it until after it happened. Look! I have been punished for what I have done.

He concludes his advice by advising his son to continue to obey and fear God, reminding him not to forget his last breath and to work for the Last Day, and telling him to always remember the blessings of God: He is the one who created the breath of life for people, and those who came out of his body are only images of him. He shines in the sky to fulfill their desire, He created plants, animals, birds and fish for them to eat.

The papyrus of advice written by Khety IV to his son not only provides us with important information about the internal state of the country, but also, more importantly, the emergence of a new tone of humility. The king was no longer the high and mighty god who ruled over mankind and whose compassion and favor all people hoped to receive from him in this world and the next, but a person who spoke of his weaknesses and expressed his regrets like any other human being.

The most important monuments of the First Intermediate Period

The most important relics of this era are undoubtedly the literary papyri, in which we see an echo of the changes in social life and the emergence of important new opinions. Next in importance are the edicts issued by the kings and then what came to our hands after that, whether from the ruins of the pyramids or the tombs of that era.

No traces of the tombs of the kings of the Ninth and Tenth Dynasties have been found in Ihnasiyyah (Heracleopolis Magna), but enough has been found to suggest that Memphis remained the administrative capital of the country and Ihnasiyyah was only the seat of the king.

Their kings and courtiers continued the ancient tradition, and many of them were buried in the Memphis necropolis. Traces of some of them have been found around the Teti pyramid in the northern part of the necropolis and around the Pepi II pyramid in the southern Saqqara.

He also found many inscriptions that remained from the walls of some of the tombs of that era in Saqqara, and he also found funeral paintings of some individuals who were in their tombs, whose structures were built of adobe bricks, while the grave was under the structure and often in the form of a small room and its walls were colored if the owner was rich and the owner of the grave was placed in a wooden coffin whose sides were decorated with writing or drawings.

Hundreds of these coffins have been found throughout Egypt, especially in Central Egypt, and they are one of our most important sources for studying that era, both religiously and socially, because many tools were painted on their sides instead of being placed in the grave.

Among the funeral customs in this period is the frequent placement of wooden models of servants, soldiers or workers performing their various jobs.

The princes of the provinces continued to be buried close to their country, which is why we find many of the tombs of that era carved into the rock in Central Egypt and Upper Egypt, while the poor were buried at the foot of the tombs of the rulers.

The tombs are often limited to a small chamber cut in the cohesive layer of the earth or lined with stones or bricks, in the center of which is placed one or more wooden coffins and above or next to it some wooden models, and the most important provincial tombs are found in Zawyet el-Maiyitin, Beni Hasan, Al Barsha, Asyut, Deir Al Gabrawi, Akhmim, Dandarah, and Aswan.

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