Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
First Intermediate period
References
Britannica AI Icon

First Intermediate period

Egyptian history
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  Encyclopædia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

The First Intermediate period of ancient Egyptian history, roughly from 2118 to 1980 BCE, marked a time of decentralized power and conflict following the collapse of the Old Kingdom. This era was characterized by rival dynasties, primarily at Thebes and Heracleopolis, vying for control.123

Key aspects of this period include:
* Political Fragmentation: Central authority weakened, leading to increased power for regional governors (nomarchs).23
* Conflict and Instability: There were intermittent conflicts between the ruling houses, with shifting boundaries. Famine and local violence were also reported.123
* Cultural Shifts: Non-royal individuals gained more prominence, and concepts like identification with Osiris and the use of funerary texts (Coffin Texts) became more widespread, broadening the cultural base compared to the Old Kingdom.1

The period concluded with the reunification of Egypt under Mentuhotep II of the 11th dynasty, ushering in the Middle Kingdom.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
4 Britannica Sources
  1. ancient Egypt - The 10th (c. 2080–c. 1980 bce ) and 11th (c. 2080–c. 1940 bce ) dynasties
  2. ancient Egypt - The 9th dynasty (c. 2118–c. 2080 bce )
  3. ancient Egypt - The 15th (c. 1630–c. 1530 bce ) through 17th (c. 1630–c. 1540 bce ) dynasties
  4. ancient Egypt - The 7th and 8th dynasties (c. 2150–c. 2118 bce )

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.