The Old Kingdom in Kemetic (Egyptian) History - Essay Example

The Old Kingdom in Kemetic (Egypion) History The Old Kingdom of ancient Egypt is a period that saw the establishment of the kingdom dominated by the pharaohs as well as the continuous development of the Egyptian civilization to its peak. It was an era when the Egyptian pharaohs undertook large construction works, which came to be the marvel of the ancient world since it was a rare thing for such constructions to exist during this period. In addition, this era saw the development of a system of government that would be used in the administration of ancient Egypt for the next three thousand years, virtually without any changes. The high level of the development of the Egyptian civilization during this period created the foundation from which this kingdom would not only remain in existence for thousands of years. However, also for its expansion as in later years, it came to expand southwards into Nubia and towards the north into the Sinai Peninsula and beyond in to the Middle East. The Old Kingdom is of great significance to the rest of the ancient Egyptian period because it set precedents, which would be followed in the further development of its civilization as well as the basis upon which its society would become the most civilized in the ancient world. While there is still some debate concerning the duration of the Old Kingdom, it is estimated that it existed between the Third and Sixth Dynasties, and this period marked a time when there was incredible development in ancient Egypt. This development was not only administrative but also social and economic and these came to a large extent, to affect the lives of all the Egyptians. In this period, the capital of the kingdom was based in Memphis, which had been founded by Menes, the first pharaoh of a united Egypt, as an administrative center. Memphis was probably chosen as the sight of the new capital of this kingdom because it was centrally placed between the two kingdoms which had been united to form Egypt, namely Upper and Lower Egypt. Because of its central position, the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom were able to administer their kingdom easily, meaning that the old divisions between Upper and Lower Egypt were set aside and the entire nation developed as a single cohesive unit, with little variation between them.1 It was during this period that Memphis achieved its place not only in Egypt but also in the ancient world as being among the most sophisticated places and this meant that it was able to attract individuals, mostly merchants and diplomats, from as far as Babylonia who came to conduct their business within it. It also served not only as the administrative center of the Egyptian state but also as its religious center, and being the latter, it was the sight of many pilgrimages, especially by the Egyptian nobility from the different parts of the state. Starting from the Third Dynasty, there were large-scale construction projects, which either had a direct impact on the lives of many Egyptians because many of the men were directly or indirectly employed in the constructions instituted by the pharaohs. The swift development of the Egyptian civilisation during the Old Kingdom saw the construction of numerous pyramids, which served as the tombs of the kings of this ancient nation. The power of the pharaohs had come to be so great and absolute that many of their subjects came to consider them to be living gods whose every command was to be accomplished unquestioningly by their subjects.2 This created a situation where a lot of dedication was involved in ensuring that the final resting places of these pharaohs were built to last for posterity. The fact that the pharaohs of this period were considered living gods meant that a lot of time and effort as well as the resources of the Egyptian state was diverted to satisfy their large construction projects and this trend was to continue for the next three thousand years as succeeding dynasties continued to demand the same dedication. The large construction projects were initiated by the pharaoh Djoser, who, after coming to the throne and establishing himself in Memphis, embarked on the first such project with the construction of the first step pyramid. The designer of this pyramid was his vizier, Imhotep, a man who scholars today consider to have been an absolute genius considering the number of inventions that he managed to make during his service in the Egyptian government. The fact that he was a greatly respected man because of his achievements during his lifetime, after his death, later Egyptians elevated him to godhood and the cult of his worship would continue in Egypt until the advent of Christianity. The construction of the pyramids at Giza was a major achievement of the Fourth Dynasty because it was a sign of the height of the power of the pharaohs during this era. Such constructions as the Great Pyramid as well as the Sphinx were of great importance because they came to serve as a stamp not only of the power of the pharaohs who ordered their construction, but also of the construction genius of the Ancient Egyptians.3 The construction conducted by the ancient Egyptians during the Old Kingdom period can be said to have been so advanced that many later architects who attempted to replicate these constructions ended up failing because to the current date, the entire process of their construction has not been satisfactorily explained. While it is a fact that the period during the construction of the pyramids marked the height of pharaonic power in the Old Kingdom, it also created a situation where this power became vulnerable to any reforms instituted. This became a reality during the Fifth Dynasty when the king, Userkhaf attempted to initiate reforms, which resulted in the dire consequence of weakening the pharaoh and the central government. These reforms came at a time when Egypt was not ready for them because they gave greater independence of action to the regional rulers, known as nomarchs, and these tended to pursue their own interests rather than that of the state as a whole. In addition, the strain put on the treasury by the by the construction works of the two previous dynasties may have as well as the poor inundations may have come together to cause the demise of the Old Kingdom as the authority of the pharaohs crumbled and the real power within Egypt came to the hands of the local rulers. Ancient Egypt during this period was largely a desert with very few resources and heavily dependent on the River Nile as the source of its livelihood. The ancient Egyptians therefore had to look without to find those resources that could not be found in their country but which they really needed to make their lives more comfortable. It was with this in mind that the pharaohs of this period worked towards the use of diplomacy as well as the threat of military force, to bring other states with vital resources into the Egyptian sphere of influence. During the Old Kingdom, Nubia in what are now southern Egypt and northern Sudan, and the whole of Palestine including the Phoenician city-states fell under the Egyptian sphere of influence.4 As a result, exotic goods from tribute and trade flowed to Egypt greatly increasing its wealth. One could argue that the rise in the power of the Old Kingdom was as a result of these circumstances and that when its rulers took control of the whole of Egypt, it was just a first step in opening up their kingdom to access the sorely needed products from the rest of the world. The architecture of Ancient Egypt during the Old Kingdom tended to be based on mud brick and stone constructions, and this was because there was a scarcity of wood in this state. The wood, which could be acquired in substantial quantities, tended to be brought from Lebanon or from Nubia to the south of Egypt.5 The acquisition of wood was an expensive procedure, and this necessitated the use of stone or mud brick for construction. From the earliest times of this period, stone was reserved mainly for the construction of temples and places of burial since the Ancient Egyptians believed that such buildings had to be durable. In the case of burial places or tombs, they believed that if the body was destroyed, then the soul would be destroyed along with it, and this encouraged the construction of tombs using stone. Mud bricks, on the other hand, were used for the construction of the palaces of the pharaohs, military fortresses, as well as the less significant buildings of the temple complexes. During the construction of pyramids in the Fourth Dynasty, their core used to be made of the stone that could already be found in the area as the rest of the structure was built from limestone, which was brought to the construction site from quarries a considerable distance away. The houses of the common people tended to be constructed using mud that was collected from the Nile and after being left out to dry in the sun in moulds. After these had hardened, they were then used in buildings, making them the cheapest material for construction that could be afforded by the commoners. The mud bricks that were made tended to be highly durable and some of the buildings in which they were used can still be found standing today. The decorative arts of the Old Kingdom were some of the most advanced of their time and the most well-known of these arts are the hieroglyphics. This was the inscription style of the inhabitants of this nation, and the method of writing was decorative. These covered the walls of almost all the relevant architecture of the state, the most significant being the temples and the tombs of distinguished state officials. These hieroglyphics not only served a decorative purpose but were also used to tell the stories of the everyday lives of the Egyptians living in this period. In addition, these people had a love for making sculptures out of pieces of pottery, with the belief that making them in the images of their gods would protect them from evil. While this may have been the main reason behind it, these sculptures also served a decorative purpose because they were made into items, which were used, in everyday life. One of the greatest pieces of art that the Egyptians developed was in the curving of the sarcophagi, especially those which contained the bodies of the pharaohs and members of the nobility.6 Among the most used materials for the purpose of decoration in ancient Egypt was gold, and one would say that this metal contributed in a significant way in adding the richness of its art. Gold was employed in the production of ornaments of various types as well as for making beads. While precious stones were rarely used for purposes of decoration, a wide variety of semiprecious stones were used to beautify certain objects and surfaces. When one considers the jewellery of the Old Kingdom, one finds that their jewellers had an outstanding sense of design. The jewellery made for members of the royal household was exquisite, with their like never having been made since then. In conclusion, it can be said that the Old Kingdom was very influential in the latter development of ancient Egypt as the latter Egyptians tended to attempt to emulate the works of this era. The fact that this era was considered a golden age by the ancient Egyptians is a testament of their high regard of this era. The pharaohs of later ages tended to adopt the names of the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom pharaohs as a tribute to the latter’s greatness as this worked towards the legitimization of their rule as well as the creation of a sense of continuity. Bibliography Harvey, Julia Carol. Wooden Statues of the Old Kingdom: A Typological Study. Leiden: Brill, 2001. Kamil, Jill. The Ancient Egyptians: Life in the Old Kingdom. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 1996. Leprohon, Ronald J. "The Pyramid Builders of Ancient Egypt: A Modern Investigation of Pharaohs Workforce." Journal of the American Oriental Society 119.4 (1999): 692-3. Malek, Jaromir. In the Shadow of the Pyramids: Egypt During the Old Kingdom. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1986. Sowada, Karin N. Egypt in the Eastern Mediterranean During the Old Kingdom: An Archaeological Perspective. Fribourg: Saint Paul, 2009. Read More