Ancient Egypt declined, and what was the role of the pharaohs

Mondo History Updated on 2024-02-13

The Syrian capital was born in the white walls, and with the development of the Holy Dynasty, the city's centrality may gradually be replaced by the suburbs. This process takes place around the eastern part of the Pyramid of Teti.

Djed-isut, the name of the city, derives from the name of the Pyramid of Teti and the surrounding towns.

It is possible that the royal palaces of Gikara and Pepi I (and possibly the palace of Unas) had migrated further south into the valleys, away from the hustle and bustle, pollution, and smells of the city, to what is now east of South Saqqara, separated from Djed-Isut.

This migration may at least explain why South Saqqara was the ideal location for the pyramids of Jikara and Pepi I.

The development around the Pyramid of Teti during the reign of Pepi I in ancient Egypt gave rise to the neighboring settlement of Menever, whose name derives from the pyramids and pyramid towns of Pepi I.

Entering the second millennium, physically connected to the settlements near the temple of Ptah further east, the name Menever began to be accepted by the entire city. Thus, the location of the royal residence may have changed in the 5th century or early in the 6th Dynasty, which may explain the division of the canon in Turin, a view that is reflected in Manesso's account.

However, the speculation involved here has yet to be validated by future field surveys in the Menever area.

Although the reign of King Usalkara (2323-2321 BC) is highly controversial, there is an opinion that he may have been a king after Tati.

Another possible confusion was due to Pepi I (Horus Meritovi, 2321-2287 BC), son of Teti and Queen Ypte, who was known as Nefersahol in the first part of his reign.

Pepi I, once the "former name" or "name of the throne", was given this name at the coronation, and it was sealed in an oval card. Later, he changed it to Merilla, which was his "first name" or "birth name".

Before his accession to the throne, he used the name Pepi, which was introduced by the title sara ("son of the god Ra". However, the internal situation in Egypt was changing, and although the position of the king was not theoretically affected, difficulties were already quietly emerging.

The reliefs and paintings of ancient Egypt not only show the quantity and quality of information at that time, but also give us a deeper understanding of ancient Egyptian society. The single appearance of immortality and formality in the early period has been surpassed.

According to Pooh's biographical texts, an influential queen inspired a failed plot, her name is not revealed, but the politics of marriage are well known.

In his later years, the king married two sisters named Anhenis-Merilla ("King Merila [Pepi I lived for her"). Their father, Guo Hui, was an influential ** in Abydos.

Despite the dramatic nature of these events, the increased power of local administrators (especially in Upper Egypt, far from the capital) and the relative weakening of royal power may have been more severe, but less remarkable.

At the end of the Fifth Dynasty, a new office of the "Overseer of Upper Egypt" was established in Egypt. The kings of the Sixth Dynasty built a large number of buildings and established local temples throughout Egypt, many of which were later destroyed or unexcavated.

Temples in Upper Egypt, such as Kenti-Amentiu in Abydos, Min in Kotos, Hathor in Dendra, Horus in Hiraconpolis, and Sartre in Elephants, were much loved.

For these temples, people donate money, are exempt from taxes, and provide voluntary services.

The ancient scene of the temple of Hathor undoubtedly shows the exquisite exploitation of resources in ancient Egypt. However, the face value of these scenarios can be misleading. For example, a scene from the reign of Pepi II can be seen as an intimate reproduction of the temple of Sahura, although the presence of Nisera and Pepi makes these scenes a standard representation of the achievements of the ideal king, with almost zero similarity to reality.

Their temples ensure the continuity of these scenes. The depiction of ships returning from an expedition to Asia and attacking Palestinian nomads on the UNAS causeway can be interpreted similarly.

Nonetheless, other sources also suggest that similar incidents did occur.

Pooh detailed a series of large-scale military operations against the Amu area of Syro-Palestine, which were not defensive but preventive or punitive raids.

Despite this, Egypt continues to develop mineral resources in places such as Wadi Maghara and Hatnubu in the Sinai Peninsula and the Hammamet River in the Eastern Desert. At the same time, expeditions were sent to Ponte and Byblos by Jikara and commercial and diplomatic contacts to maintain ties with these areas.

In Nubia, special attention began to be paid to improving navigation in the First Cataract region in the latter part of the 6th Dynasty.

During this period, many new settlers began to migrate to the land, known as the Nubian C-group. They are between the third and fourth cataracts, with the center located in the Kermar.

In order to protect its economic interests and security from threats, Egypt entered into a conflict with them. The districts of Wawat, Irtjet, Saju and Lamu, which cross Nubian territory, are administered by southern Egyptian administrators such as the Hahouf, Pepinahb and Sabni organizations.

In this way, these administrators sent many African luxuries to Egypt, such as incense, hardwood (ebony), animal skins and ivory, and even dancing dwarfs and exotic animals.

During this period, Nubian employment began to diversify, particularly in areas such as border police forces and mercenaries on military expeditions.

In the Western Desert, caravan routes crisscrossed the country, one from the Nile in the Abydos region to the Harga Oasis, and then south along the route known as Darbel-Arbain to the Celimaya Oasis, which became an important passage at the time.

The other departs west from Harga to the Oasis of Hera, where An'a Asil was an important settlement, especially during the reign of Pepi II, where people were active in various fields and made important contributions to the development of Nubia.

The decline of the old kingdom of Pepi II and his mother, who was succeeded by two sons of Pepi I, Melenla and Pepi II. Both Pepi II and Melenla ascended to the throne at a very young age and built the pyramids in South Saqqara.

Pepi II ruled longer, ruling Egypt from 2278 BC to 2184 BC.

Pepi's reign lasted 94 years, and although it was the longest in ancient Egypt, the second half of his reign was probably ineffective. The reason for this is that the forces that have been secretly eroding the theoretical foundations of the Egyptian state are becoming more and more apparent.

This inevitable crisis originates in the system itself, and manifests itself at the ideological and economic levels. Because of the weakening of economic power, the king was no longer able to fulfill the role assigned to him by the Egyptian doctrine of kingship.

This has had serious repercussions for Egyptian society as a whole, such as the remuneration system no longer functioning satisfactorily and the financial system on the verge of collapse. Some positions are actually hereditary and passed down through multiple generations in the same family.

The bronze statue of Pepi I in rock-cut tombs in places like Middle and Upper Egypt in Egypt, such as Sedan, Dishasha, Savaris, Sheikh Sai, Meir, Deir-Gebulavi, Akmim and El Hagasa, bear witness to the expectations of local administrators who wished to become semi-independent local rulers.

Although we know less about the cemeteries in the delta, the presence of cemeteries such as Heliopolis and Mendez testifies to their existence. The proximity of the capital may have made any effort to increase autonomy more difficult, but the main reason for the lack of evidence is local geography and geology.

The water level during the Old Kingdom period was close to or lower than the current water table, which made excavation very difficult. However, we know more about the local administrators of the Dakra Oasis, who lived in the settlement of Ann Ahir and were buried in the large large catacombs of the local cemetery (qilat eldabba).

The original centralization of power has almost disappeared, and the advantages of a unified country are no longer significant. This, combined with the deterioration of climatic factors, in particular the influence of the Low Niles Mountains and reduced precipitation, has exacerbated the situation in the vicinity of the Nile Valley.

At the same time, the nomadic population put even more pressure on the Egyptian border region. Pepi II's long reign led to a vacancy of a royal successor, which also set the stage for the chaos that followed.

Successors after Pepi II included Melenla II (Nem Tim Saf) and Queen Niticret (2184–2181 BC), as well as about 17 or more short-lived kings, who represented the Manitto era and the 8th Dynasty, respectively.

His dynasty**, this phenomenon is equally difficult to explain, unless it is an accidental rupture in the list of names. Most of the rulers are already known to us, but some are known through the Protectorate of Kotosmin Temple.

Kakara Ibi is a side length of 31A small pyramid of 5 square meters has been found in South Saqqara. Thus, the residence of Memphett and the theoretical claims to Egypt as a whole link these kings to the maharajas of the early Old Kingdom.

And the total 955 years of the canon of Turin separates Menes from the beginning of the Holy Dynasty, thus ending the route of King Menfite and marking the end of what we call the Old Kingdom.

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