Culture Shock! Egypt - A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette

30 CultureShock! Egypt

In any event, the unity of Egypt seems to have been

shattered during the First Intermediate Period (ca 2150

–2040 BC) which lasted about 100 years. During this time, the

central power of the king broke down. Though nominally in

service to the pharaoh, nomarchs (rulers of individual nomes

or divisions of Egypt) operated virtually independently from

central rule.

The anarchy of the First Intermediate Period was

followed by a period of restored order under the Pharaoh

Mentuhotep I or II (some controversy as to which one). This

period was called the Middle Kingdom (ca 2040–1783 BC).

Mentuhotep consolidated the administrative power of Egypt

at Thebes (modern Luxor). Although the seat of political

power shifted on several occasions throughout Egyptian

history, from the Middle Kingdom onwards, religious

influence emanated from Thebes. The pharaohs of the Middle

Kingdom were able once again to institute major architectural

projects, which had lapsed during the First Intermediate

Period. By the last 50 years of the Middle Kingdom, once

again central authority gradually waned.

The Second Intermediate Period lasted nearly 200 years

(ca 1783–1550 BC). Somewhere around 1663 BC, Egypt was

invaded by a group of somewhat mysterious people known

as the Hyksos. The term ‘Hyksos’ comes from the Greek

meaning “rulers over foreign

lands”. It is not totally clear

exactly who the Hyksos were, but

they were apparently of Asiatic

origin, perhaps from Turkey.

Some activities of the Hyksos are

very confusing. Even though they

continued to tolerate legitimate

Egyptian kings, they apparently

desecrated monuments and

reduced major landowners to

poverty. However, importantly,

the Hyksos introduced several

new technological innovations.

Paramount among these was the

For Your

Reading Pleasure

If you like historical fi ction or
dramatisations of this period,
check out Wilbur Smith’s book
entitled River God and the
sequel, The Seventh Scroll. Great
reading and well researched,
but not necessarily totally in line
with history! Another really fun
series is the fi ve-volume title,
Ramses, written by Christian
Jacq. Again, not necessarily an
accurate account of events, but
great historical dramatisations
and good research on Egyptian
life make this an exceptionally
readable series.