In the previous article, we tackled the etymology of the word “Egypt” and how it reached foreign languages bearing this very name, then Egypt the land of civilizations and her stature in religions and, eventually, Egypt that hosted God’s men. Today, we shall speak about Multi-Egypt.
First: Multitudinous Civilizations
Egypt is the land of pluralism. Many civilizations were established therein. She bore them within her, only to present the Egyptian personality that is characterized by enough depth and uniqueness which enable it to understand and accept pluralism and be, at the same time, distinct.
We shall tackle the most important civilizations which influenced the Egyptian society and personality that have always been distinct. We shall start with the Pharaonic civilization.
To start with, the presence of the Nile is a vital factor in the growth and development of the Ancient Egyptian civilization. Additionally, there is her unique position which makes her at the center of the world’s continents, and surrounded by the Mediterranean and Red Seas.
1. The Pre-Pharaonic Era
The Ancient Egyptian civilization started on the bank of the Nile which is Egypt’s life-giving source. This gave the ancient Egyptian the chance to support the society’s stability centrally, as well as develop the agricultural economy, which had a great impact in shaping the history of human civilization.
In the Pre-Pharaonic era, round 5000 B.C., ancient Egyptians lived on the Nile valley as small tribes which cultivated the land and bred cattle. This led to the growth and development of its culture. Among these great civilizations are the Badarian culture which was followed by Naqada culture. The Badarian culture is one of Egypt’s ancient cultures. It is famous for high-quality ceramic, stone tools, and copperware. The Badarian culture endured for about one thousand years. It was followed Naqada culture, round 4000 B.C. It started to expand through the Nile bank, changing small agricultural societies into a strong civilization. The reputation of Naqada culture is ascribed to the start of using orthographic symbols that eventually developed to the full hieroglyphic system.
Likewise, it is famous for economic, industrial, and artistic development, as well as the fast socio-political progress of Ancient Egyptians. This led to the establishment of big, developed societies northern and southern ancient Egypt. From this civilization sprang the unity between the northern kingdom which capital was Buto and emblem the papyrus and the southern kingdom which capital was Nekhen and emblem was the Lotus. This coincided with tenure of the first Pharaonic dynasty.
2. The Pharaonic Civilization
It includes the entirety of the Pharaonic history with all its civilization. Egypt was ruled by 30 Pharaonic dynasties which established a series of stable kingdoms in which some periods of instability were included; these are the so-called “Intermediate periods”. Some historians divide this period into the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms.
The Pharaonic civilization reached its highest stature in during the era of the New Kingdom. This was followed by deterioration. In fact, the Pharaonic reign officially came to an end when Egypt was invaded by the Roman Empire to be one of her provinces.
a. The First and Second Pharaonic Dynasties
The Pharaonic civilization starts of the unification of the northern and southern kingdoms by Narmer (Menes), who is also thought to be the founder of the first dynasty. He made Memphis the capital round 3200 B.C. With this unity, lots of development started, making Egypt the first state in the world have a centralized system in administration, judiciary, education, police, and army. At that time, metals were extracted from the mines of Sinai. The country progressed. So did architecture. Trade flourished.
King Menes decreed laws, built temples, and protected the Nile valley from the raids of Libyan tribes which were striving to settle therein. He ruled Egypt for 60 years. His successors followed suit, giving attention to legislation, administration, building palaces and temples, and safeguarding the country’s stability. During his tenure, the first mining expedition was launched. Medicine and anatomy books were copied. In fact, the invention of ancient Egyptian orthography influenced the whole world: whereby literature flourished to record rulers’ achievements, reflecting the progress and refinement of Egyptian thought.
b. The Third to Sixth Dynasties (2690-2180 B.C.)
This was an era of peace, progress, and unity. The State developed in many realms, which led to her prosperity. During the era of Third Dynasty, the Pharaoh cared for developing the country’s human and natural resources. Likewise an elite class emerged. It was made up of writers and officials who the Pharaoh granted superior positions due to their contributions. Likewise, agriculture and irrigation were cared for in order to boost the quality of crops.
Concerning the law, a fair judicial system was established to maintain peace and order. In architecture, the Egyptian style showed itself in engravings. The Age of the Pyramids started with Saqqara Pyramid: for the kings of this era started giving their tombs the shape of a pyramid. They resorted to farmers in building. The greatness of the pyramids testifies to the country’s unprecedented precision and progress in art, architecture, and construction.
King Djoser is the most important of the third-dynasty monarchs. His is the Saqqara Pyramid, the first stone edifice in history. Djoser had scientific writings as well. The State had lots of financial resources. Likewise, the basics of centralized government and regional administration made their debut. Sneferu was the first king of the fourth dynasty. His was an era of wealth and prosperity due to his wisdom in managing the State’s affairs.
He was succeeded by the legendary Ceophs who built the Great Pyramid, cared for building temples, and continued mining in Sinai. Kephren is the fourth kind who left the Middle Pyramid and the Sphinx as well as other statue. He was succeeded by Macarenus, the fair, pious king who built the Third Pyramid and many statues, and gave attention to mining.
The fifth dynasty’s kings were all powerful. Peace, prosperity, and stability overwhelmed the country: for they gave attention to work inside and outside the borders of Egypt. Their attention was directed to protecting the country from the raids of Nubians and Libyans. Likewise, they tried to succumb southern Palestine. Among their important achievements is establishing a strong fleet which was sent on trade trips in the Levant and Somalia.
The sixth dynasty’s kings completed the work of the fifth dynasty’s, but they were not as famous. Pepi I was one of its important kings: for he gave attention to construction, improving administrative systems, and spreading justice. Likewise, he cared about military affairs and built a strong fleet to protect the country. Pepi I left lots of monuments that bear his name.
c. The First Intermediate period
The fall of the sixth dynasty marked the end of the Old Kingdom. Egypt plunged on a hard time called “the first Intermediate period” which lasted from the seventh to the tenth dynasty: 140 years.
This period is characterized by the weakness of kings, which led to political deterioration: as local governors rebelled against the Pharaoh, declared independence, then tried to monopolize authority. This ignited battles among these dynasties’ members, thus spreading chaos, leading the country to chaos, and returning it to the state before unification during Menes’ tenure.
During the tenure of the seventh and eight dynasties, the country suffered from poverty and desolation. Chaos and schisms spread. Security was lost. Thus, monuments were smashed, robberies increased, and centralized authority disappeared. This deterioration made princes covet the throne.
As for the ninth and tenth dynasties, they ruled Egypt after Kheti, the prince of Ihnassia had usurped the throne of the eighth dynasty. Both tried to rule the country. Yet, when the princes of Thebes became stronger and regained their power, they fought the princes of Ihnassia and emerged victorious. Thus, the throne was restored by Mentuhotep II. By 2160, the two kingdoms were reunited and cultural and economic prosperity started to come about. This was known as the Middle Kingdom, and … such stories were to continue in Beautiful Egypt.
General Bishop
Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
