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The ENTIRE History of Egypt | Ancient Civilizations Documentary — Transcript

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0:00(gentle music)
0:03- [Narrator] For millennia, the Grand Pyramids of Egypt
0:06have towered over the desert sands.
0:11Everything about the great ancient civilization
0:14that once seized the lands remained a mystery.
0:19That is until July 19th, 1799.
0:23(dramatic music)
0:27A French soldier discovers a large stone
0:30about 35 miles east of Alexandria
0:33during Napoleon Bonaparte's Egyptian expedition,
0:38unearthing a written language
0:40that had been dead for thousands of years.
0:44The translations would prove to be the key
0:47to unlocking the secrets of an entire civilization.
0:51(dramatic music)
1:01"Egypt is the gift of the Nile,"
1:03that's what Herodotus, the Father of History said.
1:07Since the Nile is the lifeline,
1:09as it provided Egypt with water
1:11for the cultivation of crops,
1:13which led to the burgeoning of civilization
1:15all along the length of the Nile Valley.
1:18The river strip that divided the Egyptian territory
1:21into two parts provided a favorable environment
1:24for the rise of civilization,
1:26when the Nile Valley began in the Miocene times,
1:29cutting it into its current shape.
1:31The various geographical resources
1:34effectively contributed to the state's foundation.
1:37As a result of the annual floods
1:39that spread the fertile soil to the east and west
1:43over the centuries, mud deposits built up.
1:46When the water recedes and flows along its banks,
1:49the agricultural year begins,
1:52making Egypt one of the first agricultural communities
1:56that ever existed in human history.
1:59At the end of the Paleolithic era,
2:01there was a widespread production of arrows,
2:04harpoons, querns, sewed skins,
2:07bone works, and pottery.
2:09Carbon-14 tests, on the other hand,
2:11were used by researchers to demonstrate
2:14that corn was harvested in a Neolithic silo
2:17on the edge of Thiam between 4600 and 4250 BC.
2:23Later, people built shacks and huts
2:25out of reeds and solid mud,
2:27and sowed corn on the muddy soil of the Nile marshes.
2:31Ancient Egypt was divided into two territories,
2:34Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.
2:36Lower Egypt laid to the north,
2:38where the Nile extended out with its several branches
2:41to form the Nile Delta.
2:43Upper Egypt, which stretched to Aswan,
2:46was to the south.
2:47The two kingdoms were united around 3000 BC by King Narmer,
2:52but each retained its regalia,
2:54the Hedjet or white crown for Upper Egypt,
2:57and the Deshret or red crown for Lower Egypt.
3:00As a result, the pharaohs were known
3:02as the rulers of the two lands,
3:05and they wore the pschent,
3:06a double crown with each half denoting
3:08sovereignty of a different land.
3:14(vocalist gently singing)
3:33The Predynastic Period in ancient Egypt
3:36is the period preceding documented history,
3:39encompassing around 6,000 to 3150 BCE,
3:43from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic age,
3:46and onto the founding of the First Dynasty.
3:49While there are no written records from this period,
3:52archeological digs in Egypt have unearthed items
3:55that convey their tale
3:57of the Nile River Valley's cultural history.
4:00The Predynastic Period is called by the regions
4:03or ancient city sites
4:04where these artifacts were discovered,
4:06rather than the cultures that lived there.
4:09The Halfan culture thrived circa 30,000 BCE
4:14in the area between Egypt and Nubia,
4:17giving birth to the Qadan and Sebilian cultures
4:19around 10,000 BCE, and the Harifan culture.
4:24All of these cultures are hunter-gatherer societies
4:27that gradually grew more sedentary,
4:30and settled into more permanent settlements
4:32based on agriculture.
4:34The Faiyum Oasis is a natural basin
4:37located southeast of the Giza Plateau
4:39that gave home to the Faiyum A civilization
4:42during 9,000 to 6,000 BCE.
4:46These people lived in the vicinity of a vast lake,
4:49and made their living through agriculture,
4:51hunting and fishing.
4:52The people of Faiyum constructed reed homes
4:55with subterranean basements for food storage.
4:58Cattle, sheep and goats were domesticated,
5:01and basketry and pottery production flourished.
5:04During this period, tribal chieftains
5:06assumed positions of power, which may have been passed down
5:10to the next generation in a family or tribal unit.
5:13Communities went from tiny tribes traveling together
5:16to large groupings of diverse tribes
5:20living in the same region all the time.
5:23The Faiyum A culture gave rise to the Merimde
5:26during 5,000 to 4,000 BCE,
5:29which was named from artifacts discovered
5:31at the location of that name
5:33on the western side of the Nile Delta.
5:36The majority of Egyptians were farmers,
5:38and agriculture was the basis
5:40of the Dynastic Egypt economy,
5:42and farmers relied on the annual summer floods
5:45to grow their crops.
5:47We know that the first Egyptian farmers
5:49were hunter-gatherers.
5:51They planted crops such as wheat,
5:52lentils, barley, flax, and peas,
5:55in addition to herding animals.
5:58According to what was found in a location
6:00in the western side of the Nile Delta,
6:02the oldest levels of Merimde Beni Salama
6:05that evolved between 8,000 and 4,000 BC,
6:09in addition to the Faiyum Basin,
6:11both dating back to the Neolithic era.
6:14The Nile Valley's convex terrain
6:16encouraged the development of several basins,
6:19which in ancient times were flooded
6:21with flood waters every year that brought silt
6:24and mud that fertilized the soil.
6:26These basins, of which 130 have been found,
6:30served as the irrigation systems,
6:32reservoirs in ancient Egypt.
6:36Granaries were made of clay jars or baskets
6:39that were buried up to their necks in the earth.
6:41The El Omari culture, about 4,000 BCE,
6:45developed on these achievements
6:47by building circular homes,
6:49of higher complexity with plastered mud walls.
6:52All of these cultures evolved
6:54and flourished in Lower Egypt,
6:56Northern Egypt, closest to the Mediterranean sea,
6:59whereas Upper Egypt civilization formed later.
7:04The inhabitants of the Badarian culture
7:06lived in movable tents,
7:08like their ancient forefathers, but preferred fixed homes.
7:12Following the Badarian period
7:14came the Amratian period, also known as Naqada I,
7:18which constructed more complex homes
7:20with windows and hearths, wattle and daub walls,
7:23and windbreaks around the main entryway.
7:26The practice of mummification began around 3,500 BCE,
7:31where burial items were still left with the deceased.
7:34These developments were aided by the Gerzean culture,
7:37also known as Naqada II, 3,500 to 3,200 BCE,
7:43which launched trading with other regions,
7:45inspiring changes in culture and art.
7:48The houses were built of sun baked brick,
7:51and the more opulent ones included courtyards,
7:54an addition that would become commonplace
7:56in Egyptian homes later.
7:58The city of Abydos, located north of Naqada,
8:01became an important burial location,
8:03and huge tombs were built forming a necropolis,
8:07a city of the dead.
8:09These tombs were originally made of mud bricks,
8:11but subsequently of huge, neatly hewn limestone.
8:15Eventually, this site would become the burial place
8:18for Egypt's rulers.
8:20Despite this, evidence reveals
8:22that individuals from all across the nation
8:25had their deceased buried at Abydos,
8:27and gave burial gifts to commemorate their memory.
8:30By this time, the cities of Xois and Hierakonpolis
8:33were considered ancient,
8:35while Thinis, Naqada and Nekhen were rapidly.
8:39Developing the hieroglyphic alphabet,
8:41which was invented around 3,400 to 3,200 BCE,
8:45was used for maintaining records.
8:47Although no entire sentences
8:49from this period have been discovered.
8:52At this time, the earliest Egyptian writing
8:54discovered so far originates from Abydos,
8:57and was discovered on pottery,
8:59clay seal imprints, and bone and ivory items.
9:03Complete sentences are not found in Egypt
9:06until the time of King Peribsen
9:08in the Second Dynasty 500 years later.
9:11This period led to the Naqada III period,
9:14from 3,200 to 3,150 BCE.
9:18Following Naqada III, the Early Dynastic Period
9:21and Egypt's recorded history began.
9:24With commerce, communities expanded and flourished,
9:28and the populations of both Lower and Upper Egypt increased.
9:32Small villages of brick dwellings and buildings evolved
9:35into bigger urban centers that soon clashed,
9:39most likely for trade products and water resources.
9:42Thinis, Naqada and Nekhen
9:44were the three principle city states
9:47of Upper Egypt during the period.
9:49Thinis appears to have defeated Naqada
9:51before absorbing Nekhen.
9:54These battles were fought
9:55between the Scorpion Kings, whose identity is unknown.
9:59And others, most likely Ka and Narmer.
10:02According to some researchers,
10:04Scorpion I, Scorpion II and Ka
10:08were the final three rulers
10:10of the Protodynastic Period,
10:12before King Narmer invaded and unified Lower and Upper Egypt
10:17and created the First Dynasty.
10:19(dramatic music)
10:25(dramatic upbeat music)
10:44The Early Dynastic Period in Egypt
10:47began in the years 3150 to 2613 BCE.
10:53This marks the beginning
10:54of the country's historical era,
10:56in which Upper Egypt, the south,
10:59and Lower Egypt to the north were unified
11:02as one country under centralized authority.
11:05During this time, the divine rule of the monarch started
11:08and a distinct Egyptian culture emerged,
11:11including the development of writing,
11:13arts and sciences.
11:15Menes, the first king of Egypt,
11:18was a ruler of Upper Egypt,
11:21presumably from Thinis or Hierakonpolis,
11:24who defeated the other city states around him
11:27before conquering Lower Egypt around 3,150 BCE.
11:31Narmer married the Princess Neithhotep
11:34of Naqada in an arrangement
11:35to enhance the links between the two towns.
11:38He undertook military operations
11:41in Lower Egypt to quell revolts,
11:43and expand his territory into Cannan and Nubia.
11:46He sponsored massive construction projects,
11:49and urbanization developed throughout his reign.
11:52Hor-Aha, Narmer's son, is assumed
11:55to have succeeded him in 3,100 BCE,
11:59continuing his father's military expansion
12:01and increasing trade.
12:03He was notably interested in religion
12:06and the concept of the afterlife,
12:08and it was under his reign that the mastaba tomb was built.
12:12Hor-Aha was replaced by his son Djer in 3,050 BCE,
12:17who followed in his father's footsteps.
12:19His son Djet, about 3000 BCE,
12:23married Princess Merneith,
12:25and is considered to have taken leadership
12:27of the nation after his death.
12:32It is uncertain whether she governed as regent
12:34for her infant son Den or as queen,
12:37but her reign is notable for being the first time
12:41a woman is recorded governing in ancient Egypt.
12:44Den, about 2,990 BCE, is regarded
12:48as the greatest monarch of the first dynasty
12:52and reigned for 50 years.
12:55His reputation as an efficient monarch
12:57stemmed from his economic advances, military conquests,
13:01and the stability of his rule,
13:04as proven by expensive construction projects
13:07and elaborate works of art.
13:09Den is the first monarch
13:11to be represented wearing the crowns
13:13of Upper and Lower Egypt,
13:15showing that he ruled over a unified nation.
13:18Den was succeeded by two additional monarchs,
13:22Anedjib and later Semerkhet,
13:24both of whom had tough reigns marked by insurgency.
13:28The dynasty ended with the Qa'a's reign,
13:31during which his heirs struggled for the throne
13:33and were defeated by Hotepsekhemwy,
13:36who established the Second Dynasty.
13:39Internal strife and a lack of
13:41or misunderstanding over records
13:44ruined the Second Dynasty, 2,890 to 2,670 BCE.
13:50None of the Second Dynasty monarchs have reliable dates,
13:53and several of the king's names
13:55appear to be repeats of earlier rulers.
13:58Hotepsekhemwy, which means two powerful ones at peace,
14:02is a prime illustration of this issue.
14:05Because of his name, it would seem that he came to power
14:08after subduing the princes
14:09who fought for the throne after Qa'a,
14:12but his name is inscribed on the entrance to Qa'a's tomb,
14:15implying that he was the ruler responsible
14:18for burying Qa'a, and he already had that name
14:21before the succession war broke out.
14:24Hotepsekhemwy is credited with bringing peace
14:27to Egypt upon his ascension to the throne,
14:29although a brief one.
14:31Instability and rebellion marked his reign.
14:34Raneb, also known as Nebra,
14:36was the first to link his name to that of the gods,
14:39and so create a bond between the monarch and the divine.
14:44There is no reasonable explanation for Peribsen's decision.
14:48Early academics claimed he was the first monotheist
14:52who declared Seth to be the sole deity.
14:55But evidence of his reign's devotion
14:57to various gods disprove this,
14:59because his name is only found in Upper Egypt.
15:02It's possible that he opted to ally with Seth
15:05for political reasons, to distinguish himself
15:08from the Horus religion of Lower Egypt.
15:11For whatever reason, he is regarded as a good monarch
15:14because commerce, the economy, religious practice,
15:17and the arts all thrived during his reign.
15:21Peribsen was replaced Khasekhemwy, probably his son,
15:25who continued his predecessor's construction projects
15:28and is believed to have brought Egypt's two regions
15:31back under central control,
15:33or at least reinforced unification.
15:36His most famous works include the statues
15:38at Hierakonpolis and Abydos,
15:41as well as his role as the father of Pharaoh Djoser.
15:49(dramatic music)
15:58The Egyptian Third Dynasty starts with King Djoser,
16:02best known for his Step Pyramid at Saqqara.
16:04Manetho's timeline is hazy on
16:06who Sanakht was when he governed
16:08in the Third Dynasty and even his name.
16:12Sanakht's name is only known from the Abydos monarch list,
16:16the Turin Papyrus, and two reliefs discovered
16:19in the mastaba tomb, number K2 at Beit Khallaf.
16:23Djoser erected so many monuments
16:25that historians have long assumed
16:27his tenure extended at least 20 years.
16:31He started military campaigns to Sinai,
16:33and kept Egyptian unity,
16:35resulting in the stability required
16:37for his construction projects and the growth of the arts.
16:41Djoser's Step Pyramid at Saqqara
16:43is Egypt's first recognized pyramid,
16:46which was designed by his architect and vizier Imhotep.
16:51Imhotep was a vizier, sage, architect, astrologer,
16:55and chief minister under Djoser,
16:57the second Pharaoh of Egypt's Third Dynasty,
17:00who was later deified and worshiped
17:02as the God of medicine in Egypt and Greece,
17:06where he was associated
17:07with the Greek deity of medicine Asclepius.
17:10He is thought to have designed
17:12the Step Pyramid in Memphis' Saqqara Necropolis.
17:15This pyramid, which has six steps,
17:18is the world's oldest surviving stone monument.
17:21An inscription carrying his name on a statue
17:24of Djoser uncovered near the Saqqara pyramid site
17:27attests to Imhotep's high status in Djoser's court.
17:31The inscription includes titles,
17:33such as the leader of the sculptures
17:35and the chief of the sears.
17:37Historical documents depicting Egyptian society
17:40and medicine throughout the Old Kingdom
17:43demonstrate that the main magician
17:45of the pharaoh's court frequently functioned
17:47as the nation's chief physician.
17:49The Step Pyramid started as a basic mastaba monument,
17:53with a flat top and sloping sides,
17:55similar to many previous dynasties' tombs.
17:59The architect Imhotep, on the other hand,
18:01had bigger plans for his king's eternal dwelling.
18:05The Step Pyramid is a succession of mastabas
18:08piled on top of each other,
18:10each step slightly smaller than the one beneath
18:13to create a pyramid shape.
18:15Earlier mastabas were made of clay bricks,
18:18but the Step Pyramid was made of stone slabs
18:20with carved motifs of trees and reeds on them.
18:24When finished, the Step Pyramid stood 62 meters tall,
18:28making it the tallest building of its period.
18:31To deter robbers and secure the king's corpse
18:33in burial goods, the real chambers of the tomb
18:36were dug beneath the foundation
18:39as a maze of passageways with rooms off the hallways.
18:43However, this strategy did not work
18:45because the tomb was robbed of all of its valuables,
18:48including the king's corpse, in antiquity.
18:52Only his foot was discovered in the tomb.
18:55Nonetheless, the Step Pyramid's design
18:57and building epitomized the genius
18:59and vision of the Third Dynasty builders,
19:02who would later raise the Buried Pyramid
19:05and the Layer Pyramid,
19:06among many other structures and sanctuaries.
19:09These early visionaries established the foundations
19:13for the later true pyramids of the Fourth Dynasty,
19:17which have mesmerized and captivated people for millennia.
19:24(dramatic music)
19:37The Old Kingdom of Egypt is also known
19:39as the Age of the Pyramids
19:41or the Age of the Pyramid Builders
19:44because it contains the great Fourth Dynasty,
19:47during which King Sneferu mastered
19:49the craft of pyramid construction,
19:51and the Pyramids of Giza were built
19:53under the reigns of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure.
19:57The historical documents of this time,
19:59the Fourth to Sixth Dynasties of Egypt, are sparse,
20:03and historians consider the history of the era
20:06as literally written in stone,
20:08and mainly architectural in that academics
20:11have been able to build a history
20:13through the statues and their inscriptions.
20:16The pyramids themselves provide little information
20:18about their architects, but adjacent funerary shrines
20:22and stelae provide the king's names
20:25and other significant information.
20:27In addition, carvings in stone discovered elsewhere
20:30during the period document different events
20:33and the dates on which they happened.
20:35Lastly, the mausoleum of the Fifth Dynasty's last monarch,
20:39Unas, contained the first pyramid texts,
20:43detailed drawings and writings inside the tomb
20:46that cast light on the religious views of the period.
20:50During the Old Kingdom of Egypt,
20:51the elites standardized art,
20:53and figures were produced uniformly
20:56to reflect the tastes of Memphis, the capital.
20:59Although other art forms,
21:00such as painting and literature
21:02exhibit more skill in the Old Kingdom,
21:04statues from the late Early Dynastic
21:06and early Old Kingdom periods are very comparable.
21:10The Old Kingdom's most famous works of art
21:13are the Pyramids of Giza
21:14and the Great Sphinx of Giza,
21:16both of which remain today.
21:18Although smaller structures were crafted
21:20with the same precision and beauty.
21:23In reality, Egyptians placed great importance
21:26on Old Kingdom art and architecture in later ages.
21:30Although all levels of society may have shared
21:32the same religious systems,
21:34social inequality persisted even after death.
21:38The only significant impediment
21:40to reaching an afterlife was being buried outside of Egypt.
21:44Egyptians thought that to be reborn,
21:46they needed to be buried in Egypt.
21:49If they died abroad, their relatives went
21:51to tremendous pains to bring their bodies back for burial,
21:55so those correct funerary rituals could be performed,
21:59and they could be buried in their native land,
22:01allowing them to enter the afterlife.
22:04To coordinate the labor force
22:06that constructed the Pyramids at Giza
22:08and elsewhere during this time,
22:10unprecedented bureaucratic efficiency was needed,
22:13and this bureaucracy could only function
22:15under a powerful central authority.
22:18At the top of the pyramid
22:19that represented Egyptian society, the monarch stood.
22:23He was granted ownership of all of Egypt by the gods,
22:27at least in theory.
22:29The literate and illiterate classes
22:31were divided in the Egyptian social structure.
22:34The literate class was the ruling class.
22:36They were a small fraction of the population,
22:39but they were the main criteria
22:41for determining the character of ancient Egyptian society
22:45and everything we knew about the civilization.
22:47Individuals were frequently more important
22:50than the positions they held.
22:52As a result, while the king established
22:54the scope of bureaucratic power,
22:56effective administration was ultimately dependent
23:00on the same pool of literal aristocrats,
23:03without whom the king could not govern,
23:05and we'll state some of them as follows.
23:08Because an Egyptian king could not personally control
23:11every area of society,
23:13the role of the vizier was established
23:15as early as the Early Dynastic Period.
23:18The vizier, who can be assimilated
23:20into a form of prime minister,
23:23assigned responsibility to other members of the court,
23:26sent communications through scribes,
23:28and managed the military, regional governor's activities,
23:32public works projects
23:33and tax collections, among other things.
23:36Huni, the last king of the Third Dynasty
23:39was a long thought to have initiated
23:41the massive building projects
23:43of the Old Kingdom by constructing the Meidum Pyramid.
23:46But credit for the Meidum Pyramid goes to Sneferu,
23:49the first king of the Fourth Dynasty
23:51who may have been Huni's son by one of his minor queens.
23:55Sneferu began the Old Kingdom's golden era,
23:58with his most noteworthy achievements
24:00being the two pyramids constructed for him at Dahshur.
24:04Sneferu started his work with the pyramid at Meidum,
24:07known as the false pyramid due to its shape.
24:10It resembles a tower more than a pyramid,
24:13and its exterior casing is surrounded
24:15by a massive mound of gravel.
24:18The pyramid of Meidum was Egypt's first real pyramid,
24:22but it did not last.
24:24This is because changes were made
24:26to Imhotep's initial pyramid design,
24:28causing the exterior casing to sit on sand
24:31rather than rock, causing it to fall.
24:34The crooked period and the Red Pyramid
24:36are Sneferu's structures at Dahshur,
24:38or North Pyramid.
24:40The Bend Pyramid gets its name from the fact
24:42that it rises at a 55 degree angle,
24:45and then changes to a 43 degree angle of smaller stones,
24:49giving the impression of bending in towards the summit.
24:52The workers had finished the base and sides
24:55before recognizing that a 55 degree angle was too steep,
24:59and changing their plan to conclude the job
25:01as best they could.
25:02Sneferu appears to have grasped the issue
25:05and went on to construct his third pyramid.
25:07Sneferu appears to have been a ruler
25:10unafraid of loss or sorrow.
25:12When the Bent Pyramid failed
25:13to satisfy his standards, he simply began over.
25:17The Red Pyramid, named after the use
25:19of reddish limestone in its building,
25:21was constructed on a firm foundation for better stability,
25:25and rose at a 43 degree inclination.
25:28The Red Pyramid, 105 meters tall,
25:31was Egypt's first effective real pyramid.
25:34It was originally encased in white limestone,
25:37as were the other later pyramids,
25:40which crumbled away over time
25:41and were collected by locals
25:43for other construction projects.
25:45Following in the footsteps of Djoser's complex at Saqqara,
25:49Sneferu had mortuary temples
25:51and the other structures built around his pyramids,
25:54with priests overseeing day-to-day activities
25:57once the Red Pyramid was finished.
25:59All of this points to the stability of his rule,
26:03which he bequeathed to his son Khufu when he died.
26:06The ancient Greek authors referred to Khufu as Cheops,
26:10and he's best known for his Great Pyramid at Giza.
26:14In their works, the Greek portrayed him as a tyrant
26:17who oppressed the people
26:18and compelled them to labor for him against their will.
26:21This perception may have been created
26:23by the tales contained in the Westcar Papyrus,
26:26a compilation of four stories written about
26:29the kings of the Fourth Dynasty,
26:31and found by Henry Westcar in around 1824 CE.
26:36The papyrus contains four tales recounted by Khufu's sons,
26:40including one in which King Khufu summons a sorcerer,
26:44who claims to be able to reconnect
26:46a decapitated head to a body.
26:48And some academics read his actions
26:51in requesting a demonstration as malicious or careless.
26:55During the reign of Khufu,
26:57Egypt became even wealthier as a result
27:00of his military battles against Nubia and Libya,
27:03as well as his lucrative trade deals
27:05with cities such as Byblos.
27:07He also invested in agricultural innovations
27:10to improve the livelihoods of his people.
27:13During his reign, the world's first documented
27:16dam was constructed in Wadi Garawi,
27:19a mountain range west of modern Helwan.
27:22This dam improved water availability for farms
27:25and others in the town.
27:26The Great Pyramid of Giza is the final
27:28of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World,
27:32and a distinguishing emblem of Egypt.
27:35It is situated on the Giza Plateau,
27:37near the modern city of Cairo,
27:40and was constructed over 20 years during the rule of Khufu.
27:44Although many hypotheses exist
27:46regarding the pyramid's purpose,
27:49the most generally acknowledged idea
27:51is that it was built as a tomb for the king.
27:54However, how it was constructed
27:56remains a mystery to this day.
27:58Historians continue to dispute the idea
28:01of ramps going around the outside of the building
28:04to move the blocks into position.
28:07These theories persist, despite a growing body
28:10of evidence proving that the pyramid was constructed
28:13by the ancient Egyptians using technical means
28:16that were most likely so common to them
28:19that they felt no need to document them.
28:22Nonetheless, the complexity
28:23of the interior passages, shafts and chambers,
28:27as well as the nearby Osiris Shaft,
28:29encourages the persistence of these fringe theories,
28:33as does the mystery of how the pyramid was built at all,
28:37and its orientation to cardinal points.
28:40A prominent figure during that time
28:42called Hemiunu was the vizier during the reign
28:45of Khufu in the Fourth Dynasty
28:48and one of the king's relatives.
28:50He was in charge of building his Great Pyramid
28:53and keeping an eye over its construction works,
28:56and he was buried near Khufu's pyramid.
28:59The construction work of the pyramid
29:00was done by expert and unskilled laborers
29:04employed by the state for the job.
29:06These employees either offered to pay off a debt,
29:09performed community service, or were paid for their time.
29:13The annual inundation of the Nile River
29:15was important for Egyptian survival
29:17because it distributed rich soil from the river bank
29:20all across the shore's farmlands.
29:23However, it also made farming those lands
29:26impossible during the flood.
29:28During these times, the government supplied work
29:31for farms by constructing large monuments.
29:34These were the individuals
29:36who performed the real physical labor of moving stones,
29:40elevating obelisks, constructing temples,
29:43and constructing the pyramids that continue to amaze
29:47and motivate people today.
29:51Khufu was replaced by a family member
29:53outside the legal line called Djedefre after his death.
29:58Djedefre was Khufu's son,
30:00but he did not appear to be his designated heir.
30:03Some scholars believe Djedefre built
30:05the Great Sphinx of Giza,
30:07while others believed Khafre,
30:09his sibling and successor built it.
30:11The Sphinx is the world's biggest monolithic monument,
30:15showing a recumbent lion's torso
30:18with a king's head and visage.
30:20Historically, this king's visage
30:22has been identified as Khafre's,
30:24but Dobrev and others believe it's Khufu's.
30:27It appears to have been constructed by Khafre
30:30because it is exactly in line with his pyramid complex,
30:34and the Sphinx's face resembles Khafre more than Khufu.
30:38Khafre's pyramid is the second largest in Giza,
30:42and his complex is almost as big as his father's.
30:45Little is known about his rule.
30:47According to Egyptian texts,
30:49he continued his father's policies
30:51and government model by concentrating power
30:54in the hands of his closest family members,
30:56and exerting strict control over policies and laws.
31:01Following Khafre's demise,
31:02succession was temporarily disrupted again
31:06when Baka, Djedefre's son, took the throne.
31:09He did not even rule for a year
31:11before Menkaure, Khafre's son, took over as monarch.
31:15Both the Greeks and the Egyptian writings praise Menkaure.
31:19Menkaure, like his father and grandpa before him,
31:22started construction on his Giza pyramid and shrine complex.
31:26Menkaure's pyramid and complex
31:28are smaller than the other two,
31:29which represent a significant development
31:32in the history of the Old Kingdom,
31:34and one of the causes of its collapse.
31:37The resources required to construct
31:39the Great Pyramid were no longer accessible
31:42during Menkaure's period,
31:44but he did his best to establish
31:46an everlasting residence on par with his fathers'
31:49and grandfathers'.
31:51Khuenre, Menkaure's son and designated successor
31:55perished while this pyramid was being constructed,
31:58upsetting the dynastic succession,
32:00and Menkaure died before the pyramid complex was finished.
32:04Despite reigning for 30 years, he was unable
32:07to finish the work of his predecessors,
32:10which many historians attribute
32:12to the dwindling resources at his disposal.
32:15Shepseskaf, Menkaure's successor,
32:17finished Menkaure's structure at Giza,
32:19but was buried in a relatively modest mastaba at Saqqara.
32:24As previously stated,
32:25the monarchs diverted immense resources
32:28to their funerary structures and buildings,
32:31but these temples and sanctuaries
32:33were increasingly under the authority
32:35of the priests who managed them rather than the king.
32:38Although the Giza Plateau is now an old sand swept location
32:42on the outskirts of Cairo,
32:44it was a city of the deceased,
32:47inhabited by the living who tended to it
32:49during Menkaure's time.
32:51Giza had priests houses, shrines,
32:54worker accommodations, stores, factories, breweries,
32:58and all the amenities of a small metropolis.
33:01The civilian life in ancient Egypt was very active.
33:05The lowest social class consisted of peasant farmers
33:08who did not own the land on which they worked on
33:11or the houses in which they resided.
33:13The monarch, members of the court,
33:15nomarchs and priests owned the land.
33:18To begin the day, peasants would say,
33:20"Let us work for the nobility."
33:22Peasants were virtually always farmers,
33:25regardless of what other trade they practiced.
33:28They cultivated and harvested their crops,
33:30giving the majority to the landowner,
33:32while keeping part for themselves.
33:34Most had private gardens,
33:36which the ladies maintained
33:37while the men worked in the fields.
33:39The lowest stratum of society
33:41created the items utilized in commerce,
33:44allowing the civilization as a whole to survive.
33:47These peasants were also part of the workforce
33:50that erected Egypt's pyramids and other monuments.
33:53When the Nile River's banks overflowed,
33:55farming became difficult,
33:57and the men and women went to work on the king's projects.
34:00This labor was always rewarded,
34:03and no literary or physical evidence
34:05supports the assertion that
34:07any of Egypt's major monuments
34:09were erected by slave labor.
34:11Work building monuments like the pyramid
34:13and associated burial complexes, temples and obelisks
34:17provided the peasantry with the sole possibility
34:20of upward mobility.
34:22Skilled painters and engravers
34:23in particular were in high demand in Egypt,
34:27and were paid more than unskilled laborers
34:29who merely hauled the stones
34:31for the construction from one location to another.
34:34Peasant farmers might also raise their status
34:36by learning a craft
34:38and producing the vases, bowls, plates
34:40and other ceramics that people need.
34:42Skilled carpenters could make a fortune by making tables,
34:46desks, chairs, beds and storage chests,
34:49while painters were needed
34:50to decorate upper class dwellings,
34:52castles, tombs and monuments.
34:55Brewers were likewise held in high regard,
34:58and breweries were occasionally controlled by women.
35:01They appear to have been operated on by females
35:04in early Egyptian history.
35:05Beer was the most popular beverage in ancient Egypt,
35:09and it was commonly utilized as a kind of recompense.
35:12Three times a day,
35:13workers on the Giza Plateau were given a beer ration.
35:17The deity Osiris was said to have
35:19provided the drink to the people,
35:21and breweries were overseen by the goddess Tjenenyet.
35:25Marriages were more secular
35:26than religious in ancient Egypt.
35:28The parents planned the majority of weddings
35:30in any of the classes.
35:32Girls were often married at the age of 12,
35:35and boys at the age of 15.
35:37Royal offspring were frequently promised
35:40to foreign monarchs as babies to seal treaties.
35:43The ancient Egyptians' lives were not all labor.
35:47They found plenty of time to have fun
35:49by participating in sports,
35:50board games and other activities.
35:53Hockey, handball, archery, swimming,
35:55tug of war, gymnastics, rowing,
35:58and a sport known as water jousting,
36:01which was a sea battle played in small boats
36:03on the Nile River, in which a jouster
36:06tried to knock the other out of his boat,
36:08while the second team member maneuvered the craft
36:11were all ancient Egyptian sports.
36:13The festivals of ancient Egypt
36:15were individually distinct in their own right,
36:18depending on the nature of the occasion,
36:20but they all had one thing in common,
36:23drinking and feasting.
36:25The Egyptian diet consisted mostly of grains,
36:28wheat, and vegetables.
36:30The meat was incredibly expensive,
36:32and only royalty could afford it.
36:35The Fourth Dynasty ended with Shepseskaf's brief reign,
36:38and the fifth started with much less hope.
36:41The Fifth Dynasty is known as the Sun King's Dynasty
36:45because so many of their titles
36:46contain the name of the deity Ra, usually given as RE.
36:51The first three of these rulers,
36:53Userkaf, Sahure and Kakai
36:55would later be memorialized
36:57as divinely chosen in the Westcar Papyrus tale
37:01the birth of the kings.
37:02The dynasty starts with King Userkaf,
37:05but a lady called Khentkaus,
37:07most likely a daughter of Menkaure,
37:09appears prominently in the Egyptian texts
37:12as mother of two kings of Upper and Lower Egypt,
37:16though it's unclear who those monarchs were.
37:19Her monument is the fourth pyramid at Giza,
37:22and she was a significant person.
37:24Not much is known about her.
37:26Userkaf is best renowned for his work
37:28on the Temple of the Sun in Abusir.
37:31This structure represents a significant divergence
37:35from the position of the monarch
37:36at the beginning of the Fourth Dynasty,
37:38and the beginning of the end of Giza
37:41as the king's necropolis.
37:43The sun deity Ra was now venerated
37:46directly by the people through the priesthood,
37:49and the king's position
37:50as the God's primary representative was reduced.
37:54Userkaf's son Sahure replaced him
37:57and constructed his funerary complex
37:59at Abusir, near the Temple of the Sun.
38:02Sahure was a capable monarch
38:04who led the first Egyptian expedition to Punt,
38:07and arranged significant trade treaties
38:10with other countries.
38:11Punt, on the other hand,
38:13was one of his biggest accomplishments,
38:15as it became an important source
38:17of many of Egypt's most valuable resources,
38:21and in time was regarded as a legendary country of the gods.
38:26Sahure constructed his own temple to the sun in Abusir,
38:30and was the first to use palmiform columns in the building,
38:34which would later become the norm
38:36for columns throughout Egypt.
38:38Sahure's war exploits and cautious resource management
38:41enrichened the nation, as demonstrated
38:44by the intricate work done on his mortuary complex,
38:47and the inscriptions discovered.
38:49His son Neferirkare Kakai succeeded him.
38:53Inscriptions suggest he was a good king and well-regarded,
38:56but little is known of his tenure,
38:59except that the priesthood
39:00got even more dominant during his control.
39:03His son Neferefre succeeded him but perished young,
39:07possibly around the age of 20.
39:10He was followed by King Shepseskare.
39:13Nyuserre Ini succeeds him.
39:15And the priests of Ra acquire
39:17even more authority during his rule.
39:20The bureaucracy of the temples
39:22and mortuary buildings grew as well,
39:25putting a burden on royal coffers,
39:27which paid for sanctuary care and maintenance.
39:30Menkauhor Kaiu replaced him,
39:32but little is known about his rule,
39:34other than the fact that he was the last monarch
39:37to construct a temple to the sun.
39:39Djedkare Isesi replaced him
39:41in the late 25th to mid 24th century BC.
39:45The roots of Djedkare Isesi are unclear.
39:48He's not regarded as Menkauhor Kaiu's son,
39:51but he may be connected.
39:53To keep the economy stable,
39:55he reforms the administration
39:57and the clergy extensively during his rule.
40:00Djedkare Isesi refused the customary practice
40:02of erecting a shrine to the sun deity,
40:05and decreased the number of clerics
40:07required to maintain funerary structures.
40:10He also arranged the second Punt expedition,
40:14which enriched Egypt and reinforced relations with Punt.
40:18The most important element of Djedkare Isesi's reign,
40:20however, was the decentralization
40:23of the government in Memphis,
40:25which gave local authorities more authority.
40:28Djedkare Isesi was replaced by his son Unas,
40:31the reign of whom is little documented.
40:34Unas was the first Egyptian king
40:36to have the interior of his tomb decorated
40:39and inscribed with what became known as the pyramid texts.
40:44These inscriptions depict the king
40:45in communion with Ra and Osiris.
40:48The position of the king was already considerably reduced
40:52when the Sixth Dynasty started.
40:54Local officials and bureaucrats built more elaborate tombs
40:57than nobles during the rule of the first monarch.
41:00Teti.
41:01Teti was killed by his bodyguards
41:03according to the third century BCE historian Manetho,
41:07an act that would've been inconceivable earlier.
41:11He was replaced by Userkare,
41:13who may have been involved in the assassination plan.
41:17His reign was brief,
41:19and he was followed by Meryre Pepi I,
41:22during whom the nomarchs gained authority.
41:24By the end of Old Kingdom,
41:26the political power had fragmented
41:28and the system was decentralized.
41:31The restoration of central power was a lengthy process
41:34that lasted well into the 12th Dynasty.
41:37Because of the breakdown of central power,
41:40political authority passed into the hands of the nomarchs,
41:43who took complete control.
41:45This pattern persisted during the reigns
41:48of Merenre Nemtyemsaf I, and Neferkare Pepi II,
41:53who ascended to the kingdom as a child
41:55and perished as an old man,
41:57signifying an incredible rule of nearly a century.
42:02During Pepe II's lengthy rule,
42:04the Old Kingdom gradually crumble.
42:07The increasing influence of provincial nomarchs
42:10and the clergy eroded the central governments'
42:13and kings' authority.
42:14Pepe II was followed by Merenre Nemtyemsaf II
42:18with a very short reign.
42:20And the dynasty ended with Netjerkare,
42:23who was identified by some scholars and Egyptologists
42:27as the Queen Nitocris
42:29from Herodotus's account of an Egyptian queen
42:32who avenges her brother's murder
42:34by drowning his killers at a banquet.
42:36Pepe II had outlived any heirs to the throne,
42:40and appears to have been a pretty ineffective monarch
42:43in his final years.
42:44When drought caused famine in the country,
42:47there was no effective central authority to react to it.
42:50The Old Kingdom terminated with the Sixth Dynasty
42:53because no powerful ruler ascended to the throne
42:56to guide the people.
42:57Local authorities focused on their areas
43:00and lacked the means and motivation
43:02to assist the rest of the nation.
43:04As the Sixth Dynasty died out,
43:06Egypt gradually descended
43:08into the First Intermediate Period.
43:15(tense music)
43:23(dramatic music)
43:35The First Intermediate Period is marked primarily
43:38by a rise in the authority of provincial administrators
43:42of distinct areas,
43:43and a decline in the power
43:45of the central government at Memphis.
43:48The great structures of the Old Kingdom
43:49on the scale of Giza's pyramids
43:51were no longer constructed
43:53within the First Intermediate Period
43:55because there was no strong central sovereign
43:58to order and pay for them,
44:00and no administration to coordinate the large workforce.
44:03The cultural image that comes from a study
44:05of historical data does not support a chaotic dark era,
44:09but rather a different social and political model
44:12than what had come before.
44:14There is some historical evidence
44:16for the claim of unrest and claimed disorder,
44:19which stems from the absence
44:21of a single powerful central government.
44:24The country's different regions
44:25were essentially self-governing.
44:27The dearth of information about the kings
44:29of the Seventh and Eighth Dynasties
44:31attest to their ineffectiveness.
44:33Their identities and dates will be forgotten
44:36in Egyptian annals.
44:38The ancient city of Memphis was abandoned
44:40at some time by rulers who saw themselves
44:43as the heirs of the Old Kingdom kings.
44:46The rulers of the Ninth and Tenth Dynasties
44:48then seized Herakleopolis as their center
44:52and declared themselves Egypt's real kings.
44:55Intef, a Theben nomarch who bore the customary epithets
44:59of great overlord of the nomes
45:02and overseer of priests
45:04came to prominence in Thebes around 2125 BC,
45:09and opposed the authority of Herakleopolitan kings.
45:13Intef I established Egypt's 11th Dynasty,
45:16and provided the push for the country's unity.
45:20During the Middle Kingdom,
45:21he was known as Intef the Mighty,
45:23and a monument in his honor was erected
45:26in the Temple of Karnak,
45:27and this was the way leading to the beginning
45:30of a new era, which was the Middle Kingdom.
45:38(gentle upbeat music)
45:48Although Mentuhotep II was known as the second menace
45:52who united Egypt and ushered in the Middle Kingdom period,
45:56the road to that unity was laid out by Intef I
45:59and his successors.
46:01Mentuhotep I, approximately 2115 BCE,
46:06followed Intef I's path
46:08and conquered the neighboring nomes for Thebes,
46:11considerably increasing the city's stature and strength.
46:15His initiatives were carried on by his predecessors.
46:18Mentuhotep II used these early victories
46:21to ultimately beat Herakleopolis
46:24and then punish those nomes,
46:26who had stayed faithful to the old kings,
46:29while rewarding those who had honored Thebes.
46:32Mentuhotep II devoted his time
46:34after the process of unity to the ruling,
46:37military accomplishments and construction projects.
46:40Mentuhotep's successor, Mentuhotep III,
46:44reigned during 2010 to 1998 BCE,
46:48maintained and expanded his programs.
46:51He dispatched an army to Punt
46:53and strengthened the northern delta's borders.
46:56Mentuhotep IV replaced him.
46:59His entire seven year rule is silent,
47:01but he most likely continued
47:03his predecessor's policies effectively,
47:05because the nation is thriving
47:07when Amenemhat replaces him as monarch.
47:10When Amenemhat was Mentuhotep IV's vizier
47:14and was sent with his mission to quarry stones
47:16for the king's project, he had an inscription made
47:19of the extraordinary events he witnessed.
47:22First, a gazelle gave birth on the stone
47:25selected for the king's sarcophagus top,
47:28indicating that the stone had been chosen correctly
47:30because it was endowed with fecundity and life.
47:33Second, an unanticipated rainfall
47:36descended on the celebration,
47:38revealing a well big enough
47:40to water the entire gathering.
47:43This inscription was later interpreted to mean
47:45that Amenemhat was chosen by the gods to become king,
47:49as the gods that allowed him to experience miracles.
47:53Amenemhat I abandoned Thebes for unknown reasons
47:57and established his seat in court in Itjtawy,
48:01south of Memphis.
48:02Amenemhat I's successor,
48:04Senusret I, 1971 to 1926 BCE,
48:10improved the country's infrastructure
48:12and initiated the kinds of grand building projects
48:16that had characterized the Old Kingdom,
48:18and represented the king's power,
48:20including a temple to Amun at Karnak,
48:23which sparked the construction
48:25of the Great Temple complex there.
48:27Amenemhat I had followed in the footsteps
48:30of Intef II and Mentuhotep II
48:33by restricting the authority of local nomarchs and priests,
48:37and giving power only to those
48:39most trusted in the family.
48:41Senusret I continued the same strategy.
48:44The administration of the 12th Dynasty was so effective
48:48that unlike the Old Kingdom,
48:49it kept wealth centralized with the monarch,
48:52while allowing for the development
48:54and prosperity of individual regions,
48:57without allowing them to become too strong.
48:59The king governed all of Egypt,
49:02but specific officers were rewarded for their devotion.
49:05The Egyptians developed various advanced ways
49:09of irrigation systems,
49:10and to keep track of the water levels,
49:13they build nilometers to gauge the height of the flood
49:15and to determine the taxes levels supposed to be paid.
49:19Canals were dug to provide water to different areas
49:22when Senusret II decided to turn the Faiyum area
49:25into an agricultural center.
49:27He developed a specific irrigation system
49:30with a dyke that transported water from Lake Moeris,
49:33which resulted in crop prosperity in the area.
49:37It was also behind the construction of the White Chapel,
49:40a building important to historians and academics
49:44because it contains a record
49:45of all the nomes of the period.
49:48Senusret I was followed by Amenemhat II,
49:511929 to 1895 BCE, who may have governed alongside him.
49:57The practice of coregency was unique to the Middle Kingdom,
50:01in which a younger man, the monarch's selected heir,
50:04usually a son, would govern alongside the king
50:08to learn the position,
50:09and guarantee a seamless transfer of power.
50:12Scholars disagree on whether this practice
50:14was truly followed, though there is no question
50:18that it was followed by Amenemhat II
50:21and his successor Senusret II, 1897 to 1878 BCE.
50:27Double dates for two rulers
50:29on official cartouches indicate coregency.
50:33Amenemhat II's reign is little known,
50:35but Senusret II is noted for his excellent ties
50:39with the regional nomarchs,
50:41and improved prosperity of the nation.
50:43It's worth noting that during Senusret II's rule,
50:46local officials thrived just as they had
50:49at the end of the Old Kingdom,
50:51but this did not cause the kingdom
50:53the difficulties that it had previously.
50:56Senusret II was followed by Senusret III,
50:591878 to 1860 BCE,
51:03the most potent monarch of the period,
51:06whose reign was so prosperous
51:08that he was deified during his lifetime.
51:11His rule is characterized
51:13by military advancement into Nubia,
51:15as well as a rise in Egypt's riches and influence.
51:19Senusret III exemplified the Egyptian cultural value
51:23of military ability,
51:25and quick action was the pinnacle of the warrior king.
51:29He was thought to be unbeatable at the helm of his troops.
51:33His expeditions into Nubia widened Egypt's borders,
51:37and the fortifications he erected
51:38along the boundary facilitated commerce.
51:42He also conducted an expedition into Palestine,
51:45and as a result, trade ties with that area improved.
51:49And to control flood and direct irrigation waters,
51:53the ancient Egyptians built earth and stone barrages
51:56and dams, such as El Lahun dam,
51:59which was erected during the reign of King Amenemhat III,
52:02who ruled in the 12th Dynasty,
52:04following the reign of Senusret III,
52:07as he wanted to make good use
52:08of the floodwaters for the irrigation system,
52:11and to protect the state from destructive high levels
52:14of inundation water.
52:16Early November, before the water
52:17had entirely left the basins,
52:20was the time when preparations for planting season began.
52:23Before fields were prepared for planting,
52:26irrigation facilities were repaired or cleared,
52:28and property lines were reevaluated.
52:31And since ancient Egyptians were known
52:33to document every detail of their daily life,
52:36we have seen the process of growing
52:38and harvesting the grain depicted in great detail
52:41in various tombs' paintings.
52:44Various crops were planted widely,
52:46which made food types plentiful in Egypt,
52:49such as emmer wheat,
52:50which was used to make bread and beer,
52:52grapes for wine, palm dates, doom palms, figs,
52:57sycamore and papyrus, whose stems were used
53:00to make paper-like scrolls for writing,
53:03and also was a great material
53:05to make sails, cords and even mats.
53:08Various tools were used by the farmers
53:11during the planting process,
53:12such as a very interesting one called shaduf.
53:16It's a hand operated device
53:18used to lift water from the river,
53:19which consists of a long pole with a bucket
53:22hung on a rope from one end,
53:24and the other end has a weight attached to it.
53:26It was either used to fill jugs
53:28with water to transport them,
53:29or even to run water in small canals along ditches.
53:33However, it's normal when people wonder
53:36how such a civilization in ancient times
53:39managed to erect huge buildings,
53:42and move colossal statues without having the technology
53:46we have in the current modern world.
53:48Some scenes from tombs of high officials
53:51have proof of how the whole process
53:53of moving huge statues was done.
53:56Djehuty-Nakht was a nomarch of the 12th Dynasty.
53:59He used to govern the 15th nome of Upper Egypt.
54:03He has a very interesting scene in his tomb
54:06of the transportation of a roughly
54:086.8 meter high monument of him by 172 people,
54:13using ropes in a slide in an endeavor aided
54:17by the dumping of water in front of the slide.
54:20Unfortunately, no evidence
54:21of this colossus has ever been discovered.
54:25Amenemhat III boasted of no major military triumphs,
54:29but constructed almost as many monuments as his father,
54:32and was responsible for the vast mortuary sanctuary
54:36at Hawara known as the Labyrinth.
54:39Amenemhat IV, 1815 to 1807 BCE, replaced him
54:45and maintained his policies.
54:47He completed his father's construction tasks
54:50and began many of his own.
54:52During his reign,
54:53military and commercial expeditions
54:55were undertaken on numerous occasions,
54:58and trade thrived with towns in the Levant,
55:01particularly Byblos and elsewhere.
55:04The coregency policy, if it was implemented,
55:08had guaranteed a seamless transfer of power
55:11from ruler to ruler, but it failed in the case
55:14of Amenemhat IV who had no male successor
55:18to prepare for success.
55:20After his demise, the throne passed to his sister
55:23or probably wife Sobekneferu, 1807 to 1802 BCE,
55:30whose rule is little known.
55:32Unless the Queen Nitiqret, Nitocris of the Sixth Dynasty
55:36of the Old Kingdom is accepted as real,
55:39Sobekneferu was the first woman
55:41to govern Egypt since the Early Dynastic Period.
55:45The 12th Dynasty concluded
55:47when she perished without an heir,
55:49and the 13th started with the reign of Sobekhotep I,
55:531802 to 1800 BCE.
55:56The Middle Kingdom's 12th Period
55:58was the most powerful and wealthy.
56:00The 13th Dynasty would receive
56:02the riches and the policies,
56:04but would be unable to put them to good use.
56:07The 13th Dynasty appears
56:09to have maintained the policies
56:11of the 12th Dynasty monarchs
56:12and kept the nation united.
56:15But none of them had the personal power
56:17of the previous kings,
56:18according to incomplete documents.
56:21Lower Egypt started to develop its political groups.
56:28(dramatic music)
56:39This era starts when the Egyptian rulers
56:42of the 13th Dynasty relocate the capital
56:45from Itjtawy to Thebes, the former capital
56:48of the late 11th Dynasty in Upper Egypt,
56:51thereby weakening their grip on the North.
56:54Amenemhat I, 1991 to 1962 BCE,
56:59established the tiny settlement of Hutwaret
57:02in the far north at the start of the 12th Dynasty,
57:05which developed into a commercial hub
57:07with easy access to the sea and road paths
57:10to Sinai and the area of Palestine.
57:13During the 13th Dynasty,
57:15effective trade and immigration
57:17brought an increase of Semitic people to Avaris,
57:20who ultimately grew wealthy and powerful enough
57:23to wield governmental power in the nation.
57:26These individuals were known
57:28to the Egyptians as Heqau-Khasut or Hyksos.
57:32The name of the Hyksos remains unclear.
57:35Many hypotheses have been proposed
57:37including the possibility that they were refugees
57:40escaping the Aryan invasion of Asia.
57:43The Nordic invasion hypothesis has been debunked,
57:46as has this assertion.
57:48The Egyptians refer to them as Asians,
57:51but this was a word used for anyone
57:53beyond the country's eastern boundary,
57:55from the Levant to Mesopotamia.
57:58During the late 13th Dynasty,
58:00the Egyptian monarch ceased supplying
58:02the border fortifications located in Nubia,
58:05and no additional soldiers were stationed there.
58:08The troops who were already stationed at the forts
58:11were never returned to Egypt,
58:13and the former garrisons became their permanent residence.
58:16These troops served as commerce intermediaries
58:19between the Egyptian city of Thebes
58:22and the kingdom of Kush.
58:23As the 13th Dynasty
58:25neglected matters to the south,
58:27just as they were doing to the north,
58:29the kingdom of Kush developed into a centralized power,
58:32with its capital at Kerma.
58:34Some of the ancient Egyptian fortifications
58:37along the border were destroyed at some time,
58:39presumably during an assault, though this is unclear.
58:43What is evident is that as Egyptian government
58:45in Thebes disregarded Kush's influence in the south,
58:49Kush's power increased
58:50and the boundary became more flexible.
58:53The troops who had been left behind no longer saw it
58:56as their duty to protect against invasions,
58:59and had grown more acclimated to the role
59:01of traders than military men by this point.
59:04The monarchs documented for the latter portion
59:07of the 13th and 16th Dynasties are non-Egyptians,
59:11or at the very least, do not have Egyptian names
59:15and are considered Hyksos rulers.
59:17Their timeline is muddled,
59:19and some names are only known from ceremonial items,
59:22while others are only known from pieces of kings lists,
59:25making dating problematic.
59:28The Hyksos achieved economic dominance of the eastern delta,
59:32and then pushed north, negotiating treaties
59:35and forging contracts with various nomarchs,
59:38governors of other districts in Lower Egypt,
59:41until they had conquered a sizable amount of territory
59:45and could exert political authority.
59:47Once established an Avaris,
59:49the Hyksos elevated Egyptians to positions of power,
59:53adopted Egyptian customs and attire,
59:56and absorbed Egyptian deity worship
59:58into their own beliefs and ceremonies.
1:00:01The Hyksos's monarchs established
1:00:03Egypt's 15th dynasty,
1:00:05but once they were evicted,
1:00:07the invading Thebens destroyed
1:00:09all traces of the Hyksos in Egypt.
1:00:12Only a few Hyksos rulers are known by name,
1:00:15thanks to the ruins of inscriptions
1:00:17and other texts discovered at Avaris and elsewhere,
1:00:21including the best known Apepi.
1:00:24Apepi was also known as Apophis,
1:00:26and had an Egyptian name related
1:00:28to the giant snake Apophis or Apep,
1:00:31the sun god Ra's nemesis.
1:00:33At the same time the Hyksos rose
1:00:36to prominence in northern Egypt,
1:00:37the Nubians rose to power in the south.
1:00:40The Middle Kingdom's 13th Dynasty, like Lower Egypt,
1:00:44had forgotten to pay attention to its southern frontier.
1:00:47Thebes remained Upper Egypt's capital,
1:00:50but instead of dominating the entire nation,
1:00:53it was wedged between the Hyksos in the north
1:00:56and the Nubians in the south.
1:00:58According to Manetho, Apepi of the Hyksos
1:01:01wrote to the Theben king, Seqenenre Tao, 1580 BCE,
1:01:06"Do away with a hippopotamus pool
1:01:08to the east of the city,
1:01:10for it prevents me from sleeping day and night."
1:01:13The message was most likely about the Theben practice
1:01:16of hippopotamus hunting, which would've been insulting
1:01:19to the Hyksos who worshiped Seth
1:01:22and included the hippo in their religious observances.
1:01:25Tao, rather than complying with the request,
1:01:27saw it as a challenge to his autonomy
1:01:30and marched on Avaris.
1:01:32His mummy indicates that he was slain in battle,
1:01:35and this, together with the events that follow,
1:01:38reveals that the Thebens were vanquished in this fight.
1:01:43Tao's son Kamose took up the cause,
1:01:45lamenting bitterly in an inscription
1:01:48about having to pay the Asiatic's taxes,
1:01:51and dealing with outsiders to the north
1:01:53and south of him and his kingdom.
1:01:56He launched a huge attack on the Hyksos,
1:01:59destroying Avaris according to the narrative.
1:02:01Kamose reports that his attack was so fast and scary,
1:02:05that it rendered the Hyksos women barren,
1:02:07and that he destroyed the city to the ground
1:02:10following the carnage.
1:02:12This tale appears to be exaggerated,
1:02:14as the Hyksos retained control of Lower Egypt
1:02:17three years after Kamose's invasion,
1:02:20and Avaris remained Hyksos's stronghold.
1:02:23Kamose was succeeded by his brother Ahmose,
1:02:26who according to the inscriptions
1:02:28drove Hyksos out of Egypt
1:02:30and destroyed their metropolis of Avaris.
1:02:33These events are described in the tomb inscriptions
1:02:35of another man, Ahmose son of Ebana,
1:02:38a soldier who fought under King Ahmose,
1:02:41who describes the devastation of Avaris
1:02:44and the retreat of the remaining Hyksos
1:02:46to Sharuhen in the Palestine region.
1:02:49Ahmose then besieged this city for six years
1:02:52until the Hyksos fled again, this time to Syria,
1:02:56although what happened to them after that is unknown.
1:03:00Ahmose I not only established the 18th Dynasty,
1:03:04but also began the New Kingdom of Egypt,
1:03:07the age of the Egyptian empire.
1:03:10The Hyksos were responsible for the formation
1:03:12of a professional Egyptian army of conquest,
1:03:15since Ahmose I and those who followed him
1:03:19sought to ensure that no foreign nation
1:03:22ever gained such dominance in their land again.
1:03:25The triumph that would become the New Kingdom,
1:03:27a period of unprecedented prosperity and success in Egypt,
1:03:32is the legacy of the Second Intermediate Period.
1:03:35The 18th Dynasty of Egypt, established by Ahmose I,
1:03:40would build some of the most renowned
1:03:41and memorable monuments since the Old Kingdom's pyramids,
1:03:46and expand Egypt's borders into a kingdom.
1:03:54(vocalist singing in foreign language)
1:03:59(gentle upbeat music)
1:04:09Ahmose I realized that the Hyksos had been able
1:04:13to establish themselves so securely
1:04:16because previous Egyptian monarchs had permitted them to.
1:04:20As a result, he chose to establish protected areas
1:04:24around Egypt's boundaries,
1:04:26and fortifying neglected settlements
1:04:28in strategic locations to protect the nation.
1:04:31The battle of Ahmose I against the Hyksos
1:04:34brought him and his troops into touch
1:04:36with the areas of Palestine and Syria,
1:04:39where he continued his operations
1:04:42while also conducting military excursion
1:04:45south against the kingdom of Kush and Nubia.
1:04:48When he died, he had protected the nation
1:04:51and consolidated his authority,
1:04:53leaving a steady political
1:04:55and economic situation for his replacement,
1:04:57Amenhotep I, 1541 to 1520 BCE.
1:05:03Inscriptions show that Amenhotep I
1:05:05followed his father's policies
1:05:07and modeled himself after him as a warrior monarch,
1:05:10but he most likely only commanded battles into Nubia.
1:05:14There are no accounts of him
1:05:15conducting expeditions into Palestine or Syria,
1:05:18but he may have done so
1:05:20because those areas stayed secure
1:05:22during his and his successors' reigns.
1:05:25Thutmose I, 1520 to 1492 BCE, replaced him
1:05:31and immediately started wars to expand Egypt's reach.
1:05:35Thutmose I put down a revolt in Nubia
1:05:38that erupted soon after assuming the throne,
1:05:41personally murdering the Nubian monarch,
1:05:44and suspending his corpse from the prow of his ship
1:05:48as a caution to other rebels.
1:05:50He then extended Egypt's control over Nubia further south,
1:05:54before shifting his focus to Palestine and Syria.
1:05:58He expanded Thebe's famous temple of Karnak
1:06:01and built numerous other temples
1:06:03and structures throughout Egypt.
1:06:06Thutmose II, 1492 to 1479 BCE, succeeded him,
1:06:11but little is known about his rule
1:06:13because he was quickly eclipsed
1:06:15by his more potent half sister Hatshepsut.
1:06:18Hatshepsut, 1479 to 1458 BCE,
1:06:23was one of the most potent
1:06:25and effective New Kingdom rulers.
1:06:28Thutmose II had one child with her,
1:06:31and he had another with a minor woman, Thutmose III,
1:06:35whom he named as his successor, 1458 to 1425 BCE.
1:06:41Following Thutmose II's death,
1:06:43Hatshepsut was appointed regent of Egypt
1:06:46and officially co-ruled with Thutmose III.
1:06:49But she had been the force behind her husband's tenure
1:06:53and continued to do so as she saw fit after his death.
1:06:57Hatshepsut is in charge
1:06:58of numerous construction initiatives.
1:07:01She conducted the most successful expedition to Punt,
1:07:05added her works to the Temple at Karnak,
1:07:07and governed in harmony with Nubia to the south.
1:07:10Her construction undertakings were so beautiful
1:07:14and numerous that subsequent pharaohs
1:07:17claimed ownership of them.
1:07:19They were able to do so because Hatshepsut's name
1:07:22was taken from all of her structures,
1:07:24including her magnificent complex
1:07:27at Deir el-Bahari around 1458 BCE.
1:07:32Concerning the obelisks
1:07:33that were erected in the different temples,
1:07:36they were symbols of the sun god,
1:07:38and many of them can be found everywhere in the whole world,
1:07:41whether they were real Egyptian ones
1:07:44or modern ones imitating the ancient Egyptian obelisks.
1:07:48The process of carving one is not a paradox,
1:07:51as there is an unfinished one located
1:07:53in the quarries of granite in Aswan.
1:07:56Hatshepsut commissioned its construction,
1:07:58probably to accompany what became known
1:08:01as the Lateran Obelisk, which was originally at Karnak
1:08:05but was later brought to the Lateran Palace in Rome.
1:08:08Thutmose III inherited a wealthy
1:08:10and secure country in 1458 BCE,
1:08:14and wasted no time in improving it.
1:08:17Thutmose III establishes the Egyptian empire,
1:08:20which his descendants would sustain.
1:08:23He defeated the neighboring countries,
1:08:25and expanded Egypt's dominion
1:08:27further than it had ever been before,
1:08:30using the war chariot acquired from the Hyksos,
1:08:33bronze weaponry and better strategies.
1:08:37Over 20 years, he led at least
1:08:3917 separate military campaigns,
1:08:43subduing kingdoms from Libya to Syria,
1:08:46and extending Egypt's authority in the south
1:08:48from the region around Buhen down to Kurgus.
1:08:51When Hatshepsut died, Thutmose III ascended to power.
1:08:55Believing him to be weak and inexperienced,
1:08:58the king of the Syrian city of Kadesh
1:09:00instigated a revolt in the Egyptian province of Canaan,
1:09:04which swiftly gathered support from other places
1:09:07aiming to dethrone Egypt.
1:09:09This coalition met in the city of Megiddo.
1:09:12Thutmose III marched his army from Thebes
1:09:15to Megiddo in northern Canaan,
1:09:17prudently choosing a narrow pass
1:09:19from the town of Aruna,
1:09:21instead of the wider and easier routes to the city,
1:09:24and surprised his enemies by entering the Kena Valley
1:09:27behind their defensive positions,
1:09:30and driving them from the field.
1:09:32Thutmose III had to lay siege to the city to seize it.
1:09:36Tjaneni, who was Thutmose III's commander
1:09:39and military scribe naturally accompanied
1:09:42his monarch in war to put down the rebellion,
1:09:45and wrote a record describing the fight.
1:09:47Thutmose III was so taken by Tjaneni's tale
1:09:51that he had sections of it written
1:09:52on the walls of the Great Temple of Amun at Karnak,
1:09:56and to a lesser extent elsewhere.
1:09:58Tjaneni begins by describing
1:10:00why the writing on the temple's walls exist.
1:10:03He then goes on to explain the campaign and its motivations.
1:10:07The wretched adversary referenced on several occasions
1:10:11is the King of Kadesh, who started the revolt
1:10:14and gathered the armies against Egypt.
1:10:16But it is also used to refer to everyone
1:10:19who joined the rebellion at times.
1:10:21Following the Battle of Megiddo,
1:10:23Thutmose III would subdue and punish those who took part,
1:10:27capturing not just Kadesh but also all of Syria
1:10:31and the Mitanni territories in Mesopotamia.
1:10:35He was succeeded by his Amenhotep II, 1425 to 1400 BCE,
1:10:41who inherited and built
1:10:43on his father's powerful and safe kingdom.
1:10:45He was not a warrior king,
1:10:48but he did order many construction projects
1:10:50and signed peace treaties and commerce deals
1:10:53with other countries, such as Mitanni.
1:10:56Thutmose IV, 1400 to 1390 BCE,
1:11:00his replacement, carried on his programs.
1:11:04Based on readings of renowned Dream Stele,
1:11:07which recounts the tale of how he came to the kingdom,
1:11:10Thutmose IV is regarded as a usurper,
1:11:13although he's the legal son of Amenhotep II.
1:11:16He's best known as the king
1:11:17who rebuilt Giza's Great Pyramid.
1:11:20He is followed by a Amenhotep III,
1:11:231386 to 1353 BCE, who is regarded
1:11:27as one of Egypt's most effective and powerful rulers.
1:11:32Amenhotep III ruled Egypt at a time
1:11:35when it was at its artistic, political and fiscal apex.
1:11:39His reign was one of the most opulent in Egyptian history,
1:11:44and he frequently used his riches
1:11:46to persuade other nations to do what he desired.
1:11:49He kept the nation stable, enlarged its boundaries,
1:11:53and devoted himself to the arts
1:11:55and construction initiatives.
1:11:57Many of Egypt's most impressive structures
1:12:00date from his rule.
1:12:02During his reign, however, the priests of Amun
1:12:04started to acquire increasing fortune.
1:12:07They possessed more property than the monarch,
1:12:10and used it to enrich themselves further.
1:12:13Amenhotep III attempted to contain
1:12:15their increasing influence
1:12:17by allying the himself with Aton,
1:12:19a minor deity symbolized by a sun disc.
1:12:22He appears to have believed that the authority
1:12:25of the pharaoh behind the worship of Aton
1:12:27would elevate the status
1:12:29of those priests over those of Amun.
1:12:31His scheme failed, but it did elevate the deity Aton,
1:12:36who would play an important role
1:12:37in the rule of Amenhotep's son and successor.
1:12:41Amenhotep IV, also known as Akhenaten,
1:12:44was an Egyptian pharaoh renowned
1:12:46for establishing monotheism
1:12:49and banishing the ancient gods.
1:12:51His rule became known as the Amarna Period,
1:12:54because the Egyptian capital was relocated
1:12:57from Thebes to modern day Amarna.
1:13:00He ascended to the kingdom as Amenhotep IV,
1:13:03but changed his name to Akhenaten
1:13:05in the fourth or fifth year of his rule,
1:13:07dissolved the old religion,
1:13:09particularly the worship of Amun,
1:13:11and raised the deity Aton to the position
1:13:14of the one true god.
1:13:16Only the cult of Aton was recognized
1:13:18as a valid religious organization.
1:13:21All other sanctuaries were shuttered
1:13:24and their veneration was prohibited.
1:13:26He built a shrine to attend Aton
1:13:28at Karnak's great temple of Amun,
1:13:30which he also shuttered.
1:13:32His wife was the famous Nefertiti,
1:13:35best known for the magnificent bust
1:13:37created by the sculptor Thutmose.
1:13:40Upon Akhenaten's death, he was succeeded by his young son
1:13:44Tutankhaten, 1336 to 1327 BCE,
1:13:49who quickly changed his name to Tutankhamun,
1:13:52who took to the throne at just nine years old.
1:13:56The young leader relocated the capital to Memphis,
1:13:59restored Thebes as a religious center,
1:14:02which also held political significance,
1:14:04reopened the temples and restored Egypt's ancient religion.
1:14:08Although he instituted significant changes
1:14:11that helped secure the nation,
1:14:13he's best known for his magnificent tomb,
1:14:16which Howard Carter found in 1922.
1:14:20Tutankhamun was married to Ankhesenamun,
1:14:22his half-sister, until his demise at the age of about 18.
1:14:27Ankhesenamun may then have married the vizier Ay,
1:14:31possibly 1324 to 1320 BCE,
1:14:35who some experts believe replaced Tutankhamun,
1:14:38or she may have attempted to reign on her own.
1:14:41Whatever part Ay played in the succession,
1:14:43Ankhesenamun vanished soon after Tutankhamun's death,
1:14:47and the general Horemheb took control,
1:14:50devoting to return Egypt to its former grandeur.
1:14:53Horemheb, 1320 to 1295 BCE,
1:14:57went to great measures
1:14:59to erase the Amarna Period rulers from Egyptian history
1:15:03by burning all of the Akhenaten's statues and writings,
1:15:06including completely demolishing
1:15:08his sanctuary at Karnak.
1:15:10Horemheb defended traditional Egyptian religion and customs.
1:15:14Relationships with other countries
1:15:16and Egypt's infrastructure
1:15:18were ignored Akhenaten's rule.
1:15:21Horemheb returned Egypt to its previous glory,
1:15:24though he was unable to bring it back
1:15:26to the heights of Amenhotep III.
1:15:28He perished without an heir,
1:15:30and his vizier Paramesse seized the kingdom as Ramesses I,
1:15:35establishing the 19th Dynasty.
1:15:38Ramesses I was an elderly man
1:15:40when he ascended to the kingdom,
1:15:42and he swiftly named his son Seti I as his successor.
1:15:47Ramesses I resumed Horemheb's task
1:15:50of rebuilding Egypt's sanctuaries and shrines,
1:15:53as well as adding to the vast temple of Amun at Karnak.
1:15:57He gave Seti I the authority
1:15:59to lead military missions to reclaim areas lost
1:16:02during Akhenaten's rule.
1:16:04When he passed, Seti I ascended to the throne
1:16:07and continued Egypt's reform and revival,
1:16:10adding his own touches to the big project at Karmak,
1:16:14and grooming his successor for dominance.
1:16:16His son, Ramesses II, 1279 to 1213 BCE.
1:16:22He is the most well-known pharaoh of Egypt today.
1:16:27Ramesses I governed Egypt for 67 years,
1:16:31and the magnificent temples and monuments
1:16:34he constructed in celebration of his conquests
1:16:36and accomplishments still stand as a testament
1:16:40to the wealth of his reign.
1:16:41There is hardly any ancient Egyptian site
1:16:44that does not mention Ramesses I
1:16:47and the story of his triumph
1:16:49in the Battle of Kadesh in 1274 BC is legendary.
1:16:54However, one of his greatest acts as pharaoh
1:16:57was not one of battle but one of peace,
1:17:00the forging the first peace treaty in history.
1:17:05Anatolia's Hittites had been gaining prominence
1:17:07since the second millennium BC,
1:17:10and by 1530 BC, they had surpassed Babylonia
1:17:13as a notable nation and they were putting Egypt to the test.
1:17:17Letters of intent had been addressed
1:17:19to the 18th Dynasty's King Akhenaten,
1:17:22but he had never responded
1:17:23or taken note of Hittite activities along his boundaries.
1:17:27Horemheb had waged unsuccessfully against the Hittites,
1:17:31who had grown even more strong
1:17:33by the time of Tutankhamun, Akhenaten's successor,
1:17:37and were daring enough to garrison districts
1:17:39on or near Egypt's borders.
1:17:42When Horemheb became Pharaoh in 1320 BCE,
1:17:47he initiated a more forceful campaign against the Hittites
1:17:50and secured Egypt's frontiers,
1:17:52although the problem of the Hittite invasions
1:17:55was never fully overcome.
1:17:57Seti I had gained Palestine and Kadesh for Egypt,
1:18:01but happy with the victory had made no plans
1:18:04for the city's defense.
1:18:05Now Ramesses II of the 19th Dynasty had to cope
1:18:09with the problem of the Hittite invasion,
1:18:12and gathered his forces at Pi-Ramesses in 1274 BC
1:18:17to remove the Hittites from Kadesh and weaken their army.
1:18:20Riding in his chariot at the head of four divisions,
1:18:2420,000 soldiers, Ramesses II marched
1:18:28his first division so quickly
1:18:30that he soon out distanced the other three.
1:18:33Near Kadesh, two Bedouins were apprehended
1:18:36and asked about the whereabouts
1:18:37of Muwatalli II and his army,
1:18:40to which they replied that the army was nowhere near Kadesh
1:18:43and that Muwatalli II feared Egypt and the young king.
1:18:48The Bedouins, however, were Hittite spies,
1:18:51and Muwatalli II had already fortified Kadesh
1:18:54with his chariots, 3,500 of them,
1:18:58and troops, 37,000 men
1:19:01waiting just over the next hill.
1:19:03According to some combat accounts,
1:19:06Ramesses II caught several more spies,
1:19:09who told the awful reality about his condition,
1:19:12but the information arrived too late.
1:19:14Ramesses II had separated himself
1:19:16from the rest of his army in his haste to seize Kadesh
1:19:20and vanquish the Hittite ruler.
1:19:22Just as the Hittite chariots slammed into his camp,
1:19:26he dispatched messages to the other three divisions.
1:19:30The Ptah division arrived in time
1:19:32to prevent an Egyptian army defeat,
1:19:35and Ramesses II personally led
1:19:37the remaining Amun division into action many times,
1:19:41pushing the Hittite soldiers back onto Orontes River,
1:19:45where many perished.
1:19:46Muwatalli II just only marched from Kadesh's walls
1:19:50to trap Ramesses II's forces
1:19:53between his army by the river and his advance,
1:19:56but for unexplained reasons, he chose to stay in the city
1:20:00and never committed his reserve men to fight.
1:20:03Ramesses II declared a great triumph at Kadesh
1:20:07and had a scribe record his narrative
1:20:09of the wonderful fight.
1:20:11Muwatalli II's version differed significantly,
1:20:14most notably in claiming Kadesh as a Hittite victory.
1:20:18While Ramesses II did not capture the city,
1:20:20he did break the Hittite army on the field,
1:20:23and while Muwatalli II kept possession of Kadesh,
1:20:27he did not destroy the Egyptians as he had intended.
1:20:30Merneptah was Ramesses II's 12th son
1:20:34and not his designated successor.
1:20:36He only became pharaoh
1:20:37because all of his siblings had perished
1:20:40during their father's lengthy rule.
1:20:42Merneptah soon adopted his father's image
1:20:45of a warrior monarch, defeating the Libyans in combat
1:20:49and repelling an attack on the sea peoples.
1:20:51His description of his exploits
1:20:53include the well-known Merneptah Stele,
1:20:56which contains the first reference
1:20:58to the Israelites as a tribe.
1:21:00Going forth to the 20th dynasty,
1:21:03Ramesses III was the New Kingdom's last powerful king.
1:21:07After Horemheb restored the ancient faith,
1:21:10the priests of Amun's authority grew steadily,
1:21:13drawing income and influence away from the monarchy.
1:21:16Throughout the Ramessed era of the 20th Dynasty,
1:21:19the condition deteriorated.
1:21:21The concept of having a war was existing
1:21:24as the threat of the people was remarkably increasing,
1:21:28which forced Ramesses III to declare war over them.
1:21:31The nationality of the sea peoples is unknown
1:21:34because the only records
1:21:36of their activities are from Egyptian sources
1:21:38that only describe them in the terms of battle,
1:21:41such as the record from the Tanis Stele which reads in part,
1:21:45"They came from the sea in their warships
1:21:47and none could stand against them."
1:21:50This is characteristic of Egyptian allusions
1:21:52to these enigmatic invaders.
1:21:54Ramesses II, his son and successor Merneptah,
1:21:58and Ramesses III are the three great pharaohs
1:22:02who chronicle their struggles and triumphs
1:22:04against the sea peoples.
1:22:06All claimed huge victories over their opponents,
1:22:10and their inscriptions include the most extensive
1:22:12documentation of the sea peoples.
1:22:15During the time of Pharaoh Ramesses III,
1:22:18the sea peoples invaded
1:22:19and destroyed the Egyptian commerce hub at Kadesh,
1:22:23and then attempted to invade Egypt again.
1:22:26They began their operations
1:22:27with swift attacks along the coast,
1:22:29before pushing toward the delta.
1:22:31In 1180 BC, Ramesses III subdued them,
1:22:35but they returned in force.
1:22:37Ramesses III would've been aware
1:22:39of his predecessors fights with these people
1:22:41and how violent they were.
1:22:43He decided against a field engagement,
1:22:45and instead employed guerrilla tactics as a plan.
1:22:48He set up ambushes around the coast
1:22:51and along the Nile Delta,
1:22:52and his archers were especially efficient,
1:22:55putting them camouflaged along the beach
1:22:57to shower down arrows on the ships at his signal.
1:23:00The ships were set on fire with burning arrows
1:23:03once the crew was dead or drowning.
1:23:06After crushing the naval invasion,
1:23:08Ramesses III turned his focus to what remained
1:23:11of the invading troops on land.
1:23:13He used the same tactics as previously,
1:23:16and in 1178 BC, the sea peoples were defeated
1:23:20off the coast of Xois.
1:23:22Egyptian annals once again depict a spectacular victory
1:23:27in which many sea peoples were slaughtered,
1:23:29and others were captured and coerced
1:23:31into the Egyptian army and fleet, or sold as slaves.
1:23:35Although Ramesses III spared Egypt from invasion,
1:23:39the battle was so costly
1:23:40that the royal treasury was depleted,
1:23:43and the tomb builders at Deir el-Medina could not be paid.
1:23:46This resulted in the first documented labor strike
1:23:50in history in which workers walked off the job
1:23:53and refused to return until they were properly reimbursed.
1:23:57And then the momentum
1:23:59of the Egyptian empire started to fade.
1:24:02Ramesses III retained a powerful central authority,
1:24:06secured the borders and kept Egypt prosperous,
1:24:10but the kingdom was crumbling around him.
1:24:13The office of the pharaoh of Egypt
1:24:15no longer held the same level of reverence
1:24:17it once did because the priests of Amun
1:24:19served as an intermediary between the gods.
1:24:23Ramesses III was injured in an assassination attempt
1:24:26staged by one of his lesser spouses
1:24:29and perished as a result of his injuries.
1:24:32Ramesses IV, 1155 to 1149 BCE, ascended to the throne
1:24:38only after his elder siblings perished.
1:24:41He attempted to imitate the great pharaohs of the past
1:24:45and did complete several construction projects,
1:24:48while battling to keep the empire's declining territory.
1:24:52But he perished after a brief rule.
1:24:54He was succeeded by his son, Ramesses V,
1:24:57who fought to retain control against Amun's priests
1:25:01and keep the kingdom together.
1:25:02His successor, Ramesses VI,
1:25:05carried on the fight with little success.
1:25:07Ramesses VII replaced him,
1:25:09followed by Ramesses VIII, about whom little is known.
1:25:13Ramesses IX, Ramesses X, and Ramesses XI.
1:25:18All of these pharaohs fought
1:25:20to keep the kingdom together
1:25:21in the face of outside incursions
1:25:24and internal conflicts with Amun's priests.
1:25:27An incident related to these struggles, though obscure,
1:25:30involves a man called Amenhotep, High Priest of Amun,
1:25:34who was deposed by the vizier Pinehesy
1:25:36and forced to escape south to Nubia.
1:25:39What we are sure about is that the priests of Amun
1:25:42retained huge power and reached the throne of Egypt
1:25:46and ruled the country.
1:25:48(dramatic music)
1:26:17Smendes, 1077 to 1051 BCE,
1:26:21a ruler of Lower Egypt who governed from Tanis,
1:26:24interred Ramesses XI.
1:26:26Following the Egyptian custom,
1:26:28a monarch was buried by his successor,
1:26:31and Smendes asserted his legal right to govern
1:26:34by relocating the capital from Pi-Ramesses to Tanis.
1:26:38However, by this time, the priests of Thebes
1:26:41had grown strong enough to assert
1:26:43their authority to rule, and the nation was divided
1:26:46between Tanis's control over Lower Egypt
1:26:49and Thebes's rule over Upper Egypt.
1:26:52Contrary to popular belief,
1:26:54this split did not end in civil conflict or internal strife.
1:26:58Smendes was strong enough to be noticed,
1:27:00but he only controlled Lower Egypt and not much of it.
1:27:04He governed around the same period
1:27:05of Thebes high priest Herihor,
1:27:07who reigned from around 1080 to 1074 BCE.
1:27:12Herihor was a general of the troops,
1:27:14as were all Amun's high priests.
1:27:16But he had little impact outside of Thebes.
1:27:20This would be the dominant model for the majority
1:27:22of the Third Intermediate era.
1:27:25Individual nomarchs were strengthened
1:27:27at the cost of either part of the central government,
1:27:30as in the First Intermediate Period,
1:27:32and both Tanis and Thebes failed to exercise
1:27:36any major influence over the nation as a whole.
1:27:39The 22nd Dynasty, which governed publicly
1:27:42under Libyan titles, was also Libyan.
1:27:46Shoshenq I, 943 to 922 BCE,
1:27:51established it after unifying Egypt
1:27:53and embarking on war operations
1:27:55reminiscent of Egypt's empire days.
1:27:58Shoshenq I reformed Tanis's administration
1:28:02and Thebes's clergy.
1:28:03The clergy would no longer be a hereditary post,
1:28:06but rather one of nomination by the monarch,
1:28:09as would be the choice of god's wife of Amun.
1:28:12His military operations revitalized Egypt's economy,
1:28:16and the nation started to approach the Egypt
1:28:19of the New Kingdom during his reign.
1:28:21Osorkon II descended to the throne in 872 BCE
1:28:26and kept the nation together.
1:28:28But after his rule,
1:28:29Egypt split into distinct kingdoms,
1:28:31governing from Herakleopolis, Tanis,
1:28:34Sais, Memphis, and Hermopolis in Lower Egypt,
1:28:38and Thebes in Upper Egypt.
1:28:40To the south, the Kushite ruler Kashta,
1:28:43750 BCE, saw Egypt's vulnerability and moved to exploit it.
1:28:48Kashta adored Egyptian culture
1:28:51and had Egyptianized his capital of Napata,
1:28:54and thus his entire territory.
1:28:57He had strong trade connections with Thebes
1:29:00and was well versed in the procedure
1:29:02of appointing priests and other high officials.
1:29:05Piya, 747 to 721 BCE,
1:29:09his son strengthened Nubian dominance of Upper Egypt,
1:29:14and when the kings of Lower Egypt protested,
1:29:16he commanded a large army against them.
1:29:19Piya conquered Lower Egypt,
1:29:21capturing and subjugating all of the main towns
1:29:25before marching back to Napata.
1:29:27Egypt was now legally under his rule,
1:29:30but he allowed the Lower Egyptian kings to regroup
1:29:33and reestablish their power.
1:29:35These buffer zones diminished
1:29:36during the Third Intermediate Period
1:29:38and Egypt lost its prior strength,
1:29:41but there were still countries on its boundary,
1:29:43such as Judah and Israel that served the same purpose.
1:29:48The subjugation of those areas by Shoshenq I
1:29:51pushed Egypt's boundary up against the Assyrians
1:29:54with no buffer in between.
1:29:56Moving forth to the 26th Dynasty,
1:29:58Psammetkus I was a powerful ruler,
1:30:02who instilled in his people the grandeur of Egypt's past
1:30:05by restoring it through massive projects, renovations,
1:30:09restorations, and military feats.
1:30:12His son, Necho II, 610 to 595 BCE,
1:30:16continued his father's legacy
1:30:18by conducting military battles,
1:30:20ordering construction projects and expanding the military.
1:30:25The Egyptians were never great seafarers,
1:30:27and Necho II recognized this by establishing a fleet
1:30:31of Greek mercenaries, which proved quite successful.
1:30:35Necho II is regularly portrayed
1:30:37as a great warrior and military commander
1:30:40who strengthened the nation he had inherited.
1:30:43During the reign of Amasis II,
1:30:46he was successful in reforming government spending
1:30:48while also stimulating the economy
1:30:51and directing war operations.
1:30:53Egypt came together behind his leadership
1:30:55and thrived once more.
1:30:57With a thriving economy, secure boundaries
1:31:00and prosperous commerce, building projects,
1:31:03temples and other works of art were finished,
1:31:06and Egypt's reputation regained some of its lost luster.
1:31:10He was replaced by his son, Psammetikus III,
1:31:13526 BCE, who was a young
1:31:16and inexperienced king who was ill prepared
1:31:19for the difficulties he faced.
1:31:22Cambyses II, the Persian monarch,
1:31:24had sent to Amasis asking
1:31:26for one of his daughters as a bride,
1:31:28but Amasis not wanting to obey
1:31:30but also trying to prevent confrontation
1:31:33sent Apries's daughter instead, who was his predecessor.
1:31:37This former Egyptian princess
1:31:39was profoundly offended by Amasis's choice,
1:31:42particularly since it had long been Egyptian policy
1:31:46not to transfer noble women to foreign monarchs as wives.
1:31:50When she arrived Cambyses II's palace,
1:31:53she disclosed her true identity,
1:31:55and Cambyses II vowed revenge
1:31:58Amasis's slander by sending him a fake bride.
1:32:02(dramatic music)
1:32:07(tense music)
1:32:15(dramatic music)
1:32:27Unlike Cambyses, Darius wanted to govern
1:32:29Egypt in his absence.
1:32:31He ascended to the throne
1:32:33of the Achaemenid Empire in 522 BCE,
1:32:36and toured Egypt at least twice,
1:32:39though he favored Egypt from afar.
1:32:41Nonetheless, he adored the culture
1:32:43and directed funds towards the reconstruction
1:32:46of destroyed temples and the dedication of new ones.
1:32:50In keeping with the Persian practice of religious tolerance,
1:32:54Darius praise the Egyptian gods with presents and statues.
1:32:58He is widely viewed as having a gentler hand
1:33:00with Egypt than Cambyses.
1:33:03For the second Persian conquest
1:33:05of Greece in 480 BCE,
1:33:07his son Xerxes I, 486 to 465 BCE,
1:33:12relied on all the resources
1:33:14of the Achaemenid Empire, including Egypt.
1:33:17When the Persians were defeated at Salamis
1:33:20in 480 BCE and Plataea in 479 BCE,
1:33:25Xerxes abandoned foreign affairs
1:33:27in favor of construction projects
1:33:29and different relationships with court ladies.
1:33:32Artaxerxes I, 465 to 424 BCE, succeeded him
1:33:38and battled for six years
1:33:40to put down the first significant Egyptian rebellion,
1:33:43led by Inaros II, the Libyan royal son of Psamtik V,
1:33:49encouraged and assisted by Athens in 460 to 454 BCE.
1:33:54While it is true that the Persians
1:33:56ruled Egypt during the 27th and 31st Dynasties,
1:34:00Egyptian culture was kept alive,
1:34:03and the 30th Dynasty of Egyptian rulers
1:34:05gave Egypt back a brief time of its former glory,
1:34:09before the Persians invaded their land again.
1:34:12This era comprises the 27th to 31st Dynasties of Egypt.
1:34:17Egyptian resistance to Persian control,
1:34:20on the other hand, is visible throughout the area,
1:34:23and Egypt thrived under Persian rule
1:34:25because the Persian shahs respected the culture.
1:34:28Amyrtaeus of the 28th Dynasty,
1:34:31Nectanebo II and Nectanebo II
1:34:34all governed the nation, commanded troops,
1:34:37and participated in construction projects
1:34:40in the manner of the great pharaohs of the past.
1:34:42Whoever was behind the revolts against Persian authority,
1:34:46Egypt's second conquest did not last long.
1:34:49Philip II of Macedon, 359 to 336 BCE,
1:34:54defeated the Greek city states
1:34:56and incorporated them into Macedonian authority.
1:34:59When he was murdered in 336 BCE,
1:35:02he was preparing a grand expedition to subjugate Persia.
1:35:07He already had all of the means
1:35:09he would require for the conquest,
1:35:11which he entrusted to his son, Alexander.
1:35:14The pharaohs of the 30th Dynasty
1:35:16upheld Egyptians kingship's honor
1:35:19and left their impressive structures
1:35:21in the footsteps of those who came before them.
1:35:23So while the late period may be considered
1:35:26the end of Egyptian sovereignty,
1:35:29it should not be considered the end
1:35:31of Egyptian civilization.
1:35:33Even today, Egypt's cultural accomplishments
1:35:35inspire respect, if not fear,
1:35:38and remain among the most popular
1:35:40and intriguing of the old world.
1:35:43Although times changed, current modern Egypt
1:35:46in the 21st century might look like
1:35:49a coming forward version of ancient Egypt.
1:35:51The Nile River is still sacred to the Egyptian people,
1:35:55and they still celebrate the same festivals
1:35:57of the ancient times, such as the spring festivals.
1:36:01The food is quite inspired by the authentic ancient food.
1:36:05The traditions are still there,
1:36:07and even the last development form
1:36:09of the ancient language called the Coptic
1:36:11is still spoken in Egypt in church's prayers
1:36:15and the middle of their Arabic dialect.
1:36:18The modern people are proud of the legacy.
1:36:20It was seen in the parades that were done in Cairo
1:36:23for the transportation of the mummies
1:36:25to the Civilizations Museum,
1:36:27and the reopening of the alley of the sphinxes in Luxor.
1:36:31They're building new cities,
1:36:33digging their way to improve commerce
1:36:35with the highways dug in the middle of the mountains
1:36:38passing through the deserts.
1:36:39They're almost opening the biggest museum
1:36:42in the whole world.
1:36:44Excavations unearth every day
1:36:46new discoveries which might lead soon
1:36:49to a discovery similar to that
1:36:51of the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922.
1:36:55And this land will always remain an attractive mystery,
1:36:59dazzling and enchanting people
1:37:01from all over the world with its magic and history.
1:37:06(gentle upbeat music)

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