Kemet's Golden Age
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Welcome to The Nile Valley Level 1, Lesson 4: Kemet’s Golden Age
In this lesson, you will learn about:
The periods that came after the Old Kingdom
The priests of Kemet
The major pharaohs of the New Kingdom
The first major invaders of Kemet
Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will understand:
What the First, Second and Third Intermediate Periods were
The role of priests in Kemet
Who founded the New Kingdom
The major pharaohs of the New Kingdom and their achievements
The origins of the invaders
After the Old Kingdom came the “First Intermediate Period.” This was a time of great political turmoil as many monuments and statues were broken and destroyed by a warring population. It is due to this that information surrounding the Old Kingdom is not as abundant compared to later Kemetic history.
Political stability eventually returned as Kemet entered the “Middle Kingdom” period. During this time the pharaohs set their sights on travelling to different regions as voyages were made to East Africa, towards the Sahara, and into Asia. Many great temples and monuments were built, including more pyramids.
Priests were of high status in Kemetic society, often working as both a religious leader and a minister within the government. The priests were usually housed together, and entire towns were built specifically for them. Groups of priests would often live in mansions, some with 70 rooms.
Some time later, however, these ministers began to gain more power. This weakened the pharaohs and caused the “Second Intermediate Period.” Invaders from Asia then began to infiltrate Kemet, eventually becoming the rulers of the northern part of the kingdom for a few hundred years. This caused many wars between the natives of Kemet and the invaders. Eventually, the natives regained control of their kingdom and started the “New Kingdom.”
The New Kingdom began with the Eighteenth Dynasty as Pharaoh Ahmose I defeated the people of Asia and reclaimed the throne. This period saw the great city of Karnak built, and during this time great medical and spiritual texts were written. Female rulers were not at all uncommon throughout Kemetic history and Pharaoh Hatshepsut claimed the throne during this dynasty. She oversaw the building of incredible monuments such as the Temple of Dier-el-Bahri. She was also the first pharaoh to appoint Asians to powerful administrative positions in the kingdom.
This dynasty saw the expansion of Kemet into an empire, as they spread north into Syria and as far south as the kingdom of Kush in Nubia. This enriched Kemet like never before.
Pharaoh Akhenaten came into power during the Eighteenth Dynasty and completely reformed the Kemetic religion. He appointed a sole deity to be worshipped throughout the kingdom, effectively inventing monotheism - the worship of one god. He also built a huge garden city called Akhetaten, and this became the new capital.
Tutankhamen was then placed on the throne as a boy. Being the son of Akhenaten, he was given the best education Kemet had to offer. School started at a very young age in Kemet as children learnt to read at age four. Maths, science and spirituality were also taught from this age and into adulthood. During Tutankhamen’s time, Kemet reverted back to their traditional ways of worship, and the child pharaoh was famously buried in a gold sarcophagus.
The Nineteenth Dynasty saw the reign of Rameses II also known as Rameses the Great. His reign oversaw the building of great monuments across the kingdom and in Nubia. However, this dynasty saw the collapse of the Kemetic Empire as the Asian colonies freed themselves from Kemet’s control. This dynasty ended with the female Pharaoh Tawosret on the throne.
The Twentieth Dynasty saw the arrival of the “Sea Peoples”, invaders thought to have come from Europe. Kemet, however, repelled their attacks. Civil unrest began to creep in once more as many workers went on strike due to unpaid labour. Famines and crime waves began to persist as Kemet became split into a northern portion and southern portion, just like during the Second Intermediate Period. This led to the Third Intermediate Period and the subsequent dynasties saw further invasions. The Libyans to the west of Kemet eventually gained power in the north of the kingdom.