Episode 9 The End of the Old Kingdom
The History of Ancient Egypt
Professor Robert Brier
Film Review
Egypt’s Fourth Dynasty
Snefaru was the first pharaoh in the Fourth Dynasty. He was followed by Knufu, who built the Great Pyramid (see How the Great Pyramid of Giza Was Built), who was followed by Djedefre (2266-2258 BC), who started, but never completed, his own pyramid.* The latter was followed Chephren (2558-2532 BC), who abandoned an attempt to build a smaller pyramid at Giza when his crew ran into an enormous bolder while building the causeway that would connect it to Giza’s valley temple. So he built the Sphinx (which has the body of a lion with Chepren’s head), instead.*
Chephren’s grandson Menkaure (2532-2503 BC) also built a pyramid on the Giza plateau. It’s one-fifth the size of the Great Pyramid and lacks a limestone casing because it was never finished.
His son Sheseskaf (2503-2498 BC) returned to Saqqara to build a mastaba and a few smaller pyramids for his queens.
Egypt’s Fifth Dynasty
Userkaf (2498-2345 BC) was the first pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty. Under his reign, the Egyptian religion turned to sun worship, and he built the first solar temple. All pharaohs after Userk after Userkaf incorporate sun (“ra” or “re”) into their name.
Unas, the last Fifth Dynasty pharaoh, built a pyramid at Segar.
Egypt’s Sixth Dynasty
The pharaohs of the Sixth Dynasty built some small pyramids at Saqqara that at present look more like natural hills.
Tet (2345-2333B BC) built a small pyramid inscribed with hieroglyph texts. There’s evidence the nobles around the pharaoh were gaining in wealth, and a few built mastaba larger than the pharaoh’s.
During the Sixth Dynasty, the mereruka, some of Egypt’s richest nobles, wore starched kilts to distinguish themselves from commoners.
The last pharaoh of the Old Kingdom was Pepi II, Egypt longest reigning monarch (94 years). Brier believes Pepi’s advanced age (he died at 98) and feebleness (98) may relate in some way to the collapse of the old kingdom.
*Egyptian pharaohs built pyramids to help ensure their resurrection after death. They left inscriptions on the inner walls that describe their life exploits (our primary source of ancient Egyptian history), as well magic spells for them to recite to help transport them to the afterlife.
*Brier disputes speculation by some geologists the Sphinx dates back to 10,000 BC based on apparent “weathering” signifying it’s construction in a wet climate prior to the birth of the Sahara. The Sphinx wears a cloth headdress typical of Fourth Dynasty pharaohs and also has a clear chin strap (consistent with the false beards they wore – part of the Sphinx’s false beard is in a library in Cairo and part in the British Museum).
Film can be viewed free with a library card on Kanopy.
https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/1492791/1492813
The Most Revolutionary Act 