Quickbytes Explanation
Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms
Question
What are the three major kingdom periods commonly used to organize ancient Egyptian history?
Reveal Answer
Answer
The Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom.
Quick Explanation
Historians commonly divide pharaonic Egyptian history into the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom, separated by periods of weaker central government called Intermediate Periods. These labels are modern scholarly tools rather than names Egyptians used for themselves, and exact dates can vary somewhat among chronologies.
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A Way to Organize a Very Long History
Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted for thousands of years, so modern historians divide its history into broad periods. Three of the most familiar are the Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom.
Old Kingdom
The Old Kingdom, beginning in the third millennium BCE, was an era of strong centralized kingship best known for major pyramid construction. The pyramids at Giza belong to this broad period.
Middle Kingdom
After a period of political fragmentation, rulers reunified Egypt and created what historians call the Middle Kingdom. This era saw renewed central administration, literature, building, and expansion of Egyptian influence, especially toward Nubia.
New Kingdom
Following another period of division, New Kingdom rulers reunited Egypt and built a powerful state with influence extending into Nubia and parts of the eastern Mediterranean and Near East. Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, and Ramesses II all belong to this era.
Intermediate Periods
The Kingdom periods are separated by Intermediate Periods, when central royal authority was weaker or political control was divided. These periods were not simply times when civilization stopped; local governments, trade, art, and culture continued to develop.
Modern Labels, Approximate Dates
Ancient Egyptians did not call their own eras “Old Kingdom” or “Middle Kingdom.” Scholars created these labels to organize the chronology. Different reference works may use slightly different dates for the beginning and end of each period.