Download The Third Intermediate Period, which spans the TwentyFirst to

The Third Intermediate Period, which spans the Twenty­First to Twenty­
Sixth Dynasties, was marked by internal divisions within Egypt, along
with conquest and rule by foreigners.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES [ edit ]
Describe the general landscape of the political chaos during Third Intermediate Period
Explain the role of the High Priests of Amun in the onset of the Third Intermediate Period
KEY POINTS [ edit ]
The period of the Twenty­First Dynasty was characterized by the country's fracturing kingship, as
power became split more and more between the pharaoh and the High Priests of Amun at Thebes.
Egypt was temporarily reunified during the Twenty­Second Dynasty and experienced a period of
stability, but shattered into two states after the reign of Osorkon II.
Civil war raged in Thebes and was eventually quelled by Osorkon B, who founded the Upper Egyptian
Libyan Dynasty. This dynasty collapsed, however, with the rise of local city­states.
The Twenty­Fourth Dynasty saw the conquest of the Nubians over native Egyptian rulers, and the
Nubians ruled through the Twenty­Fifth Dynasty, when they expanded Egyptian power to the extent
of the New Kingdom and restored many temples. Due to lacking military power, however, the
Egyptians were conquered by the Assyrians towards the end of the Twenty­Fifth Dynasty.
The end of the Third Intermediate Period and the Twenty­Sixth Dynasty saw Assyrian rule over
Egypt. Although some measure of independence was regained, Egypt faced pressure and eventual
defeat at the hands of the Persians.
TERMS [ edit ]
Third Intermediate Period
spanning the Twenty­First to Twenty­Sixth Dynasties, a period of Egyptian decline and political
instability.
High Priests of Amun
highest­ranking priest in the priesthood of the Ancient Egyptian god Amun. Assumed significant
power along with the pharaoh in the Twenty­First Dynasty.
Nubia
a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.
The Third Intermediate Period of Ancient Egypt began with the death of the last pharaoh of the
New Kingdom, Ramesses XI in 1070 BCE, and ended with the start of the Postdynastic Period.
The Third Intermediate Period was one of decline and political instability, and was marked by a
division of the state for much of the period and conquest and rule by foreigners. Many aspects
of life for ordinary Egyptians, however, changed relatively little.
The Twenty­First Dynasty
The period of the Twenty­First Dynasty was characterized by the country's fracturing kingship.
Even in Ramesses XI's day, the Twentieth Dynasty of Egypt was losing its grip on power in the
city of Thebes, whose priests were becoming increasingly powerful. The Amun priests of Thebes
owned two­thirds of all the temple lands in Egypt and 90 percent of her ships and many other
resources. Consequently, the Amun priests were as powerful as the Pharaoh, if not more so.
After his death, Ramesses XI's successor Smendes I ruled from the city of Tanis, but was mostly
active only in Lower Egypt. Meanwhile, the High Priests of Amun at Thebes effectively ruled
Middle and Upper Egypt in all but name. During this time, however, this division was relatively
insignificant, owing to the fact that both priests and pharaohs came from the same family.
The Twenty­Second and Twenty­Third Dynasties
The country was firmly reunited by the Twenty­Second Dynasty, founded by Shoshenq I in 945
BCE (or 943 BCE), who descended from Meshwesh immigrants originally from Ancient Libya.
This unification brought stability to the country for well over a century, but after the reign of
Osorkon II, particularly, the country had effectively shattered in two states with Shoshenq III of
the Twenty­Second Dynasty controlling Lower Egypt by 818 BCE while Takelot II and his son
Osorkon (the future Osorkon III) ruled Middle and Upper Egypt. In Thebes, a civil war engulfed
the city between the forces of Pedubast I, who had proclaimed himself pharaoh versus the
existing line of Takelot II/Osorkon B. These two factions squabbled consistently and the conflict
was only resolved in Year 39 of Shoshenq III's reign, when Osorkon B comprehensively
defeated his enemies. He proceeded to found the Upper Egyptian Libyan Dynasty of Osorkon
III – Takelot III – Rudamun, but this kingdom quickly fragmented after Rudamun's death with
the rise of local city­states under kings such as Peftjaubast of Herakleopolis, Nimlot of
Hermopolis, and Ini at Thebes.
Twenty­Fourth Dynasty
The Nubian kingdom to the south took full advantage of the division of the country and the
resultant political instability.Nubia had already extended its influence into the Egyptian city of
Thebes around 752 BCE when the Nubian ruler Kashta coerced Shepenupet, the serving Divine
Adoratice of Amun and Takelot III's sister, into adopting his own daughter Amenirdis as her
successor. Twenty years later, around 732 BCE, these machinations bore fruit for Nubia when
Kashta's successor Piye marched north in his Year 20 campaign into Egypt and defeated the
combined might of the native Egyptian rulers Peftjaubast, Osorkon IV of Tanis, Iuput II of
Leontopolis and Tefnakht of Sais.
Twenty­Fifth Dynasty
Following his military conquests, Piye established the Twenty­Fifth Dynasty and appointed the
defeated rulers as his provincial governors. He was succeeded first by his brother, Shabaka, and
then by his two sons, Shebitku and Taharqa, respectively. The reunited Nile valley empire of the
Twenty­Fifth Dynasty was as large as it had been since the New Kingdom. Pharaohs, such as
Taharqa, built and restored temples and monuments throughout the Nile valley. The Twenty­
Fifth Dynasty ended when its rulers retreated to their spiritual homeland at Napata. It was
there that all Twenty­Fifth Dynasty pharaohs were buried under the first pyramids to be
constructed in the Nile valley in centuries. The Napatan dynasty led to the Kingdom of Kush,
which flourished in Napata and Meroe until at least the 2nd century CE.
Nubian Pharaohs
Statues of the Nubian Pharaohs of the Twenty­Fifth Dynasty.
The international prestige of Egypt had declined considerably by this time. The country's
international allies had fallen firmly into the sphere of influence of Assyria and by around 700
BCE, the question had became when, not if, there would be war between the two states. Despite
Egypt's size and wealth, Assyria had a greater supply of timber while Egypt had a chronic
shortage, thus allowing Assyria to produce more charcoal needed for iron­smelting and a
greater supply of iron weaponry. This disparity became critical during the Assyrian invasion of
Egypt in 670 BCE. Consequently, Pharaoh Taharqa's reign, and that of his successor and cousin
Tantamani, were filled with constant conflict with the Assyrians. In 664 BCE the Assyrians
delivered a mortal blow with the sacking of Thebes and Memphis.
End of the Third Intermediate Period
Upper Egypt remained under the rule of Tantamani for a time, whilst Lower Egypt was ruled by
the Twenty­Sixth Dynasty starting in 664 BCE. Although originally established as clients of the
Assyrians, the Twenty­Sixth Dynasty managed to take advantage of the time of troubles facing
the Assyrian empire to successfully bring about Egypt's political independence. In 656 BCEm
Psamtik I, last of the Twenty­Sixth Dynasty kings, occupied Thebes and became pharaoh, the
King of Upper and Lower Egypt. He proceeded to reign over a united Egypt for 54 years from
his capital at Sais. Four successive Saite kings continued guiding Egypt through a period of
peace and prosperity from 610 to 525 BCE. Unfortunately for this dynasty, however, a new
power was growing in the Near East: Persia. Pharaoh Psamtik III succeeded his father Ahmose
II only six months before he had to face the Persian Empire at Pelusium. The new king was no
match for the Persians, who had already taken Babylon. Psamtik III was defeated and briefly
escaped to Memphis. He was ultimately imprisoned and, later, executed at Susa, the capital of
the Persian king Cambyses. With the Saite kings exterminated, Camybes assumed the formal
title of Pharaoh.