After the 6th Dynasty, a series of short-lived kings at Memphis (the 7th and 8th Dynasties) ruled a shrinking realm, and by c. 2160 BC the Old Kingdom was over. Why did the age of the pyramids end? This is a real historical debate, and the evidence is incomplete.
Key idea
The main positions
| Explanation | Evidence for it | Questions about it |
|---|---|---|
| Political: the center weakened | hereditary nomarchs, big provincial tombs, decrees exempting temples from taxes | did weakening cause the end, or follow it? |
| Long reign and succession | Pepi II's very long reign; many short reigns after him | the length of his reign is itself debated |
| Climate: low floods | signs of a drier phase around c. 2200 BC in many regions; later texts describe famine | how big the effect was in Egypt, and when, is disputed |
Why it works
Reading the famine texts
A governor of the First Intermediate Period, Ankhtifi, boasted in his tomb that all Upper Egypt was starving but he fed his people. Later literary texts describe the land turned upside down. Historians use these with care: a governor praising himself and a later poem with a message both have reasons to paint a dark picture.
Worked example: Weighing a claim
- Name the evidence: climate data and Egyptian texts about famine.
- Show the timing: did the dry phase come before the collapse, or after it?
- Take account of other factors, such as the power of the nomarchs, and say how they worked together.
Answer: Presenting climate as one factor among several, with evidence and timing, not as the single cause.
Common mistake