Egyptian history runs for about three thousand years of kings, from about 3000 BC to the Roman conquest in 30 BC, and Egypt's story continues after that. To find our way through so much time, modern historians divide it into big blocks. Learning these blocks first makes everything else easier to place.
Key idea
Kingdoms (Old, Middle, New) were times when one strong government ruled all of Egypt. Intermediate Periods (First, Second, Third) were times when power was divided among rival rulers. These are modern labels, not names the Egyptians used.
| Period | Dates | Dynasties |
|---|---|---|
| Early Dynastic | c. 3000–2686 BC | 1–2 |
| Old Kingdom | c. 2686–2160 BC | 3–8 |
| First Intermediate | c. 2160–2055 BC | 9–11 |
| Middle Kingdom | c. 2055–1650 BC | 11–13 (and 14) |
| Second Intermediate | c. 1650–1550 BC | 15–17 |
| New Kingdom | c. 1550–1069 BC | 18–20 |
| Third Intermediate | c. 1069–664 BC | 21–25 |
| Late Period | 664–332 BC | 26–31 |
| Ptolemaic | 332–30 BC | Macedonian kings and the Ptolemies |
| Roman and Byzantine | 30 BC–AD 641 | Roman emperors |
Why it works
The labels began in the 1800s, when scholars noticed that the monuments clustered into three great ages of building, separated by times with few big monuments and many local rulers. The kingdoms became "Old", "Middle" and "New", and the gaps "intermediate". The Egyptians themselves counted time by kings, not by periods.
Worked example: Placing a date
In which period does c. 1800 BC fall?
- The Middle Kingdom runs from c. 2055 to c. 1650 BC.
- BC years count down toward year 1, so 1800 lies between 2055 and 1650.
- 1800 is far from both ends, so the uncertainty in the dates does not matter here.
Answer: The Middle Kingdom.
Common mistake
Thinking the Egyptians used these names. "Old Kingdom" and "Intermediate Period" are modern tools. Also, an "intermediate" period was not empty: people farmed, built and wrote; power was simply shared out. A check: if a label sounds like a judgment, ask who made it and when.
In BC dates bigger numbers are earlier: c. 2055 BC comes before c. 1650 BC.