DOK 1 (Recall): What was significant about the Step-Pyramid at Saqqara that was designed by Imhotep for King Djoser?
During the 3rd and 4th dynasties, Egypt enjoyed a golden age of peace and prosperity. The pharaohs held absolute power, but in the 5th and 6th dynasties, the king’s wealth was steadily depleted, partially due to the huge expense of pyramid-building, and his absolute power faltered in the face of the growing influence of the nobility and the priesthood.
DOK 2 (Concept): Which of the following best describes the shift in power from the early Old Kingdom to later Old Kingdom?
King Pepy II ruled for approximately 94 years, and his death marked the beginning of the chaos and confusion of the First Intermediate Period, where the central authority completely dissolved.
DOK 3 (Reasoning): Since the pharaohs held absolute power and provided a stable central government, what does the Old Kingdom's sudden breakdown suggest about its political structure?
DOK 1 (Recall): What specific custom did the 12th dynasty kings introduce to ensure a smooth transition of power?
The Middle Kingdom engaged in colonizing Nubia with its rich supply of gold, ebony, ivory and other resources and repelling the Bedouins who had infiltrated Egypt during the First Intermediate Period. It also built military fortresses and mining quarries.
DOK 2 (Concept): How did this approach to foreign engagement and resource management differ from the description of the Old Kingdom's peace and prosperity and successful military campaigns?
The 12th dynasty established a new capital at It-towy, while Thebes remained a great religious center. They also returned to pyramid-building in the tradition of the Old Kingdom.
DOK 3 (Reasoning): Given the challenges of the Old Kingdom's decline (depleted wealth, rising local power) and the First Intermediate Period (civil war, fragmented power), what does this combination of actions suggest about the 12th dynasty's strategy for governance?
DOK 1 (Recall): Who was the Queen who started as a regent for her young stepson but then rose to wield all the powers of a pharaoh?
Most New Kingdom rulers were buried in rock-cut tombs (not pyramids) in the Valley of the Kings, whereas Old Kingdom pharaohs were buried in the largest and grandest pyramids.
DOK 2 (Concept): What does this significant change in burial practices most likely indicate about the concerns or beliefs of New Kingdom pharaohs compared to their Old Kingdom predecessors?
The New Kingdom initially established the world’s first great empire stretching from Nubia to the Euphrates River. However, after Ramses III, Egypt lost its provinces in Palestine and Syria for good and suffered from foreign invasions, while its wealth was being steadily but inevitably depleted.
DOK 3 (Reasoning): What does this path suggest about the ability to maintain such a vast empire for ancient Egypt?
DOK 1 (Recall): During which intermediate period did a group of foreign rulers known as the Hyksos take control of Egypt?
The First Intermediate Period was characterized by the government breaking down, which lead to civil war where different local leaders fought each other. The Second Intermediate Period saw a rapid succession of kings failed to consolidate power and Egypt was divided into several spheres of influence.
DOK 2 (Concept): What common factor was most important in causing the widespread instability during both of these periods?
The Third Intermediate Period is known for foreigners from Libya and Nubia grabbing power for themselves and left a lasting imprint on Egypt’s population. This period saw the 22nd dynasty established by King Sheshonq, a descendant of Libyans, and the 25th dynasty by Nubian pharaohs from the kingdom of Kush.
DOK 3 (Reasoning): How do these events signify a deep shift in Egyptian power compared to earlier foreign attacks during the Second Intermediate Period?