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Mina Ghobrial
Ms. Gladstone
Creative and Critical Writing Block 6
13 January 2014
The Difference is in the Dynasty
Over the course of time, this planet has seen thousands of civilizations, but none were as
powerful, and as long lasting as that of the Ancient Egyptians. While civilizations are measured
in centuries, Ancient Egypt is measured in millennia (History). Much like modern-day America,
there wasnt a single ruling power or group for the entire three thousand year period. Instead,
there were periods when certain ideas dominated the politics of the country. These periods are
broken down into dynasties, which are periods of time where an individual family ruled the land.
Today, we understand that each time the power shifts from one political party to the next, there
are specific changes that are tied to each. Was this the same for the Ancient World? Indeed,
different dynasties did play a major role in shaping Ancient Egypt. They changed the course of
wealth, the break up of power, the domestic and foreign policies and each helped create a
thriving civilization.
For a certain period of time, the way dynasties were categorized was based on wealth.
While government records and historians no longer use this system, some dynasties are given
nicknames based on these levels. For example, the fourth dynasty, which was ruled by the
pyramid-building rulers from Sneferu to Djedefptah, was often known as the Golden Age of
Ancient Egypt. This is primarily caused by the fact that the rulers of this dynasty opened up
successful trade with other nations. In fact, The 3
rd
dynasty opened up trade (Dynasties). That
attempt was not successful, leaving the civilization at square one. Trade unlocked the secret to
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wealth for many merchants, and provided stability for the growing country. Other dynasties,
however, had horrible economies. The invading Hyksos, a rebel group from the wild deserts
surrounding Egypt, which started their attacks by the end of the thirteenth dynasty, dramatically
decreased the wealth of the civilization. Like today, military spending caused this. Eventually,
the Hyksos won and ended up controlling the fifteenth dynasty, until they were removed from
the country at the start of the New Kingdom era (Dynasties). This being said, there are certain
parts of the economy that had never been impacted by the Ancient Egyptian rules. An example
of this is the flooding of the Nile, which provided a fertile plot of land for several weeks
(History). In the switch from the Old Kingdom to the New Kingdom, there was an economic
shift; people started to focus more and more on other trades apart from farming the land that
was flooded by the Nile. However, different economies were not the only differences in this
ancient world.
Along the lines of the Hyksos and this ancient civilization, there comes a great deal of
controversy over the amount of military power the pharaohs exercised. As mentioned earlier, the
Hyksos who then had control over the land of Egypt ruled the fifteenth dynasty. They exercised
more power than any rulers that came before them. The Hyksos strengthened the army like never
before but even more was done during the era of the New Kingdom. While the earlier
kingdoms and dynasties were powerful, and had a functioning military, there were many changes
to be made. Even though the Hyksos brought a new found devotion to the military, King Ramses
II called upon a standing army twenty-four seven (Werner). While this may not seem like a
major difference, it had a huge impact on the ancient world. This caused a competition between
Upper and Lower Egypt who would have the more important contributions to the army
(Strehl)? Who would have the capability to fight the hardest? All of these issues came into
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existence because of the military power of the different dynasties. Historians could argue that the
disputes between these two regions was caused by the people living within them and not directly
caused by the pharaohs of the dynasty, this would not be the case without a pharaoh-started
military. All of these issues rose up during an era known as the First Intermediate. While raising
a military was a huge display of power, there is definitely more to the affect of the pharaohs on
Ancient Egypt.
In addition to having a standing army, pharaohs of different dynasties had different
policies. Much like today, where different political parties have different foreign and domestic
policies, the rulers of the Ancient Arab World also had ways of ruling that were specific to their
dynasty. As mentioned earlier, the first dynasty to open a trading partnership with an external
nation was the third. However, the first dynasty to have a successful and fruitful exchange
between other nations was the fourth dynasty. This was part of the strict foreign policy enacted
by Senefru and the other pharaohs of the dynasty. The tenth dynasty exercised the most domestic
power (Ancient). During the time, there were many revolts by the general public. Most came
from the fall of the religious revolution. This increase in revolts lead to a major increase in laws
set by the pharaohs and an increase in executions. It is important to note this is mainly held
towards the reputation of the tenth dynasty.
Adding on to the religious aspect, but traveling back to the third dynasty, there are major
changes in this field. This specific dynasty is well known for its belief in an all mighty sun god,
which is often a stereotype linked to the mass of Ancient Egyptian culture. The belief in a sun
god traveled back and forth between dynasties usually staying constant between the pharaohs
of the same dynasty. This is untrue when it comes to cases like that of child-king Tutankhamen,
who reversed the radical religious changes (King) made by his father in the eighteenth
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dynasty. Generally, these religious changes caused a major shift among the people of Egypt, and
in the long run helped shape the future of the country.
To sum things up, each dynasty did bring something unique and important to the
civilization of Ancient Egypt. Some changes were radical, while others were just corollaries to
the precedents set before. The levels of wealth fluctuated between the dynasties, and the
economy shifted. The military power exercised changed with the dynasties, with a few specific
standouts. Both foreign and domestic affairs were dealt with differently between dynasties, and
the face of religion was strongly impacted by the change in ruling family. For better or for worse,
the changes brought around by eighteen distinct dynasties helped shape a three thousand year
history, and are the reason why this empire is often studied.













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Works Cited
Dynasties Of Ancient Egypt (Table). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6
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Edition (2013): 1.
Literary Reference Center. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.
"History of Egypt." History of Egypt. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.
"Military Exploits." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 30
Dec. 2013.
Strehl, Kaitlyn. "ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT EGYPT." ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT
EGYPT. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.
"The Ancient Egypt Site." The Ancient Egypt Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.
"The Kingdom after Akhenaten." KingTutOne.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Dec. 2013.
Werner, Edward K. A History Of Ancient Egypt. Vol. 1: From The First Farmers To The Great
Pyramid. Library Journal 138.14 (2013): 130. Literary Reference Center. Web. 30 Dec.
2013.