SOURCE3 Inside the Great Pyramid
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1 Air shafts 2 Pharaoh’s burial chamber 3 Grand gallery 4 Queen’s chamber 5 False chamber 6 Ascending corridor 7 Entrance 8 Descending corridor
3.6.2 Why did the age of pyramids end? The end of the Old Kingdom marked the end of the age of pyramid building. Several different dates are given for the collapse of the Old Kingdom, the most common being 2181 BCE. But did it collapse? Many historians of the twentieth century assumed that the collapse of the age of pyramids was due to failure of the regular þooding of the Nile. That þooding was essential for Egypt’s prosperity because it provided fresh topsoil for farming. It was also assumed that the long age of peace and stability was replaced by a time of chaos after the death of pharaoh Pepi II. What made historians believe this? One source of evidence were ancient texts that suggest that during this time Egypt experienced foreign invasions, disease, civil war and famines — even cannibalism. These texts were used to support the Biblical account of Moses, the Jewish slaves and the plague of Egypt. However, the ancient Egyptian sources on which this view is based were written 800 years after the events were supposed to have occurred. So are they reliable sources? Does other evidence contradict those sources? Most historians now see these texts as ýction or propaganda to uphold pharaohs’ power, warning against chaos without strong leadership. Recent skeleton studies show no signs of famine or violence, supporting this view.
TOPIC3 Ancient Egypt 99
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