Middle Kingdom of Egypt: Ancient Egypt's Classical Age
The Middle Kingdom (2040-1782 BCE) is considered ancient Egypt's Classical Age, during which it produced some of its greatest works of art and literature. Scholars remain divided on which dynasties constitute the Middle Kingdom, as some argue for the later half of the 11th through the 12th, some…
Original author: Joshua J. Mark
Related articles
Predynastic Period in Egypt: The Time Before History Began
The Predynastic Period in ancient Egypt is the time before recorded history, from the Paleolithic to the Neolithic Age and on to the rise of the First Dynasty, and is generally recognized as spanning the era from circa 6000 to 3150 BCE (though physical evidence argues for a longer history). While…
Hymn to Nungal: A Praise Song for the Sumerian Goddess of Prisons
The Hymn to Nungal (circa 1894-1595 BCE) is a Sumerian poem praising Nungal, the goddess of prisons and rehabilitation (also associated with the underworld), as well as the prison house she presided over. Her name means "Great Princess," and she was also known as Manungal ("Mother Nungal"). The…
Ninurta: The Sumerian Hero-God of War
Ninurta (identified with Ningirsu, Pabilsag, and the biblical Nimrod) is the Sumerian and Akkadian hero-god of war, hunting, and the south wind. He first appears in texts in the early 3rd millennium BCE as an agricultural god and local deity of the town of Girsu (as Ningirsu) and the city of Larak…
Late Period of Ancient Egypt: The End of Egyptian Rule of Egypt
The Late Period of Egypt (525-332 BCE) is the era following the Third Intermediate Period (1069-525) and preceding the brief Hellenistic period (332-323 BCE) when Egypt was ruled by the Argead officials installed by Alexander the Great prior to the rise of the Macedonian-Greek Ptolemaic Dynasty…