Ancient Egypt is one of the most fascinating periods in the history of the world. Great wealth, powerful pharaohs, huge sculptures, and beautifully decorated architecture immediately come to mind when one talks of Ancient Egypt. The most powerful reign of the Ancient Egyptians lasted for over two thousand years, from 3100 to 1085 BC. During this time, many different pharaohs ruled over Egypt, various different military conquests were made, and for the most part, peace and prosperity reigned supreme. For the purpose of the study of Ancient Egypt, the country's history during this two thousand year period of power has been divided into three different Kingdoms, and two different Intermediate Periods. The definition of "kingdom" as it is used in this study denotes a time in the history of Egypt when the central government was strong, the country was unified, and there was an orderly succession of pharaohs. The Intermediate Periods, on the other hand, were a time when government collapsed, civil war broke out, or the country was plagued by foreign invasion. Each Kingdom has distinct things that make it unique, and there are some facts and certain aspects of life that they all shared. The Intermediate Periods also can be compared and contrasted. .
The Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt lasted from around 3100 BC to 2200 BC. This kingdom was the most glorious and beautiful of all three of the kingdoms. In 3100 BC, the pharaoh Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt into one strong, unified absolute monarchy. Before this time, tribal chieftains, who set their own boundaries and rules for living, supposedly ruled the land. The Nile River, however, made it possible for both sides of Egypt to be united physically, and Menes supplied the powerful kingship that tied the knot of the unification. Menes made it so that the crown he wore would be a double diadem, to signify that he was the ruler of a unified country.
