Study Guide for the First Intermediate Period

Mieroop 93-96 (same)

Lichtheim I: 83-109, 149-163

Important names, terms, and concepts

Thebes

Intef II

nomes and nomarchs

Discussion Questions

Compare and contrast the inscriptions in private 1IP (First Intermediate Period) tombs to those we read from the Old Kingdom. How are they different or similar?

What do the hymns on Intef's stela say about his understanding of himself as a king (see what Mieroop says about Intef II on p. 93) and his relationship to the gods?

The Instruction of Merikare was probably written during the Middle Kingdom but purports to be the instructions of a king to his son on how to be a king during the 1IP. Mieroop writes, "Many scholars sw the text as proof that during the 10th dynasty Egypt had been riven by internal strife and was under threat from foreign invaders. Yet, this is not clear at all, and the work fits well a a piece of wisdom literature where a father advises his son on how to behave, portraying the negative repercussions of unwise rule." (95) What do you think? Why?

The Admonitions of Ipuwer in Lichtheim were probably written after the 1IP about the 1IP. What do they tell us about how this time lived on in the historical memory of Egyptians? Compare and contrast the representation of society in the Admonitions of Ipuwer to Mieroop's discussion of the 1IP.